Be careful here with this idea it was something good about that
caused God to save Him.
The Genesis 6 text does state, "
Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God" (Gen. 6:9), but that statement does not explicitly state he was righteous and blameless
before the flood. That verse could be read as an
effect of the flood. Peter noted Noah was also a preacher of righteousness (
2 Pet. 2:5). What we unequivocally know about conditions of humanity prior to the flood is explicitly state: "
the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5). This is said with some modicum of hyperbole but even with without the hyperbole Noah would fall under this appraisal. Although Noah is reported to be righteous and blameless
(which is also hyperbole) he would be included in humanity, in humanity's pervasive corruptness of thought (and subsequent conduct). Statistically speaking, it's also unlikely Noah was the only human who walked with God (see
Gen. 4:26). Men had begun to call on God's name back in Seth's and Enosh's day and we understand through the ancestry that Noah was raised in a bloodline of spiritual notables. The word "
only" is nowhere found in Genesis 6. If Noah were the
only righteous and blameless man then God placed him on the ark with seven sinful, unrighteous, blame-worthy people
(and thereby simply replicated to problem on a smaller order).
We know Noah was not perfect and Noah did not perfectly parent. We know this because of the report of
Genesis 9:20-24, wherein Noah gets so grossly intoxicated within a growing season after leaving the ark that he passes out so dead to his senses that he is oblivious to his son Ham raping (sodomizing) him.... and his other sons do nothing about it. It is also reasonable to think all eight people on the ark were psychologically traumatized by the experience of the flood. They'd just witnessed the destruction of all human life and all land-based life
(except that which they had on the ark). That is a level of violence., death, and destruction no human has ever witnessed. It changes a person, and not for the better. Lastly, we know Noah was a sinner because scripture unequivocally states all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory
(and that would include the glory with which He first made humanity).
Most importantly, however, when it comes to the matter of
grace and scripture's' first mention of grace being the selection of Noah, it is paramount to remember grace is not and cannot be earned. Therefore, any righteousness Moah may have possessed and his walking with God were NOT the basis of God's decision to save Noah. That would be the antithesis of grace.
Romans 4:1-8
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD will not take into account."
Ecclesiastes 7:20
Indeed, there is not a righteous person on earth who always does good and does not ever sin.
Romans 3:10
As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one....
See also Romans 9:16, Ephesians 2:8, Titus 3:5, Philippians 3:9, God does not depend on the human's conduct, especially the sinner's sinful conduct when deciding to whom and how He is gracious. It was not
because Noah was righteous and blameless and walked with God that he was chosen but in spite of his being sinful. Had that been the standard by which God made the decision then all the men who were righteous, blameless, and walked with God would have to be saved from the flood, otherwise God would have been showing partiality and God does not do that (see
Rom. 2:11).
God did not have to save
anyone. God could have wiped human existence off the earth in its entirety and, given the appraisal of Genesis 6:5, would have been entirely justified doing so. He could have wiped human existence off the earth so extensively that all traces of its existence were wiped from history
(He may have done that for all we know). He can form another human and breathe it into existence anytime He likes. Instead, He chose to do something different. He chose to choose eight people, knowing one of them was an alcoholic, wone of them was a sodomite, and two of them were so lacking in courage and fortitude that they were acquiescent. Of all the possible families who might even remotely be deemed righteous and blameless, walking with God, the LORD chose a weak family. Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth about their living in a city where conditions were very similar to Noah's day.
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast in the LORD."
1 Samuel 2:8
He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the garbage heap to seat them with nobles, and He gives them a seat of honor as an inheritance; for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and He set the world on them.
That is grace. And once the whole of scripture is considered, this early episode of grace can be seen to have eternal significance and speak to the nature and character of God (almost) beyond our comprehension.
Note: Noah was never asked if he wanted to be selected. He was never asked if he wanted to be called. He was never asked if he wanted to build a really, really big ship. He was commanded to do so and expected to comply. Only then did any opportunity for any choices ensue. As insane as the declaration of destruction sounded, Noah believed. The righteous live by faith.
.
