创六8~9 但挪亚在耶和华眼前蒙恩。挪亚的后代记在下面。挪亚是个义人，在当时的世代是个完全人；挪亚与神同行。

　　当神在创世记一章初次看人的时候，祂既快乐又喜悦。当神在六章再次看人的时候，祂看见人已经邪恶败坏到了极点，就为着造了人而忧伤。从一章到这里，有何等的改变！……如果你是神，你会怎么作？也许你会说，“算了吧。”但神永远的目的怎么办？神岂不是永远的神？永远的神能改变么？神不是短暂的神，乃是永远的神，在祂并没有转动的影儿（雅一17）。祂作了决定，就永远立定。如果神忘了祂永远的目的，祂的仇敌会讥笑祂说，“你想要创造人来击败我，但是你没有击败我，反被我击败了。”神会被击败么？绝对不会！那么神应该怎么作？答案就在创世记六章八节：“但挪亚在耶和华眼前蒙恩。”历代以来，这原则一直不变（创世记生命读经，四七一页）。

　　Gen. 6:8-9 But Noah found favor in the sight of Jehovah. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generations; and Noah walked with God.

　　When God had His first look at mankind in Genesis 1, He was happy and pleased with man. When God had another look at man in Genesis 6, He saw that man had become wicked and corrupt to the uttermost, and it grieved Him that He had made man. What a change from Genesis 1!…What would you have done if you had been God? Perhaps you would have said, “Forget about it.” But what about God’s eternal purpose? Is not God the eternal God? Can the eternal God change? God is not a temporary God but an eternal God. In Him there is no shadow of change (James 1:17). Once He makes a decision, it stands for eternity. If God had forgotten His eternal purpose, His enemy would have laughed at Him, saying, “You intended to create man to defeat me, but instead of You defeating me, I have defeated You.” Will God be defeated? Never! Then what should God do? The answer, the same in principle throughout the centuries, is found in Genesis 6:8: “But Noah found favor in the sight of Jehovah.” (Life-study of Genesis, p. 386)

　　我们从创世记六章五节读到八节。“耶和华见人在地上罪恶甚大，心中终日所思念的尽都是恶。”（5）所思念的，直译，思想的意念。“意念”一辞，在希伯来文不仅指意念，也指目的和愿望。“耶和华就后悔造人在地上，心中忧伤。耶和华说，我要将所创造的人，……都从地上除灭，因为我后悔造了他们。”（6~7）如果一切到此为止，那就没有希望了。但是，阿利路亚，我们还有第八节！这一节开始于一个重要的“但”字。“但挪亚在耶和华眼前蒙恩。”这是创世记这卷书中最重大的经节之

　　一。撒但很乐意听到，神要把人从地上除灭，但挪亚却在耶和华眼前蒙恩。这转变了局面，改变了时代。阿利路亚，神没有被击败！在表面的失败中，借着一个在耶和华眼前蒙恩的人得胜了。这是个转捩点。如果你配着圣经读一读历史，你会看见在每一个时代，当撒但尽力把局面破坏到极点之后，总有一个人或少数人在神眼前蒙恩，成为改变那时代的人。你们记得以色列人的历史，虽然他们一再堕落，堕落到底，但是出来了一个少年人，使仇敌大大的惊讶，这人名叫但以理。但以理一章八节说，“但以理却立定心意，不以王的膳和王所饮的酒玷污自己。”但以理书说，“但以理却……。”创世记六章八节说，“但挪亚……。”

　　如果我们看挪亚的生活，我们会看见这不仅是与神同行，或建造方舟的事。基本且重要的点乃是，神用挪亚改变了时代。……看来好像没有希望了。但挪亚蒙了恩典，挪亚的生活是改变时代的生活。

　　看看今天的局面。如果你读福音书，如果你看见神对召会的定旨，你会认识召会有这样一个高超的使命。召会是由神的生命所产生，在这新约时代彰显神自己。召会已受托以这样一个荣耀的使命。我们不需要看过去。眼前的情况就足以告诉我们，召会是多么堕落，多么偏离神正确的目标。但不要灰心。虽然撒但尽力破坏，神仍然有方法达成祂原初的目的。在一切的失败之中，神今天兴起了众地方召会来改变时代（创世记生命读经，四七一至四七三页）。

　　参读：创世记生命读经，第二十九篇。

　　Let us read Genesis 6:5 through 8 : “Jehovah 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.” In Hebrew, the words every imagination signify not only the imagination but also the purposes and desires. “And Jehovah repented that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him in His heart. And Jehovah said, I will blot out the man whom I have created…; for I repent that I have made them.” If that had been all, there would have been no hope. But Hallelujah for verse 8! This verse begins with a big “but.” “But Noah found favor in the sight of Jehovah.” The King James Version translates this verse, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” This is one of the greatest verses in the book of Genesis.

　　Satan was glad to hear that God was going to blot out man from the surface of the ground, but Noah found favor, or grace, in the sight of Jehovah. That turned the situation and changed the age. Hallelujah, God was not defeated! In the midst of apparent defeat, there was victory through a man who found favor, or grace, in the sight of Jehovah. That was the turning point. If you read history along with the Bible, you will see that in every generation, when Satan has done his best to damage the situation to the uttermost, there has always been one man or a few people who found grace in the sight of God and who became the ones who turned the age. Remember the history of Israel. Although they degraded lower and lower until they reached the bottom, there was, much to the surprise of the enemy, a young man named Daniel. Daniel 1:8 says, “But Daniel set his heart not to defile himself with the king’s choice provision and with the wine that the king drank.” There in the book of Daniel it says, “But Daniel”; here in Genesis 6:8 it says, “But Noah.”

　　If we look at Noah’s life, we will see that it was not simply a matter of walking with God or of building the ark. The basic and crucial point is that God used Noah to change the age…There seemed to be no hope. But Noah found favor. Noah’s life was a life that changed the age.

　　Look at the situation today. If you read the Gospels and if you see God’s purpose for the church, you will realize that the church has such a high commission. The church was produced with God’s life to express Him in this New Testament age. The church has been entrusted with such a glorious commission. There is no need for us to look into the past. The present situation is sufficient to show us how much the church has fallen and deviated from God’s proper goal. But do not be disappointed. Though Satan has done his best, God still has a way to carry out His original purpose. Among all the defeats, God today has raised up local churches to change the age. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 386-387)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msg. 29