Cain's violence should have been a clue to God. The first generation after Eden already shows us what humanity can become. Brother quickly turned against brother, and there was blood on the ground. Of course, the story didn't stop there. Families grew, and cities got built. Somewhere along the way, the violence of Genesis 4 continued, and what should have shocked the world seemed to become something people learned to live with.
By the time we meet Noah in Genesis 6, evil is everywhere. The text says that every inclination of the human heart was only evil continually. If the three most important rules of real estate are location, location, location, then what prompts God's regret is also three-fold: Evil. Evil. Evil.
As a result, God is heartbroken. That shows us God's relational attribute. We also don't assume that God is surprised. Instead, because this is God's creation, God is grieved. What humanity lives with, God feels.
That points to sin as not just some rule violation. Sin is a wound to God.
All that to say that in Genesis 6, evil does not just appear. And God does not suddenly start caring. Apparently, there's a moment of saturation that demands an action.
How many times have you ever asked, “Why is the world like this?” What have you done in response to your answer? Let me offer another question to reflect on: Where have you become so used to what should still grieve you?
In the middle of the world's evil, "Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord." One man stood out to God. The Message Bible says, "God liked what he saw in Noah." At this point, we're left to assume that Noah did not subscribe to the evil that illustrated the world. May our lives be so different from the world's violence and evil that, like Noah, God likes what there is to see in us.
Stay blessed...john
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