Ahaz (king of Judah) fears, as do the people when they hear that Israel and Syria are planning to come against them (Isaiah 7:2), but God vetoes human intent and instead tells them that Syria and the northern kingdom will fall – and they did. The people of Judah have an opportunity to hold on to God, but their faith must be firm – there is a tie between stability and faith (Isaiah 7:3-9). In verses 10-17, we see God calling Ahaz to place ultimate faith in him – and even encourages him to ask for a dramatic sign (v11), but Ahaz had placed his faith in human strength – instead of turning to God for help, Ahaz turned to the king of Assyria. He had given gold from the temple treasury to the Assyrians to elicit them to attack the Syrians & the northern kingdom (2 Kings 16:1-9). All that they needed to do was to place their ultimate faith (trust) in the one that providentially plots the course of nations. God prompts Ahaz to place his faith in a far more reliable source – God himself and then goes on to promise the coming of the messiah, the ultimate gift of grace. Ahaz’s lack of faith in God to deliver them came at a cost, in 733 BC the Assyrians overthrew the northern kingdom and the Syrian’s (2 Kings 15:29), but the cost was extreme – in gold and Judah had aligned themselves with a wicked nation and became a servant to the Assyrians. All because they lacked faith in the God who had delivered them and provided for them. Failure of earthly kings, requires the intervention of the King of kings to deliver His promises. God was to be Israel’s king from the beginning, but they wanted an earthly king, like everybody else. Where is your ultimate faith (trust)? In politicians, morality, marriage, religion, relationships, wealth, significance, success – or God. Where do you look for deliverance?
Tag Archives: Sovereignty
Isaiah is undone in the presence of the Lord
““Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”” (Isaiah 6:3 ESV)
Isaiah is undone in the presence of the Lord as he cries out, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”” (Isaiah 6:5 ESV). The prophet recognizes how short he falls from holiness when he is faced with the holiness of God as he stands in His presence. But God provides the only remedy for Isaiah’s (and our) position: grace. God graciously provides and atones for his sinful inadequacy: “Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”” (Isaiah 6:6–7 ESV). Being in the presence of the Almighty and experiencing His grace moves Isaiah to action and service, ““Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”” (Isaiah 6:8 ESV). Isaiah is called to be a prophet to the people. However, Isaiah’s proclamation will not cause the people to repent and turn to the Lord, rather God had ordained that it would only serve to harden their already darkened and depraved hearts: ““‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”” (Isaiah 6:9–10 ESV). The regenerating faith to respond to God is a gift of His grace, for without it we won’t want Him.
God whistles, as if calling a dog
God whistles, as if calling a dog, and the wicked Assyrians come running to be used as the disciplinarian of God’s people. The sovereign God wills and calls and nations respond. “He will raise a signal for nations far away, and whistle for them from the ends of the earth; and behold, quickly, speedily they come!” (Isaiah 5:26 ESV)
The Total Sovereignty of God by RC Sproul
God Centered Perspective: Position
God Centered Perspective: Position. One of the best places to start our discussion of position is in the book of Job; Job is a difficult, yet encouraging book that is theologically rich. We see the opening portion of the book describing Job as “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil,”1 who even offered sacrifices on behalf of his children, just in case his “children [had] sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.”2 Surely, if there was a man that deserved God’s favor and protection, then it was Job! The story, however, takes a jarring turn when God recommends Job (two times) for the job of suffering.3 Catastrophe strikes! Job’s wealth is taken, his children are killed, he is robbed of his health4 and yet the bible tells us that “in all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.”5 He even attributes his situation to God by saying “naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”6 The only thing that Job had left was a nagging wife that encouraged him to curse God.7 The bulk of the chapters that follow are comprised of Job wrestling through his feelings and emotions regarding God and his current situation, and this is accentuated by some of the worst friends in history who are “counseling” Job! As the book progresses, Job is pressing for an audience with God because he is convinced that he could argue his case that his treatment was unjust at the hands of the Almighty. This opportunity is finally afforded to Job in chapter 38 and God begins what ends up being a monologue on his eternal power, perspective and Job’s woefully limited understanding of things. Job begins to understand that he is limited in his understanding and tries to stop the conversation8, but God is not done “talking” with Job. God spends four chapters asking Job questions like, “where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth,“ “have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place,” “can you send forth lightnings,” “do you give the horse his might,” and “is it by your understanding that the hawk soars.”9 God informs Job that “whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.”10 Job understands that he was presumptuous in thinking that he could bring his case before God. Job’s response is a good pattern for us: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”11 There is no indication that Job ever knew the entire drama that was played out in chapters 1 & 2. Job realized that he was limited in his understanding and that God was infinite and eternal; that their perspectives were worlds apart.
Adam & Eve were placed in the garden of Eden with a job to do and nothing was outside of their dominion12 – nothing, except God. God had placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden, not to tempt the couple, but to serve as a constant visual reminder that they were still under the authority of the sovereign Creator. The tree forced them to answer the question, “who is sovereign, who is ultimate, who is supreme, whose earth is this?” When the couple took the fruit and ate it, they answered this question – they reckoned themselves to be ultimate, unlimited, sovereign and supreme. And this has been the struggle of humanity ever since. Our perspective, like theirs, is very limited and clouded – God sees from the beginning of time to the end in one glance, he understands all things while we are woefully limited in our understanding. There is a battle that rages in the soul of all humanity for personal sovereignty; who (in our own mind) is ultimate and sovereign – us or God? The reality is that we often times don’t really like the way God has decided to govern His universe, we have authority problems. We aren’t God, and the truth is that we would make a sorry god, though we delude ourselves in to thinking that we are privy to how all of creation works. We must acknowledge that “our God is in the Heavens and He does all he pleases.”13 There is a grounding effect that happens in our lives as we understand our place in the universe before the holy God. God is not only our sovereign Authority, but also our greatest Treasure. If He is only our sovereign Authority then our faith will be oppressive and marked by duty & obligation. If we see Him as both, our faith will be marked by delight and joy; the latter is the picture the bible paints of authentic faith. A deep heart level understanding of our position in the universe begins to produce authenticity instead of pretense; it produces an understanding that we don’t have to have it all figured out – it gives us the freedom to not be ok and the motivation to not stay that way. It moves us to worship as we proclaim, “what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”14
Prayer: Lord, please help us to remember our place in the universe – that you are Creator and that we are created; that you are sovereign and that we are not; that your perspective and understanding is eternal, infinite, and unlimited and ours is limited, finite and tiny.
Notes:
1“There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.” (Job 1:1 ESV)
2““It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.”” (Job 1:5 ESV)
3“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.” (Job 1:6–12 ESV); “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. And the LORD said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”” (Job 2:1–6 ESV)
4See Job 1:13-20, 2:7-8
5Job 1:22, 2:10
6Job 1:21, see also Job 12
7“Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:9–10 ESV)
8 ““Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.”
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
“Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right? Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his?” (Job 40:4–9 ESV)
9Job 38:4, 38:12, 38:35, 39:19, 39:26
10Job 41:11 ESV
11Job 42:2–6
12“And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.” (Genesis 1:28–30 ESV)
13Psalm 115:3 ESV
14Psalms 8:4 ESV
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God Centered Perspective Overview
This is the third post in this series. The last post is here.
GOD CENTERED PERSPECTIVE
God centered theology sounds like an oxymoron! Someone might interject and say, “of course we are God centered, we’re a church!” Unfortunately, God is often the most assumed topic in our churches and we talk very little about Him. Sometimes, we begin to view the bible as a self help guide designed to fix us rather than it being the revelation of God about who He is and His plans for His glory in His world. We migrate to the bible being a field guide for how to make our lives “work,” which ultimately breaks down when life does not “work” according to our plan – which it never does1. There is a big difference between these two points of view: one puts us on center stage, the other places God on center stage2. It is risky business when we make ourselves the focus because we rob God of glory and take that which is not ours to own; we become glory thieves. Being at cross purposes with the God of the universe should strike a chord of fear in us because God says “my glory I will not give to another.”3 We need to be constantly asking ourselves, “who gets the glory?”
We must intentionally focus more on God and far less on us and what we must do for God (as if He needs anything from us4). We need to be persistently reminded of the sovereign majesty of our Creator because we easily forget; this seems to be the pattern of humanity’s response to God in the scriptures.5 When this happens, we make moralism and the practical application of scripture our primary pursuits, brushing over the deep truths of scripture that provide the fuel for applying them to our lives. Practical application is good and necessary, but when we spend the majority of our time on how to apply the scriptures and very little time on the God of the scriptures, we rob our people of the very Fuel that it takes to apply the scriptures to their lives! The irony in this is that the more emphasis that we place on what people should be doing, the less people actually do the very things that they are being told to do! Their lives aren’t truly transformed by the gospel of grace, they don’t live missionally, their souls are dry with no affection for God nor do they have any significant influence on the world around them. This is because they are depending upon themselves to see their lives changed and obey God. Instead, we need to be captivated with God’s goodness, love, grace, mercy and the wrath that He has rescued us from – these are the things that produce true spiritual transformation. In a God centered culture, it is understood that proximity to Christ6 is what changes us, not our own efforts. As we focus more on God’s character and nature we move from external behavior modification to heart level transformation and see spiritual sustainability established in the lives of Christians.
Everyone has a theology – a believe about God – it is just that the theology held by many Christians is not biblical, historically accurate nor orthodox. For many, they are far more influenced by pop culture than by orthodox doctrine or theology. We must have a steady diet of Christ centered, God exalting, biblical, orthodox teaching that forms an accurate worldview through which we view God, others, the world, pain & suffering and our place in this world. Most Christians know what they should do – how they should act & feel – but fail to consistently pursue these things because their theology is man centered. Our theological framework provides the foundation for everything that we believe, think, feel and ultimately do in life. A strong God saturated theological framework answers the question of “why we live our lives the way the bible tells us to,” and provides us with the fuel to live our lives that way. We need to develop a taste for doctrine, theology and biblical Christianity so that we are able to face many of life’s greatest challenges. Theology and doctrine are not primarily academic or intellectual pursuits, but are the vehicle for us to know God more deeply and passionately pursue Him more fully. We need good, solid God honoring doctrine woven in to the fabric of the culture of our churches in order to foster authentic pursuit of Christ. This must be intentional or it will naturally devolve into man centeredness. There are many ways to accomplish this, but whatever the method, it must be infused in the culture of the church by being intentional about what is taught and how it is taught.
NOTES:
1“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:18–25 ESV)
2When we say God centered versus man centered, what is meant is who do we focus on primarily in our study, teaching and practice. In a God centered culture, the bulk of time and teaching is spent expounding on who God is and what He has done for His people. In a man centered culture, the bulk of time and teaching is spent on who we are and what we should be doing for God. This may sound subtle, but its implications are profound; one places God as the central cause of transformation and the other places transformation on our shoulders to pull off on our self disciplined efforts.
3“I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.” (Isaiah 42:8 ESV); “For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.” (Isaiah 48:11 ESV)
4“nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” (Acts 17:25 ESV)
5The Old Testament is filled with narratives of God’s people regularly forgetting God and pursuing their own way, they are shifting from God centered to man centered and the consequences are always catastrophic. The pattern we see repeated in the New Testament, especially by Paul in the epistles, is a systematic approach to reminding the churches that are being addressed of their inability, depravity, and place in the universe and God’s greatness. There is a constant rebuilding of who God is and who they are before any application is mentioned. We see this especially in Romans when Paul spends the first eleven chapters discussing the richest and deepest truths of our faith before he ever begins to address what our response is in chapter twelve. The first three chapters of Ephesians is a systematic unpacking of the gospel and God’s grace towards those who believe before any application is mentioned in chapter four. Philippians and Colossians both intertwine the gospel and the grace of God with how to live out the gospel in practical ways. The entire letter of Galatians is about shifting from man centered faith (law) to God centered faith (grace). Apparently, we need to be reminded on where our strength and affections lie.
6“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4–5 ESV); Jesus’ proclamation, regarding believers being the salt of the earth and the light of the world in Matthew 5:13-16 is a direct result of a person coming before God as being spiritually bankrupt (Matthew 5:3); “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13 NIV)
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Next Section: God Centered Perspective: Position
Prayers & Principles Background Assumptions
Background Assumptions. It is important to articulate some assumptions that are made because these will form a foundation upon which we will build in the subsequent discussions. First, we must answer the question, why did God create the heavens and earth? The answer is that God created for His glory2. This is not because God is lacking in any way or that He needs anything from His creation (Acts 17:25); this is because He is Creator and a creation that is glorifying to Him is a natural outflow of who He is3. Secondly, let us answer the question what is God like? God is sovereign over all things and has no equal or challenger of any significance; God is good, love, merciful, gracious, patient, holy, peace love, righteous, just, jealous, and wrathful towards all evil4. Thirdly, what is the purpose of man? Man was created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27) to reflect the attributes of God to creation, to relate with God and others, and to reign over creation5 with the purpose of glorifying God and enjoying Him forever6. Our representatives, Adam & Eve, chose to rebel against God by jettisoning His sovereign authority over them; this was then evidenced by the act of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which God had specifically forbidden. This was not a minor infraction, but was an act of grand treason! Before this rebellion, life functioned harmoniously and in rhythm, like that of a spectacular symphony. But that is no longer the case. The consequences of sin are catastrophic: death (Genesis 2:17), difficulty in child-rearing (Genesis 3:16), distorted roles in marriages (Genesis 3:16), creation opposing man’s efforts to cultivate it (Genesis 3:17-20) and the creation itself is broken (Romans 8:20). And these effects will not be eradicated until Jesus returns and makes “all things new” (Revelation 21:5). The fall of man did not surprise God or catch him off guard. He is sovereign and the scriptures tell us that Jesus existed before the foundation of the world and that God’s plan always was to atone for the sins of his people through the death of Jesus.7 The cross was not plan “B” because plan “A” failed. So this requires us to answer the last, and perhaps the most difficult, question: “did God allow the fall to better display his glory and grace?” If God is sovereign Creator that rules and reigns with absolute authority, then we are compelled to answer ‘yes.‘ God knew before He formed the world that man would stray and had already provided an acceptable sacrifice to reconcile us back to Himself. God never initiates or is the author of sin, but He does use it to accomplish His sovereign purposes and will – this is visibly seen in the life of Joseph (Genesis 37-46). If God has the power to stop it, and does not then we must conclude that He permitted it for His greater glory and purposes. If we probe this question a little further, by daring to ask why would God allow this, what greater purpose could it possibly serve? Is God’s mercy and grace more apparent to Adam and Eve in the garden or to us in the person of Jesus Christ? It becomes obvious that the boundless love, mercy and grace of God is more completely displayed in adopting us than it was in Adam and Eve. We are a depraved, rebellious, hard hearted, idolatrous people who want nothing to do with God, and yet He loves us and chases us down and extends forgiveness and grace by living the life that we could not live, dying the death that we could not die to pay the penalty that we could not pay. So in short, God’s glory is much more revealed in His grace extended to fallen and rebellious humanity than it ever would have been had we never rebelled.8
NOTES:
1Webster defines a culture as “the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization” http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture. A culture is formed out of what is valued, what is important.
2Isaiah 43:7: “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made”, and “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalms 19:1 ESV). As time, as we know it, is brought to an end God will receive the worship that is rightly His: “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”” (Revelation 4:11 ESV). David proclaims “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.” (Psalms 8:1 ESV) and Ephesians 1:11-12 tells us “that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:12 ESV). God created for His glory because it was a natural outflow of the character and nature of who God is. One can hardly glance at the stars on a quiet night or take in the Swiss Alps or the Pacific ocean or the Grand Canyon without worship welling up in his soul. When we take in so much of creation we want to proclaim with Jeremiah that “it is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens” (Jeremiah 10:12 ESV)! More information on this available at http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/articles/biblical-texts-to-show-gods-zeal-for-his-own-glory
3For a more in depth discussion on this, see The Character and Nature of the Created Order by Bruce Henry.
4For a more in depth discussion on this, see The Character and Nature of God by Bruce Henry.
5Brian Hedges’ book, Christ Formed in You: The Power of the Gospel for Personal Change, is very helpful in developing these ideas of reflecting, relating and reigning. (Kindle edition, location 260-334)
6The Westminster Shorter Catechism, AD 1647; 1 Corinthians 10:31, Romans 11:36, Psalm 73:25-28.
7“He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you” (1 Peter 1:20 ESV); “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24 ESV); “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” (Ephesians 1:4 ESV); “everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:8 ESV)
8“For since the Son of God was made man in order to restore us, who were already lost, from our miserable over throw, how could that be foreseen which would never have happened unless man had sinned?” “God created man flexible; and not only permitted, but willed that he should be tempted. For he both adapted the tongue of the serpent beyond the ordinary use of nature, to the devil’s purpose, just as if any one should furnish another with a sword and armor; and then, though the unhappy event was foreknown by him, he did not apply the remedy, which he had the power to do. On the other hand, when we come to speak of man, he will be found to have sinned voluntarily, and to have departed from God, his Maker, by a movement of the mind not less free than perverse.” “For his grace is more abundantly poured forth, through Christ, upon the world, than it was imparted to Adam in the beginning.” John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries (Complete) on Genesis (trans. John King; Accordance electronic ed. Edinburgh: Calvin Translation Society, 1847), n.p.
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Religion Blinds Us to the Things of God
Religion blinds us to the things of God and drives us to justify ourselves to further our own agendas, thinking that we are working for God. All men are under God’s sovereign control, and nothing that we have is a result of our own efforts, but rather His grace. Jesus’ restraint in the face of His creation’s ridicule, mocking and belittling is something that we cannot grasp; how the Creator of all things would allow his creation to torture, belittle, and kill him is mind boggling. God is much more glorified in the cross than if we had never sinned. The restraint that the Creator displays in the cross is something that we cannot grasp.
John 18:25-19:26
Jesus trusts in God’s Sovereign Rule & Reign
Praying according to the will of God and reveals that they were were in eternal, loving community prior to the creation of the world – why would He create? He did not need community – as if we provide Him with anything that He is lacking! He created to display His glory: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24 ESV).
How did Jesus extend mercy and grace to Judas, whom he knew would betray Him? It is only because He trusted in God’s sovereign control over all things. As we submit and follow God’s plans, it is easier to extend grace because we see a bigger picture, the world is no longer just about us and our plans – it is about God and His plans. And God is in control of those plans. “Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him” (John 18:4 ESV)
Jesus accepts God’s plan for His life – do you? ““Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”” (John 18:11 ESV)
Caiaphas is pawn in the hands of God. “It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.” (John 18:14 ESV)
How does the Creator of all things allow His creation to hit him. Wow! Power under control, meekness is portrayed. Only powered by love, mercy and grace. The mission was ultimate, not his own life. Jesus is the high priest (see Hebrews 4:14-15)! “When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?”” (John 18:22–23 ESV)
Every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually
“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.” (Genesis 6:5–6 ESV)
Just six chapters prior to this section, we see Adam and Eve enjoying a peaceful existence in the perfect paradise of the garden of Eden. They walked in the presence of the Almighty and enjoyed His favor and provision; life was not fraught with hardship, difficulty and discord. Life functioned harmoniously and in rhythm, like that of a spectacular symphony. But that is no more. The consequences of sin are catastrophic: death (Genesis 2:17), difficulty in child-rearing (Genesis 3:16), distorted roles in marriages (Genesis 3:16), creation opposing man’s efforts to cultivate it (Genesis 3:17-20) and the creation itself is broken (Romans 8:20). So in Genesis 6:5-6, we find ourselves a far cry from the “very good” of Genesis 1:31.
There is no more comprehensive assessment of the total depravity of mankind than what we see here in verse 5. The verse tells us not that man’s behavior or periodic inclinations were evil, but that their evil was so deep seated that it saturated every intention of the thoughts of his heart. The heart’s motivations and drives are evil continually, that is in opposition to God and His glory. Natural logic would lead us to think that the difficult circumstances outside of the garden would have led man to repentance – to throw himself on the mercy of God. This is not the case, sin becomes more perverse and more depraved and without God’s grace-filled intervention, this is the pattern of the human existence. And in case you think that things have gotten better, Paul reminds us that ““None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”” (Romans 3:10–12 ESV). What is painted for us here is the picture of the fallen soul – and it is not a pretty one!
God’s response to the total depravity of those who were created in His image is interesting, “and the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” Contrary to God being a distant and disconnected deity that created all things and then just lets them play out, we see a God who is greatly invested in His creation – so invested that it grieved Him. God’s grief is connected to his loving care for His image bearers. Matthew Henry’s comments help us here: “He did not see it as an unconcerned spectator, but as one injured and affronted by it; he saw it as a tender father sees the folly and stubbornness of a rebellious and disobedient child, which not only angers him, but grieves him, and makes him wish he had been written childless.”1. The more jarring question here is the fact that the text tells us that God “was sorry that he had made man on the earth.” This is interesting, is God not soveriegn in His rule and reign? Did He not know that this would be the outcome? Is God shocked by the way things are playing out? Of course not! God’s immutable (unchangeable), sovereign rule and reign is one of the central themes of the bible. Malachi 3:6 tells us “For I the LORD do not change” (Malachi 3:6 ESV). Additionally, “He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.” (1 Samuel 15:29 NIV). So what is going on here? Why does it say that God was sorry (or repented in some translations)? Moses is using what is known as an anthropomorphism which is the use of human terms in an attempt to describe God. This is limited and falls short, but that is how we should view this section of scripture as Moses attempts to describe how God views humanity. It is important to understand the Hebrew word, “nacham”, that is translated “sorry.” The primitive root of this word means to sigh or breath strongly; to express remorse. So the picture that the text is conveying is one of a Holy sigh over the total depravity of his image bearer’s hearts. It is the physical manifestation of the sorrow and pain that is within, like when one receives bad news and all that can be mustered is a deep sigh that is marked with guttural tones. God feels pain, remorse and hurts over the wickedness of His creation – and a heartfelt sigh is what is the result.
It amazes me that God did not destroy the entire human race at this point, I would have. But God was (and still is) willing to experience profound grief at our wicked hearts that rebel against Him and He still provides us with a way to be reconciled with Him. He not only provides the way, but also provides us with the faith to believe (Ephesians 2:8-9). If this does not move you to be absolutely grateful then you don’t understand the meaning of the text!
The Gospel Centered Life 