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God’s Grace in the Midst of God’s Grief
Genesis 6:5-8
The Chinese New Year season will be upon us very soon. And during that time, there are many Taoist traditions practiced. One such tradition is offering ?? (nián g?o) - sticky sweet rice cakes - to the Kitchen God, just before the New Year. It’s either to seal his mouth so he can’t report your wrongdoings to the Jade Emperor, or to sweeten his mouth so that he only reports good things to the Jade Emperor. He sees your sins at home, but he can be bribed to overlook sin. Another similar Taoist tradition is seen during Hungry Ghost festival, where people would offer cigarettes (or opium in the past) to the guardians of hell - ????? (h?ibái wúcháng g?i). The sticky opium or cigarettes would seal their mouths so they wouldn’t tell your wrongdoings to the Chinese god of hell. They see your sins that month, but they can be bribed to overlook sin. On the contrary, God sees our sins all the time everywhere. And he can’t be bribed to overlook our sins. We see this in our passage today. We will examine our passage under 4 divisions. Firstly, man’s grave sin against God. Secondly, God’s great grief towards man. Thirdly, God’s gruesome judgment on man. Fourthly, God’s gracious favor upon a man.
Firstly, man’s grave sin against God. Verse 5 says, “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” It says that God saw. The living and true God is not confined to the kitchen nor does he emerge only at certain times of the year. God sees - he always sees. 2 Chronicles 16:9 tells us that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth. God is constantly watching and observing what happens. And there are things that God sees which are good. When God created the world, after each day of creation, he said it was good. And at the end of 6 days, when he saw all he had made, he said it was very good. God sees all. But now, in our passage, when he looked upon his creation - upon man - it was not good. In fact, it was very bad. He saw that man’s sin was great, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. In other words, there was grave sin.
Now, all sin is grave in the sight of God. James 2:10 says that whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. The smallest transgression, in God’s eyes, still makes a person guilty as if he broke all the commandments. Small or large transgressions are seen by God. Why? Because no sin is ever small. Habakkuk 1:13 says that God’s eyes are too pure to look on evil. And herewe see God’s evaluation of the sins in those times. God saw that man’s wickedness was great on the earth. This was God’s verdict. We see that man’s sin was intense - it was great. Furthermore, we that it was complete - it was every imagination of the thoughts of his heart - every inclination. And it was internal - it wasn’t just action or words, but it was the thoughts. The Lord Jesus himself said that whoever looks upon a woman to lust has committed adultery in his heart. But not just thoughts - God described it as the thoughts of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 says God judges the intents of your heart. And their heart’s thoughts and inclinations were limited - limited to evil. But the heart’s thoughts and inclinations were also unlimited - unlimited in time. They were evil continually. And it was indiscriminate - it was all men. The Bible used the word “man” to speak about mankind. So all men, women, and children. The Bible speaks of this pervasiveness of sin - Romans 3:23 says - “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:10 also says - “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” While people may not be as depraved as those during Noah’s time, we are still sinful in the eyes of God. Failing in one point of the law makes you guilty of breaking all of them. What about you? When God looks at you - at the inclinations of the thoughts of your heart - will he find sin - not just in actions or words, but your thoughts? And in inclination? When he looks at your desires, motivations, ambitions; not only in your homes or at certain months - but everyday into your heart - what will he find? Will he find the pervasiveness of sin? You sin in your mind and heart when you’re alone, behind closed doors; you sin on the keyboard as you devise sinful angry words; you sin in your families with your selfishness; you sin at work murmuring against your bosses, etc. And even if you aren’t as criminal as these whose inclinations were continually wicked, your holiest thought could never compare to God’s standard. Jeremiah 17:9 says that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked - who can know it? God knows it. He sees. And he grieves.
We see secondly, God’s great grief towards man. Verse 6 says, “And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” God was grieved because of man’s sin. And it wasn’t just because the inclinations of man’s heart were always evil. It was also because they didn’t seek him. If we read the beginning of Genesis 6, we see that mankind had become self-sufficient. They’d grown stronger, becoming famous mighty men, giants in their accomplishments, with powerful descendants. But they weren’t seeking God - they were independent - renown, strong. They didn’t even consider God. They turned their faces away from him. And we learn that God repented and was grieved. He mourned their state of wickedness.
Now, these words are significant. It says God repented of the fact that he created man. What does this mean? To be sure, God doesn’t change his mind. The Bible tells us that God is not a man who changes his mind. By nature, God is unchangeable. While man regrets his decisions, because he is sorry about the outcome, because he made a mistake - God on the other hand was not regretting creating man as if it were a mistake. They were the ones who made many mistakes, and they had changed from what he originally created them to be. And that is what he regretted. So we shouldn’t read deeper into the expression. God is using human language so that we would understand his reaction as a great displeasure because they were rebellious and had a change of heart. So they turned out badly, even though he had created them good. So God didn’t change - Malachi 3:6 says, “For I am the LORD, I change not.” But mankind changed - dramatically. And God was greatly displeased.
And this is also conveyed by the word grief. It grieved him at his heart. He is grieved and pained by the rebellion of his creatures. What is remarkable is the comparison. While mankind, according to verse 5 was wicked - greatly wicked in their heart - even the smallest inclination of their thoughts in their heart was wicked! But God’s was grief and displeasure. It showed that man was at home with evil, but God was not. It showed that man cultivated evil, but God opposed it. It showed that man’s heart was wicked, but God’s heart was holy. It showed that man, created in God’s image, was throwing off that image; but God was true to his image and nature. So God’s grief against sin is contrasted with his creatures’ enjoyment of sin. If not stopped, with such trajectory, man’s wickedness will eventually overtake the whole earth.
The amazing thing here is the word “grief.” It is true - as we see in other parts of the Bible - that God is angry with sinners. Psalm 7:11 says, “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” But here, God chose to use the word “grief” to demonstrate that man was not what he was created to be. And it shows a desire for reformation. Man is not what he should be, what he could be. And all this comes back to us. If God were to look at our heart, what would he find? Would he find a heart of obedience and tenderness or one of abject rebellion? And how would God think about us? With displeasure and grief?
And we see one way that God reacts in his displeasure and grief - judgment. We see God’s gruesome judgment on man. That’s the third point. Verse 7 says, “And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” God was displeased with the great and total depravity of man - that man was evil continually. And so, he would respond in judgment. God was moved to judge by man’s rebellion. Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death. They deserved death. When God created man, he told man that the day he sinned, he would surely die. But what about the other creatures mentioned? The beasts, insects, and birds? Why should they be destroyed too? After all, God wasn’t destroying the animals because it’s a dog eat dog world. Neither was he destroying them because mosquitos cause malaria. He was destroying the earth because of man’s sin. You see, man’s sin affected all life. And if man was to be judged for his sin, the rest of creation would also be judged. But why this totality? Why verse 7? It says God would destroy man - singular, but he regretted making them - plural - all the beasts, creeping things, and fowl - creatures that shared the land with man. In other words, by man’s sin, he ruined life for all that shared his space. Verse 11 says the earth was corrupt in God’s sight; ruined by sin - therefore fit for destruction. In fact, as verse 12 says, “all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.” And we understand this concept of someone ruining it for others - how the actions of some bring calamity on many. We see it in science and industry. In 1986, the nuclear plant in Chernobyl had a chain reaction that released large amounts of radiation into the area. It was due to human error - the plant operators had been poorly trained. But because of them, the result was catastrophic. The area of was uninhabitable and the ecosystem was ruined. But because of ground water, rain, and winds, the radiation spread far beyond the area. We also see it in international politics. The actions of one man brought chaos to a nation. When the South Korean president tried to invoke martial law, his decision provoked multiple riots to the nation, investor confidence dropped, and the value of Korean equities took a hit. One man. We also see it in families. The scandalous actions of a son brings a cloud over his entire family. It wasn’t the family’s fault - he may have been raised rightly, debunking all efforts to blame upbringing - but his actions harm the family. This shows the effects of sin.
And God would judge the whole earth. We learn that he would do it by a universal flood. But why would a creator God, a loving God, do this? Because he is also a just judge. Every imagination of the thoughts of the heart was evil continually. Every! continually! God continues life and sustains it, but God has the prerogative - according to his just judgment - to discontinue life, to end it. Therefore, we learn from this that death is not just something that happens. The grave is not filled accidentally. It is filled justly. Death is not merely a natural part of life - it is an act of judgment - because no sin is small. And here we see God’s judgment against sin - it is gruesome and complete.
But while God’s heart was grieved, while he had no pleasure in sin, God was also merciful. How does God react in his displeasure? Not just with gruesome judgment, but with gracious favor. We see fourthly, God’s gracious favor upon a man. Verse 8 says, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” Out of all mankind, one man found grace. Now very clearly, we see that Noah found grace. He didn’t earn favor - he received it. Noah was not a perfect man - he was a sinner. But the Bible tells us that he was a just man and out of all his generation, he was blameless. Now, blameless doesn’t mean faultless - blameless doesn’t mean he didn’t have many faults. But it does mean that he couldn’t be accused by God of any fault. What does this mean? You can be blameless one of two ways - first by not having any faults whatsoever, or by being forgiven of your faults. When you admit wrong, and repent, you can become blameless when you’re forgiven. Noah was blameless because he was forgiven.
But the point of this is to show the contrast. All of mankind was independent, rebellious, every imagination of the thoughts of the hearts was continually evil. On the other hand, Noah’s imaginations of the thoughts of his heart were toward repentance and God. He desired after blamelessness. And so God would spare him from judgment - not because he was sinless but because he was penitent. And how would God spare? As you may remember the account, Noah built a great ark - a ship - that would save him from the destruction of the flood. God would send both judgment and deliverance at the same time. While the judgment was for all, and all deserved it; deliverance was for those who would recognize their sins and come to God for help. So as Noah built the ark, he told all to enter it to escape destruction. In the midst of his grief, God offered his grace to a sinful mankind whose imaginations of the thoughts of their hearts were evil continually.
Folks, those are God’s ways with all of his creation; as a just judge who sees all things, all places, all times - he sees even into our hearts. And our heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it? God can know it thoroughly because he sees. That’s why, the Bible tells us that there will be a final destruction - not by water but by fire. Revelation 20:11-14 tells us that God will finally judge everyone with finality one day, where the dead, both great and small will appear before God. All the records of their lives will be open - whatever they have done, every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts - will be judged. In fact, every idle word they have ever spoken will be scrutinized. And they’d be cast into the lake of fire. Not a flood of water, but a lake of fire. The Bible says, the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
But as with the first judgment, God offers a way of escape. The first judgment with water, God provided an ark. In the final judgment with first, God has provided another man and another ark. God sent the Lord Jesus Christ to live a perfect life - he was both blameless and faultless - so that he could give his life as a substitute to be judged. While he looks down and sees in us continual sin, God saw in his Son no sin. But he took our sin on him. He was made to be sin for us, who knew no sin that we might be made righteous in him. Noah was saved from judgment because he was in the ark. Others were given that opportunity, but refused, because they were continually evil. Likewise, because of Christ, those who come to him, who believe in him, who accept salvation by faith and repentance, coming to him in sorrow, willing to abandon their rebellion - will be saved from the final flood of judgment. God sees our grave sins against him, and he grieves, but he shows grace through one man. Those of us who come to Christ find grace in the eyes of God. Not because we’re faultless, but because Christ is. And we too can be faultless because of him. Because Christ’s inclinations and the thoughts of his heart were only good continually; those of us who are safe in him, find grace.
Many of us in our imperfections still think we can bribe God. Some believe that if we just do the works of charity, are kind, do certain rituals of religion, by making an offering - then we can bribe God to overlook our sins. Perhaps this New Year, you think you need to make amends, pay off debts, make things right - but how will you get right with the God of heaven? Remember, he sees every imagination of the thoughts of our hearts. He can’t be bribed. We have nothing to offer him. But he is gracious and he offers US a better and complete way to escape the judgment to come. Those are his sweet words to us - we can find favor in his sight, if we receive his favor.
1. Man’s Grave Sin Against God
2. God’s Great Grief Towards Man
3. God’s Gruesome Judgment On Man
4. God’s Gracious Favor Upon a Man
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Mark Chen, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2025, Rev. Mark Chen
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