As a parent, there are many things that I regret doing or saying. Yet, the fallen nature within me has caused me to overreact through the years. From a discipline standpoint, I lost my temper a few times as well as being a pushover in other areas, too soft when I needed to be firmer. While I’ve tried to do my best over the years, I’ve fallen short like everyone else on earth, Romans 3:23. This is nothing compared to what God the Father experienced from heaven as He watched His son die on a cross.
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved at heart, Genesis 6:5-6.
From God the Creator’s perspective, his children didn’t get off to a great start. Adam and Eve broke the only rule God set in the Garden of Eden. This was quickly followed by the first murder due to a jealous heart. While godly individuals like Enoch came along every once in a while, to habitually walk with Him, human nature gradually perverted the inhabitants of the earth. Subsequently, as God watched from heaven, He regretted what had become of His grand design of earth.
So the Lord said, I will destroy, blot out, and wipe away mankind, whom I have created from the face of the ground—not only man, [but] the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air—for it grieves Me and makes Me regretful that I have made them, Genesis 6:7.
As an artist in the context of a writer, I know what it feels like what when you have to scrap everything you’ve been working on by starting over from scratch. Yet, the Lord was emotionally invested in the human beings He had created. It’s one thing to throw away pieces of paper. In God’s case, we’re talking about ending the lives of people. Before reaching a final decision, Noah followed in the footsteps of Enoch to curry favor with God. As you reflect upon 2022 as 2023 was ushered in on New Year’s Day, may you remember that you’re not the only one to experience regret.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 