Friday March 11, 2022

What God sees

God saw all that he had done, and behold, it was very good. Genesis 1:31

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth. Genesis 6:5

I will see the blood, and I will pass over you. Exodus 12:13

The first chapter of Genesis gives us the story, sober but masterful, of creation drawn from nothing to the powerful voice of God. In six days (or periods), God created with perfect wisdom everything that marvels us today, from the infinitely small to the infinitely large. Undoubtedly, the man and woman who are the reason for all Creation constitute his masterpiece (v. 26, 27). His finished work, God contemplates it and finds that everything is very good. Then he rests from all the works he has done (ch. 2. 3). God is fully satisfied with his work in creation. The Spirit will say through Moses that he has been refreshed (Exodus 31:17).

But this magnificent creation was marred by sin, the disobedience of man and woman (Genesis 3). Their act of rebellion and independence from the Creator became a permanent state over the centuries that followed, so that in Noah's time all flesh had corrupted his way (Genesis 6:12).

God, who had looked upon his creation with full satisfaction, grieved in his heart over this corrupt and violent land. The rest of God gives way to the affliction of God. According to his justice, judgment will fall on the rebels by the flood. But God finds a rest when Noah offers him a burnt offering: the Eternal smells a pleasant odor (an odor of rest). (Genesis 8:21). This thought is developed in Exodus, the book of redemption. Does God see the sins of his people ? No, he sees the blood of the sacrifices. Does God now see the sins of believers ? No, he sees the blood of Jesus, the Lamb without blemish, which cleanses from all sin. God does not grieve anymore. He can contemplate the perfections of the sacrifice of the cross which saves those who believe.

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the pledge that sin will be taken away from the world and God's pleasure will be established eternally in the new creation. In the meantime, we worship and give glory to the Father and the Son for the marvelous work of our salvation.

Source (Pleasing the Lord)