The Creator's Remorse: A Mystery

[WebersHome]

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• Gen 6:5 . . And the Lord saw that the evil of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of his heart was only evil all the time.

Man's descent into depravity didn't catch his creator by surprise. After all; not only can God see the future but He can also manipulate it; so He was well aware even before beginning that the people He was about to create were destined from day one for a global deluge.

Also, when God inspected His handiwork at Gen 1:31, He evaluated it not just good, but "very" good. So as far as He was concerned; everything went smoothly and according to plan-- nothing was broken, no parts were missing, and nothing failed to mate with its matching part.

• Gen 6:6 . . And the Lord regretted that He had made man upon the earth, and He became grieved in His heart.

When God created the people of man, it was no doubt with the awareness that the day would come when He would have to put a number of them down like dogs gone mad with rabies.

If it can be safely assumed that God saw man's depravity coming well in advance-- prior to creating even one of the many forces, energies, and particles that would go into the construction of the cosmos --then we have to wonder why it is that He felt remorse for going ahead as planned. Surely it wasn't because He made a terrible mistake. I seriously doubt that a master architect with the creator's intelligence would fail to foresee every possible ramification of their actions.

Well; it's at least comforting to know the destruction of life is not something God enjoys as if He were an outdoor guy who kills fish and wildlife for sport with no more sensitivity than a kid blasting aliens in a video game. Man's creator knew the day was coming when He would have to do what He was about to do next, and clearly wasn't looking forward to it, but nevertheless; leaves us with unavoidable questions about His sanity because from a rational perspective, God's procedures make no sense at all.

Anyway, aside from all that; it appears to me that God had high expectations for the people of man, and was very disappointed that numbers of them went bad; sort of like how parents feel when a kid, whom they've given every privilege, every opportunity, and every advantage imaginable, lets it all go overboard and somehow ends up incorrigible and a total failure instead.

• Gen 6:7 . . And the Lord said: I will blot out man, whom I created, from upon the face of the earth, from man to cattle to creeping thing, to the fowl of the heavens, for I regret that I made them.
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[Lazarus Short]

I have faith that God will vindicate His purposes and actions to His creation.

 

[Danigt22]

I have faith that God will vindicate His purposes and actions to His creation.

We are born again under his word, our Lord Jesus Christ is our new nature. We just need to wait until our glorifies bodies are ready.

 

[eleos1954]

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• Gen 6:5 . . And the Lord saw that the evil of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of his heart was only evil all the time.

Man's descent into depravity didn't catch his creator by surprise. After all; not only can God see the future but He can also manipulate it; so He was well aware even before beginning that the people He was about to create were destined from day one for a global deluge.

Also, when God inspected His handiwork at Gen 1:31, He evaluated it not just good, but "very" good. So as far as He was concerned; everything went smoothly and according to plan-- nothing was broken, no parts were missing, and nothing failed to mate with its matching part.

• Gen 6:6 . . And the Lord regretted that He had made man upon the earth, and He became grieved in His heart.

When God created the people of man, it was no doubt with the awareness that the day would come when He would have to put a number of them down like dogs gone mad with rabies.

If it can be safely assumed that God saw man's depravity coming well in advance-- prior to creating even one of the many forces, energies, and particles that would go into the construction of the cosmos --then we have to wonder why it is that He felt remorse for going ahead as planned. Surely it wasn't because He made a terrible mistake. I seriously doubt that a master architect with the creator's intelligence would fail to foresee every possible ramification of their actions.

Well; it's at least comforting to know the destruction of life is not something God enjoys as if He were an outdoor guy who kills fish and wildlife for sport with no more sensitivity than a kid blasting aliens in a video game. Man's creator knew the day was coming when He would have to do what He was about to do next, and clearly wasn't looking forward to it, but nevertheless; leaves us with unavoidable questions about His sanity because from a rational perspective, God's procedures make no sense at all.

Anyway, aside from all that; it appears to me that God had high expectations for the people of man, and was very disappointed that numbers of them went bad; sort of like how parents feel when a kid, whom they've given every privilege, every opportunity, and every advantage imaginable, lets it all go overboard and somehow ends up incorrigible and a total failure instead.

• Gen 6:7 . . And the Lord said: I will blot out man, whom I created, from upon the face of the earth, from man to cattle to creeping thing, to the fowl of the heavens, for I regret that I made them.
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Seems to me to be this ...

The high cost of Love

True Love DEMANDS choice. God created all His intelligent beings with the freedom to choose. Choose to love Him .... or not.

Gods Laws are laws of love .... when perfectly followed they produce perfect love and harmony.

There is nothing wrong with Gods laws ... there is something wrong with us. Sin (transgression of the law) is in our nature since the fall of mankind.

Sin (transgression of the Law) started out in heaven with lucifer and the 1/3 angels ... they decided not to love ... decided to rebel against Gods laws that when followed perfectly produce perfect love.

All make choices and are responsible for their choices. All of the lost (for all time) ... God gave/gives them over to their choices. Not without many many MANY opportunities for them to choose (chosen) differently.

It hurts His heart that many did not/do not choose love. God will not violate anyone's choices ... He does encourage all to choose love ... but does not violate their choice if they choose not to love. So the lost? Their demise is of their own doing and yes the Lord will not permit those who will not willingly love to enter His kingdom to come. He gives them over to the desire of their hearts .... not to love.

Sin (transgressors of the law) must be annihilated forever to provide peace harmony providing nothing but true love throughout the entire universe for eternity.

Him knowing the immense difficulty of overcoming sin (transgression of the law) sent His Son Jesus to pay our sin debt to the Law ... filling full the true love contained in them. Through Jesus one may be reconciled with God and there is no other way. Those choosing to follow Jesus will be seen as perfect .... out of love He laid His life down for those who would have faith in all that He has done and is doing for mankind out of love.

It's all about love .... It is impossible for us to truly experience true love without God. God IS love ... not just something He does ... He IS love.

John 3

16For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

18Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

I really don't know of any other way God could have kept true love (laws of love) in place and yet allow His intelligent beings the freedom to choose love or not. Without choice true love can not exist. God knows that .... we know that.

One day those in Christ ... through Him .... will be changed knowing nothing but true love for eternity ... thank you Jesus and looking forward to that day! Amen.

 

[WebersHome]

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Were I a logical person, I would have to conclude that the Judeo/Christian God is a fiend. I mean think about it: why would a sensible designer proceed to bring into existence, without their consent, human lives whom he knew in advance that some day he would be destroying most of them.

Others have worked around this issue with a posit that the creator isn't all-knowing. In other words: they suggest He didn't foresee the people's depravity, i.e. He wasn't expecting it.
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[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Being that He’s the creator ‘suppose He can do as He wills. Only 8 were saved the first time, 2 the next, in the examples that He gave of His leading to perfection. The reason He gave was that it was His will to find suitable companions for His Son. Seems the pickins were pretty slim. Since He is the potter and we are the clay He also said the clay has no business complaining. But I assume from that He meant that we are all just common pots but all have the ability given from God Himself to become vessels worthy of glory. But a lil slumber, a lil folding of hands ...

2 Tim 2:20-21
In a large house there are utensils not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for special use, some for ordinary. All who cleanse themselves of the things I have mentioned will become special utensils, dedicated and useful to the owner of the house, ready for every good work.​

14 Remind them of this, and warn them before God[a] that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth. 16 Avoid profane chatter, for it will lead people into more and more impiety, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth by claiming that the resurrection has already taken place. They are upsetting the faith of some. 19 But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness.”

 

[WebersHome]

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Bringing thousands, even multiplied millions, of people into existence so they could lose their lives in order to achieve one's own personal ambition isn't Christian, rather, it's Machiavellian.

• Phil 2:4 . . Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Seeing as how Christ expressly forbids selfish ambition amongst his own; therefore, before proceeding with your ideas, be very sure to ponder all the possible ramifications of your actions first.

Stepping on people's toes, and/or thwarting their ideas so that yours prevail, fails to satisfy the law of Christ; which requires believers to love their fellow believers as Christ loves them (John 15:12). It also fails to satisfy the Golden Rule which says: So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. (Matt 7:12). Always looking out for No.1 just simply isn't very nice.
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[1213]

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...then we have to wonder why it is that He felt remorse for going ahead as planned...

I have understood it means God was sorry, but I don’t think it means that He felt He had done mistake. And I think the reason to sorry was that then He “had” to end life of evil people and also that He “had” to see the evilness people did. But I don’t think it is same as to think He had done mistake, because there is also the good and the righteous people that I think are worth of the trouble.

 

[WebersHome]

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• Rev 6:10 . . They called out in a loud voice: How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?

The Greek word translated "sovereign lord" is despótees; which means an absolute ruler. i.e. a despot.

We're dealing with a supernatural entity who's adequately demonstrated that He's fully capable of walking over people's bones to get what He wants; and not even atom bombs can impede His progress.

• Isa 45:12 . . I am the one who made the earth and created people to live on it. With my hands I stretched out the heavens. All the millions of stars are at my command.

I have to say that anyone with the power at their disposal to invent and control all the laws of nature and physics, is someone to fear; for example: Jesus could restore blindness. Well anybody who can restore blindness can just as easily cause it. Jesus also healed paralysis. Well if he can heal paralysis then he can just as easily cause that too. And he healed withered limbs. Same thing. If he can heal a withered limb, then he can just as easily do it in reverse; and also speech.

That kind of power is terrifying, especially when it's in the hands of a despot; and were it to be wielded against God's enemies they would have no possible hope of defending themselves because when people's muscles are atrophied, and they are blind, paralyzed, and mute; they're totally helpless and in no condition to do much of anything except complain.
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[WebersHome]

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• 1Pet 1:18-20 . .You know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

• Rev 13:8 . . And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship [the beast], whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

The Greek word translated "foundation" in that verse is katabole (kat-ab-ol-ay') which refers to a deposition, i.e. a founding; figuratively: conception

In a nutshell; the two passages above indicate that Christ's crucifixion was included in the master plan of creation from before God uttered His famous words in Gen 1:3, which implies that His son's crucifixion wasn't an EMT sent to the scene of a train wreck; no, it turns out that God, by means of precognition, was expecting the fall of man prior to any men even existing and was all ready for it, i.e. the fall of man didn't take man's creator by surprise, viz: His son's crucifixion wasn't a contingency, rather, the event was scheduled, and it took place right on time.

One day when I was a little boy, my dad and I were talking about Jesus and his crucifixion. I was under the impression that he was a victim of unfortunate circumstances. But my dad corrected me by saying: No, that was all planned.

I was too young at the time to comprehend the ramifications of my dad's comment; but years later, while listening to a radio preacher explain it, I began to realize just how profound my dad's words were-- and still are.
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[WebersHome]

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The Hebrew word translated "regret" is somewhat ambiguous. Though it includes feeling rue for making a mistake, it also implies taking an unpleasant course of action that you know will cause people harm and/or inconvenience though for sure the course is the wise thing to do.

For example: God was poised to destroy the city of Nineveh lest they changed their ways. Within that city were 120,000 underage children, and a number of beasts, that would've been collateral damage had not the adults heeded Jonah's preaching.

God impressed upon Jonah that He would not take pleasure in destroying those children, nor those beasts. However, God would have done so because it was the wise thing to do.

I cannot even begin to imagine how it was wise (or right) for God to go ahead and create mankind while knowing well in advance by means of precognition that they would go bad and He would have to kill off just about everything-- birds, beasts, men, women, and underage children too.

The creator knew in advance that if He went ahead as planned, the end result would be the extermination of untold numbers of terrified people not only in a Flood, but also in the brimstone depicted by Rev 20:10-15.

It's a mystery. People brighter and better educated than I have thus far been unable to figure it out: they make excuses for God (a.k.a. apologetics) instead of coming to grips with the reality that we're all little more than an insect zoo: just bugs imprisoned in a terrarium constructed for the supreme being's amusement.

• Rev 4:11 . . O Lord our God . . you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.
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[BobRyan]

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• Gen 6:5 . . And the Lord saw that the evil of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of his heart was only evil all the time.

Man's descent into depravity didn't catch his creator by surprise. After all; not only can God see the future but He can also manipulate it; so He was well aware even before beginning that the people He was about to create were destined from day one for a global deluge.

Also, when God inspected His handiwork at Gen 1:31, He evaluated it not just good, but "very" good. So as far as He was concerned; everything went smoothly and according to plan-- nothing was broken, no parts were missing, and nothing failed to mate with its matching part.

• Gen 6:6 . . And the Lord regretted that He had made man upon the earth, and He became grieved in His heart.

When God created the people of man, it was no doubt with the awareness that the day would come when He would have to put a number of them down like dogs gone mad with rabies.

If it can be safely assumed that God saw man's depravity coming well in advance-- prior to creating even one of the many forces, energies, and particles that would go into the construction of the cosmos --then we have to wonder why it is that He felt remorse for going ahead as planned.

God created a universe with free will in it -- provided by God.

God is in the "growing business" the maturing-business. As a Father with children.

No Father can safely say to a child that starts off making straight A's and then ends with all F's "I always knew you would be a failure".. That does not promote growth... it promotes death, distrust, dispair, It ruins the experiment.

So instead of that - God expresses the real sorrow in his heart in a way that a non-infinite, non-god being like us can read and appreciate.

 

[WebersHome]

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FAQ: Is it safe to assume that God's ways are always right even when they sometimes appear totally wrong?

A: Yes; and here's why:

When Adam tasted the forbidden fruit, he and his wife obtained an intuitive sense of right and wrong (Gen 3:22). Unfortunately, the sense they obtained was unreliable due to the fact that it was a product of the Serpent's handiwork instead of their divine benefactor's.

The Serpent-- a.k.a. the Devil/Satan (Rev 12:9) --has the power of death (Heb 2:14) and the ability to tamper with the human body and the human mind in ways not easily detected; e.g. Luke 13:16, Mark 5:1-5, and Eph 2:2.

That explains why God is commonly perceived making mistakes and/or acting like a demented fiend; and also why, try as it might, the human mind cannot make sense of some of the things God does.
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