Some synergists have attempted to argue that the emotional language of Genesis 6:6 is proof that God did not ordain every event. That is, when Moses writes "the Lord was sorry that he made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart," it is sometimes suggested that the inhabitants in Noah’s day acted in a way that was outside of God’s will and knowledge, and because of the widespread human wickedness, God was sorry that He made man. The question, of course, that must be considered is, does the conclusion that God was surprised by man's actions naturally follow from the reading of Scripture as a whole? Or, is there a better—perhaps more biblical—way in which to interpret this passage? Let me offer just a few considerations.
A proper understanding of God’s attributes must preclude anyone from being able to accept the interpretation that God was somehow surprised by the actions of mankind. Specifically, if one truly believed that the antediluvians in Genesis 6 were acting outside of God’s ordained will, one must then deny God’s omniscience. Those who insist that God was somehow taken aback by the behavior of His creation must also concede that God’s foreknowledge is not exhaustive—a position taken by only those few who would dare tread into open theism (the belief that God only in time comes into knowledge—not that he ordains and controls it).
One must always keep in mind when interpreting Scripture a fundamental interpretive principle: men wrote the Bible for all of mankind. It is therefore reasonable to suggest that the words used to express ideas in the Bible be used in a way that men can understand. Meaning, humans use certain terms to convey ideas and concepts that are otherwise incomprehensible. That is to say, Scripture uses language that everyone can understand in order to convey truths that are hard to grasp.
Specifically, this is done when speaking about God. The Bible uses what is called anthropomorphisms, that is, representations of God using human forms. This way, God uses the language of men to convey a finite understanding of Him. For instance, the Bible declares that God is Spirit, yet such language is ambiguous to us. Therefore, Scripture describes God as having eyes, ears, and hands. This typification of language attributes human forms to God solely for our comprehension. God is unparalleled, yet we endeavor to capture a finite understanding of Him through humanizing language. Sometimes, however, the language we use for God should not to be taken in the literal sense as if we were relaying a story or event to each other. Words might have a slightly different meaning for God than it would otherwise have for humans. Consider several passages:
After six days of creating the world and all its inhabitants, God is said to have rested (Gen 2:2). We know, however, that God does not fatigue nor does He need rest. This is clearly humanizing language to convey a principle for us to follow.
In another passage we read that the Lord God walked in the garden in the cool of the day (Gen 2:8). Again, this is anthropomorphism—God using human language to communicate with us. God did not physically walk in the same manner as Adam walked, because God does not have legs, feet, toes, et cetera. Once more we see that human features and human passions are ascribed to God for a particular meaning and to convey a spiritual truth.
So with this in mind, it is in this light that we should interpret passages like Genesis 6:6. I would submit to you that this particular verse is not teaching that God was ultimately confronted with an unforeseen event that He had not anticipated, but rather, it represents an absolute detestation of sin by a righteous God. The Lord made mankind good and upright, but unfortunately they did not maintain their pure state. And because of their sin it brought about a miserable state for them and all of their posterity. The inevitable consequence of the actions in the garden resulted in the fall of our first parents and the subsequent bondage to sin for all mankind. It is with this reality of man’s condition in view that Moses wrote of the wickedness of the human race—not that God was surprised by His creation.
God knew from eternity past that mankind would need a Redeemer because we read in the Bible of Christ being slain before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8). Why would the Son need to be slain if God was unaware of a fall or the need for redemption? The answer, of course, is that there were no surprises with God. Consider, "the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind" (1 Sam 15:29). And not only does He not change His mind, there is "no variation or shifting shadow (Jas 1:17). We serve a God who is all knowing and unchanging. The biblical authors rightly speak of God as being above man in that He does not change nor is He surprised with the course of human affairs for one simple reason—God is sovereign over all events and works all things out after the counsel of His own will (Eph 1:11).
