#11 On the Nature of God: the DISGUST of God

More can be learned about the nature of God by examining what happened to Adam and Eve after they were banished from the Garden of Eden. They began a family. Eve gave birth to two boys, Cain and Abel. When the boys attempted to worship God, Abel’s offering was accepted. Cain’s was not, because God had given them instructions which Abel obeyed. But Cain did not, Hebrews 11:4:

“By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts.”

Faith is based on hearing what God has said, Romans 10:17:

“faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Cain then murdered his brother, Genesis 4:8:

“And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.”

When God confronted Cain, he acted as if he knew nothing about Abel. God condemned him to a life of wandering, Genesis 4:10-12:

“the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

Cain exhibited no remorse, no confession of wrongdoing, and made no appeal for forgiveness, Genesis 4:16:

“Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.”

As time passed, his descendants proved to be ungodly. For example, Lamech, in opposition to God’s rule for marriage, married two wives, Genesis 4:19:

“Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.”

After some time, another son was born to Adam and Eve, Genesis 4:25:

“Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.”

Note her language. She attributed the birth of Seth as a blessing from the Lord.

The descendants of Seth were godlier than those of Cain, Genesis 4:26:

“To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enos. At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD.”

Enoch was the fifth generation of Seth’s descendants and was so godly that God took him directly, Genesis 5:24:

“Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.”

Thus, two kinds of people descended from Adam, those like ungodly Cain and those like the godlier Seth. In the ninth generation of Seth, Noah, a godly descendent, was born.

Unfortunately, as time passed the two families began to intermarry, Genesis 6:2:

“the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.”

Note the plural ‘wives.’ Thus, they took many wives and violated God’s law for marriage—one man and one woman for life, Genesis 2:24:

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

At this point, God decided to withdraw His Spirit from mankind and gave them 120 years to repent, Genesis 6:3:

“Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.”

Unfortunately, mankind did not improve in the next 120 years. So, in disgust, God finalized His plan to destroy everything living, except Noah, Genesis 6:5-8:

“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.”

The nature of God is shown in these verses. He knows the hearts of men. When their hearts were wholly wicked and unrepentant, He was grieved in His heart and so disgusted that He was sorry He had created mankind. He decided to destroy them.

Note that a godly person such as Noah was known by God. He made a provision for Noah and his family to survive a flood by giving him very specific instructions on how to build an ark, Genesis 6:13-14.

“And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood.”

The nature of God is to be disgusted with disobedience and provide punishment.

#abelOfferAccepted #cainOfferNotAccepted #cainMurderedAbel #GodPunishedCain #CainDescendentsWicked #AbelDescendentsGodly #FamiliesIntermarry #wickedContinually #GodSorryMadeMan #NoahRighteous #NoahBuiltArk #GodGrievedAboutCreation