Weekly Torah Lesson
Parasha: Noach
Torah: BeReishit 6:9 – 11:32
(Genesis 6:5) And Avinu saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (6) And Avinu repented that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
When Avinu realized that the worldly descendants of Cain were quickly diluting the priestly descendants of Adam, through Seth, He understood that He had to intervene in the steady degradation of His chosen seed. Wickedness was controlling the vast population of the earth. The final assimilation with evil was inevitable.
*** “7 And Avinu said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repents me that I have made them. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of Avinu. 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with Avinu.” (Ge 6:7-9)
The salvation of the entire earth fell on one man and his small family. As Avinu notes, “… Noach was perfect in his generations..” In the fourteen hundred years since Adam, the priestly seed, undefiled, was found in one man and his three sons. Let’s not forget that Cain had a seven generation lead on populating the earth. Adam was one hundred and thirty years old when he had Seth. The “re-starting” of the human population allowed the priestly line and the worldly line to populate on a more equal basis. Just like its spiritual father, Satan, mankind uses Avinu’s beautiful creation self-centeredly and inevitably destroys everything. In Genesis 1-3, we see Avinu graciously giving mankind wonderful gifts to enjoy life. He provided them with long lives and brilliant minds to make use of earth’s resources. In Genesis 6, though, we see humanity destroying virtually every good gift in its savage disrespect for Him and what He had made. An ever-increasing population was living nearly without restraint. Perhaps the most astounding detail in this whole mess is what all this did to Avinu: He was grieved in His heart that He had created humanity.
To appreciate the Flood and the covenant that resulted, we need to grasp a major factor that directly led to it. Avinu does not judge impatiently or carelessly; He is merciful and gracious, His actions always motivated by love. Everything He does is in the best interest of His purpose and with the well-being of others at heart. Even considering those two factors, what Avinu did in using an overwhelming Flood to wipe out the entire human population in a matter of a few days is sobering. Undoubtedly, Avinu had good cause.
We have no figures at hand to show how many lives perished, but in 1,400-plus years, combined with their brilliant minds and long lives, not only the population could have been abundant, but the development of the earth’s material resources may also have been extensive and advanced.
These considerations indicate that two factors made Him decide to destroy nearly all life and begin all over again:
- a profound change in the quality of life, combined with …
- what was developing in people’s minds.
Avinu did not have an attitude of defeat or failure. Instead, He primarily considered the result of what was occurring in people’s minds. It was a sobering judgment but not nearly as bad as what would have been produced had He allowed events to continue. His judgment provides us a clear understanding of His loving character.
Avinu’s reaction was guided by what He saw regarding mankind’s sins. In His experience with humanity at this point, He concluded that sin should not be understood as a mere imperfection in character but as a hostile, infecting, poisonous, and destructive force relentlessly driving people to even greater excesses. Added to this reality is an element that significantly raises the level of seriousness: Sin is not merely murder, lying, coveting, thievery, etc., but a vicious motivation buried deeply in men’s hearts that generates evil almost incessantly.
Avinu’s statement that “every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” is not an exaggeration. The heart is a generator of evil by nature
*** “16 And Yeshua said, Are you also yet without understanding? 17 Do not you yet understand, that whatever enters in at the mouth goes into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashed hands defiles not a man.” (Mt 15:16-20)
*** In Ecclesiastes 7:29, Solomon reminds us, “Truly, this only I have found: That Avinu made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”
How far mankind had fallen from the pinnacle of purity and righteousness Adam and Eve contained when created by this same Avinu! How radically that beautiful creation had changed!
Sin, then, is not merely what one sees on the outside. Far more challenging to understand and deal with is the reality that it is an internal matter; sin is generated from within. This is all the more interesting because Yeshua later admonishes us not to look on the outward appearance in making judgments (John 7:24). Yet, we must do this because we lack the powers to judge as Avinu does.
*** “But Avinu said to Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for Avinu sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but Avinu looks on the heart.” (1Sam 16:7)
From this incident, the wisest of all Beings, Avinu Himself, teaches us a valuable principle of judgment: When the heart becomes so consistently wicked that evil is its natural course of action, nothing can be done to change it.
The flood was all about protecting the priestly line of humanity. Fifteen hundred years later, The Meshiach chose to enter humanity through this same line.
*** “For truly he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.” (Heb 2:16)
So, the new “High Priest” of the Malchitzedekian priesthood comes from an unbroken line of human priests established by Avinu through Adam that continues on to this day.
*** “And if you be Meshiach’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Ga 3:29
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