An Aggressive World
The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with
violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt.
Genesis 6:11, 12
Read Genesis 6:11-13
We have little knowledge of how people lived between the Fall and the great
Flood. However, there is one word in the opening chapters of Genesis that
gives us a hint. But the word does not in any way make us long for the prehistoric
era. This word is found in our text today: violence, which could also
be translated aggression. We have been confronted with aggression in the
life of Cain who murdered his brother Abel, as well as in the life of Lamech,
the descendant of Cain who killed a man and a youth.
However, it did not stop there. The Lord told Noah that the earth was filled
with violence. In other words, aggressive behaviour also became the norm
in the descendants of Enos and Seth. Perhaps this was partially because of
the mixed marriages mentioned in the opening verses of our chapter. Moreover,
the animal world also seemed to be contaminated by this spirit. Archeological
sites have revealed various kinds of large ferocious animals, which
no longer existed after the Flood. In any case, evidence shows us that the
world became more and more uninhabitable.
Is this aggression also not typical in our day? Some people ask, “What’s going
on in today’s society? There’s so much pointless violence in marriages,
family life and society in general.” Genesis 6 gives us the answer: there is no
room for God any more.
Question: Is your life characterized by aggression and violence?
Psalter 153:1, 2 (based on Psalm 56)
O God, be merciful to me, For men no mercy show;
With constant warfare pressing me They seek my overthrow.
When foes invade, I safely rest, Confiding in Thy word;
I will not dread what man can do, My trust is in the Lord.
O God, be merciful to me, For men no mercy show;
With constant warfare pressing me They seek my overthrow.
When foes invade, I safely rest, Confiding in Thy word;
I will not dread what man can do, My trust is in the Lord.
