Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Genesis 6:1-8.
Genesis 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man
whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the
creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made
them.
Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of
the LORD.
In light of the fact that “the wickedness of man
was great” (Genesis 6:5), the LORD made a solemn declaration of his intent
utterly to destroy “man whom I have created” (v. 7a). Note that this
destruction would entail “both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the
fowls of the air” (v. 7b). All creation must pay the price for man’s sin!
Again, we hear that God “repented” (cf. v. 6), meaning that he was grieved,
disturbed at the mess fallen humanity had made of the world he once looked upon
and declared to be very good (Genesis 1:31).
Imagine if you took the time to build something or
prepare something of great value. And then one rogue actor came in and, in a
few moments, destroyed all that you had so carefully made. It is so much easier
to destroy than it is to create and build!
What a terrible state things were in! God would
have been completely justified to do just as he here declared.
The breaking light comes, however, in v. 8: “But
Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” This is one of the great
“adversative conjunctions” statements in the Bible. Think of 1 Corinthians
6:11, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are
sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by
the Spirit of our God.” Or, of Ephesians 2:4, “But God, who is rich in
mercy….”
Notice it says that Noah found grace. It does not say that Noah
earned grace, or that he deserved grace, or that he won grace, or that he
merited grace. No, he found it, which means he was given it by God. God’s
response to man’s sin was grace!
God’s promise of the gospel in Genesis 3:15 would not fail.
We are reminded here
of how God works. When he came to us and looked upon us and saw our sinful
state, he might well have snuffed us out, as he might have the whole world in
the days of Noah. And yet he gave grace.
The story is told of a
mother of many children who had one of them sneak off and get into an oil barrel.
When she found the wayward child, after much searching, he was covered head to toe
in black goo. She exclaimed, “Lord, it’d just about be easier to have another
one than it would be to clean you up!”
The Lord did not give
us over to what we deserved. He saved us, and he is cleaning us up. We found
grace in his eyes through Christ.
All praise, glory, and
honor be to him.
Grace and peace, Pastor
Jeff Riddle
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