The Book of Genesis
Part 15
The Evidence of Corruption. God, as the Divine Being, possesses attributes, manifests emotions, and exercises faculties; therefore, we read and understand what is meant by the statement, “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart” (Gen. 5:5-6). A little later in this account we read, “The earth also was corrupt before God and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth” (6:11-12).
The very reading of such a passage will raise thoughts in the sincere mind as to the great subjects, Divine sovereignty and human free agency. Did God, at this period of history, by Divine omniscience immutably foreordain matters pertaining to man, or did man’s freedom of choice and action take God completely by surprise?
Throughout the Holy Scriptures both of these subjects are maintained, and must be accepted by us, for although they are difficult to harmonize, both alike are doctrinally correct.
We should ever remember that man’s freedom of action functions only within the limits set by Divine sovereignty. Whatever these predetermined limits may have been in this case we do not know, but we may illustrate the point by considering the matter of eternal salvation. God has decreed that if man believes in Christ he is saved; and, that, if man disbelieves in Christ he is lost. Within these limits man is left to make a choice, and thus by freedom of action to decide his own destiny. While the Antediluvians possessed freedom of action, their action, we may be sure, operated only within the scope of a Divine plan perfectly consonant with God’s infinite wisdom and holy character.
Let us consider the action of man and then the reaction of God in those days which immediately preceded the Flood.
The Action Of Man
The Origin of Sin. “Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (6:5). The Hebrew language states, “The whole imagination (that is, the entire fashion of man’s thinking) was only evil.” In chapter 1 repeatedly we read, “God saw …that it was good,” but here we read, “God saw … evil continually.” Man’s heart had so far deflected from its original object, God, that he lived in open defiance of the moral laws of God.
The Development of Sin. “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth.” The enormity of human guilt is embraced in the adverb “great.”
The Expanse of Sin. Sin had not only increased in its character but in its quantity, for it covered the inhabited earth, “The earth was corrupt before God.”
The Result of Sin. “And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.” “And the earth was filled with violence.” Man, even in those comparatively early centuries of human history, had degraded the material things of the earth into instruments for his own carnal wishes; moreover, he existed, not in a state of peace and good will toward others, but in a constant condition of strife.
The Reaction Of God
There are many details to examine, but probably the most prominent feature here is that of:
Divine Holiness. Throughout this entire record we understand God as apart from human sin. His immediate reaction is that of One separated from it through the positive holiness of His own nature. That He suffers through it and responds to it, there is no doubt, but He is outside as One looking upon its impious character and its hazardous effects.
Divine Revulsion. “It repented the Lord that He had made man.” The experience of God under these circumstances is couched in the language of human emotions (anthropomorphic language) in order that we understand His feelings and responses. Repentance with God is not a change of mind, a change of purpose, as it is with us, but, rather, a change of attitude. God’s attitude to man in sin is altogether different to what it was to man in innocence.
Divine Sorrow. “It grieved Him at His heart.” God was displeased by man’s corrupt behaviour.
Divine Punishment. Such depravity could only result in a pouring forth of Divine wrath. There are three points that should be noticed in this punishment of evil doing. First, the certainty of penalty, “And the Lord said, “I will destroy man.” In second place, the extent of the retribution, “Both man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air.” As in the pouring out of the plagues in Egypt at a later time, the stroke fell upon all, from man, the governor, to the cattle that roamed the fields. Finally, the character of this dreadful punishment, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast.” The Hebrew word “destroy” that is used here means to delete or to rub out. Just as a proof reader deletes from a copy a discrepancy that marred the reproduction of a lovely manuscript, so God would rub out that which marred his lovely earth, man. This does not suggest that man was to be annihilated, but that he was to be removed from the face of the earth. That God had plans of grace, we shall soon discover; nevertheless, the severity of His judgment is a warning to men of all ages.