Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, every creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (vv. 5-8)
This says a lot concerning man's character. It means there was no aspect of man’s nature not corrupted by sin. A more emphatic statement of the wickedness of the human heart is hardly conceivable. Jesus said of His second coming, as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be (Matthew 24:37). In other words, the conditions of the world before the coming of Jesus will be like the conditions of the world before the flood; Exploding population (Genesis 6:1), sexual perversion (Genesis 6:2), demonic activity (Genesis 6:2), constant evil in the heart of man (Genesis 6:5), and widespread corruption and violence (Genesis 6:11).
God’s sorrow at man, and the grief in His heart are striking. This does not mean that creation was out of control, nor does it mean that God hoped for something better but was unable to achieve it. God knew all along that this was how things would turn out, but our text clearly tells us that as God sees His plan for the ages unfold, it affects Him. God is not unfeeling in the face of human sin and rebellion.
While God commanded all the earth to be cleansed of this pollution, He found one man with whom to begin again, Noah. Noah did not find favor in the eyes of men; they hated and persecuted him because both by his life and preaching, he condemned the world: but he found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and this made him truly more honorable than the men of renown.
We also see in verses 9-10 that Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time and that he walked with God. Noah believed in God’s character, that He is good, even when faced with the reality that his Lord was about to destroy the world as he knew it. He “walked with God” through believing in His justice, His good purposes, and His right actions. Noah had "FAITH" in the Lord.
When the rest of the world was wicked, Noah kept his integrity. What a great example for us to follow.
The Truth: “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” (Hebrews 11:7)
