Surely God could have destroyed all mankind - even Noah.  For then there would no longer be any cause for his "heart to be grieved".  Man, who was the crown of His creation, rebelled against Him and brought sin and evil into the world.  Man, who was meant to walk with God with perfect communion, now brought pain to the heart of God, so much so that God repented of having made man.  But Noah.  Noah found favor in the eyes of God.  1 Chronicles 16:9 says that the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.  Noah was such a man, and it was because of this that God chose him to be the one who would continue the line which would finally bring forth Jesus - the Sacrificial Lamb who would bring not only salvation but also the final judgment, when sin and Satan would once and for all be stamped out.  As we await the second Advent of Jesus, let us prepare ourselves by asking God to reveal to us the ways that we grieve His heart, so that we too may walk with God righteously, blamelessly.

Discussion Questions

1. Why did God send the Flood? 
2. Why did he preserve Noah and his family?  (Genesis 6:9, Hebrews 11:7)  List the three attributes Noah had.
3. What covenant did God make with Noah?  What was the symbol of this covenant?
4. Read Isaiah 59:9,10.  What does God promise (covenant) with us in this passage?

Making the Symbol

Use red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple construction paper to make a rainbow.  Use cotton balls to make a cloud on either end of the rainbow.