Grace in the Ark of Noah
From Images of Christ in Genesis SOBA Masters Thesis, by Ernesto E. Carrasco, M.C.Ed.
“Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8). Here we have the first occurrence of the word “grace” in the Bible. It is the Hebrew word חֵן (chen), meaning graciousness, i.e. subjective (kindness, favor) or objective (beauty).1
The grace of God was present contemporaneously with the judgment of God: But Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah; he found grace in the eyes of God. This was the way out of the devastation. This is grace in the context of judgment. The word found shows grace is not won and it is not earned. Noah simply found grace in God.1
Grace has often been defined as “God’s unmerited favor.” God as Creator, Owner and Master of His creation was (and is) within His rights to do what He pleases with what is His. Thus, the total destruction of all of creation inhered within His right as Creator. God possessed (and possesses) the right to destroy all, including Noah, and either re-create or not create again, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.”
[Grace] is a term used of the elegance of women (Prov. 11:16; Prov. 31:30), of a precious gemstone (Prov. 17:8), and of a pleasant speech (Ps. 45:2; Eccl. 10:12). It is used of acceptance by men and by God (Prov. 13:15; Zech. 4:7). It probably does not here have the later connotation of the Gk. charis, meaning unmerited favor, since in this context it is the constant and blameless righteousness of Noah in contrast to the wickedness of mankind that gains the notice of God (cf. v. 9). Compared to all others, Noah looked really good to God.2
1 Fruchtenbaum,Ariel’s Bible Commentary: The Book of Genesis, 155.
2 Merrill, The Bible Knowledge Key Word Study, 58.
