What was the condition of mankind during the time of Noah when God sent the great floods?
Genesis 6 describes the condition of humanity before God brought the flood. They were discovering new ways to sin and hurt God’s heart. Their daughters were marrying angels (Genesis 6:1-4), against God’s institution of one human man and one human woman (Genesis 2:24).
Even during this time God said that his Spirit would not strive with humans forever (Genesis 6:3). He reduced the number of years for a person to live to 120. Previously, humans were living even beyond 900 years of age.
The reason he did this is the same reason he kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden. Eating the food there probably kept them alive forever, just as Christians were live with God forever in heaven after the end of the age.
For those who were sinning and finding new ways to sin, he didn’t want them to live such a long time. Humans were becoming so depraved that every intention of their heart was evil all the time (Genesis 6:5). They dwelt on it and thought of nothing else.
As unbelievable as it may be to us today because of the sacrifice of Jesus, humanity was so depraved that it had no redeeming qualities. We can’t even put ourselves in the space of understanding what God says next, that he regretted making humans because of how far gone they became (Genesis 6:6).
This is the first time in the Scriptures God’s heart is so grieved at what he’s going to have to do (Genesis 6:7). Their sin was so bad that God had to not only blot out humans from the earth but even the creatures (Genesis 6:8). He had to get rid of everyone and everything if he was going to start over.
But what I love about the Bible is that even in the darkest times, it still holds out hope. The last thing this section of Scripture says is that Noah found favor in God’s sight. Even though everything and everyone was wicked and evil, God still found one man who was righteous. If there is any redeeming quality, God knows it and will use it.
The next time that the world will become so evil that it’s irredeemable is at the end of the age in the last days. The end times are coming and God’s wrath will once again visit the earth, except this time it will be in fire instead of flood.
