God's Mercy In Noah's Time

Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how

corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth

had corrupted their ways.

Genesis 6:11-12

2013 High School Hume Lake Camp at PREM
while playing recreation games

This past week-end, I attended my first ever camping experience. I really didn't know what to expect but it turned out to be fun. No, I wasn't a camper, but, I helped by being a counselor. It was a Christian camp so they had Biblical teachings but they also had high energy recreation activities the other times. We came home today exhausted from the late nights, early mornings, incessant screaming/cheering, and physical activities. Two mornings, I took a walk with a camper, too. It was on one of those walks when we had a long discussion about Noah and the flood in Genesis 6-9. The camper asked why God didn't just talk to those in Noah's time like He did to Paul on the road to Damascus. It was a great question because understanding why everyone in Noah's time had to die in the flood was one I asked when I was young, too. It seemed really cruel. Why did all the children and the rest of the animals have to die, too? I knew it would take more than me to convince her of the Lord's goodness in spite the outcome: the death of everyone except those on the boat.

I don't know that I answered her well but I sure prayed real hard to know what to say! I explained that Paul (in Acts 9:1-19) was a man zealous for God and he actually believed he was doing right in persecuting the Christians. He was obviously deceived! He didn't know any better so the Lord revealed to him what he needed to realize so that he could fulfill his calling: to proclaim the Lord's name to the Gentiles. Meanwhile, the people in Noah's time were not even aware that there was a God. And if they did, they certainly didn't listen to Him, take Him seriously, nor believe in Him. "...every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil ALL the time" (Genesis 6:5b, I added the all caps). "God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways." (Genesis 6:13) The earth was FULL of violence (Genesis 6:12). In today's standard, it could mean the people beat one another, stabbed, shot, or hurt one another, none exempted. It was no wonder that the Lord's heart was deeply troubled (Genesis 6:7). It made sense that He wanted to eliminate them. Only Noah found favor in His eyes (Genesis 6:8).

As to why all (including children) had to be eliminated, the Lord reminded me of the time when Eric had cancer. His treatments killed all the cancer cells and even some of the good cells. No chance was left for any cancer cell (new or old) to continue living because their existence meant they would grow and multiply again. All the harmful cells had to be killed in Eric's body in the same way that evil had to be eradicated during Noah's time. Because God was holy, evil could not continue to persist. 

And as God proceeded to get rid of evil, He still wanted the people to turn to Him. He gave them time, all the time (years!) it took Noah to build the ark. The immensity of the ark called attention to it, too. Surely the people talked to Noah, or his sons, about what they were building and why. Noah would have told them the reasons. Unfortunately, no one took Noah (nor God) seriously. The procession of animals (in pairs!) must have been quite an extraordinary sight! God could have just created the animals again but He chose instead to have them do a parade to the ark so that the people would notice and want to be like them, follow Noah into the ark. Instead, those who perished chose to ignore what they saw and what happened around them, at least, until it was too late.

God is a merciful and loving God. Like Noah's Ark, some Biblical stories may require more figuring out than others, but, look for His mercy. It'll always be there.