24/02/19 Genesis 6:1-12 “Man’s destruction becomes
inevitable”
Genesis 6:1 – And it came to pass, when men (‘adam) began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters (bath) were born unto them,
While all the pre-flood patriarchs of
Genesis 5 had “sons and daughters” (except Noah who apparently only had sons,
it seems), these men in Genesis 6:1 are only recorded as having daughters.
Because sons must have been born, and because all things have meaning in the
Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17), then the context does suggest an interpretation that
involves daughters in particular. The next verse (Vs 2) mentions the daughters
of men, but the sons are of God. This is why I would strongly lean toward the
sons of God not being born of men. Otherwise the whole context seems to
lack cohesion; it just doesn’t hang together well at all.
Genesis 6:2 – That the sons of God saw the
daughters of men that they [were] fair; and they took them wives of all
which they chose.
the sons of God – ben ‘elohiym (plural)
(sons of angels, gods, or divine ones)
the daughters of
men
– bath ‘adam
Some say that the sons of God are those who
were servants of God. Note that in Matthew 13:38 God’s people are called the
children of the kingdom, and John 1:12 calls them the sons of God. Others
suggest that they are the upper classes of society. The daughters of man are
then defined as wicked, impious, while others suggest that they were the lower
classes of society.
But neither of these scenarios appears
acceptable to the context. The simplest (and probably only logical) answer is
that the sons of God (or heavenly beings) were spirit-beings that today we
would call “demons” while the daughters of men were the target of demonic
crossbreeding to produce a mongrel man-demon race. Note that “giants” in Vs 4
below is Nephilim which derives from a root word meaning to be fallen or cast
down; thus they are fallen ones, which does suggest
satan’s fallen angels.
That daughters were born to the men of earth
(in Vs 1) is itself significant, for why not mention sons as well, as it does
for the patriarchs in Ch.5. Thus the sons of God are
logically not like the sons born in Ch.5; otherwise why aren’t they mentioned
along with the daughters, unless they weren’t actually born to the men. This
then does strongly suggest that these sons of God were not born to men,
which then can only be spirit-beings from heaven, namely fallen angels, or
demons.
If these sons of God were demons, then the
following passage from Jude is probably relevant.
Jude 6 – And the angels which kept not their
first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting
chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
wives of all which
they chose – These daughters of men were fair (pleasant, especially to look at;
agreeable) and the sons of God had their choice of what they wanted. That is,
if they wanted a daughter of men for a wife, they took her. It seems apparent
that these daughters of men desired this of the sons of God, for there seems to
have been no resistance from any of mankind to oppose such “marriages”. The
sons of God appear to be of the Nephilim (Vs 4 below) who are described as
giants, or strong men who could literally take what they wanted.
Genesis 6:3 – And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also
[is] flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
This condemnation from God upon man does not
seem to be against anything specific that man has done, and the context
following on from the previous 2 verses does suggest that the problem could lie
with the sons of God co-habiting with the daughters of men. Thus
it is not what man has done, but what he has become, a cross-bred impure man
genetically. I believe that God has worked hard to keep man’s genetic stock
pure (for the purposes of bringing forth Christ from that stock), yet the
granting of free will to mankind (and obviously to angels as well) means that
they aren’t puppets or robots, and will exhibit some amount of free will
direction in their lives. The granting of free will always has to leave open
the way to disobedience, or else it is not truly free will, especially when it
is used of the worship of God.
It appears that God has been striving with
man up until now, but without sufficient positive support from man. So, if
God’s striving with man is losing ground, then, as God is sovereign and will
always ultimately be victorious, God will have determined that man has now gone
too far and now has only 120 years of grace left before God destroys the world
with all its wickedness. Of course, God through His foreknowledge would have
known all this before it all started, but He still has given man free will to
determine his future, and will then let man be responsible for the future he
has chosen for himself.
God has already known what they would choose
to do, yet has permitted them to demonstrate their guilt before acting. Man has
decided his future; he has crossed “the line in the sand” across which there
can be no return. Man has now gone too far, ignoring God in the process, and
God has now given them 120 years before He brings judgment upon all who oppose
Him.
It is likely that this point of no return
that man has now crossed is to do with the corruption of the human race into a
mongrel human-demonic breed from which Christ could never be born.
Some teach that the 120 years is the maximum
extent of the life span of man, yet cannot be, if we have many people today who
are certainly beyond this age. It is most logical to assume this
120 years to be the time left before the flood.
Genesis 6:4 – There were giants in the earth in
those days; and also after that, when the sons of God
came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the
same [became] mighty men which [were] of old, men of renown.
giants – nᵉphiyl
(giants; the Nephilim) from a root word naphal meaning to fall; lie; be cast down; fail. Nephilim is
sometimes defined as “the fallen or cast down ones”.
Thus there were
Nephilim in the earth in those days. But who were the Nephilim? They were described
as giants, and they were on the earth before the sons of God co-habited with
the daughters of men. Perhaps they were just naturally big men, but the most
logical interpretation is that they were fallen angels or demons, and that the
sons of God were of this group and that the mighty men of renown were the
offspring of the sons of God with the daughters of men.
and also after that – This suggests that the Nephilim were the
original giants, yet when they then had offspring with the daughters of men,
giants like themselves were produced. The original giants would be the demonic
beings, yet also after that more cross-bred life forms were produced with much
of the genetic build of the Nephilim; thus their
offspring are likely to have been giants.
Note Deuteronomy 3:11 – For only Og
king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead [was]
a bedstead of iron; [is] it not in Rabbath
of the children of Ammon? nine cubits [was] the length thereof, and four
cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man. where “giants” is
not Nephilim but Rephaim.
mighty men – gibbowr (strong;
mighty) Used 3 times in Genesis 10:8-9 concerning Nimrod.
Numbers 13 mentions the giants (Nephilim)
the sons of Anak who came from the Nephilim. But,
unless any Nephilim came on the ark, then these have to be a different group of
people than the pre-flood Nephilim.
Numbers 13:32-33 – 32And
they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the
children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we
have gone to search it, [is] a land that eateth
up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it [are] men
of a great stature. 33And
there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, [which
come] of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so
we were in their sight.
It is unlikely that Numbers is talking about
demonic beings, yet they are still called Nephilim, probably because they
resembled the stature of the pre-flood Nephilim. These Nephilim in Numbers 13
may have been genetically manipulated (probably by demons) or else, more
likely, a mutated giant form of man from which a line of giants (including
Goliath) descended.
I believe that these pre-flood Nephilim were
demonic beings which then co-habited with women of earth to produce a super
race of man, with size, strength and intelligence significantly above that of
normal man. Either the demons bred directly with women, or else they
genetically manipulated or modified the offspring in much the same way farmers
today might develop new better breeding stock for their farms. The context does
strongly suggest children born of sexual union.
Genesis 6:5 – And God saw that the wickedness of
man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the
thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually.
wickedness – ra‘ (evil; distress; misery; injury; calamity)
great – or abundant
imagination – or purpose
thoughts – or planning;
invention; purpose
evil continually – or wickedness
all the day long
And God saw – God knows all
things and would have known of this even before Adam sinned. So
to say that God saw it is simply a way of explaining to mankind that it would
not go unnoticed and therefore unpunished. God was ensuring that He was not
perceived as turning a blind eye toward His special creation, man, and ignoring
the rebellion that was causing man to literally self-destruct. In this way God
is holding man fully accountable for every free will decision that he makes.
This holding man accountable ensures that God’s sovereignty is not diminished
in any way at all.
Man has continued to be wicked and
deceitful.
Jeremiah 17:9 – The heart [is] deceitful above
all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?
It is man’s desire for forbidden fruit that
leads him to destruction.
James 1:14-15 – 14But
every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15Then when lust hath conceived,
it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Matthew 15:18-19 – 18But
those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they
defile the man. 19For
out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications,
thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
Man sins because that
is his nature; only the new life of Christ can oppose the old man.
2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore
if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Genesis 6:6 – And it repented the Lord that he had
made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
repented – nacham (to be
sorry; be moved to pity; have compassion; be comforted; suffer grief; repent)
God cannot change; therefore
this cannot mean He changed His mind.
Malachi 3:6a – For I [am] the Lord, I change
not;
Hebrews 13:8 – Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
What God promises or decides today will not
change tomorrow.
Numbers 23:19 – God [is] not a man, that he
should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent (nacham):
hath he said, and shall he not do [it]? or hath he spoken, and shall he
not make it good?
God is the Father of lights, with
whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (James 1:17b)
That is, God is the I AM, the eternal God.
So, just as God “saw” (Vs 5 above) when He
already knew it long beforehand, God “repents” here to demonstrate in man’s
understanding that things had to change. That God could have made this decision
long before is not relevant to man’s understanding; it is better for man to
make the connection between man’s evil and God’s response. But it is also probably
better to see this verse as God grieving for man whom He had created in His own
image; it grieved Him in His heart. Even then, this is merely putting into
words feelings that God would not have been able to explain to man otherwise.
God cannot be disappointed with His work, yet He can be grieved at the response
of man to His provision. It is what man has lost that God is grieving for.
As in Isaiah 5:4 – What could have been done more to my
vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should
bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? God asks the question, not to get an
answer, but to elicit a response from man concerning the infinite care that God
put into His people, only to see them throw away all their benefits through
sin.
Genesis 6:7 – And the Lord said, I will destroy
man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and
the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth
me that I have made them.
So God determines
that He will destroy all created life on earth, both man and animal, creeping
things and birds of the air, for He was so grieved in His heart that He had
made them. This should not be seen as God destroying His creation for
punishment or vengeance, but rather God following through with what man has
chosen by his own free will. God is grieved that he has created a perfect world
that only seeks to oppose His holiness at every step. Man has taken the good
things from God and has worked his own lusts with them. God is grieving in the
place of man who is the one who should really be grieving for what he is about
to lose.
If only man could have understood just how much
God had done for them.
Psalm 107:1 – O give thanks unto the Lord, for [he
is] good: for his mercy [endureth] for
ever.
Psalm 103:1-5 – 1Bless
the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, [bless] his holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
forget not all his benefits: 3 Who
forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; 4 Who redeemeth thy life from
destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness
and tender mercies; 5 Who
satisfieth thy mouth with good [things; so that] thy
youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Genesis 6:8 – But Noah found grace in the eyes of
the Lord.
But – the one
exception to the rule. Noah is the exception. Noah found grace (favour;
acceptance) in the eyes of God. This does not mean that Noah was without sin,
for grace represents that unmerited favour which God bestows upon man, in this
case, upon Noah. Grace is what God bestows upon those who would truly seek His
righteousness by faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Grace is
always dependent upon the faith of the one who receives it.
Noah is recorded as a man of faith, building
an ark before any evidence of the coming flood!
Hebrews 11:7 – By faith Noah, being warned of God of
things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his
house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the
righteousness which is by faith.
Genesis 6:9 – These [are] the generations (1) of Noah: Noah was a just man [and] perfect in his generations (2), [and] Noah walked with (the) God.
generations (1) – descendants;
generations; genealogies; list of descendants; can mean one’s contemporaries.
Here it is likely to mean the beginning of a new genealogy commencing with
Noah, the list of Noah’s descendants as the new beginning of the genetic line
of descent that would lead down to Christ.
generations (2) – period;
generation; habitation; dwelling. That is, the generation of men or the period
in which Noah lived or dwelt. He it would mean Noah’s contemporaries.
perfect – complete; whole; entire;
sound; unimpaired; innocent; that which is complete or entirely in accord with
truth and fact.
Noah was a righteous man, perfect or
unimpaired compared with all those around him (his contemporaries). This also
suggests that he was uncorrupted genetically.
Like Enoch, Noah walked with “the”
God (as the original Hebrew signifies). The rest of the world may have walked
with God, but only Noah and Enoch are said to have walked with the God.
So, which god did the rest of the world walk with?
Genesis 6:10 – And Noah begat three sons, Shem,
Ham, and Japheth.
Noah had 3 sons who came on the ark with
him. It does not make it clear if there were other sons and daughters born
before these three, Noah being 500 years old when Japheth was born. (Note that
Japheth, the first-born, is named “opened” which suggests that he was indeed
the first-born.)
The ark was built 100 years after the first
of these is born, yet Genesis 11:10 says that 2 years after the flood Shem
(when 100 years old) had his first son. That would mean Shem was born either 2
or 3 years after the first son listed was born. And Genesis 9:24 says that Ham
was the younger son, probably younger than the other two. So
the order of birth would be Japheth (“opened”), Shem (“name”) and Ham (“hot”).
Genesis 6:11 – The earth also was corrupt before
God, and the earth was filled with violence.
corrupt – to be marred; be spoiled; be corrupted; be injured; be ruined; be
rotten.
violence – violence;
wrong; cruelty; injustice
The whole earth (especially all that which
was inhabited by man) was spoiled, ruined. It was beyond repair, it seems, for
God was about to “write off” all land life on earth except Noah and his family.
All would be thrown away and a completely new start made with Noah and his
family. The earth was filled with violence, cruelty, and injustice. It was every
man for himself, it seems, with the strongest winning the battles, a rule by
strength (“might is right”) and a complete disregard for anything to do with
right and wrong.
Genesis 6:12 – And God looked upon the earth, and,
behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
Of course, God
knew without looking, but once again we have wording that has been translated
into terms that give understanding to man of God’s actions. That is, from man’s
point of view, God would have “looked upon the earth” and seen the level of
corruption, that all mankind (except Noah, of course), had added to the
corruption on the earth. Noah is not counted in this corruption because in the
next verse (Vs 13) God (in talking to Noah) refers to the corruption as that
which He will destroy. Noah has been left out of the picture of corruption. All
the world apart from Noah is corrupted. This sets the scene for the flood which
will destroy all land life and bird life in order to start again the line of
descent down toward the Saviour who would crush satan’s head.
It is clear
that all pre-flood mankind would have known about God and His requirements, yet
chose to go their own ways because that was the most enjoyable thing to do.
However, sin is vanity, the illusion that sin is pleasurable. Ephesians 4:17 says This I say therefore, and testify in
the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of
their mind, where “vanity” means the illusion of
pleasure in disobeying God. It is not real pleasure but merely an illusion of
pleasure. An illusion is as real as a mirage on the horizon: it disappears as
you get closer to it! This is a picture of all sin. There is no pleasure in
sin, only the imagination that what is promised will really be delivered. But
satan who promises so much pleasure is a liar and not the God who will deliver
fully on every promise (Numbers 23:19).
The world
lives on lies. Even when we know that politicians tell lies, we still vote for
those who tell the most comprehensive lies. We know that they have lied in the
past, but when they promise so much pleasure, we then believe them time and
time again! The truth is not important anymore. As long as the lie is
believable, and as long as we can enjoy some of the lie before we are hit with
the nasty truth, then we’ll have our “now” rather than wait for a better
“future”.
The world
does the same with God. Generally the world knows what
God says, that there is a nice place called heaven, a place to be looked
forward to, a place for all eternity without pain or suffering. However, that
might be good for those who can wait for it, and have enough faith to believe
that it will really happen. So the world today
wants its benefits today, not tomorrow! People live as if there’s no
tomorrow. If you promised someone either a hundred thousand dollars today or a
million dollars in 20 years’ time, most would be strongly tempted to take the
money now and run. Pleasure now is seemingly worth more than more pleasure a
long time from now.
The Bible
talks a lot about the glory we’ll have one day, but we have to suffer until
then.
Romans 8:18 – For
I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to
be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
(And even then we want our funerals to be a good send-off to heaven!)
All the
church wants today seems to be our glory now and forget the suffering part! And
so we get teachings that please the people today,
not when we die. People today walk with God, they say, but it is not the walk
of Noah and Enoch who walked with the God. People want God on their
side, they want all the benefits now, they want to be glorified now etc, but
fail to comprehend that what they are really asking for is for God to give them
all their blessings up front, a bit like getting glory on credit. So they walk with God as long as He gives them their desires
now, but not with the God who demands truth and obedience (and
suffering!) ahead of everything else. They want God to fit in with their lives,
yet fail to understand that they must fit in with what God wants. The benefits
are all to the person; God is just the provider of those benefits, and to be
praised if He happens to provide what they demand, but if He doesn’t, then
they’ll find a church that does teach their “truth” properly.
Walking
with “the” God though means obedience and submission, not demands for a
fun-filled life.
Hebrews 12:9b – shall
we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Walking
with the God means no will of our own to interfere. Walking with the
God means our will is totally subject to God. God is the sovereign ruler of the
universe, not man! And the world will be destroyed again!
Hoppers Crossing
Christian Church homepage