In His ImageSample

Day 26: Our Image Corrupted

Discover: These verses detail the massive amount of corruption that took over the earth. Mankind started to multiply in great amounts, and sin seems to be multiplying with them. This comes to a head when the “sons of God” take the “daughters of man” to be their wives, which may have resulted in what we know as the “Nephilim.” To redeem His Creation, God plans to address this wickedness through a worldwide flood that blots out man from the face of the earth, yet He finds favor in Noah. Here, we see not only a just God but a God who looks for the redemption of the people He loves.

Learn: The first striking detail in these eight verses is the mention of the “Nephilim” – believed to be giants who are famous leaders, descendants of Seth and Cain, or even offspring of fallen angels and humans. Regardless of exactly who they are, these relationships are the culmination of generations of sin and wickedness that ultimately causes God to grieve and regret His creation of man. Through this, we learn that God is not only a just Judge but also a caring, grieving Father who mourns the result of His creation. God’s response to this corruption is to wipe out all of mankind except for Noah and his family.

Apply: There is a common law in science known as entropy that says things left alone over time trend toward chaos. The same can be said of humans when left alone with their sinful nature. We all have a natural inclination to sin. Sin entices us; it convinces us it is what we need and desensitizes us to the destruction it causes. Romans 12:2 tells us not to conform to the patterns of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Our greatest defense against this natural tendency to sin is the Holy Spirit within us. Without the Holy Spirit working in our lives, we are destined to fall into the sinful patterns that we find tempting. We need a daily renewal of our minds where we intentionally fight our sinful nature and reinforce the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As we saw in today’s reading, sinful nature takes over humanity; you may see some of this in today’s world. What strategies do you have in your life to prevent your sinful nature from taking over? How do habits play a role in the renewal of our minds so that we do not fall into the patterns of this world?