Genesis 6:5-8 NKJV — Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Evil
When God finished making Eve, He said that everything was very good. Of course we know the story of Satan, the Serpent, who deceived Eve. She sinned, she got her husband to sin and now we all sin because it is in our natures. It took a little over 1600 years for God to say that He was sorry that He had made the human race. There was violence on the earth. Man not only did evil things, but people laid awake at night dreaming up evil schemes.
So God started over with Noah and his three sons and the wives. There were eight people in all. When it says Noah found grace, I think it is saying that He understood HIs own sin and had turned to the Lord for mercy. I am convinced this is saying that He had been “born again” if we can use New Testament terms. However, after the flood, apparently, nothing changed. Men still preferred pagan worship of nature Gods to the real worship of the God who created nature. And so things got worse and worse until finally, the Lord came as a baby in Bethlehem so that people would know who God really is. What happened to that baby named Jesus? They crucified Him.
Is there Nothing Good in Mankind?
Practical experience tells us that many people do a lot of good. However, I take God at his Word when He says there is none good but One, that is, God (Luke 18:19). We aren’t all murderers but all of us have the potential to hate people that we think wrong us. We aren’t all liars but we have all lied. We have all followed crowds that were bent on doing evil. We do that through corrupt news, through corrupt preachers, and through corrupt politicians. It was a crowd of religious people celebrating a feast that supposedly honored Jehovah, that crucified the Lord Jesus. They crucified the One who had come to save them.
What About Today?
Luke 17:26 NKJV — “And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man.” Bible teachers see the events associated with the Lord’s second coming differently. But when you look at the violence, the deceit, the willingness to take life and the “king of the hill” mentality in the world today, surely the Lord must be grieved again that He made mankind. What must it be like to make something beautiful and see it used for corrupt purposes? He has promised never again to destroy the world with a flood and He has given us a rainbow to remind us that He will never forget that promise. But Peter says that God will destroy the earth with fire But before He starts over with a new heaven and a new earth, there is going to be terrible wars and plagues and tribulation and natural disasters and murders and drug use. If you think it is bad now, just wait. It is going to get worse–a lot worse!
The Solution
We all need a new nature. Without faith it is impossible to please God but those who have faith in Christ are born again and they become new creatures in Christ. They are justified or made right with God. Hopefully, in these times of terrible pestilence and violence and bloodshed, the true born again Christian will stand out as one who has a conscience and who does good.
We have problems in our world today. If we are Christians we should be part of the solution and not part of the problem. We should be considering (loving) others when we go out in public. We should make sure that we don’t carelessly make a decision that causes another to get sick and die from this pandemic. We should make sure that we are not part of the violence associated with the current demonstrations against police brutality. We should be salt (tasty, attracting others to Christ) and we should be light (guiding people Biblically in troublesome times). We should be proving by our actions and attitudes that we really do know the only One who can lead us into the promised land.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of May 31, 2020
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