Day 10-- Love and Holiness

 Posted a day late, but better late than never...

"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart. So the Lord said, 'I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.' " Genesis 6:5-7

This passage jumps out to me every time I read the story of Noah. I wonder just how bad the people were that God would say He was sorry they were ever created. I also wonder how God could be sorry or have regret over something He did when He is perfect and not capable of making mistakes. I have really been pondering this passage the past few days so last night I asked my Dad about it. (Thank you, Lord, for a godly father or can help explain Your word to me.)
God wasn't so much sorry that He had made the people because of how bad they were. He was sorry because in His perfect holiness He couldn't tolerate their sin and His justice dictated that He would have to destroy them. He was sorry because His love for the people whom He had created was so great that it grieved His heart to know He was going to have to destroy them.
I am absolutely amazed by this passage. So many different attributes of God are seen in these 3 verses. But I think what amazes me the most is that even though He was about to inflict severe punishment, destruction, on the people of the earth His love for them was so great that He was grieved.
I think there are 2 applications for us today from this passage. The first is that God very much is holy and just and can not tolerate sin. That sin will have to be punished and I think we would do well to remember that and flee from sin and seek to live our lives in a way that's pleasing to God. The second is that the same God that loved the people in Noah's day is the same God that loves us today. His love never changes. The past few weeks God has really been showing me in a whole new way just how much He really does love me and this passage has spoken volumes to me. For 2 days this is the passage that has consumed most of my thoughts. The God of all the universe loves sinful me enough to grieve over the thought of losing me. Incredible!