Slices
Prepare
‘Sin is not just breaking God’s laws; it is breaking his heart’ (Adrian Rogers).
Bible passage
Wickedness in the world
6 When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit will not contend with humans for ever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.’
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days – and also afterwards – when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created – and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground – for I regret that I have made them.’ 8 But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord.
Noah and the flood
9 This is the account of Noah and his family.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, ‘I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: the ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. 16 Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark – you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.’
22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
Explore
When my phone stopped working, I was distraught. The restart option failed. Powering off and on again did not resolve the problem. A factory reset was the only solution. In the process, I lost precious data – contacts, chats and photos.
God’s creation was not working according to his design. Sin had increased exponentially: ‘every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time’ (v 5). The meaning of the reference to ‘sons of God’ marrying ‘daughters of humans’ (v 2) is unclear but, like Lamech’s polygamy (Genesis 4:19), was probably another, more serious, distortion of God’s design for marriage. In the beginning, God ‘saw’ that creation was ‘good’ (Genesis 1); all he ‘saw’ now was ‘how great the wickedness of the human race had become’ (v 5).
God had tried both persuasion and punishment (see Genesis 3:8–13; 4:6–12), to no avail. Even drastically reducing human lifespans (v 3) had not succeeded in halting the spread of corruption and violence (vs 11,12). Finally, God decreed a factory reset. In the process, many lives were lost and the earth itself was destroyed by the great flood. While God’s intention was to ‘destroy’ (vs 13,17), he did not choose this course of action lightly: ‘his heart was deeply troubled’ (v 6). It was grief, not rage, that gripped God, an attitude mirrored in Jesus as he wept over the judgement that would befall Jerusalem (Luke 19:41–44).
Respond
‘Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart’ (Ephesians 4:30, The Message). Reflect on this today.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 16,17; Acts 6
Pray for Scripture Union
As IT systems that improve our effectiveness and efficiency become more complex, Technical Services Assistant James Gregg would appreciate prayer for wisdom and understanding in the changing world of online security and the tools for managing it.
WordLive Changes
Word Live is such an incredible free online resource to so many people and we love how far and wide the content reaches!
Starting this month, Word Live will look a little different as we introduce a new format, but it is our hope and prayer that you will continue to find the content engaging as you delve into scripture and walk with God.
If you’d like to know more about the journey that we have been on that has led to these changes please click here. And if you’d like to know more about our full range of Bible Reading Guides, please click here.
