The Flood represents the ultimate judgment for humanity as a whole.1
Scripture makes clear that wickedness had reached an extreme point where even God could no longer tolerate it; people were multiplying and marrying without regard for His will and purpose.
Since humanity had descended into moral chaos, God decided to judge them with a worldwide flood.
Table of Contents
God’s Sovereignty over Water
God reigns as King over all creation. While this is true, Scripture also shows His sovereignty extends into every corner of our universe – not only does he rule over everything that exists but His decrees also carry weight! God is sovereign over everything He creates – including water! The Bible makes this abundantly clear.
Old Testament authors used an engaging metaphor to convey God’s control of the sea: God was often depicted fighting mythological sea monsters that Israel’s neighbors believed existed, such as Jeremiah 5:22, Job 7:12, Nahum 1:4 and Isaiah 44:27 which all refer to Him putting barriers in place in order to protect His people. John the Apostle later wrote of God “stretching out heaven like a curtain” (Revelation 7:4) so as to symbolize that universe as His throne room while earth as His floor.
God uses oceans, rivers, lakes and streams to nourish plants and animals alike. He provides freshwater that sustains life (Genesis 2:16); sends lightning, thunder, rain and snow (Job 37:1); creates day/night cycles as well as seasons (Genesis 8:22; Psalm 104:13-14) while even providing ice that protects sealife such as Eskimos who use it to keep their homes warm!
God was glorified through Pharaoh’s stubborn opposition to Him as He displayed His power and grace through plagues and parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:14-16). Thus when we view our world today, it can help to remember that it’s just part of an amazing plan – knowing that He is in control and will work out all things for both our benefit and His own glory can bring great peace.
God’s Judgment
Genesis 6-8 depicts one of the most celebrated tales from scripture – that of Noah and the Flood in Genesis 6-9. It shows both mercy and judgment coming together at once in one event – the latter through global catastrophe while His mercy came through saving Noah and his family as survivors from this global event. To fully grasp its meaning as we try to comprehend why God chose to judge this way.
Sin is often blamed as the reason behind God’s judgment through the Flood, but that may only be part of its story. God could have chosen another means of punishing humanity’s wickedness instead. Nonetheless, history suggests that God recognized that sin had reached an unacceptable level that needed to be addressed immediately.
As part of God’s judgment, He wanted to cleanse the Earth of sinful, corrupting forces such as corruption and death that were so pervasive as to threaten his creation – He wanted a fresh start! So He sent forth His flood waters to cleanse everything that He created so He could start again with this world we live in today.
God’s judgment also shows His sovereignty over creation. While humans might want to think they are above Him, the Bible clearly teaches that He alone can judge his creation – something Peter alluded to when he warned that “all these heavens and earth are reserved for fire in the day of judgment.”
God’s judgment was necessary in order to restore His authority over the universe, particularly for those who had drifted away from Him and who needed a reminder that He alone is capable of knowing what constitutes true goodness or evilness.
Finally, the Flood serves to demonstrate God’s justice and fairness. While it’s important to keep in mind His mercy and love, He will never permit sin to go unpunished. That is why it is vital to follow His commandments instead of falling prey to temptation like Adam who indulged himself with food from the Tree of Knowledge.
God’s Mercy
Mercy is an astounding, life-altering quality. Mercy is one of God’s defining characteristics and a major theme throughout Scripture. Mercy shows God’s great heart as it rescues his people from sin’s hold.
The Bible defines mercy as being defined by “pity, compassion and kindness,” in addition to grace and forgiveness. Mercy acts as the fuel behind compassion; providing hope despite hardship; and ultimately representing one true God.
God shows His mercy through actions such as saving those in distress and forgiving those who repent of their sins, as well as through His character of being slow to anger and abundant in mercy. However, His compassion should never be confused with justice; His mercy only extends to those who truly repent of their wrongdoing and accept Jesus Christ’s atonement for their sins.
Sinful acts that cannot be repented of must be met with God’s judgement; this includes both those who repeat their transgressions as well as obstinate rebellion against Him. Although He will show love and grace towards them, He cannot eliminate eternal separation between good and evil, light and darkness.
As God is merciful and His mercy renews itself daily (Lamentations 3:19), it is important not to confuse His mercy with leniency. When punishing those guilty of evil deeds He does so with infinite grace; punishing their deeds without everlasting pain but only punishing three or four generations after them (thus emphasizing the significance of repentance for sin and accepting Jesus Christ’s atonement as this is the only way out). We should never take His mercies for granted since He truly is an infinite God of all grace and His mercies begin each morning (Lamentations 3:19).
God’s Justice
The flood was an act of God to demonstrate His power and justice, showing He would not tolerate sin in His world and that He could punish it through water. Furthermore, it shows He is just and will punish those who break His laws; according to Scripture this word justice means exactly this thing (you can check every reference here).
But this does not fully explain why God brought judgment upon the world through a flood. Rather, its main cause lay within humanity itself: evil had reached such an extreme degree that He simply could no longer allow it to continue and needed to rid the earth of its wickedness before starting over with fresh beginnings.
Flood was used as a weapon to save Noah and his family along with the animals who shared his ark from such destruction. By using water, God was able to preserve life while also taking care of all creatures on board the ark.
Floodwaters had a tremendous effect on Earth. According to Genesis 7:17, “the waters covered the earth for forty days and nights” – this event can have similar repercussions as millions of years of gradual erosion. Geologists have discovered that even one major flood event can drastically change its physical structure.
After the Flood, God began His new Creation by giving Noah instructions that were similar to those given originally to Adam and Eve; these commands serve as reminders that He still rules over His creation.
This should serve as a warning. Our world today is in chaos due to man’s own wickedness, yet many remain unsaved from its destruction by turning away from God and turning towards Christ instead. Otherwise, God may once more use water to wipe out mankind completely – just as He did during Noah’s Flood! The flood was God’s sign to repent of his evil ways and return with fire a second time – warning all mankind that one day He will do just that again!
