FRAMEWORKS:
Genesis 6: The Need for the Flood
v.1-8
The Wickedness in the World
v.9-13
God tells Noah about the Flood
v.14-25
Instructions to Build an Ark
For
notes, see end of each section
v.1-8
The Wickedness in the World
v.1,2
When
human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters
were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans
were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
v.3
Then
the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever,
for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”
v.4
The
Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when
the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children
by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
v.5
The
Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become
on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the
human heart was only evil all the time.
v.6
The
Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and
his heart was deeply troubled.
v.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.”
v.8
But
Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
[Notes:
i)
Sons of God:
The uncertainty here revolves around the terms ‘sons of God' and
‘daughters of humans'. 1 Pet 3:19,20, 2 Pet 2:4,5 and Jude 6 provide
credibility for the assumption that this was a mixing of angels
and humans, particularly Jude's reference to ‘ the
angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned
their proper dwelling.' If we accept that angels are first of
all spirits and fallen angels tend to be referred to as demons,
there may be grounds to believe – in the light of the general
description of the state of the world at that time and gentle
word ‘married' simply meaning being united with, that some women
opened themselves up to demonic possession. Verse 3 may imply
more of a spirit activity than a purely physical one. Other views
are of different cultural groups who came together.
ii)
Fallen World state: The
end result, whatever the truth of it, is that God is so put out
by the awful moral (and perhaps spiritual) state of the earth,
that He determined to bring the flood to end the current mess.
iii)
Extent of the Food: The
text appears to indicate a total destruction of mankind. Other
views suggest that from the Hebrew standpoint of Moses [thought
to be the complier of Genesis] the ‘whole world' would have been
simply what we call the Middle East and the judgment is simply
that against mankind in that particular part of the world [which
some say fits the genetic world background better]. Against that
is fossil evidence and written evidence that catastrophic floods
are recorded in numerous places around the world. Maybe this is
another of those instances we referred to earlier where it is
wiser not to be too dogmatic. The bare minimum to hold onto is
the fact of a flood, the reason for the flood and who, according
to the family Hebrew tree were involved in it.
v.9-13
God tells Noah about the Flood
v.9
This
is the account of Noah and his family. Noah
was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and
he walked faithfully with God.
v.10
Noah
had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
v.11
Now
the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence.
v.12
God
saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth
had corrupted their ways.
v.13
So
God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for
the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely
going to destroy both them and the earth.
[Note:
A distinction
is made between Noah, a righteous man, and the rest of the earth
described as corrupt and violent and wicked.]
v.14-25
Instructions to Build an Ark
v.14
So
make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat
it with pitch inside and out.
v.15
This
is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits
long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.
v.16
Make
a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high
all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower,
middle and upper decks.
v.17
I
am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life
under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life
in it. Everything on earth will perish.
v.18
But
I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the
ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with
you.
v.19
You
are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and
female, to keep them alive with you.
v.20
Two
of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind
of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be
kept alive.
v.21
You
are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it
away as food for you and for them.”
v.22
Noah
did everything just as God commanded him.
[Notes:
i)
Instructions:
To cope with the impending deluge, Noah is to build a very large
boat, more like a storage tanker, that will be capable of housing
Noah and his family and one pair of all living creatures that
will come to him. Noah obeyed. [the phenomenal range of beasts
across the globe, not all appearing in that part of the world,
lends credence to the idea of a more local flood with a limited
number of creatures.]
ii)
Other corroboration:
It is worth noting that Jesus considered the existence of a flood
a fact – Mt 24:38,39 – even though he did not designate the extent
of it. Ditto the writer to the Hebrews (Heb 11:7) and the apostle
Peter (1 Pet 3:2o & 2 Pet 2:5), similarly the major Old Testament
prophets, Isaiah (Isa 54:9) and Ezekiel (Ezek 14:14,20) as well
as the genealogy compiler of 1 Chron 1]
Lessons
or Challenges to Ponder from Genesis Chapter 6
1.
The chaos of the early verses give way to downright wickedness
which so becomes the norm that it provokes the Lord into action
to stop it all, but then in the midst of it all stands Noah, a
righteous man. Can I stand as a righteous person despite what
goes on around me that is far from righteous?
2.
Noah had a unique path to walk, standing out from everyone else,
but he did all that God commanded. Can that be me?
Continue to Chapter 7