2 Chronicles 23-24
John 15
“The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” Genesis 6:5
We see from the opening verse that about 1,600 years after the fall of humanity, the wickedness in humanity turned their hearts away from goodness, away from righteousness, away from God. Genesis 6:11-12 tells us, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.” The Hebrew word for “corrupt” is meant to convey a kind of spoiled food that is fit for destruction. In other words, the earth had become so corrupt that it was fit for destruction. The word for “violence” in the Hebrew is a strong word that could also be translated “cruelty or injustice.” The Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament defines “violence” as “cold blooded and unscrupulous infringement of the personal rights of others, motivated by greed and hate and often making use of physical violence and brutality.”
With this context in mind, it gives us insight into God’s heart and mind. Genesis 6:6-7 tells us, “The LORD regretted that He had made human beings on the earth, and His heart was deeply troubled. So the LORD said, ‘I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.’” For God to be deeply troubled and to say, “I regret that I have made them” is not like God saying, “Oops, I made a mistake and I am going to clean up My mess now.” In the original Hebrew, we can understand the meaning like a parent who has done everything to reconcile with a disobedient child, but this child, who has set his heart on wickedness and violence, would have none of it. While we know from Scripture that God’s desire is for reconciliation through grace and mercy, when there was no hope of that reconciliation, God was left with no other recourse but to contain the wickedness that consumed all of creation.
Despite the bleak predicament, Genesis 6:8-9 gives us hope: “But Noah found favour in the eyes of the LORD…. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.” In our present day, we also live in a violent and corrupt world and God could destroy us all, but He does not because of a righteous, blameless Man—Jesus—who took our sins to the cross and reconciled us to Himself.
Lord God, thank You for sending Jesus to save our violence and corruption. Help me to walk faithfully with You each day. Amen!
John 15
“The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” Genesis 6:5
We see from the opening verse that about 1,600 years after the fall of humanity, the wickedness in humanity turned their hearts away from goodness, away from righteousness, away from God. Genesis 6:11-12 tells us, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.” The Hebrew word for “corrupt” is meant to convey a kind of spoiled food that is fit for destruction. In other words, the earth had become so corrupt that it was fit for destruction. The word for “violence” in the Hebrew is a strong word that could also be translated “cruelty or injustice.” The Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament defines “violence” as “cold blooded and unscrupulous infringement of the personal rights of others, motivated by greed and hate and often making use of physical violence and brutality.”
With this context in mind, it gives us insight into God’s heart and mind. Genesis 6:6-7 tells us, “The LORD regretted that He had made human beings on the earth, and His heart was deeply troubled. So the LORD said, ‘I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.’” For God to be deeply troubled and to say, “I regret that I have made them” is not like God saying, “Oops, I made a mistake and I am going to clean up My mess now.” In the original Hebrew, we can understand the meaning like a parent who has done everything to reconcile with a disobedient child, but this child, who has set his heart on wickedness and violence, would have none of it. While we know from Scripture that God’s desire is for reconciliation through grace and mercy, when there was no hope of that reconciliation, God was left with no other recourse but to contain the wickedness that consumed all of creation.
Despite the bleak predicament, Genesis 6:8-9 gives us hope: “But Noah found favour in the eyes of the LORD…. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.” In our present day, we also live in a violent and corrupt world and God could destroy us all, but He does not because of a righteous, blameless Man—Jesus—who took our sins to the cross and reconciled us to Himself.
Lord God, thank You for sending Jesus to save our violence and corruption. Help me to walk faithfully with You each day. Amen!
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