Question on God Making Something He would Later Regret (Genesis 6)

April 14, 2015

Hey there, I just received this question and would really appreciate your thoughts to get different points of view: Why would God create something He would later regret making?” (Based on Genesis 6)

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Ed Chait and 2 others like this.
Jeff Laird Running to work, but below is how I answered something similar (not exactly the same) about that chapter:

Question: In a previous question “Does god make mistakes” the answer was given that no god makes no mistakes if this be the case then answer mesomething How then do we explain verses such as Genesis 6:6, “The LORD was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and His heart was filled with pain”? If god was grieved in his decision to make man then god is admitting that he made a mistake to do so. So this does prove that god makes mistakes. Your comments please.

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This is an example of culture and language affecting how we interpret scripture. The passage you cite wasn’t written in English, nor was it written in the 21st century, so we have to be careful not to force modern English meanings into the text that might not have been present in ancient Hebrew. In this case, though, even the English words don’t imply a mistake. They only suggest negative emotion, something the original Hebrew better conveys.

Exactly how God thinks and feels is hard to grasp, since our perspectives are so different. The Bible frequently uses “anthropomorphisms”, which is a technical way to say that the Bible puts God’s emotions into human terms so we can better understand them. We might not grasp every nuance of God’s emotions prior to the flood, but human beings understand exactly what it means to “be grieved”, even in situations that unfold exactly as we intended.

As an example, when my son was a toddler, I had to take him to the doctor multiple times to have blood drawn. Each time, his reaction was increasingly panicked and hysterical. It wasn’t traumatic for him alone, but for me as well. Every time I held him down, screaming, while the nurse took his blood, I “was grieved” that I had brought him there. I didn’t think it was a mistake – in fact, I knew beyond any doubt that it was a necessary and ultimately good thing to do. But that didn’t stop me from feeling negative emotions, even as I looked forward to getting it over and done with.

Of course, it’s hard to make a direct parallel between that circumstance and God, since I’m not omniscient or omnipotent. I wasn’t as in control of circumstances there as God was during the flood. The point is that feeling sorrow or pain over a situation doesn’t necessarily mean a mistake has been made. God wasn’t admitting to a mistake, but He was expressing displeasure with what mankind had done.

We should also note that, had God really felt He’d made “a mistake” in creating man, He probably wouldn’t have saved Noah and his family. What God expresses in Genesis 6 is clearly a sense of sorrow and anger over those particular circumstances, not an admission of error.

Yesterday at 4:19am · Like · 6
Stuart Mattfield Agree with Jeff. Genesis 6:6 is an anthropomorphism. The Spirit knew people would want to know why God brought the flood and destroyed the world, except for 6. The reasoning is undoubtedly complex, so He led Moses to write it in terms of regret or relenting so that people could understand. But the Scriptures are clear in Malichi 3:6, Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:39, and James 1:17, as well as several other verses, clearly state that God in fact does not change His mind. Instead, the story of Noah gives us a type of the resurrection…that God is willing to judge sin harshly, but provides a way for man to be saved.

Yesterday at 6:19am · Like
Christopher Dupre When we talk of regret, the understanding is that we had done something incorrectly, or didn’t take into account something we should have. When we speak of God, it’s more God acting according to the situation. As in the flood, he repented because sin had reached the saturation point. The only solution was to start over. God knew the time would come and he was just waiting for the turning point.

Yesterday at 6:52am · Edited · Like
Fred Apelquist Suppose one of the (more obvious? I don’t know) reasons could be disappointment in how we humanoids collectively exercise Free Will. It’s not always in a godly manner. It’s Usually Not in a God-like manner.
That said, it’s tough for us to ‘know’ the answer because we label Him as omniscient, which He is, but we can’t fully understand or reconcile that word & concept, especially when God expresses regret or even potential surprise for anything He created/allowed. I believe it reflects more on our inability to fully understand the Divine than it reflects some flaw in Him.

Regards,

Fred W. Apelquist, III
(703) 459-6622

Yesterday at 8:17am · Like
Patrick Thompson God is revealed in the early chaptes as a God who deals with people personally and is capable of emotion, disappointment and reaction against people’s willful rebellion. God’s character and ultimate purposes do not change; therefore he remains open and responsive to people who seek him. The fact that God can feel regret and grief makes i tclear that he maintains a personal and intimate relationship with his creatin. He loves people deeply, knows them completely and is fully aware fo their circumstances (Psalms 139:7-18).