Noah found grace because God, in His love and mercy, chose to spare the righteous man and his house from the flood that would cleanse a corrupt earth.
Genesis 6:8 says, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD," placing Noah in direct contrast to the wickedness that made God sorry He had made man. Les Feldick teaches that God's grace was already at work in Noah's life, moving God to show him how to build an ark, a place of safety, and to preserve Noah through the judgment.
Genesis 6:8 — This is the verse that directly answers the question: Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Genesis 6:5-7 — It establishes the dark contrast: the human race had become so corrupt that God repented He had made man and planned to destroy him.
Hebrews 11:6-7 — It shows the faith that accompanied Noah's grace—by faith he prepared the ark when things not seen as yet were warned by God.
The flood narrative reaches its turning point in Genesis 6:8 with the simple declaration, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." The preceding verses describe a human race whose wickedness and violence had become so great that God repented He had made man, and He determined to destroy him from the earth. Yet against that backdrop, Noah is singled out as a recipient of divine grace. Hebrews 11:6-7 reveals the kind of response that grace calls for: "Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."
Les Feldick sees Noah's finding grace as the "flip side" of human corruption. Because the human race had become so wicked, God was broken-hearted, not vindictive, and the flood was not wrath but an act of mercy to unborn generations. In that context, God's grace reached down to a righteous man and provided a way of escape through the ark. Les repeatedly stresses that grace was not a New Testament invention. It was already seen in the Garden when God went looking for Adam and Eve, and it remained evident through Israel's failures. Noah experienced what has always been true of God: grace that pursues, saves, and carries a believing man to the other side of the flood. God demands faith, and Noah acted on that faith by building the ark even though it had never rained.
Les Feldick makes a striking point: the flood was not God's wrath. Because the earth was filled with violence and people were destroying one another, God was not venting anger but acting as a broken-hearted Creator who needed to cleanse the slate and start over. That is why the flood can be described as an act of mercy—even to unborn generations—because it stopped the runaway violence. In the same narrative, God's grace was still evident by saving eight souls through the ark.
Les often says we are in the age of grace, but he never implies grace was unknown before Paul. He points to the Garden of Eden, where God went looking for Adam and Eve behind their fig leaves; to the golden calf, when mercy and grace kept Israel from destruction; and even to the crucifixion of the Messiah, when God still withheld judgment. The word "grace" appears dozens of times before Paul's epistles because it has always been God's character.
Les emphasizes that God demands faith: without faith it is impossible to please Him. Noah is the example—by faith he was warned of things not seen and prepared the ark. In a world that had never seen rain, his obedience was an expression of faith. Noah's grace was therefore not detached from his believing response; God's grace came to a man who trusted Him enough to build what God commanded.
The Evil Condition Before Grace
Les sets Genesis 6:8 in context: the human race had become so corrupt that God said He was sorry He made man, yet verse 8 pivots with "but Noah" to show that grace was about to break in.
God's Grace as His Love for a Righteous Man
Les explains that Noah found grace because God loved this righteous man, and that love moved God to give instructions for the ark—a place of safety—just as His love in Christ is our place of safety.
Grace Was Always God's Attribute
Les says the age of grace does not mean grace was unknown until Paul; God showed mercy and grace at the golden calf and when Israel rejected the Messiah, and His grace still forestalls judgment on humanity.
Grace Goes Back to the Garden
Les points to God seeking Adam and Eve in Eden as evidence that grace has always been evident, and notes that the word "grace" appears dozens of times before Paul.
The Flood Was Mercy, Not Wrath
Les teaches the flood was not God's wrath; it was a broken-hearted God cleansing the slate and showing mercy to unborn generations because the earth was filled with violence.
Grace Has Appeared to All Men
Les quotes Titus 2:11 and explains that saving grace appears to every human being through God's work, even through nature.
Grace Preserved Eight Souls
Les reminds us that even when the earth was corrupt and violent, God's grace remained evident by saving eight souls—Noah, his sons, and their wives—to carry humanity through the flood.
Noah's Faith Accompanied His Grace
Les says God demands faith and uses Hebrews 11:7 to show that Noah's grace relationship was tied to his faith-filled obedience in building the ark before rain had ever come.
Genesis 6:5-7: And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
These verses reveal the corruption that made God's grace toward Noah so striking.
Genesis 6:8: But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
This is the direct answer to the question—Noah was the recipient of unmerited favor from God.
Genesis 3:9: And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
Les uses this verse to show that God's grace pursued sinners from the very beginning.
Hebrews 11:6: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Les connects Noah's grace with the faith that pleases God.
Hebrews 11:7: By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
This verse shows Noah's obedient faith in action, building the ark before rain had ever fallen.
Titus 2:11: For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Les quotes this to show that God's saving grace has always been extended to all humanity.
It means God showed unmerited favor to Noah in contrast to the rest of wicked humanity. Even while God had to deal with corruption by the flood, His grace provided a way of safety for Noah and his family through the ark.
Les Feldick teaches it was not wrath. It was God, broken-hearted by how His creation had turned to violence, cleansing the slate and showing mercy to unborn generations.
Yes. Les points out that grace was already evident in the Garden when God sought Adam and Eve, and it remained God's way of dealing with Israel and the world throughout the Old Testament.
Watch the Teaching: Why God Destroyed the Earth with a Flood (Genesis 6 Explained)