The Flood - An Epilogue (Part 1) - God’s All-Knowing Patience
When I wrote Genesis 7:6-17 - Where was the ark? (Part 3) - Only Noah’s Family Knew, I went through every verse in the Bible about Noah to see if the people killed knew of anything about the ark and coming flood. What I found was quite the contrary. Here are just a few key verses, recalled in a sequence that I think tells the story…
Hebrews 11:7 - By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
Matthew 24: 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.
Luke 17:Â 27People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
But as I read more, I found the story continued…
2Peter 2:Â 5if [God] did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others … 9if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.Â
1 Peter 3: 18For Christ … was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.
Interestingly, these verses address an issue that I hinted at in Genesis 7:4 - When the Father Judges, Jesus Grieves. In that post, I noted that God the Father judged mankind for his evil heart… not actions, but heart. God the Father then saved the one man at the time (and his family) who had a righteous heart: Noah. However, it troubled me that everyone else was simply killed without ever being told of their impending destruction. How could God do that?Â
In the parable of the landowner, which I also discuss in Genesis 7:4 - When the Father Judges, Jesus Grieves, the master shows the evil servant mercy, then withdraws it when that servant withholds mercy from another. The situation in this parable seemed different than The Flood at first because the Master started out by showing mercy, while the flood seemed to be simple condemnation. Well, in fact, the flood and the parable are more similar than meets the eye. While there are differences to be sure, God showed mercy before The Flood by vowing to himself that He would withhold judgement for 120 years, after noting their evil activities in Genesis 6:3. Why so long? Why not just wipe them out right then and there? As Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Of course, God the Father knew they would not repent. However, I believe God the Son did not, and pleaded with the Father for time. I know I cannot prove it, but it is completely within Christ’s character to do this, and within the Father’s character to indulge.Â
Consider that Abraham was able to bargain with God about Sodom and Gomorrah. Isaac was able to wrestle with God and not let go until he was blessed. Now, in both cases, I believe these were Christophanies, and it was actually Jesus with whom these men bargained. However, Jesus was acting as His Father’s representative, and so in between the lines we can the Father’s loving indulgence with His Son, an implied willingness to abide by His Son’s promises of grace. Recall as well the parable of the vineyard keeper, which I write about in Genesis 6 - Who Regretted Creating Mankind?. Like I said, it’s within their character.
Of course, as the Father knew would happen, they didn’t repent, but only then did God kill them, and He did so without warning; similarly, the Master in our parable above started out showing mercy, and then withdrew it without warning because the servant’s evil nature remained and was even demonstrated against another servant. Just as the Master’s servant was then forced to pay the debt for his sinful nature, the people of Noah’s time were forced to pay the debt for their sinful nature.
To be continued…