The flood story is where a grieving Lord takes action. Genesis 6: 5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.[1]
Scripture tells us that God doesn’t change. Malachi 3: 6 For I the Lord do not change.[2] Thus, reading that God regretted making humankind is a bit unsettling. At creation, God had declared everything He made to be good. Unfortunately, by the time of our story, there is wickedness and continual evil, just the opposite of creation.
God had created humans for a purpose. Their task was to oversee the garden. God also wanted a relationship with them as He would walk with Adam and Eve in the garden. Sin corrupted humankind’s purpose and broke their relationship with God. By the time of Noah, the corruption of God’s good creation was almost complete.
Patient to a Point
God’s purpose for humanity had not changed, but He was saddened by their rebellion against this purpose. God desires that all be saved. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.[3]
God had given the world a warning at Noah’s time. Genesis 6: 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.[4] Some scholars say that God is giving a head’s up that the life span of a human will change after the flood. There is some truth in this. It could also mean that the world had 120 years to shape up before judgment came.
God knows who will repent and turn back to Him. It appears that the vast majority of the population refused to do this. This same group would make it difficult for Noah and his family to follow God. Humanity had pushed God’s patience and grace too far, and now judgment would come. Nahum 1: 3The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. [5]
Don’t Take God’s Patience for Granted
God’s patience with us does not mean He doesn’t see our sin. He knows all. If we refuse to repent, we will face judgment. Romans 2: 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.[6] Jesus paid the price for our sins and gives us a promise. 1 John 1: 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.[7] This is God’s desire for us and allows us to follow His plan for our lives. We don’t want to bring grief to our God by being rebellious because, as we’ve seen, a grieving Lord takes action. Return to your God today.
To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/from-heartbreak-to-hope
[1-7] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). Crossway Bibles.