Co-Host: Let's talk with Rick in Boise, Idaho. Hi Rick, are you there?
Caller: Yes I am.
Pastor Doug: Hi Rick. And what's your question?
Caller: Yeah I have a question about a passage in Genesis.
Pastor Doug: Ok. Which one?
Caller: On the great flood.
Pastor Doug: Ok. What about it? Which verse? About the flood in general?
Caller: Yes just the whole entire flood.
Pastor Doug: You want to know if it really happened?
Caller: I don't know if it really happened but I believe...unintelligible.
Co-Host: What's your question Rick?
Caller: I don't understand why did He do it? Why did God have that happen?
Pastor Doug: Well the Bible says that God said He was grieved in His Heart. Verse, 5 Genesis 6:5: 'Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually and the Lord was sorry....' You know, that's a real heavy statement, '...and God was sorry that He had made man, and He was grieved in His Heart....'
See when God made us to reflect His Image, He made us to be holy, happy creatures. When man began to think selfish, evil thoughts continually, it just broke His Heart. And so God said I will destroy man whom I have made. I mean He's the Creator. I know a lady who used to tell her kids that when they misbehaved, she'd say, 'I brought you into this world. I can take you out too.'
But, you know, God is the Creator, and He has the right. And He said Look I made you for a purpose, and if you refuse to fulfill that purpose, then I am going to destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth. And that's verse 7. God said, 'I will destroy man whom I have created....' And it broke His Heart. He didn't want to do that.
He did it because first of all, sinners aren't happy. Just like a wounded animal that's suffering, God in His Mercy was putting the wicked out of their misery.
Co-Host: And we have a picture of that merciful God because He saved eight. He saved one family. He recognized the light of righteousness in that one family and put them into the ark.
Pastor Doug: Not only that, in saving Noah, He made a provision where anybody could be saved but they would not. In other words, when God made the ark, it was big enough to take a lot of people. 'Whosoever will' could have come...
Co-Host: Yes.
Pastor Doug: ...but very few responded. Just like today. Jesus says, 'Whosoever will let him come and drink the water of life' - but very few respond. Does that help at all?
Caller: Thanks a lot. Thanks.
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