NOTES for Gen 6:5-6
It is hardest for us to understand the words that the Lord can repent. It seems to us that this is purely human. But some interpreters urge us not to take this anthropomorphism too literally. Yet there is much in it that truly is real, and we feel this: the Lord is very tenderly and heartfully concerned with everything that happens on earth. And this is an unchanging side of love: anger. As a rule, we do not become angry with someone who is indifferent to us.
We must not picture God as a kind magician. The drama of the world is much more complex than the contents of most world epics and sagas, and simply fairy tales, where good magicians fight evil ones. For what could be more severe than sending His Son to the Cross? The word "good" has become worn down; perhaps it is better to say it this way. Yet God is the highest good.