City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

⁵ 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. ⁶ And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. ⁷ 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.” ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Genesis 6:5-8

Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” ²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. ²⁵ And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Genesis 2:23-25

² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:2

⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Philippians 4:8

Reflection

The first principle of understanding the Bible is to read what it says. Once you have done that, then, and only then, can you start to apply the tools of interpreting word meanings, and sentence structures, and the like.  For today’s passage, I would like to point out that we are not talking about the building of a boat, collecting of animals, or even booking passage on the world’s first cruise liner. We are simply talking about the state of man, the thing that God created from the dust of the Earth and His own breath. 

The Bible says that “every intention of the thoughts of his (man’s) heart was only evil continually.” I think we can all agree that this falls into the “not good” category. In Genesis 2, when God said something was not good, He made a change to Adam (man) and brought about Eve. This was clearly an enhancement to man. It was not an improvement on the design in a way that the newer model replaces the older, but rather an enhancement of the design. What was there before had become much more capable and complete. Chapter 2 ends with all mankind in perfect fellowship, in perfect innocence, and without shame.

However, during this time, just before the flood, we find that the original sin in man has taken root and grown into something far greater than the breaking of a single rule. The corruption of man is internal, inventing ways to do what is evil.  It is interesting to consider here, that the ten commandments had not been given yet, nor the Levitical law, nor the wisdom of Solomon, yet they were continually focused on doing evil. What rules were they breaking? Instead of eating apples, were they eating pears and peaches?  I do not think that is it.

All sin is common to man. If it is a sin today, it was a sin back then. You see God has made man with a conscience, so the eating of the forbidden fruit was not just a matter of breaking a rule. It was a damaging of their conscience. As the generations continued, the conscience of men became more and more corrupt, until finally God’s grief became too much.

But there was one conscience that had not journeyed down the path of corruption. “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (v. 8).

Application

Perhaps you have broken rules or found yourself being the only one not breaking them. In either case I would guess that you felt something inside that was uncomfortable. For those who are set on doing evil, that feeling of discomfort becomes less and less as more rules are broken and as time goes on. For those not breaking rules, that feeling of discomfort decreases as they get away from the rule breaking. In one case the conscience is being destroyed, but in the other case it is being preserved.

In our lives, we need a way to come out and be separate. We need an ark, a refuge, a holy place. In this place, our conscience is not only preserved, but it can also be restored. The time spent with God, in His word, and in prayer must be a priority for the work of redemption to take root.

In the end, I indeed know that only time and effort in the Lord’s service shall render me to be a true man.  And I know that a house may be a place in which a family can happen, but it is the ensuing fellowship that then builds the home. So too is it in the house of the Lord.

Prayer

Dear Lord, take my heart and make it new. Redeem the empty and broken parts of my life, that I may be found true in your sight. Repair the pathways of my mind and the broken ways of my thoughts. Let my mind be focused on service to You, always. In Jesus name I pray, amen.