God's Shocking Love
"Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The LORD said, 'I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.' But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God." (Genesis 6:5-9)
Our memory of this passage about the impending deluge as a fire-and-brimstone story of God getting fed up and unleashing almost eschatological judgment may keep us from hearing it for what it really is: a shocking love story!
First we have the shock of the omnipotent, omniscient creator regretting the creating He has done. (v. 6) As if the Great Infallible One has, in His own estimation, made a mistake! And needs to get out a very big eraser. But how can God Whose actions are always perfect and Who always get what He wants be "sorry that He made man" and "grieved in his heart"?
Of course the answer is that one can't truly be grieved without love! And His love is as perfect as His sovereignty through which it is expressed. We can't help but feel the tragedy and heartache of an invincible, almighty God Who has been wounded: how His heart must have been broken in uttering the words "I will blot out man [His darling object and the pinnacle of His creation] whom I have created"!
"Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time" (v. 9). Of course, this doesn't mean that Noah was without continual sin; shortly after the flood, he becomes a naked drunkard. Surely his being called righteous is a consequence of the antecedent, "Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD." (v. 8) For if we think about it, even between men, finding favor with someone says nothing about the recipient and everything about the giver. And so with the clause that comes after which explains his (only) righteousness: "Noah walked with God." (v. 9b) This latter phrase is especially meaningful in the Hungarian language, in which a boy and girl "walking together" is a synonym for courting and romantic love.
[PV, (c)2008]
Our memory of this passage about the impending deluge as a fire-and-brimstone story of God getting fed up and unleashing almost eschatological judgment may keep us from hearing it for what it really is: a shocking love story!
First we have the shock of the omnipotent, omniscient creator regretting the creating He has done. (v. 6) As if the Great Infallible One has, in His own estimation, made a mistake! And needs to get out a very big eraser. But how can God Whose actions are always perfect and Who always get what He wants be "sorry that He made man" and "grieved in his heart"?
Of course the answer is that one can't truly be grieved without love! And His love is as perfect as His sovereignty through which it is expressed. We can't help but feel the tragedy and heartache of an invincible, almighty God Who has been wounded: how His heart must have been broken in uttering the words "I will blot out man [His darling object and the pinnacle of His creation] whom I have created"!
"Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time" (v. 9). Of course, this doesn't mean that Noah was without continual sin; shortly after the flood, he becomes a naked drunkard. Surely his being called righteous is a consequence of the antecedent, "Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD." (v. 8) For if we think about it, even between men, finding favor with someone says nothing about the recipient and everything about the giver. And so with the clause that comes after which explains his (only) righteousness: "Noah walked with God." (v. 9b) This latter phrase is especially meaningful in the Hungarian language, in which a boy and girl "walking together" is a synonym for courting and romantic love.
[PV, (c)2008]
posted by CS at 10:45 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home