Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Genesis 6


(Gen 6:1-22): This expression, I am sorry (Gen 6:7), is often taken as a proof text that God is not perfect, all-knowing, or all-wise because it records God apologizing for making a “mistake.” I challenge this kind of thinking and insolent description of our LORD because we know that God is immutable or changes not. There is no permutation of his attributes. He declared I am the LORD I change not.

God is eternal and everything about Him is forever ever-unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Since this is how God revealed Himself to us in His divine disclosure of Himself, the Bible, there must be another explanation for this so-called “apology.” A thoughtless interpretation of this is that “God messed up somehow, but was a big enough God to admit His mistake!” It is fundamental but vital that we arrive at a consistent and proper understanding of the Bible; to accomplish, this we must compare and interpret Scripture with Scripture. 

God’s heart (figuratively speaking) was grieved that every intent of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually which fueled the manifestation of wickedness around the world during the antediluvian (before the flood) period. The gravity of the situation could only be remedied by destroying both “man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air” (Gn 6:7). The verb grieved indicates that man’s wickedness was an affront to God’s holiness. Anyone who knows anything about God realizes that God will not allow any man’s sin to go on indefinitely without punishment. God’s holiness demands that sin be addressed. 

God had already provided temporary relief from the penalty of sin, eternal death (eternal separation) from God, in the Garden by clothing the nakedness of Adam and Eve with the hide of an animal. This shedding of blood initiated by God served as a covering for sin providing the pattern for all to follow until the Perfect Lamb of God could address that penalty for sin once and for all at the cross for all who would believe (I am not suggesting they knew all of that only that man needed a blood sacrifice to atone for his sin.). Noah spent the next 120 years preparing the ark and preaching righteousness, but his words fell on deaf ears. 

If God was “apologizing” for having made man then Noah and his family should have died as well, why perpetuate a “mistake.” Why was God still reaching out to man to turn from their wickedness if he regretted having made man? The ark was the world’s greatest pulpit from which Noah preached repentance. Then there is the death of all the living creatures on the surface of the planet, not just man. 

God never stated He was sorry for making the animals, but everyone and every living thing on the surface was going to be dead in 120 years regardless. Man’s sin against God affected all of creation. Paul spoke of this in Romans. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked; His pleading has always been for man to choose life and turn away from his sin, why die for it when there was something so much better than sin, life with God? 

Being grieved over man’s wickedness was not only an affront to a holy God, but also revealed his overtures of love for man were spurned. Before the foundation of the world was ever “poured,” God so loved the world that He had already providentially planned to give His only begotten Son; this is exactly what Gen 3:21 pointed to in the future. God loved the wicked Antediluvians up and to the time of the closing of the door of the Ark. The love of God was to be found only inside the Ark now, leaving the unrepentant sinners to face the wrath of God. A holy and righteous God demands sin to be dealt with one way or another, through a Substitute or through the sinner. Just how certain is all of this,

And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters [emphasis mine] on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die (Gen 6:17). 

In this regard, there is no safety behind the numbers. The rationale that “Everybody is doing it! Therefore, God wouldn’t send us all to hell,” is too outlandish.” Conservative estimates of the global population at the time of the flood are said to have been around 4 billion people. If this number is accurate, that would mean for every person saved (8 all total) 500,000,000 people were cast into hell…. 

In stark contrast to this is the first usage of the word grace or commonly described as unmerited favor, But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD (Gen 6:8). Why do you suppose that was? Because Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God (Gen 6:9). Given the kind of world Noah lived in, this is an amazing tribute to him from God. 

So, God commanded Noah to construct a humongous barge, called an ark, made of gopherwood (Gen 6:14-16). How did Noah respond? He got busy and started building and preaching for the next 120 years, Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did (Gen 6:22). Want to know the “secret” of a victorious life? It’s no secret; it’s called obedience to all that God commanded… 

So how should we interpret for I am sorry that I have made them in Genesis 6:7?

In light of what has been said, God is not sorry in the sense we are sorry; God is perfect; we are not. God does not change His mind like we do. So why is He sorry? I think the answer lies in the subsequent verse,

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. It grieves God’s heart that man chooses death over life. Them in Gen 6:7 refers not only to non-human life, but specifically refers to the ungodly who are deserving judgment in contrast to Noah and his family who lived in the midst of global ungodliness. God did not say, “I am sorry I have made Noah.” Instead, Noah found grace because he chose life over death unlike those in verse 8 who chose to cling to their wicked lifestyle rather than walking with God like Noah. 

This expression, I am sorry that I have made them, is reflexive, God in addressing Himself expresses to us that He takes no pleasure in destroying the wicked. Talking about the love of God to such an extent that we hide the holiness of God from our vocabulary to the world is a travesty and injustice to the lost; for the penalty of sin must be addressed. 

There is no circumvention, only the cross. Love and holiness are in perfect harmony within the nature of God. Make no mistake about it; God will send an unbeliever to hell if he or she does choose life in Christ; the eight survivors of the global flood are evidence of that. God’s holiness cannot and will not tolerate sin; it is a deliberate insult to Him, even more so when the remedy for sin is rejected! 

It took the best that God had to bring about a remedy for man’s sin through the sacrificial gift of His Son for sin who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ. It was the only way, and God did it out of love. No wonder it grieved God that many who were made in His image refused to choose an incredible, indescribable life with God but tenaciously clung to their sinful lifestyle in rebellion. They never really understood the repercussions of their action until it was too late. 

Sadly, people probably scoffed and ridiculed Noah’s gopherwood monstrosity and his message of repentance. Today, people sneer and jest at the cross of Christ, the only ark of safety provided by God from the judgment to come. But as in the days of Noah when life was going through its normal routine, judgment came upon them swiftly.

It reminds me of the words of Paul to the Corinthians, knowing the terror of the Lord we persuade men. This is a clarion call, O Father, to walk with you in purity. I am called by Your name to be holy because You are holy. Lord, strengthen me to be a just and perfect man in Your sight. Oh, that it would be said of me that I walked with God, and I warned others of the wrath to come.  

Grace is nearly an inconceivable word, LORD. I scarce can take it in. I recognized its touch in the Garden when you did not excuse sin but provided a covering for it, foreshadowing something far greater to come. But now my eyes feast upon the first appearance of that word in Genesis 6:8. The word grace is like a fiery star radiating in a sable sky; I am awe-struck with the radiance of your grace emanating from Your throne, O Majesty. 

Other than Christ on the cross, there is no greater picture of grace in all of Scripture as seen in the life of Noah. It is a magnificent and breathtaking view and a wonder to behold as grace lifts its recipients atop the worldwide waters of judgment. So many souls, O LORD, so many souls chose the abyss over the ark. Men loved darkness rather than light… They fled from the light of grace because their deeds were evil. Oh, but for the grace of God go I; by grace and grace alone I am saved and lifted up from the troubled waters of the second death. To God be the glory. <><