And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him. Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth. So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. (Genesis 7:5-7)

Family Left Behind

The story of the flood is filled with the great tragedy of sin. Wickedness had become so pervasive throughout the world that it grieved God that He had created man. The destruction of the flood was total. Everything that had the breath of life died. All of humanity perished. Every beast, cattle, and bird was destroyed. Nothing was left. God destroyed all living things that were on the face of the ground. Only Noah and his family remained alive. They were saved by being in the ark designed and purposed by God. When the floods receded, only eight people remained on the earth.

One of the tragic stories of the flood is the fate of those left behind. Noah’s father was Lamech, son of Methuselah. Lamech was born when Methuselah was 187 years old. Methuselah was 369 years old when Noah was born. Lamech died about five years before the flood, and Methuselah died the year of the flood. God came to Noah when he was 500 years old, when the world was corrupt and filled with violence. All flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. If the genealogies of Methuselah and Lamech are close to the time, they were part of the vile wickedness of the world.

Moses also says that Methuselah had sons and daughters after Lamech was born. After Noah was born, Lamech had more sons and daughters. All of the dates would have most likely put the family of Noah directly in the path of the flood. He had brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and extended family that perished in the flood. In the family of Noah, he was the only one who found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Nothing is known about Noah’s wife, but the conclusion must be made that she lost family in the flood. Did her parents perish in the flood? What about her brothers and sisters and other family members? And then the wives of Ham, Shem, and Japheth must be considered. They all had their own families that perished in the flood.

The population of the world would have been extensive, and in the community of Noah, friends and associates he had known all his life would have been part of the wickedness and evil of the world. Noah preached righteousness to a lost and dying world, and that world was filled with family members and friends. He tried to persuade his family to heed the word of the Lord, but they refused. His friends heard him preach, and they refused to listen. The families of the wives of Ham, Shem, and Japheth did not listen. Everyone perished in the flood.

Jesus observed that a prophet is without honor in his own country. Sometimes, the hardest people to share the gospel with are family and friends. It is heartbreaking to know of family members who refuse to accept the gospel of Christ. Friends are shown the only way to the truth, but to no avail. Noah and his family must have been crushed with the knowledge of their family members and friends drowning and dying outside the ark. They had shown the way of truth, but they refused to listen. Now, they were dying, and there was nothing that could be done.

God is not a respecter of persons and judges all men individually. A son stands before God alone. His parents cannot answer for him or defend him. The principle is true for everyone. On the final day of judgment, all of humanity will be gathered at the judgment bar of God, and everyone will stand alone. The family and friends of Noah will be judged because they refused to hear the word of truth. Noah did all he could do. His family chose to deny the grace of God. They will be accountable. Many family members and friends who stand outside the covenant of God will be judged by their actions. Those who refuse to listen to the word of the Lord will find themselves outside when the rain starts. Sadly, then it will be too late.