Genesis 6:1-8 (ESV)
When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
Devotional Reflection
What's really going on in this antediluvian world is not so strange as we might imagine. Despite the ambiguity of the "sons of God" and the "daughters of man" business, in the following description its clear that this is a world in which the image of God has become unrecognizably corrupted. Back in Genesis 1, we hear that God made man in his image--as those who would reflect him to the rest of creation in the way that they ruled over it as God's stewards. Sin marred that image. Now, in this text, we see its full-blown ugliness. Man is multiplying, but he is using his God-given dominion to fill the earth with wickedness, dominance, and violence, and corruption. It is as if an aggressive cancer has spread throughout the entire world. The corruption is so great, that it "grieves" God that he has made man. It fills God with grief to see his creature--the one he created in his likeness--so disfigured beyond all recognition by sin.
Yet God, in his mercy, is not going to give up. Back in the garden he made a promise. One day he would send a man who would faithfully and truly bear his image. Who would not come to dominate, but as one who is humble. Who would not come to enslave, but to free. Who would not come to fill the world with violence and death, but who would fill it with God's own mercy and compassion. This Image-Bearer is Jesus. Jesus came to show us the Father--full of grace and truth. Jesus stepped into our corrupted image. He allowed his flesh to be marred at the hands of violent men. He lent his flesh to be torn by whips and pierced by nails. Imagine how it grieved the heart of the Father to see his perfect Son--his spitting image--disfigured beyond all recognition by sin. But God had made a promise. He himself would redeem man from his corruption and restore the image that man had thrown away. And now, all those in Christ--like Noah--have found favor with God. In his death and resurrection--Christ restored the image. He defeated the cancer. He removed the corruption. And now--like Noah--he saves you in baptism. He uses water to drown your old man, and the same water to bring forth a new man. Because back in the garden God made a promise. And he binds that promise to you in those waters.
Image Description (AI Prompt)
A highly abstract portrait of a monstrous-looking man in a 1:1 aspect ratio, suggesting horror, corruption, and violent intent. The portrait should distort the man's features in an abstract manner, emphasizing irregular, fragmented shapes and lines. The color palette should be dark and moody, enhancing the unsettling and eerie atmosphere. The figure's composition should be striking and convey a sense of malevolence and mystery. The background should complement the abstract figure, using abstract forms and shadows to create an atmosphere of dread.