“Noah
found favor in the eyes of the Lord…Noah was a righteous man, blameless
in his time; Noah walked with God.” (Gen
6:8-9)
“The Lord
said to Moses, ‘I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you
have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.’” (Ex 33:17)
Scripture
tells us that both Noah and Moses "found favor" in the in the eyes of the
Lord. This was important since both
men lived among sinful people worthy of God’s judgement. Although considered a grave sin, we do not traditionally elevate the sin of the golden calf to the same level as the wickedness of Noah’s generation. However, God's perspective on the golden calf is what matters, “Go down at once,
for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted
themselves.” (Ex 32:7). The key word conveyed to Moses about the
people’s condition is “corrupted” (Hebrew = shahat), which occurs in only one previous story in scripture,
“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.” (Gen 6:11-12)
The use
of the word “corrupted” is noteworthy because it conveys the serious nature of
the golden calf sin, the unrepentant condition of the people, and the judgment that God has
predetermine. By linking the people of Israel to the condition of the generation living before the flood, God connected Israel to the same fate. Only Moses stood between God and the destruction of Israel, and
God requested that Moses step aside, “Now
then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy
them,” (Ex 32:10).
At this
point, the story of Moses deviated dramatically from the story of Noah. Whereas Noah used the favor granted him to
escape the corrupted world saving only his family, Moses used the favor granted him to save the
corrupted people he was living among, “O
LORD, why does You anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out
from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand, (Ex 32:11). What follows is a remarkable passage based solely on the actions of Moses, “So the LORD changed His
mind about the harm which He said
He would do to His people,” (Ex 32:14).
Before the flood, we are told, “The LORD was sorry
that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The LORD said, ‘I will blot out man whom I
have created from the face of the land…” (Gen 6:6-8). Similar words
are spoken to Moses after the golden calf, “Now then let Me
alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them;
and I will make of you a great nation.” (Ex 32:10).
In both stories,
God has determined to destroy the people because they have become
corrupted. In both stories, God has
instructed the individual possessing favor to leave the location so that
destruction can occur. Whereas Noah
chose to separate himself from his generation, Moses chose to unite himself
to his generation (Ex 32:32), in the
hope that his “favor” (merit) would be sufficient to save the people of Israel.
The
actions of Moses saved the people of
Israel and become a pattern for the actions of Jesus, Who also
gained favor (Luke 2:52), which He
used to save those united with him.
“For if
we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall
also be in the likeness of His resurrection.” (Rom 6:5)
Noah is
introduced in scripture as “a righteous
man,” (Gen 6:9), while Moses is
introduced as baby born in Egypt, destined for an Egyptian throne, (Heb 11:24). Noah’s story concludes with drunkenness and cursing his son Canaan.
Moses grew up, “refused to be called the
son of Pharaoh’s daughter” (Heb
11:25), and at the end of his life Moses is called “the
man of God,” (Deut 33:1).
So how are we using the favor (grace) that has been granted to us? Are we like Abraham who used the “favor” granted him to
entertain the angels of God and plead for the salvation of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18:3), or we like Lot who used the "favor"
granted to him to saved himself, (Gen
19:19)?
All the best, Scott
