Grace in Gopher Wood

Genesis 6:11-13

 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹² And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. ¹³ And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh^] for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

I remember driving home from my junior prom. It was late, foggy, and I was tired. I did not see the car stalled in the right lane. By the time my vision picked it up, it was too late. I jerked the steering wheel as hard as I could to the right, but I scraped the whole right side of my dad’s Lincoln Town Car. It was damaged so badly it had to be towed. That was not a fun conversation I had to have with my dad. But that is another story altogether.

Ultimately, I had to appear before a judge. It was a fearful experience. However, the judge had mercy on me. He lowered the fine considerably and reduced the points levied on my license. I left the courtroom very grateful.

As the Righteous Judge, God declares us “guilty as charged.” As the Gracious Redeemer however, God provided the way of salvation by giving His only Son, Christ Jesus, to pay the penalty for our sins (Rom. 3:24-25). Through faith, the case against us is placed on Christ, who paid the just sentence for our sins on the cross (Col. 2:13-14).

Just as light appears brightest in contrast to darkness, God’s grace is most amazing when it shines into the darkest depths of human sin. By the time of Noah-only a few generations removed from Adam and Eve-the evil ways of earth’s inhabitants had become so pervasive that God executed a worldwide judgement. Yet He also acted in grace by persevering Noah and his family, along with pairs of living creatures, in the ark. As we study the biblical account of this cataclysmic event, may we not get so overwhelmed by the immensity of God’s judgment that we overlook the even larger reach of His grace. “Where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more” (Romans 5:20).

Adam’s family history is integral to understanding Noah’s story. Adam lived 930 years (Gen. 5:5), long enough to meet and influence his great-great-great-great-great-great (that is a lot of “great’s” isn’t it?) grandson, Lamech, who was Noah’s father. Following Adam and Eve’s banishment from the Garden of Eden, sin increased even the couple’s descendants multiplied. Cain’s brutal killing of Abel led to God’s judgment of Cain (Gen. 4:8-16). Yet Cain’s family line continued to multiply (4:17-24).

God also gave Adam and Eve another son, Seth, “in place of Abel” (4:25). It was through the line of Seth that Noah was later born. In the days of Seth’s son, Enosh, “people began to call on the name of Yahweh” (4:26). Adam likely recounted the tragedy of sin to each generation. He may also have testified of God’s commands, judgment, and grace.

Four generations after Enosh, Enoch, Noah’s great-grandfather lived such a godly life that he was described as one who “walked with God” and who did not experience physical death “because God took him” (5:24). At age 65, Enoch fathered Methuselah, whose lifespan of 969 years marks him as the oldest person in the Bible (Gen. 5:27). Yet the world’s spiritual condition deteriorated during Methuselah’s long lifetime, as it did during the concurrent lifetime of his son Lamech (Noah’s father). Lamech died five years before the flood came, but Methuselah died in the very year of the flood. The Bible does not reveal whether God held back His judgment until Methuselah died or Methuselah died in the flood.

Genesis 6:1-8 contains one of the darkest descriptions of human depravity in Scripture. Moreover, Genesis 6:1-4 contains some of the most difficult verses in the Bible. What is clear, however, is that activity going on among Adam and Eve’s descendants led to a prophecy of God’s coming judgement on the earth.

The writer of Hebrews listed Noah as a prime example of faith. Acting in obedience, Noah obeyed God and “became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith” (Heb. 11:7).

Here in Genesis 6:11-13, we see that the single spark of Adam and Eve’s sin ignited a wildfire that soon raged out of control. As humans multiplied and filled the earth, their wickedness also increased and spread. As a result, the earth was corrupt and filled with violence-an indication of what happens when people no longer fear God or respect His commands. Sin always destroys what is good. As a result of the growing sin of humanity, creation faced God’s certain judgment.

In verse 12, we see how sin damaged everything God had created and once declared good. Humanity’s wickedness did not escape God’s notice. Everything that human beings do, whether good or evil, is always done before God. God will ultimately “bring every act to judgment” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

As a result of humanity’s sinfulness, creation suffered God’s judgment in verse 13. However, God extended grace to Noah and his family. Noah was a man whose righteousness set him apart from the wickedness that characterized his contemporaries. He was not sinless but had a faith that found him favor with God. He was the first to know that God’s judgement was on its way.

In many ways, our culture is not much different than it was in Noah’s day. There is violence, bloodshed, lust, greed-every imaginable sin that could be conceived is carried out. Just as light is contrasted with darkness, we too can stand out among the perverseness of society. Noah was different because of his faith in God.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:13-16 (ESV):

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.
¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Our Lord calls us to be “salt and light.” Salt is both a preservative and a seasoning. Jesus wants us to take our roles seriously as a preservative and a seasoning. Through us, the lost are to be drawn to the Lord-preserved for eternal life. If a seasoning has lost its flavor, it has no value. If Christians make no effort to affect the world around them, they are of little value to God. If we are too much like the world, we are worthless. Christians should not blend in with everyone else. Instead, we should affect others positively, just as seasoning brings out the best flavor in food.

Just as we are “salt,” we must also be “light.” If we live for Christ, we will be like a lighthouse beacon, showing others what Christ is like. We must strive to be a beacon of truth and not shut off our light from the rest of the world.

Applying the Scriptures:

How do people today presume upon God’s patience? In what ways would our community be different if everyone took seriously God’s holiness?

Serving Christ, Loving Others, and Growing Together,

Dr. Bryan Cox