God had only ever given good gifts – compassion, empowerment, mercy, truth, unity, and life, among others – to the men and women on earth, but there came a time of such great revolt against holiness that wickedness flooded the earth.  Yes, before the waters of judgment overcame them, the the people had already drowned themselves in a flood of godlessness.  Their desire was for the things of death, and the God of Life was grieved by this.

How do you react in grief?  There are a number of common emotions people generally have while grieving, but God is not like us.  He doesn’t react with emotions.  He responds with righteousness.  You see, while we like to think we can declare what is fair, God designed Justice.  When wickedness is the desire of the people, the Lord’s grief is deeper than any heartbreak we can know, and His actions are more pure than anything we are capable of.  His destruction is not a fit.  That is how sinful man reacts.  His judgment is just, and the judgment that destroyed the wicked during Noah’s time is a merciful caution for us today.

“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.  So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them’  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”  – Genesis 6:5-8