Genesis 6-8 Reflections
As noted yesterday, the perverseness of man's heart was very quickly revealed. Only a generation after paradise human kind experiences the first murder, and from there things only seem to get worse. So bad, in fact, that by the sixth chapter of Genesis God was prepared to destroy all living beings on the earth. If any would question whether God is active in creation, whether man is really wicked at heart, or whether God actually cares about sin, let him take notice today.
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 6:5-7)
God saw the wickedness taking place and rightly understood (He is God after all) that what was going on was directly and completely related to the perverseness of man's heart. This wickedness grieved Him "at his heart," we can deny the fact that our sin is first and foremost against God. Even the vain things of our heart, they are against God, even if we're not aware of them He is and it grieves His heart.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. (Jer 17:9-10)
And so God could have wiped out the entire creation, He would have been justified in doing so, but instead He chose to show grace and mercy to Noah. Though the world had gone astray God had reserved Himself a remnant even then. From Noah Christ would eventually come. Noah was saved, bodily, by an ark but it was God who directed him and spoke to him. The ark kept Noah dry, but God gave Noah the ark. And all Noah had to do was be obedient. If Noah had ignored God's prompting, if he hadn't believed God at His word then he too would have been lost to the flood. We're not told how long it took Noah to construct the ark, no doubt those around him must have thought he'd lost his mind - it was after all one BIG boat - yet Noah just kept going, kept trusting. And that faith was counted to him as righteousness.
See also Doug's post for today.
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 6:5-7)
God saw the wickedness taking place and rightly understood (He is God after all) that what was going on was directly and completely related to the perverseness of man's heart. This wickedness grieved Him "at his heart," we can deny the fact that our sin is first and foremost against God. Even the vain things of our heart, they are against God, even if we're not aware of them He is and it grieves His heart.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. (Jer 17:9-10)
And so God could have wiped out the entire creation, He would have been justified in doing so, but instead He chose to show grace and mercy to Noah. Though the world had gone astray God had reserved Himself a remnant even then. From Noah Christ would eventually come. Noah was saved, bodily, by an ark but it was God who directed him and spoke to him. The ark kept Noah dry, but God gave Noah the ark. And all Noah had to do was be obedient. If Noah had ignored God's prompting, if he hadn't believed God at His word then he too would have been lost to the flood. We're not told how long it took Noah to construct the ark, no doubt those around him must have thought he'd lost his mind - it was after all one BIG boat - yet Noah just kept going, kept trusting. And that faith was counted to him as righteousness.
See also Doug's post for today.
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