"at
that time, God's heart broke..."
Genesis 6:6-7, The Voice
All
over the world, men and women were interested only in themselves and choosing
evil over good. The sin that they had chosen had run rampant in their hearts-
stifling the good that God had intended for them.
God was so grieved with man's poor decisions that He wanted a do-over. He couldn't bear to watch mankind continue on the path of self-destruction they had chosen.
God was so grieved with man's poor decisions that He wanted a do-over. He couldn't bear to watch mankind continue on the path of self-destruction they had chosen.
"But there was one person whom the Lord
could not let go of- Noah- because this man pleased Him." Genesis 6:8
What
a testament to the faith and life of Noah! Noah was seen by God- seen as a man
who chose what was right instead of choosing what every one else around him was
doing. And because Noah obeyed the Lord, God was going to spare him and his
family (and even some of the animals!) from the destruction He was planning.
"Look! I am going to unleash a torrent and
flood the earth to destroy all flesh under the heavens which breathes the
breath of life."
Genesis 6:17
Did
you catch that? The breath of life. Everything that breathed with the breath God gave to them would be destroyed.
Drowned in a terrible flood. God was going to take away His breath from all His
creation, with the exception of Noah and his family. This seems a little more
personal than the original consequences of sin that were outlined in Genesis 3.
Not only are the curses on man and woman, but now- now God is saying to His
creation, "That kiss where I gave you life? Because of what you've
become, I wish it never happened." A final blow to the forever intimacy
that He had intended.
Can you imagine Noah in all of this? For six-hundred years he had lived with the polluted slate that God was about to wipe clean. How many of us have ever wanted a truly clean slate? I wonder if Noah was thinking, Well, it's about time! Or if he was terrified and heartbroken that everything he knew was about to be gone.
At the end of chapter 7, we are left with a dismal picture- the earth and everything in it, drowned. Wiped out. Wiped clean. And Noah would be the first one to write on it.
Can you imagine Noah in all of this? For six-hundred years he had lived with the polluted slate that God was about to wipe clean. How many of us have ever wanted a truly clean slate? I wonder if Noah was thinking, Well, it's about time! Or if he was terrified and heartbroken that everything he knew was about to be gone.
At the end of chapter 7, we are left with a dismal picture- the earth and everything in it, drowned. Wiped out. Wiped clean. And Noah would be the first one to write on it.
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Your words, friend. So lovely.
ReplyDeleteYou know, when I read this excerpt, I couldn't help but think, "If Noah was 600 when the Flood began, how did he only have 3 children? I think of my grandmother, who was 49 and had 15 children!! So were these the only 3 God spared or was that all Noah had? And if his sons were married, did they not have any children? If so, then Noah had to deal with the obedience of God telling him to spare only his 3 sons and the rest would perish. I think he must have been very grieved. But what an example of obedience. Kinda like Abraham and Isaac's story. Kinda like Jesus going to the cross story. So much obedience breeds a stronger faith in me."
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