DAY 74 - BIG PICTURE IN A YEAR - THE FALL & THE FLOOD

The Lord was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and His heart was filled with pain.

Genesis 6: 6

Reading: Genesis 6: 1-7

Genesis 6: 6 represents surely the saddest words in the Bible. God, Yahweh, the happy Creator who made everything with so much love for the children He fashioned - is now in emotional pain. He regrets, REGRETS, that He made mankind. 

He doesn't leave it at that. He takes responsibility for His creation. "I made them, I must now destroy them". Those of you who have children can easily imagine what a heartbreaking decision this was for the Lord. Broken dreams. Shattered hopes. When your child is born you have great hopes and plans for their future. But imagine if they turn out so hideous and evil and cruel that you feel compelled to hand them over to the authorities to be punished, locked away, or even killed, for the protection of society. 

God too loved His children and had high hopes that they would desire Him and His ways and long to live with Him. Yet, His hatred of evil and of the human suffering that evil brings with it, proved greater than His high hopes. He made the difficult decision to destroy what He had made. 

Some people think that God is apathetic or impassive, without emotion. We don't have to look further than Genesis 6: 6 to see what a serious misunderstanding this is. 

Prayer

Dear Lord, I am so sorry that your pure and beautiful heart has been so shattered by the fallenness of mankind. I love You and thank You for Your long suffering with me. 

For the family

Engage

Have a discussion about the kind of things that bring pain and disappointment to our hearts. Let each child express an experience that they have had with a sore heart. 

Explain

Now explain the devotion in an age-appropriate way.