Honey From The Rock

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Honey From The Rock
Psalm 81:16

"Sweet Stuff From God's Word"

A daily Bible study with Victor Knowles
Copyright 2007

GRIEF AND GRACE

This entry was posted on 01-26-2010 and is filed under STUDIES IN GENESIS.

"And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, 'I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth ... for I am sorry that I have made them.' But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD" (Gen. 6:6-8 NKJV).

Have you ever thought that your sins cause God to have grief in His heart? Our text says this is true. Verse 6 in the NIV says, "His heart was filled with pain." Imagine then the pain God must have felt when he saw mankind whom He had made wholly given over to the pursuit of sin. How bad was it? Wickedness was "great" in the earth (v. 5). "Every" intent of the thoughts of men's hearts was "only evil continually" (v. 5). The earth was "corrupt" before God (v. 11, 12). It was "full of violence" (v. 11, 12, 13). "Violence" is mentioned three times. Brutality and bloodshed was the order of the day. Was it for sport? Did gangs roam the earth like they roam our cities today? It was so bad that God decided to do an "extreme makeover." He decided that He would destroy man whom he had created. "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth" (v. 7 NIV).

But there was an exception ~ Noah! This man found grace (favor) in the eyes of God. Noah stood out like a beautiful flower in a barren desert of black basalt. The Bible calls him a just (righteous) man, perfect (blameless) in his generation. "Noah stood with God while the rest of the world stood against Him. Not one person outside Noah's family showed any interest in the Creator of humankind. In fact, had it not been for Noah, God would have destroyed all people. Think about that for a moment ~ the only thing standing between the continuation of the human race and its extinction was a single righteous man and his family" (The Leadership Bible). Peter adds that he was a "preacher of righteousness" (2 Pet. 2:5). He practiced what he preached and he preached what he practiced. Noah stands out in Scripture like a spiritual lighthouse in Stygian darkness.

May we also find grace in the eyes of the Lord. "The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth" (Psa. 34:15, 16 NKJV). We do not know the name of one person who perished in the flood (unless it was Methuselah, who died the year of the flood.) "The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot" (Prov. 10:7 NKJV).

Prayer: Holy Father, hear our prayer. Make we always find favor in Your sight. Look upon us in mercy and spare us from this wicked generation. Through Christ we pray.