The ‘battle’ between good and evil continues to this day based on the ‘deep things’ of God (good) and of Satan (evil). We know that’s true by just looking around us. Though the names and places may be different than they were decades or centuries ago, good and evil surround us. One of the primary reasons I teach self defense is because of the potential for people with evil intent attacking people with good intent. Cities tax their citizens to employ law enforcement officers for the same reason. Nations tax their citizens to pay for military forces. Citizens may grumble and complain about taxes, but they want protection – they want to be safe. Why? Because of ‘evil.’
Wickedness and Judgment
A good example of how the ‘goodness’ of God and the ‘evil’ of Satan clash is Genesis 6. The events described there are centuries after Seth and his son were born and “men began to call on the name of the Lord.” Genesis 4 names members of the family of Cain, who murdered his brother. One of Cain’s descendants, Lamech, boasted of killing a young man for ‘hurting him.’ Genesis 5 names members of the family of Adam through the lineage of Seth. One of Seth’s descendants, Enoch, ‘walked with God.’ Hebrews 11:5 tells us that Enoch pleased God and that God took Enoch ‘away so that he did not see death.’ Before God ‘took’ Enoch away, Enoch fathered Methuselah. Methuselah fathered Lamech (a different Lamech), who fathered Noah. It was during Noah’s lifetime that we see how ‘evil’ humans had become and how the ‘goodness’ of God responded to that evil –
“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, 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.” Genesis 6:5-8
Think about that for a moment. God saw that the wickedness of humans was ‘great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.’ The fact that every intent of the hearts of humans was ‘only evil continually’ is a demonstration of the ‘deep things’ of Satan. The devil’s ‘deep-laid plan’ to upend God’s plan for beings that He made in His ‘image and likeness’ (Genesis 1:26-28) seemed to be working very well. The wickedness and evil intent of humans grieved God. He determined to ‘destroy’ them, along with the beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. As the One who had created the heavens and the earth and everything and everyone in them, God certainly had the right to do that. However .. ‘Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.’
Judgment and Grace
Grace is an one of God’s ‘attributes.’ God’s grace comes from His ‘goodness.’ The Hebrew word used in Genesis 6:8 is חֵן (chen) and means ‘favor.’ Hebrew scholar William Wilson described the word like this –
“… denotes a free and spontaneous willingness to bestow good on him that is destitute of it, either in a way of kindness, or in a way of compassion; hence to show favour, mercy, pity, as the act of previous goodwill. The word excludes all idea of merit or desert in the object of free favour.” Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies, MacDonald Publishing Co., p 198 – first published in 1850
This idea of ‘unmerited favor’ carried forward centuries later into the language of the apostles when they wrote about the ‘grace of God.’ The Greek word is χάρις (charis) and means ‘favor, kindness, unmerited favor’ –
“Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Luke 1:30
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
“ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Jesus Christ, the Word who became flesh and lived among us, is ‘full of grace and truth.’ That’s what we see in Genesis 6:8 and throughout the Scriptures. Noah could have faced the same judgment as every other person alive on earth at the time described in Genesis 6 – BUT – ‘Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.’
The ‘deep-laid plans’ of the devil almost succeeded, but they didn’t because of God’s ‘goodness.’ Satan loves wickedness and violence. He loves murder and lies. The devil loves ‘evil.’ God’s answer to that?
“Grace, grace, God’s grace
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within
Grace, grace, God’s grace
Grace that is greater than all our sin” Julia H. Johnston, 1910
God had His own ‘deep-laid plans’ from Eternity and He was ready for that moment. Satan had done his best to ruin the human race by turning everyone against each other so that ‘the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.’ God’s reaction was righteous anger tempered with ‘grace.’ God chose Noah to build an Ark that would save eight people (Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives), and some animals, birds, and creeping things – ‘to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth’ (Genesis 7:3). Once inside the Ark, ‘the Lord shut him in’ (Genesis 7:16). One week later God unleashed a Flood on the earth that destroyed all other living things.
After the Flood had subsided and the Ark came to rest on dry ground, Noah and his family worshipped God in thanks for His deliverance.
Judgment and Grace.
“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.” Genesis 8:20-21
[Podcast version of this study coming soon.]
Next Time
Notice the words – ‘although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.’ Beginning again with Noah and his family was not the end of the battle of the ‘deep things’ of God and Satan. We will see why in the next part of our series.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Faith & Self Defense 