In the Mist of Violence

Glance at the local and national headlines on any given day over the past year, and you might wonder if someone mistakenly printed news from the old wild west instead of 2019—murders, stabbings, fights, robberies, domestic violence, etc., every single day. Yet, if you research violence in that time period, you realize Hollywood has grossly exaggerated history. Any avid fan of Gunsmoke saw Marshal Dillon kill 407 people over 20 years. However, the five major ‘wild’ Kansas cattle towns, including Dodge, recorded only 45 total homicides, between 1870 to 1885. That’s 1 murder per 100,000 people per year. St. Louis led the nation in 2017 with 66.1 murders per 100,000. You would have been far safer walking down the street in the wild west than you would today. Violence has increased at an alarming rate. Headlines in 2019 read, 515 People Killed Last Year in Chicago, 494 Murders in New York, 5 Homicides in the First Hours of 2020 in St. Louis.

Scriptures caution us an increasing range of violence would take place the nearer we get to Jesus’ return. Paul refers to the season of the last days as terrible. The word means violent and dangerous. There will be terrible [violent, dangerous] times in the last days (2 Tim 3:1 NIV). The first recorded violence was Cain attacking and killing Abel. As human population expanded so did violence. The Lord approves of the godly, but he hates the wicked and those who love to do violence (Psalms 11:5 NET). By the time of Noah, God’s long suffering had reached its limit. Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence (Gen 6:11). Note it wasn’t random violence, but the earth was filled or full of it. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God (Gen 6:9). He told Noah, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I have decided that all living creatures must die, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Now I am about to destroy them and the earth (v13).

The Lord is long suffering in His loving kindness however, a point arrives when sin, evil, and suffering reach beyond His tolerance. He says, “Enough is enough!” The flip side of loving kindness is justice. The Lord displayed His long suffering with the Canaanites for hundreds of years and wasn’t being unjust toward these nations when He told Israel He was giving them the land. He was enacting justice because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out before you . . . (Deut. 9:5). Ask yourself, “Is God about to say to our world, ‘enough is enough?’” He brought judgment to the earth through the flood, because the earth was filled [full of] with violence. He rained down brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah because sin and immorality filled the cities. Today, both reasons for His former judgment—violence and immorality—fill the earth.

Through Isaiah the Lord promised, Violence will not be heard again in your land, Nor devastation or destruction within your borders (Isa 60:18). But you say, “that’s in the future after Jesus returns, what about now?” Jesus taught, For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah (Matt 24:37). We can draw several lessons from Noah. Violence and wickedness existed everywhere. The wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Gen 6:5). Noah and his family were the only believers not conformed to the patterns of this world; the rest of the people went about the normal routines of life eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage—but without the Lord. The first lesson is that Noah walked in close fellowship with God (v9 NLT). Second, he heard and obeyed—being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark. Third, by faith Noah . . . concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark (Heb 11:17). Note, this would be the first time it had rained on earth. From a human perspective, Noah could not envision why he even needed the ark, but he walked by faith and built a boat. 

One important lesson for us today, in the mist of the violence and wickedness, fear never paralyzed Noah as only one of eight believers. He reverenced and feared God, not men. Peter referred to him as a preacher of righteousness (2 Pet 2:5). He shared what he believed. Most encouraging to me is the fact Noah and his family were the only believers on earth. God planned to destroy the world of violent and wicked people, but He didn’t overlook Noah. He provided a way for them to be safe during the flood. Neither does He overlook you. He cares for you (1Pet 5:7). The main lesson we all need to remember; Noah didn’t focus on the surrounding troubles. He focused on God and walked with Him. Sustaining Word for the Week: Don’t allow violence and wickedness to drag you down. Focus on Jesus and His Word, not the world around you.

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