October 23, Genesis 6
"I will blot out the man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
- Genesis 6:7-8
"Do you think the world is getting worse? Has it ever been worse than it is right now?" I've been asked those questions many times through the years. The occasion for the questions has changed from one disturbing news story to another. I've heard it when governments legalize and cultures celebrate what would have been unheard of a generation or two ago. I've heard it when tragic, senseless evil shatters lives and makes news. Maybe you've asked questions like that yourself.
I do think our society and the world are getting worse. It's also true that we are better informed by constant news about sensational events that drive up the television ratings and drive down our confidence in our fellow human beings. And no, I don't think the world is the worst it's ever been. I usually refer to Genesis 6 when someone asks about this. Most of us know lots of godly people today who love the Lord and are devoted followers of Christ. In Noah's day, the whole earth was corrupt and filled with violence. God's patience had run out, and he pronounced sentence on the wicked world. The only exception to the prevalent wickedness of the antediluvian world was Noah. And the text says that Noah found favor or grace in the eyes of the LORD.
We've already seen how the Cainites were ungodly, violent people who grew increasingly worse as the generations passed. The Sethites seemed to offer more hope for the race, but that hope dimmed after "the sons of God" as they're called here began intermarrying with the "the daughters of men." As it so often does, the influence flowed the wrong way and the whole human family continued on toward inevitable destruction.
God was sorry he made human beings. So he decided to put an end to the human family's wickedness and rebellion with a worldwide flood. In order for his promises and purposes to continue, he made a covenant with Noah that saved him, his family and representatives of the animal kingdom on board the ark.
Noah was different from the culture around him. He was the same kind of different as his great-grandfather Enoch. Both of them "walked with God." God saved them both by direct intervention. He took Enoch out of the world, and saved Noah from the destruction of the world by telling him to build an ark to save himself and his family from the coming flood. Noah became the contractor for the strangest and largest building project in the history of his time. God gave Noah detailed plans for the ark. It took a hundred years or more for Noah to build it and gather the animals. The Bible described Noah's work on this supersized project in just three words: "Noah did this." This man who walked with God believed and obeyed God to prepare the ark and save his family.
The Bible devotes another chapter or two to Noah and the flood. I realize that many people treat it as a myth, just another deluge story from the ancients. But evidence from the rest of the Bible suggests we should accept it just as it is stated. Other Scriptures contain multiple references to Noah, the ark and the flood. Jesus spoke of it as historical fact. I'm content to let it be that to me as well. Aren't you?
So yes, it's sad to see society and the world in rebellion against God. But it's nothing new. It is immensely old news. It would be wise to remember that God's patience was long, but finally wore out. We should not presume that our own sin will be tolerated by God. The best plan for living in an ungodly world is to do exactly what Noah did: Walk with God. Stay close to the Lord. Honor him and follow his will in everyday life situations. Trust the place of safety God has provided in Christ. The world will continue to get worse. But we who claim to be God's people in Christ should be getting better and better as time goes by.
Copyright © 2021 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—October 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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