The second Flood story began with a reference to Noah’s genealogy (which concluded in Genesis 9:28, with the entire Flood narrative in between). What God hoped for from humans had grown so rare that the phrase “in his generation” meant “that Noah was unique, the only one of his kind among all his contemporaries or people who lived at the same time he did.” (Translator’s Handbook on Genesis)

• The text described Noah as “moral,” a word that referred primarily to the way he related to other humans, and “exemplary,” a word that focused on the way a person related to God. In other words, the ancient Hebrew story, centuries before John Wesley, was holding together the personal and social dimensions of the gospel! In what ways are you holding those dimensions together in your own life, living a “Noah” kind of life?
• On the other hand, in verse 11 “corrupt” comes from a Hebrew word that meant “to be damaged, spoiled, ruined.” The original word behind “violence” meant “injustice, lawlessness, wrong.” In what ways do we still see life on earth today moving in directions that those words describe accurately? In what ways can you as one of God’s people be a force for honor, justice and right practices?