Am I getting the right impression?

Your question is a question many mortal minds have struggled to answer down through the ages. First of all, Scripture clearly states that the Eternal God does not change. Consider a couple of passages in this regard. "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" (Numbers 23:19) "He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind, for he is not a man, that he should change his mind." (1 Samuel 15:29) According to these passages, and others could also be quoted, we are reminded that the eternal God is constant and changeless.

How then does one understand Genesis 6:6, when it says "The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain." It is necessary to understand that the Bible was inspired by the Spirit to allow us to learn about God. However, a human mind can never completely g.html or understand the eternal and infinite God. So sometimes the Bible uses language and terms to describe God as if he were like a human. God uses limited human terminology to describe himself, so that despite our limited understanding we may in small measure ponder divine truths.

This technique is quite common in Scripture. For example, we know that God is a spirit (John 4:24). Yet the Bible often talks about God seeing and hearing even though a spirit has no eyes or ears. God "comes down" to see the Tower of Babel, even though God is everywhere and knows all things. This type of communication helps a human mind clearly remember that God sees and hears and knows all. When the Bible speaks about God as if he were a man, it is an anthropomorphism (a word derived from the Greek language that simply means to attribute human characteristics to someone).

In this passage we have such an example. God announces a change of course in his world plan. His purpose always remains constant. Since the garden (Gen. 3:15) he wanted and still wants everyone to be saved. Now, at the time of the flood, he knows that he must intervene and take action. The violence and unbelief of humanity is so great even his own believing children might be carried away.

Once God looked upon his human creatures and said "very good" in the opening chapter of Genesis. Now he sees fallen sinners and we read: "The LORD say how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time." (Gen. 6:5) Such sin and wickedness fills the holy and righteous God with anger; he is grieved. In order to safeguard his promise given to Adam and Eve, the promise to send the Seed of the woman to crush Satan's head, God needed to take action. He had to preserve a believing line so that his saving plan can unfold.

Your second reference (Genesis 8:21) is really a gracious promise on God's behalf. Though humans, since the fall into sin, are born in original sin and thus will have a heart full of evil (see also Jesus' words in Matthew 15:19) God graciously promises to never again destroy all things with a universal flood as long as the world endures. However, we Bible readers also know that God will indeed come again on Judgement Day and this present heavens and earth will pass away in fire. (2 Peter 3:7ff)

Thankfully, by the Spirit's grace, we know from Scripture that God did indeed keep his promise and send the Seed of the woman, Jesus born of a virgin, who came and destroyed sin and Satan. As the Bible declares, "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." (1 John 3:8)