"So the LORD said, 'I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.' But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD" Genesis 6:7-8
The story of Noah does not happen in a vacuum. It is not a disconnected story with no relation to what has come before or after. The story of Noah comes at the end of a genealogy which connects it to the preceding narrative. The story begins with a perfect creation--Man and Woman created to live together in harmony in the Garden of Eden. Conflict is introduced--Man and Woman sin by eating of the forbidden fruit and introducing death to mankind. The plot is developed--God promises a hero would come to defeat man's enemy and restore the blessing of creation. The story progresses--the next generation continues in sinful patterns and escalates the violence of sin. Cain murdered his own brother, and every generation from Adam to Noah dies with one notable exception--Enoch, the one who walked with God.
Now we come to Noah. By this time we are told that the earth was filled with violence. Mankind's thoughts were "only evil continually." The conflict of chapter 3 has escalated to the point that it is almost time to scrap the whole thing and start over. However, God will be faithful to his promise. God promised a hero who would be one of the descendants of Eve. If he destroys everyone and starts over he would be breaking his promise. So, instead, he has favor on one man and his family--Noah.
Noah was a good man. He was "righteous in his generation." He wasn't sinless, but he "walked with God." God warns Noah that he is sending a flood, and he gives Noah instructions on how to be saved from the wrath to come. He gives Noah precise instructions that he is to follow exactly--and his life depends on it. Noah faithfully builds an ark according to God's design and he, his family, and all of the animals on the earth are saved, while everyone and everything outside of this boat is killed. God promised judgement and it came with certainty. Just as his judgement is certain, so is his promise. Though the earth was destroyed in the flood waters, God remembered Noah, and he remembered his promise to Eve. The flood waters receded, and the ark came to rest upon a mountain. At the end of the flood narrative we see Noah and and his family exit the ark along with all of the animals, birds, and creeping things--they came out of the ark "by families." This is similar to how the children of Israel exited Egypt, and marched in the wilderness, and took the land, arranged by families.
This is the pattern that God uses throughout the Bible--salvation through judgement. God brings judgement on sin, yet he brings salvation to his people to preserve a messianic seed and to preserve a remnant who will bring him glory. We see the same in the Exodus. God judges Egypt and brings his people out. We see the same in the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego--they went through the fire and were saved without even smelling like smoke. We see it in the exile--Jerusalem was destroyed and the people were scattered but God preserved a remnant to be faithful to his covenant promises. We see it in the cross. God's judgement on sinners is poured out on Jesus for us and all who have faith in him are saved.
The story of Noah teaches us some things that we see all throughout the Bible and which are essential components to the gospel. Judgement is real and certain and coming, and God has provided salvation through is appointed means. The same things are true for us. First, he is going to come in judgement--that is certain. We will all stand before his judgement seat one day and we will answer for everything we have ever done--even any careless word that we have spoken. Second, He has provided a way of salvation such than anyone who believes upon him will be saved from eternal destruction. That way of salvation is through the cross of Christ. Christ has come into the world and died as a substitute for the judgement we deserved for our sin. He is our ark and there is no other way of salvation outside of him.
"But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth and the waters subsided." Genesis 8:1
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