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
Read that passage again and think of the last phrase. “He was grieved in His heart.” That statement reveals so much about the Creator. Consider what we learn from it:
God wants a deep emotional connection to us.
Why was God grieved in His heart? The obvious answer is man’s wickedness. Look deeper. Why is it so disturbing to God that man has chosen to be wicked? The answer is found in Isaiah: Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear (Isaiah 59:1-2). Man’s sins force a separation from God. If God is our Father, then He desires to have a relationship with us. No earthly father wants his children to forsake him. No earthly father looks forward to his child saying, “Dad, I don’t need you. I don’t need your rules. I’m out of here!” God doesn’t want to hear that either. But it is exactly what He hears every time someone sins: “God, I know you said don’t do this. But I don’t care. I don’t need your rules. I’m out of here!” In Noah’s day, God scanned the globe and found eight people He could have a relationship with—only eight. It grieved Him because He longs to have a deep emotional relationship with every person. Sin isn’t a cause for grief to God because someone broke a rule. It causes Him grief because it breaks His heart. Sinners throw away the relationship they have with God. Once God’s grief is understood, His pleasure in bruising Christ is understood as well (Isaiah 53:10).
God knows.
Sometimes people think they can “get away with it.” Since there appears to be no instantaneous judgment, people think their sins are hidden from God. God knew what man was doing in the days of Noah. God not only saw the wicked deeds that man was doing, He knew every thought of man’s heart. You can’t “get away with it.” God knows. In fact, He knows when you think evil thoughts. Jesus said it wasn’t enough to avoid murder, you should avoid hate. It wasn’t enough to avoid adultery, you should avoid lust (Matthew 5:21-28). God indeed knows the thoughts of man. He sees man’s wickedness. There will be no escaping judgment.
God is merciful.
God’s mercy isn’t specifically mentioned in these two verses. It is seen in the context. It is because God wants this relationship with us and is grieved over our sins that He extends mercy and grace to us. God’s mercy is seen in the covenant He makes after the flood. No doubt men have been exceedingly wicked since the flood. God’s mercy is seen in His refusal to use the earth to destroy mankind again. Today we experience God grace through Jesus Christ. All have sinned (Romans 3:23). All deserve the penalty of death (Romans 6:23). But God sent His Son so that all men could be saved (John 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:1-4). That’s why God was pleased to bruise Christ—it was the only way to save men by grace!
We must obey to be saved.
The story of Noah is quite remarkable. He was saved by God’s grace (Genesis 6:8). He was saved because of his faith (Hebrews 11:7). He was saved by water (1 Peter 3:20-21). So which was it? The religious world today would choose one of those three passages as the proof text rather than putting them together. Noah was saved by all three. He was saved by the grace of God. Had it not been for God’s instructions about the ark, Noah would have perished. He was saved by his faith. Had Noah not had faith in God to obey and build the ark, he would have perished. He was saved by water, the water was the divine medium used to float the ark that saved Noah from destruction. It took all three things for Noah to be saved.
The story of salvation is seen through Noah.
Today we are saved by grace. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have to do anything. If God saved through unlimited grace, all men would be saved. We know that it isn’t true. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). But that doesn’t mean we don’t have to do anything as some suggest. Noah was saved by grace through faith. He still had to build an ark. We are saved by water. That is the application of 1 Peter 3:20-21. That doesn’t mean God isn’t involved. The water is simply the medium divinely appointed to impart grace to the one who acts in obedient faith. When we understand how grace, faith, and obedience work together we can see why Peter said, “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you…” (1 Peter 3:21).
We learn from the story of Noah that God wants a relationship with us. But in order to have that, we must be cleansed from all wickedness. In order to walk with God, we must obey in complete faith so we can receive the grace that is offered. I am thankful for God’s grace. If you have not obeyed and received that gift of grace, I would hope you would do so today!
1 Comment
December 20, 2008 at 12:30 am
I knew a preacher once who did a radio show on a local AFA radio station in Little Rock about Noah. He ended the show by reading I Peter 3:21. He didn’t comment on it at all. He just read it.
When he listened to the airing of the show, it ended without the reading of the verse. He called the station to see what happened and they responded, “We don’t want your doctrine about baptism on this station.”
Following that, AFA quit allowing local stations to sell time to other folks.
Telling, isn’t it.