Question from a reader:
Genesis 6-7 God sees the evil on the earth (However it seems the central cause of this is that the “Sons of God” had kids with the “Daughters of man” (which sounds an awful like angels sleeping with humans.) God decides that the earth is evil, has Noah build an ark, and then God kills everyone on earth with a painful death of drowning (that would include children.) Also aside from the fact that this story is completely ridiculous; so much so that it’s laughable; it is a completely evil act on the part of God AND it never mentions in Genesis 6 or 7 that the people of the earth had a choice to enter the ark (something I bet you didn’t know).
Also, Genesis 12: God sends a plague on the house of pharaoh because the pharaoh believed Abraham’s lie.
Yes, in Noah’s day there was much evil on the earth, including the physical union of the “Sons of God” and the “Daughters of man.” God’s wrath against this evil was revealed by the worldwide flood, saving only Noah and his family. In fact, we know from Romans 5 that sin entered the world through Adam, and everyone since then has been guilty of sin–both imputed sin and personal sins. So, even Noah and his family were guilty (Romans 3:23, 6:23), and it was only God’s gift of his grace (John 3:16) to Noah and his family that kept mankind from being completed wiped out. The fact that the people (including children) suffered a painful death is reflective of the fact everyone is guilty and deserving of hell. In fact, if I shared your skepticism, I would be more disturbed by the prospect of living forever in hell separated from God than I would be by that of a painful (but relatively quick) death.
I simply don’t share your view that the story of Noah and the ark is ridiculous and laughable. Rather than an evil act by God, I see it as an act of grace that He saved anybody, and this is also how I view salvation through the saving blood of Christ on the cross.
You made a valid point that we’re not told whether or not the people of the earth had a choice to enter the ark. Regardless, however, God chose to establish His covenant with Noah, and God’s will and decisions are sovereign.
You also cited Genesis 12 where God punished the house of Pharaoh because of Abraham’s sin. To me, this just shows how the devastating effects of sin can spread to others, again remembering that nobody is innocent (free from sin).