WIPE

Genesis 6:7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”

At this point in Noah’s story you get the feeling that God felt a combination of rage and bitter anguish. It is a reaction you would expect from someone when betrayed by a loved one.

The Phrase “I will wipe out” is used of erasing names from records in Exodus 17:14; 32:32-33. The purpose of doing this is so a defeated enemy will be lost to history. If no one remembers them (their name) it will be as if they never existed. This phrase is also used of wiping plates in 2 Kings 21:13 and since water was sometimes used for this, the very words chosen may hint at how the "wiping" of mankind will take place.

Things had to be pretty bad for God to want to wipe from the historical record the memory of his once beautiful creation. God wants to make an about face on his creative activity and uncreate his creation. God is crushed by how bad things have turned out. Even the use of the phrase “I made them” makes the point that the flood reverses God’s act of creation. The terminology reflects the account in Genesis 1 and connects it to Genesis 6. 

Ever done something you wish you could erase, take back, undo, "wipe" from the record books? This God knows how you feel. If you read far enough you will see that not only does he feel what you and I feel, he made it possible for us to "wipe" the record (as far as He is concerned).

Just a Meandering Thought...