S) "5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart."
Genesis 6:5-6 (NASB)
O) The flood is coming. We see a very important glimpse of God's character, in this passage. God actually reveals to us, that He has some level of regret. To be clear, the LORD is never surprised. In His foreknowledge of every event, in His complete omniscience and omnipresence, nothing escapes His notice, and nothing happens that He did not know would happen ahead of time. He knew Adam and Eve would fail. He knew how evil the world would become. Still, He chose to create mankind. He was not compelled to do it, but it was in His will to create us. However, He was still sorry that He did it. His regret was not borne from a lack of preparedness. Who can catch God off guard? His regret was not from a lack of understanding. Who can teach God? His regret was from unrequited love. He knew we would fail to love Him back, but He still chose to love us. From creation, through The Fall, The Flood, straight on through His perfect plan to redeem, and right on through the return of Christ Jesus, and our perfect reconciliation. He chose to love us, knowing full well that we would fail to love Him back. The pain of that one-way love is something we can never quite know, because we do not love unconditionally as He does. But, the evidence of the pain, the weight and severity of His sorrow over it, is plainly seen in the flood.
A) Countless times, I have heard people say they live without regrets. I've heard Christians say this too, especially with regard to their past mistakes which lead them to Christ. I think this is foolish and arrogant. If God can regret, then certainly we can too. God doesn't even make mistakes, but He was clearly sorry that He created man on the earth. If that is the case, then I should absolutely be sorry for my mistakes, and even sorry for the right choices I may make, which cause pain to others. To admit regret, is simply to say that we would go back and make a different choice, or make things different if we could. I think sometimes (especially regarding salvation), people assume that if things didn't play out the way they did, they wouldn't be saved. That could be. If Creation and the Fall didn't happen, maybe I wouldn't be here today, either. But it did happen, and it's okay to admit the grief that causes us and others. The key, however, is in our reaction to that grief. God took action - perfect action, as He is perfect. If I am prayerful about my reaction to my grief and sorrow and regret, then it is absolutely appropriate for me to admit that I am sorry and I regret my mistakes. Wallowing in regret is damaging, just as feeding the emotion of anger is damaging. Appropriately admitting and addressing regret, though, is completely okay.
P) Father, You are perfect in Your character. Thank You for leaving us so much insight on emotion and how to deal with it. I thank You, Father, that You are a God who deals with all of the emotions I have. You experience adoration and anger, longing and pain, jealousy and regret. Help me to follow in Your perfect example of reacting to, and dealing with, my emotions. Lead me to act in a manner worthy of Your name, and let Your will be done. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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