English
Português
Español
Français
Answer
The global flood during Noah’s time was a direct judgment from a fair God. According to the Bible, the flood eradicated “people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds”—all living beings that breathed air «And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. », (Genesis 7:23). Some individuals today find the flood account offensive, claiming it demonstrates God’s unfairness, arbitrariness, or cruelty. They argue that the Bible portrays a capricious God who judges without discrimination and suggest that only a tyrant would drown everyone, including children and innocent animals.
Such criticisms of God’s character are not new. Throughout history, whenever there have been sinners, there have been allegations of God’s injustice. Consider Adam’s subtle attempt to shift blame. When questioned about eating the forbidden fruit, Adam responded, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit” «And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. », (Genesis 3:12). Essentially, he blamed the woman and indirectly blamed God for creating her. However, blaming God did not excuse Adam’s sin. Likewise, labeling God as “unjust” for sending the flood will not diminish our own guilt.
The flood in Noah’s time has parallels in history. God judged the people of Canaan by commanding their destruction (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). He also judged Sodom, Gomorrah, and Nineveh «And the LORD hath given a commandment c
Concerning you, that no more of your name be sown: out of the house of your gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make your grave; for you are vile.” (Nahum 1:14), and Tyre Ezekiel 26:4. The final judgment before the Great White Throne will result in all the wicked from all time being cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). The clear message of the Bible is that God judges sin, whether by an invading army, by fire and brimstone, or by a catastrophic global flood.
The flood was just because God commanded it (and God is just). “The LORD is upright . . . and there is no wickedness in him” “To show that the LORD is upright: He is my rock, And there is no unrighteousness in him.”, (Psalm 92:15). “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of [God’s] throne” “Justice and judgment are the habitation of your throne: Mercy and truth shall go before your face.”, (Psalm 89:14). God always does what is right. His decrees and judgments are always just. If He decreed that the whole world be flooded, then He was just in doing so, no matter what human skeptics say. It is not surprising that we tend to define justice in a way that will benefit ourselves.
The flood was just because mankind was evil. “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” “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.”, (Genesis 6:5)
We cannot fully imagine the extent of the wickedness of that day. We have never seen the like. The evil was “great,” and every thought of everyone’s heart was only evil continually. There was no goodness in the world; every person was wholly corrupted. There was nothing within them that was not evil. The people of Noah’s day were not dabblers in sin; they had taken the plunge, and everything they did was an abomination.
The text provides some clues as to the extent of the evil before the flood. One problem was the rampant violence: “The earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence” «The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. », (Genesis 6:11). The descendants of Cain, the first murderer, were abounding in bloodshed. Another evil among the antediluvians was occult sexuality. Genesis 6:1–4 mentions the Nephilim, “heroes of old, men of renown” who were the products of a union between fallen angels and human woman. The demons who participated in this sin are currently in “chains of darkness . . . reserved for judgment” «For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; », (2 Peter 2:4). The people who participated—and the Nephilim themselves—were destroyed in the flood. The biblical description of pre-flood humanity is that they had become totally hardened and beyond repentance. Things were so bad that “the Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled” «And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. », (Genesis 6:6).
But what about the children who drowned? The fact is that sin affected them as well.
Sin affects all of society, not just those who intentionally engage in evil. When a society promotes abortion, babies die as a result. When a father or mother begins taking meth, their children will suffer as a result. And, in the case of Noah’s generation, when a culture gives itself over to violence and aberrant sexuality, the children suffered. Humanity brought the flood upon themselves and upon their own children.
The flood was just because all sin is a capital offense. “The wages of sin is death” «For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.», (Romans 6:23). We should not be shocked that God swept away the world’s population with the flood; we should be shocked that He hasn’t done something similar to us! Sinners tend to have a light view of sin, but all sin is worthy of death. We take God’s mercy for granted, as if we deserve it, but we complain about God’s justice as if it’s somehow unfair, as if we don’t deserve it.
The flood was just because the Creator has the right to do as He pleases with His creation. As the potter can do whatever he wants with the clay on his wheel, so God has the right to do as He pleases with the work of His own hands. “The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths” «Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, In the seas, and all deep places. », (Psalm 135:6).
Here is the most amazing part of the flood story: “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” «But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. », (Genesis 6:8). God’s grace extended into His damaged, sin-stained creation and preserved one man and his family. In so doing, God preserved the whole human race.Through the godly line of Seth. And, in bringing the animals into the ark, God also preserved the rest of His creation. So, God’s judgment was not a total annihilation; it was a reset.
As always, God’s judgment in Noah’s time was accompanied by grace. The Lord is a “compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished” (Exodus 34:6-7; emphasis added). God would rather the wicked repent and live “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?”, (Ezekiel 18:23). God delayed judgment on the Amorites for four hundred years “But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”, (Genesis 15:16). God would have spared Sodom for the sake of even ten righteous people dwelling there “And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.”, (Genesis 18:32). But, eventually, His judgment must fall.
It took Noah up to a hundred years to build the ark. We can assume that if other people had wanted to board the ark and be saved, they could have done so. But that would have required faith. Once God shut the door, it was too late; they had lost their chance “And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.”, (Genesis 7:1).6″>(Genesis 7:16). The point is that God never sends judgment without prior warning. As commentator Matthew Henry stated, “None are punished by the justice of God, but those who refuse to be reformed by the grace of God.”
The global flood during Noah’s time was a fair consequence of sin. Those who argue that the flood was unjust likely oppose the concept of judgment altogether. The account of Noah serves as a stark reminder that, whether accepted or not, another judgment is imminent: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man” «But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. », (Matthew 24:37). Are you prepared, or will you be carried away?
