NOAH, the second father of the human race, was the son of the second Lamech, the grandson of Methuselah, and the tenth in descent from Adam through Seth.
The father of Noah must not be confounded with the Lamech who was the fourth in descent from Cain. There is another instance of the same name in each line, Enoch ; but the periods of each of the two couples must have been very different, though we cannot exactly compare them, for the history does not give the years of life in the line of Cain. The two Lamechs, however, have one re markable circumstance in common ; to each of them a fragment of inartificial poetry is attached as his own composition. That of the Cainitic Lamech is in Gen. iv. 23, 24. That of the Sethite now comes before us in ch. v. 28, 29 :—` Lamech lived 182 years, and then begat a son, and he called his name Noah, saying— This shall comfort us From our labour, And from the sorrowful toils of our hands ; From the ground, Which Jehovah hath cursed.' The allusion is undoubtedly to the penal conse quences of the fall in earthly toils and sufferings, and to the hope of a Deliverer excited by the pro mise made to Eve. That this expectation was grounded upon a divine communication we infer from the importance attached to it, and the confi dence of its expression. See this subject well argued in Bishop Sherlock's Use and Intent of Prophecy, Disc. iv.
That the conduct of Noah corresponded to the faith and hope of his father we have no reason to doubt. The brevity of the history satisfies not human curiosity. He was born six hundred years before the Deluge. We may reasonably suppose that through that period he maintained the cha racter given of him :—`Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God (ch. vi. 8, 9). These words declare his piety, sincerity, and integrity ; that he maintained habitual communion with the Father of Mercies, by the exercises of devotion ; and that he was an inspired instrument of conveying the will of God to mankind. The wickedness of the human race tuad long called upon the wisdom and justice of God for some signal display of his displeasure, as a measure of righteous government and an example to future ages. For a long time, probably many centuries, the better part of men, the descendants of Seth, had kept themselves from society with the families of the Cainite race. The former class had become designated as the sons of God,' faithful and obedient : the latter were called by a term evidently designed to form an appellation of the contrary import, daughters of men,' of impious and licentious men [ELomm]. These women pos sessed beauty and blandishments, by which they won the affections of unwary men, and intermar riages upon a great scale took place. As is usual in such alliances, the worst part gained the as cendency. The offspring became more depraved than the parents, and a universal corruption of minds and morals took place. Many of them became 'giants, the mighty men of old, men of renown ' neprillim), apostates (as the word implies), heroes, warriors, plunderers, filling the earth with violence' [GIANTs]. God mercifully afforded a respite of one hundred and twenty years (ch. vi. 3 ; I Pet. iii. 20 ; 2 Pet. ii. .5), during which Noah sought to work salutary impressions upon their minds, and to bring them to repentance. Thus he was a preacher of righteousness,' exer cising faith in the testimony of God, moved with holy reverence, obeying the divine commands, and, by the contrast of his conduct, condemning the world (Heb. xi. 7); and probably he had, during a long previous period, laboured in that benevolent and pious work.
At last the threatening was fulfilled. All human kind perished in the waters, except this eminently favoured and righteous man, with his three sons (born about a hundred years before) and the four wives [DELUGE].
At the appointed time this terrible state of the earth ceased, and a new surface was disclosed for the occupation and industry of the delivered family.
In some places that surface would be washed bare to the naked rock ; in others, sand would be de posited, which would be long uncultivable ; but by far the larger portion would be covered with rich soil. With agriculture and its allied arts, the antedilu vians must have been well acquainted [ADAM]. The four men, in the vigour of their mental facul ties and bodily strength, according to the then existing scale of human life, would be at no loss for the profitable application of their powers. Im mediately after the desolating judgment, the mer ciful Jehovah gave intimations of his acceptance of the sacrifice and thanksgivings of Noah and his family, and of his gracious purposes revealed in the form of a solemn covenant, for the continual benefit of them and their posterity. The beautiful phe nomenon of the rainbow was put to a new and significant use. As infallibly certain as is the pro duction of a rainbow under certain conditions of the atmosphere, so certain and sure of fulfilment are the promises of Jehovah. The act of grace is announced in the condescending language which was best adapted to the earliest condition of human thought [ANTHROPOMORPHISM]. The Lord smelled a sweet odour ; and the Lord said to his heart, I will not add to inflict a malediction further upon the ground on account of man' (Gen. viii. 2 1). That old curse,' says Bishop Sherlock, was fully executed and accomplished in the flood. In consequence of which discharge from the curse, a NEW blessing is immediately pronounced upon the earth' (Use and Int., p. 89). Noah and his children would labour the more assiduously from the consolation and hope thus inspired. Accordingly, in a subsequent part of the narrative, we read, And Noah began, a man of the ground' (ch. ix. 2o), i.e., set diligently to his welcome labour, the sorrow being mitigated, the prospect encouraging, and the assurance of success given by divine promise. The simple phrase comprehends the continuity of action, the formation and prosecution of habit. It is added, And he planted a vineyard.' Dr. Dereser thinks that the two members of the sentence should be connected, producing this translation, And Noah, in his field-work, commenced the planting of a vineyard.' The narrative makes it evident that the occurrence next mentioned, the invention of wine-making, must have been some years after the cessation of the flood ; for not Ham himself, but Canaan his son, is the first and emphatic object of the prophetic curse. We cannot, with reason, assume less than fifteen or eighteen years. We are thus led to the idea that agricultural processes were improved, and produce augmented in variety and in quality. The vine had existed before the flood, and Noah could not he unacquainted with it ; but not till now had grapes been grown of such size, sweetness, and abundance of juice, as to strike out the thought of expressing that juice, and re serving it in a vessel for future use. Noah, we think it probable, knew not that, in a few days, it would ferment and acquire new and surprising properties. Innocently and without suspicion he drank of the alluring beverage, as if it had been water from the spring. The consequence is re corded in the characteristic simplicity of style which affirms neither censure nor apology. We regard that consequence as not a sinful intoxication, both from what was probably the occasional cause, and from the immediate agency of the Spirit of God in communicating prophecy. The latter, in deed, is not an impregnable ground ; for bad men might receive gifts of inspiration, as Balaam and Judas ; but Noah was eminently a righteous and perfect man, and it is inconceivable that a miracu Ions influence of God should be granted in imme diate contiguity with a sinful action.