Actually if you study Rabbinic tradition you will see that the Jews taught that Adam had about 70 children in all. Figure that exponentially for ten generartion living about 700-800 years and you would have a population in the trillions.
BTW, Gen 6:5 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.
Gen 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
Gen 6:12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
Gen 6:18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
Gen 6:22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
Gen 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
The word in 7:1 which is translated righteous is צדּיק tsad-deek’ which is just: - just, lawful, righteous (man). Consider this. The word righteous in a theological sense has a very specific meaning that is specifically ‘the righteouness of God’ and the Bible makes it plain that noone has ever lived up to that standard.
So let’s consider what this means. Noah was just (which is not righteous but just) that is he didn’t cheat people. Noah was lawful, but there was no Mosaic Covenant and therefore no Torah so this cannot mean lawful in a Godly sense. Third it means Noah was righteous, but we are reminded later that noone is righteous but God so whatever this means it does not mean that Noah’s righteousness was on par with God.
So I think the better reading is that God had mercy on Noah among all the Earth in his generation in spite of Noah’s sin. That is God gave mercy for sin and grace to preserve Noah and in this way it is very appropriate to make Noah equivalent with Baptism.
So Noah was not the only “RIGHTEOUS” man but rather the one upon whom God set His favor. Why is that? Because, I think, Noah is in the Messianic Line.
