Is the Lord Sorry Now?
“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.” (Genesis 6:5-6 NKJV)
Wickedness of Man
In my opinion, most people want to think of themselves as “good” Unfortunately, the Bible says that there is none good, and emphatically adds “no, not one.” See Romans 3:12. The following section from Romans 3 described the situation in the world when Paul wrote his letter. Most of the quotes are from the Psalms which were written about 1000 years earlier. The section that is so condemning is found in Romans 3:10-18:
(10) As it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one;
(11) There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.
(12) They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
(13) Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit;
The poison of asps is under their lips;
(14) Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
(15) Their feet are swift to shed blood;
(16) Destruction and misery are in their ways;
(17) And the way of peace they have not known.
(18) There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Do People Do Good?
While the Bible is clear that there is only one person who has lived on this planet who is “good” (and that is the Lord), there are many admonitions in the Bible to do good. Generally the people who do good are worshipers of Jehovah in the Old Testament or true believers in the Lord in the New Testament. They “do good” because the new birth changed them. They became “new creations in Christ.” See 2 Corinthians 5:17. They think differently than the world thinks. But in general, the society that we call the world has gotten worse and worse since the fresh start with Noah’s generation. One only has to listen to the news to realize that murders, thefts, drug abuse, bullying, stealing, immorality, infidelity and lying are all the name of the game today. The desire for power and riches has caused society to be more and more evil. I am afraid that the “imagination of man’s heart is still only evil continually.” However, we have developed technologically to the point where we are probably much more dangerous than they were in Noah’s day.
God used a flood to start over in Noah’s day. Noah and his family were the only ones “saved.” The earth had to be as heavily populated as it is now. Look at how long people lived and notice the number of children that they had. The need to find protection in the ark when it had never rained, likely seemed foolish. But rain it did, and only eight were saved. Somehow I wonder how “few” have really believed that judgment is coming on this present unbelieving society and how many have really trusted Christ who is the place of safety today.
God in His mercy has put off the great “day of the Lord” when this earth will once again be judged for it’s rebellion against God. I find it remarkable that mankind’s heart will be so hardened in a coming day that we read, “But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts (Revelation 9:20-21 NKJV).” I wonder if our present pandemic and our present political unrest will make people seek God or will it harden their hearts? I hope our present problems make many understand that the world is not going to improve but there is shelter in a time of storm. That shelter is found by “repenting and believing the Gospel (Mark 1:15).”
What Must God Think?
Since the condition of society makes me feel bad, what must God think? As a Christian I hope I can be a witness to the truth and a help in resisting the evil in the world. God has been long suffering and gracious as “evil men and seducers” have grown worse and worse in our day. My prayer is that I might in no way be associated with the evil in this world. I would like to have people realize that the Lord Jesus not only offers forgiveness to those who trust the Savior, he offers a new outlook on life. He offers a “new life” in Christ. And while we know the masses will never understand or believe that they are being seduced by Satan, I would like to be a beacon of light in a world that is getting darker by the day. If you are saved, if you have seen the evil in your own heart and trusted Christ to save you and change you, may you be a beacon of light as well.
God must be sorry that there is so much evil in this world. That evil led to the crucifixion of the Lord. The crucifixion, however, provided for a new life in Christ. We who are saved can make a difference, let’s make sure that we do.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of January 3, 2021