Noah, Noe [Nō'ah]—rest.

1. The son of Lamech of the posterity of Seth—the tenth from Adam. He died at the age of 950 years (Gen. 5:29, 30, 32; 6:8). The LXX version says that the name is a play on the statement, “This same shall give us rest.”

The Man Who Built the Ark

Nothing is known of the early life of Noah, who first appeared on the scene when he was five hundred years old. Evidently his father, Lamech, was a religious man and gave his son a fitting name, meaning rest. This much we do know about Noah, he lived in a time when men were universally corrupt, so much so that God said He would destroy the human race (Gen. 6:1-7).

In the midst of an age of moral darkness, Noah was perfect in his generation. He walked with God and had a life radiant with righteousness. Intimate with God, he learned of His purpose to destroy mankind (Heb. 11:7), and was given the strange and almost impossible task of building a vessel large enough to shelter his family and a pair of all the birds and the beasts of that time.

Noah set about the tremendous work of the Ark’s construction. Daily he had to endure the ridicule of the godless. At last the waters of judgment covered the earth, but all within the Ark were safe and saved. What a striking illustration the Ark affords of Christ, who preserves us from the flood of divine judgment. Here is an outline for the pastor to extend:

I. Noah walked with God in spite of surrounding iniquity (Gen. 6:8-12). There were saints in Caesar’s household.

II. Noah was obedient when appointed to a difficult task (Gen. 6:14-21; 7:5).

III. Noah was remembered by God and delivered from death (Gen. 8:1). Romans 8:1 tells where we rest.

IV. Noah, by faith, worked out his salvation (Heb. 11:7). See Philippians 2:12.

V. Noah warned his neighbors of impending judgment. (2 Peter 2:5). See Ezekiel 33:1-20.

VI. Noah built the first recorded altar (Gen. 8:20). See Hebrews 13:10.

VII. Noah was honored by God with an everlasting covenant (Gen. 9:12-17). See Hebrews 9:15.

2. Also the name of a daughter of Zelophehad, the grandson of Gilead (Num. 26:33).