Genesis 6:1 Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. 5 Then 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. 6 The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. 10 Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. 13 Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. 14 “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch.”
In this passage we see the great issue of Scripture, the sinfulness of man and yet the grace of God. As time went on the proliferation of the race continued, but it seems that sin continued at a greater pace. Those who were of the line of the woman were called the sons of God, but the others were referred to (in this text) as the daughters of men. It was in this mixing of the lines that it would seem that the seed of the woman (as promised by God) was in danger. Satan knew the promise of God and he knew that God was working through the line of the woman to bring about the fulfillment of his (Satan’s, the serpent) curse. He went to work in an effort to corrupt that line and it appeared that he had succeeded. But God held that line in his hand and throughout the Old Testament that while that line appeared to be in great danger, the sovereign hand of God in bringing grace to His people and the curse on the serpent never wavered in truth.
Look at the evil of sin. It has spread to the whole population and it appears that virtually all men were in rebellion against the Creator. It appears that of all the men on the earth only one man was different, and that man was Noah. The whole earth was corrupt and filled with violence, but Noah found grace in the eyes of God. The wickedness of men was great, but Noah found grace in the eyes of God. Every intent of the thoughts of men were evil and that continually, but Noah found grace in the eyes of God. While some want to read this text as if Noah was a good man and was faithful to God and so God gave Him grace and mercy, I would argue that this is exactly backwards and it is also not the order that the text gives us. In verse 8 it tells us this, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.” Noah first found favor (grace) in the eyes of God and then Noah was a righteous man who walked with God. Men only walk with God by grace and not because they are good people.
God destroyed everything on the earth with water and every breathing animal except for Noah, his family, and the animals on the ark drowned. We see the power, holiness, and justice of God; yet we also see the glory of the grace of God. Noah was born a sinner and deserved death as well. Noah was a practicing sinner and deserved death as well. But Noah was shown grace by God. Out of all the men on the earth God chose Noah and gave him grace. Let us admire and worship this God and the glory of grace as well as the glory of holiness and justice. The ark, on the other hand, points us to the Messiah who was to come. There is another day of judgment coming and only those in the ark of Christ will be saved. All that Noah did in some way depicted the Christ who was to come and who would carry out the crushing of the head of the serpent. All that happened in the flood set forth the glory of God’s grace in choosing out one man and his family. Let us not focus on Noah, but let us admire the wonder of grace. Let us look at Christ who saves sinners who are no better (and perhaps worse) than others and yet He saves them for His own name’s sake. Behold the glory of grace and may we look to nothing but grace for help and hope.
God Loves... Himself 
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