Genesis 9 Why The Flood?

The story about a great flood bringing judgment upon people is one of the most difficult passages in the Bible to digest. We know God did this because of the extent of human wickedness (6:5). But what was the nature of that wickedness? I believe we see the answer in 9:5-6. God instituted a command regarding murder. Anyone who murdered faced the death penalty. Why? Because the murderer killed a person created in God’s image. It appears that people had tolerated murder to the extent that it had become rampant on the earth. The flood brought an end and a new beginning.