I'm thinking today of Genesis 7 -1. Then the
Lord said to Noah, Enter the ark, you and all
your household, for you alone I have seen to
be righteous before me in this time. God saw
Noah alone to be righteous, which is an amazing
thing to say of him. There really was no reason
for him to be righteous. He had a nature that
was the same as every other man, I'm sure. He
didn't have access to the Holy Spirit. He hadn't
seen the Christ or probably heard anything about
him. Can you imagine being a good and righteous
man under those circumstances? He was right when
right was not really a thing anyone else was
doing. Surely, it had to do with faith, just
as it does now. Was it a general faith in God
and that there were rewards for those who sought
him? Seems right. The testimony of creation was
there, something in his heart, something that
had to do with choosing the better path. There
is a part of me that wants to say that this righteousness
would have shined out among men. The fact that
others did not follow him in righteousness and
that no one killed him because of the contrast
caused by his righteousness speaks of a separation,
protection, and provision from God.