1997 brought poor weather early in the baseball season, including a July 21 deluge that swamped the field at County Stadium in Milwaukee. Brewers’ manager Phil Garner remarked, “We’ve had a snow out, a rain-out, and a cold out. And now we have a flood out. What I want to know is, when do the locusts come?”

Genesis 6-7 – Holy Justice

In Genesis 6, a catastrophe stalked the earth. The mother of all rainouts was approaching. God had promised that the seed of the woman would produce a Redeemer to crush Satan, but if no one remained who sought God, the promise would be in jeopardy. So God announced a change in His way of dealing with mankind.

God shows great patience toward mankind, but His patience with our sin is limited. Humanity’s wickedness had become so great that every inclination of the human heart was continually evil. Yet amid widespread corruption, Noah found favor with God. For 100 years, he faithfully preached righteousness and built the ark, trusting God’s warning even when no one else believed.

The lesson is clear: This is God’s world to preserve or destroy. He will not tolerate sin indefinitely. He is holy, and mankind cannot continually sin against Him without consequence. At the same time, God always provides a way of escape for those who trust Him. The ark stood as a visible invitation to God’s mercy before it became an instrument of His judgment. Throughout Scripture, these two aspects of God’s character—His perfect justice and His abundant mercy—remain in perfect harmony.

The Kingdom Coach & Athlete trust in God’s one way to escape His wrath, namely the cross of Jesus Christ. There is one door to salvation, and Jesus is that door.