May 29: Influences: Which Do You Welcome?

And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” Genesis 6:3

This one hundred and twenty years was the time allotted by Yahweh for a distinctive, pointed invitation to be saved through the coming worldwide judgement by a flood. We tend to think of judgement as only negative, but there are many positive aspects of righteous judgement, including freedom from oppressors, vindication of all who are on the side of right, and a glorious future: eternity in a universe of harmony with its rightful King.

During those years that Noah was building the ark and preaching righteousness (2 Peter 2:5), there were many who were self-deceived, thinking that they were walking with God. They had compared themselves with the worst of the idolaters and violent men (see 2 Corinthians 10:12). It was this group who were most prominently influential in rejecting the message of salvation that God brought through Noah.

Others who thought the warning to be genuine and worthy of consideration came short of turning fully to Yahweh in true repentance. Though they had a positive impression of Noah’s preaching, they were not willing to renounce their sins. Declarations of faith are inevitably followed by testing; but their so-called faith disintegrated quite readily in the time of trial. It is not that they were persecuted, but only that the surrounding lack of belief prevailed.

Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 1 Corinthians 15:33

The spreading of sin among the masses of people has the proven effect of making sin appear less and less sinful. This is why Paul wrote:

And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. Romans 7:10-13

Yahweh’s law lets us know what sin is, so that we can see what is killing us. But the honored, “great” men of the world said in Noah’s day that God was only intimidating us with idle threats to make us “do good.” They repeated the lie of Satan when he tempted Eve to disobey God: “You will not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4) They mocked Noah as a deluded old man. In essence they said, “Be at peace and do not fear! Noah is a wild fanatic!”

It is going to happen again, according to God’s prophetic word:

For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them . . . and they shall not escape. 1 Thessalonians 5:3