Profiles in Leadership: Noah – A Man of Righteousness and of Sacrifice

Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. ....Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:7-8 There’s something about righteousness – the kind of morally virtuous lifestyle empowered from above – that qualifies a person to lead. Noah, the man God chose to rescue the human race from extinction, demonstrated this kind of righteousness. Humankind had grown so evil that God had pledged to destroy it and all living things on earth. But the Lord’s pronouncement of judgment didn’t come without hope; God had charged Noah to help save a remnant of humanity. God didn’t choose Noah randomly. He knows whom He can count on to get things done – and it’s not necessarily the one with the most skill, talent, or social standing. Rather, it’s the one who daily walks with Him, the one who hears his voice and follows His Lead – regardless of the amount of personal sacrifice. Noah was just such a man. No doubt Noah had his own weaknesses and frailties. But he walked with God and it was that close walk that made Him righteous before the Lord. Noah’s righteousness qualified him to be used by God to help save the human race from annihilation, and in the bargain kept him and his loved ones from certain death. Noah was also a man willing to make extreme personal sacrifice for the Lord. God had determined to start again, even without a guarantee that the survivors and their descendants would do any better job of following Him. God made a covenant with Noah, giving up His right to ever again flood the earth to cleanse it of sinful humanity. Noah, on the other hand, gave up everything he had accumulated in his long life in order to start over. Sacrifice always precedes success. He had to give up, to go up. Noah still stands as an example of the kind of person God wants to use. God hasn’t changed, and even now He looks for righteous, sacrificial leaders who can help him change the world. Please comment below or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com