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Genesis Chapter Six Preface From the time of God’s proclamation regarding the Seed [Christ] of the woman that would some day crush the head of the seed [Satan] of the serpent (Genesis 3:15), Satan has tirelessly tried to interrupt and destroy the linage of Eve from which eventually would come the Messiah. This was seen when he influenced Cain to kill his brother, Abel, only to find his plan to be thwarted by God in a second son, Seth. Now in this chapter Satan resorts to another and a particularly egregious plan of destroying the godly lineage from Eve to Christ. But as will be seen, God intercedes once again to insure that the line to Christ is preserved. This chapter brings to light one of earth’s most cataclysmic events, one which scientists and theologians have battled over, even today—the Flood. Similar flood narratives are found in Egyptian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Hindu, and Chinese cultures. The Druids, Polynesians, Mexicans, Peruvians, and American Indians all have legends of a flood on the Earth where certain people were saved by an ark or boat. This chapter not only reveals the fact of the Flood, but also the reason for it. Because the word, covenant, is first mentioned in this chapter in the Bible, and in addition to the seven dispensations mentioned in the preface to chapter 3, it may well be worthwhile to list the major covenants (contractual agreements between God and man) of Scripture. The following is taken from the Believer’s Bible Commentary by William MacDonald, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985. The Edenic Covenant (Gen. 1:28-30; 2:16, 17) The Edenic Covenant made man, in his innocence, responsible to multiply, populate the earth, and subdue it. He was given authority over all animal life. He was to cultivate the garden and eat of all its produce except the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Disobedience to this latter command would bring death. The Adamic Covenant (Gen. 3:14-19) After the fall of man, God cursed the serpent and predicted enmity between the serpent and the woman, and between Satan and Christ. Satan would injure Christ, but Christ would destroy Satan. Woman would experience pain in childbirth and would be under the authority of her husband. The ground was cursed. Man would have to contend with thorns and thistles in cultivating it. His work would involve sweat and weariness, and he would eventually return to dust, from which he came. The Noahic Covenant (Gen. 8:20—9:27) God promised Noah that He would not curse the ground again or destroy the entire earth with a flood. He gave the rainbow as a pledge of this. But the covenant also includes the establishment of human government, with the power of capital punishment. God guaranteed the regularity of time periods and seasons, directed man to repopulate the earth, and reaffirmed his dominion over lower creatures. Man could now add meat to his previous vegetarian diet. Concerning Noah’s descendants, God cursed Ham’s son, Canaan, to be a servant to Shem and Japheth. He gave Shem a place of favor, which we know includes being in the line of the Messiah. Japheth would enjoy great expansion, and would dwell in the tents of Shem. The Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3; 13:14-17; 15:1-8; 17:1-8) The Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional. Only God, manifesting Himself as “a smoking oven and a burning torch,” passed through the two pieces of the sacrificed animal in Genesis 15:12-21. This is quite significant. When two people made (Heb., “cut”) a covenant, they would “both” walk together between the two pieces to show they would abide by the conditions of the covenant. God put no conditions on Abraham; hence the provisions listed below will (and have) come to pass no matter how faithful Abraham’s descendants might prove. Those who see no future for God’s ancient people often try to make this covenant appear to be conditional, at least regarding the land. Then they lay claim to all the blessings for the church, leaving Israel with little or nothing. The covenant includes the following promises to Abraham and his descendants: a great nation (Israel); personal blessings to Abraham; a name of renown; being a source of blessing to others (12:2); divine favor to his friends and a curse on his enemies; blessing to all nations—fulfilled through Christ—(12:3); everlasting possession of the land known as Canaan and later as Israel and Palestine (13;14, 15, 17); numerous posterity, natural and spiritual (13:16; 15:5); a fatherhood of many nations and kings—through Ishmael and Isaac—(17:4, 6); special relationship to God (17:7b). The Mosaic Covenant (Ex. 19:5; 20:1—31:18) In its broadest sense, the Mosaic Covenant includes the Ten Commandments, describing duties to God and to one’s neighbor (Ex. 20:1-26); numerous regulations concerning the social life of Israel (ex. 21:1—24:11); and detailed ordinances dealing with religious life (Ex. 24:12—31:18). It was given to the nation of Israel, not to the Gentiles. It was a conditional covenant, requiring man’s obedience, and therefore it was “weak through the flesh” (Rom. 8:3a). The Decalogue was never intended to provide salvation, but rather to produce conviction of sin and failure. Nine of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the NT (the Sabbath excepted), not as law with penalty attached, but as behavior suitable for those who have been saved by grace. The Christian is under grace, not law, but he is bound to Christ by love, a higher motivation. The Palestinian Covenant (Deut. 30:1-9) This covenant has to do with the still-future occupation of the land which God promised to Abraham “from the river of Egypt [i.e., the Brook of Egypt, not the Nile] to the great river, the River Euphrates” (Gen. 15:18). Israel has never fully occupied the land. During Solomon’s reign, countries in the eastern portion paid tribute (1 Kgs. 4:21, 24), but that cannot be counted as possession or occupation. The Palestinian Covenant foresees the dispersion of Israel among the nations because of disobedience, their return to the Lord, the Lord’s Second Advent, their regathering to the land, their prosperity in the land, their change of heart (to love and obey the Lord), and the punishment of their enemies. The Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:5-19) God promised David not only that his kingdom would endure forever, but that he would always have a lineal descendant to sit on the throne. It was an unconditional covenant, not dependent in any way on David’s obedience or righteousness. Christ is the legal heir to the throne of David through Solomon, as is seen in Joseph’s genealogy (Matt.1). He is a lineal descendant of David through Nathan, as is seen in Mary’s genealogy (Luke 3). Because He lives forever, His kingdom is everlasting. His one-thousand-year reign on earth will merge into the eternal kingdom. The Solomonic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:12-15; 1 Kgs. 8:4, 5; 2 Chron. 7:11-22) The covenant with Solomon was unconditional as far as the everlasting kingdom was concerned, but conditional as far as Solomon’s descendants sitting on the throne (1 Kgs. 8:4, 5; 2 Chron. 7:17, 18). One of Solomon’s descendants, Coniah (also called Jeconiah), was barred from having any physical descendant sit on David’s throne (Jer. 22:30). Jesus is not a descendant of Solomon, as pointed out above. Otherwise He would come under the curse of Coniah. The New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:7; Luke 22:20) The new Covenant is clearly made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah (Jer. 31:31). It was future when Jeremiah wrote (Jer 31:1a). It is not a conditional covenant, like the Mosaic Covenant, which Israel broke (Jer 31:32). In it God unconditionally promises (note the repetition of “I will”): Israel’s regeneration (Ezek. 36:25); the indwelling of the Holy Sprit (Ezek. 36:27); a heart that is favorably disposed to do the will of God (Jer 31:33a); a unique relationship between God and His people (Jer. 31:33b); universal knowledge of the Lord in Israel (Jer. 31:34a); sins both forgiven and forgotten (Jer. 31:34b); and the continuance of the nation forever (Jer. 31:35-37). Israel as a nation has not as yet received the benefits of the New Covenant, but will at the Lord’s Second Advent. In the meantime, true believers do share some of the blessings of the covenant. The fact that the church is related to the New Covenant is seen in the Lord’s Supper, where the cup represents the covenant and the blood by which it was ratified (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25). Also Paul spoke of himself and the other apostles as ministers of a New Covenant (2 Cor. 3:6). Genesis 6:1-6 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Theologians have been at odds for centuries on the identification of the phrases “sons of God” and “daughter’s of men” within this passage of Scripture. As to the phrase “daughter’s of men,” it appears to be clear-cut. The “daughters” are products of normal human procreation activities, or, in other words, they are female human beings. As to the phrase “sons of God,” many interpret this as referring to the godly descendants of Seth. Those who hold to this view believe that the “daughters of men” refer to the wicked posterity of Cain. There are problems with this view. It is a far reach to believe that all the men that stemmed from Seth were godly, just as it is difficult to believe that all the women of Cain’s lineage were ungodly. Additionally, there is no indication that Seth’s line stayed godly; otherwise, they would not have been destroyed in the Flood. Furthermore, if the “sons of God” were mere men, it is difficult to explain why their union with the “daughters of men” produced giant beings (Hebrew: Nephilim or “fallen ones”). The other view regarding these two phrases, and the one this commentator believes is correct, is that the “daughters of men” refers to all human women during this period of time and the “sons of God” refers to fallen angels. There is substantial evidence toward this interpretation. But first the objection oft advanced by those who differ with this interpretation will be addressed. The main objection to this view is that they say angels do not sexually reproduce. The verse used to support this position is Matthew 22:30, “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.” Yet this verse does not say that angels are not capable of sexually reproducing. It only states that in heaven they “neither marry nor are given in marriage.” There is no evidence in the Bible supporting the position that angels have no sexual organs. And for that matter, there is no evidence of female angels in the Bible, which in itself may be the reason that angels do not marry in heaven. The subject of angels is a separate and fascinating study in itself. The following pertaining to the “The Nature and Rank of Angels” is taken from the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2000, an article by Allan R. Killen, Th.D., Professor of Contemporary Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi. Angels are a supernatural order of heavenly beings separately created by God before the creation of the world (cf. Job 38:6-7) and called spirits (Heb 1:4, 14). Though without bodily organism [no substantiation for this statement is given by Professor Killen] , they have been permitted often to appear in the form of men (Gen 19:1, 5, 15: Acts 1:11). Scripture describes them as personal beings, higher than mankind (Ps 8:4-5) and not mere personifications. Nor are they glorified human beings (1 Cor 6:3; Heb 1:14). They possess more than human knowledge but still are not omniscient (2 Sam 14:20; 19:27; Mt 24:36; 1 Pet 1:12). They are stronger than men but are not omnipotent (Ps 103:20; 2 Pet 2:11; 2 Thess 1:7). Nor are they omnipresent (Dan 10:12-14). At times they are enabled to perform miracles (Gen 19:10-11). The NT reveals that there are great multitudes of angels in heaven (Mt 26:53; Heb 12:22; Rev 5:11).Individual angels have different endowments and ranks (see Cherubim; Seraphim), and are highly organized (Rom 8:38; Eph 1:21; 3:10; Col 1:16). Two of the more important angels are Gabriel (Dan 8:16; 9:21; 12:1; Jude 9; Rev 12:7). Satan was one of the cherubim and was called “the anointed cherub that covereth” (Ezk 28:14). Thus he was one of the highest as well as most gifted of the heavenly host (Ezk 28:13-15) until he fell. Professor Killen continues with the “The Ministry of Angels” and then concludes with the subject of “Fallen Angels.” Holy angels (1) serve as messengers and spokesmen, (2) they stand in God’s presence and worship Him, (3) they minister to the saints through the giving of assistance, protection and deliverance, (4) they provide encouragement, they interpret God’s will and carry it out with regards to individuals and nations, and (5) they serve as guardians to the saints. Fallen angels, of whom Satan is the prince, oppose God’s will, His righteousness and hinder man’s welfare at times by acquiring control from God over the forces of nature and disease. They tempt man to sin, however, their freedom to tempt and test man is subject to the permissive will of God This passage in Genesis reflects another attempt by Satan to destroy the seed-line from Eve to the Messiah, but this time it is Satan’s boldest venture and involves the entire human race. Here, instead of attempting to murder one individual, Satan employs his evil minions to corrupt the entire human race. He sends fallen angels who “did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode” to take the “daughters of men” for their own. This is the first account of extraterrestrials attempting to corrupt the earth. The first two verses (6:1, 2) comprise a single sentence in the Hebrew, “Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.” A proper translation of this passage rests in one’s understanding of the Hebrew term “Bene HaElohim,” translated “sons of God.” In the Old Testament this term refers exclusively to angels. Although similar terms are used for other things, this term always applies to a direct creation of God, and it alludes to angels, as in Job (1, 2, and 38), as well as other places in the Old Testament (also used in the New Testament, Luke 20:36). The most authoritative source for the use of this term is the Septuagint, the Old Testament translated into Greek hundreds of years before Christ. Greek is a very precise language, and the seventy scholars who produced the Septuagint translated this term as “angels.” Another Hebrew term that requires understanding is “benoth adam,” which is translated “daughters of men.” These females were the daughters of Adam, not just the daughters of Cain. And then there is the Hebrew term “Nephilim,” translated “giants.” In verse 4 these Nephilim beings are the product of the sexual unions between the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men.” The Hebrew word Nephilim means “the fallen ones,” and it comes from a verb, “to fall away,” “to cast down,” or “desert.” And finally, there is the Hebrew term “HaGibborim,” translated “mighty men” (in some versions, “giants”). In the Septuagint the Greek word gigantes is used for these, which does not mean “giant” but “earth-born,” from the Greek gigas. These “earth-bound fallen ones” were the hybrids that resulted from the sexual activity between fallen angels and human women. These bizarre relationships are confirmed in the New Testament in Jude 6 &7, where Jude refers to this passage in Genesis 6 with the following words: “And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” The Apostle Peter also said, “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell [Greek: Tartarus] and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah . . . .” (2 Peter 2:4, 5). Peter is referring to the same angelic-human immorality, but here he ties it specifically to the days of Noah. The Book of Enoch, a revered but not authenticated (canonical) book from Biblical times, has this to say in Chapter 7 [Section 2]: “It happened after the sons of men had multiplied in those days, that daughters were born to them, elegant and beautiful. And when the angels, the sons of heaven, beheld them, they became enamored of them, saying to each other, Come, let us select for ourselves wives from the progeny of men, and let us beget children. . . .Then they took wives each choosing for himself; whom they began to approach, and with whom they cohabited; teaching them sorcery, incantations, and the dividing of roots and trees. And the women conceiving brought forth giants . . . .” And later in Chapter 12 [Section 3]: “. . . . Then the Lord said to me: Enoch, scribe of righteousness, go tell the Watchers of heaven, who have deserted the lofty sky, and their holy everlasting station, who have been polluted with women, and have done as the sons of men do, by taking to themselves wives, and who have been greatly corrupted on the earth; that on the earth they shall never obtain peace and remission of sin. For they shall not rejoice in their offspring; they shall behold the slaughter of their beloved; shall lament for the destruction of their sons; and shall petition for ever; but shall not obtain mercy and peace.” Chuck Missler in his book, Learn the Bible in 24 Hours, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2002, has this to say on the subject: The idea that renegade angels came down to the earth and cohabited with women to produce a hybrid offspring is pretty strange. But that notion is found in the legends of virtually every ancient culture on earth, including Sumer, Assyria, Egypt, the Incas, the Mayans, the Gilgamesh epic of Babylon, the Persians, Greece, India, Bolivia, South Sea Islands, and the Sioux Indians in the United States. They all have stories about “star people” or gods of some kind who produced offspring on earth. For example, in Greek mythology, the Titans were partly celestial, partly terrestrial. They rebelled against their father Uranus, and after a prolonged contest, they were defeated by Zeus and condemned into Tartarus. Atlas and Hercules were also Nephilim. They presumably were the hybrid offspring of the gods mixing with human women. Many students of the Bible have encountered an interpretation of these passages known as “the lines of Seth” view. This interpretation assumes that the “sons of God” refers to the leadership of the line of Seth and tries to distinguish between the line of Seth and the line of Cain. The “sons of God” are thought to be from the line of Seth, and the “daughters of Adam” are thought to be those from Cain. And, according to this view, the sin involved was their failure to maintain separation—the two were to mix. This theory started in the fifth century A.D. Celsus and Julian the Apostate used the traditional belief, which we call the angel view, to attack Christianity. Julius Africanus resorted to the Sethite theory as a more comfortable way of dealing with this. The problem with the Sethite view is that it violates the text. The phrase, “sons of God,” is never used of believers in the Old Testament. Furthermore, Seth was not God and Cain was not Adam. Blurring those distinctions imposes on the text. The idea that they were supposed to stay separate is strange because individual lines don’t show up until Genesis 11. Isaac was the first one to be told to remain separate, not Ishmael or any of the others. In any case, in chapter 6, “all flesh is corrupted,” which included the Sethites. If they were supposed to represent the good guys, why did they drown in the Flood? The inferred godliness of Seth turns out to be wrong because only Enoch and the eight people in the Ark were spared in the Flood. The real problem is the Nephilim. When believers and unbelievers marry, they do not yield offspring that are physiologically different. The Scripture indicates that the offspring were distinctive: the “HaGibborim,” the mighty ones. And what made Noah’s genealogy so distinctive was that his family tree was uncontaminated with these intrusions. Later, in chapter 6, we read, “These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God” (verse 9). The word “perfect” is a term to mean “without blemish,” “sound,” “healthful,” “without spot,” or “unimpaired.” It is always used with regard to physical defects. The Scripture is telling us that Noah was distinctive in that his genealogy was not blemished. In summary, the Sethite view violates the text itself. It depends on inferred separation that the text does not support. It infers the godliness of the Sethites, which the text does not support. It infers a Cainite subset of the Adamites, which is reading into the text. The result of this is unnatural offspring, which is unexplained by the Sethite view. The New Testament confirms the angel view. I used to believe this was just a peripheral issue. Then while preparing another book I was startled to realize that one cannot understand major portions of the Old Testament and major prophetic issues unless you recognize the reality of this strange passage in Genesis 6:4. The passage says, “there were giants in the earth in those [Flood] days; and also after that.” So there were some occurrences of this kind even “after” the Flood. In Genesis 14 and 15 and later in the Old Testament, certain tribes—the Rephaim, the Emim, the Horim, the Zamsummim—are “Nephilim.” Arba, Anak and his seven sons were the Anakim. They were encountered in Canaan in Numbers 13 when Moses sent the twelve spies. The ten who came back terrified said, “There are giants in the land” (the word is “Nephilim”). Og, the king of Bashan, is the King of the Giants in Deuteronomy 3 and Joshua 12. Goliath had four brothers who also were a derivative offspring of the “Nephilim.” From cover to cover, the Bible is a drama about Satan trying to thwart the plan of God. As God revealed His plan in more detail, Satan was able to focus his attack. Here, in Genesis 6, we find Satan attempting to corrupt the human line. If God was going to redeem His creation through the descendants of Adam, by corrupting that line Satan could prevent the birth of the Messiah. That was apparently his strategy, and God used a barge and eight people to thwart that strategy. Because of this evil union between the fallen angels and humans (women), earth’s society became increasingly corrupted in that “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was on evil continually.” Because of this the Lord “was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” This corruption of the human race by fallen angels resulting in the proliferation of evil caused God to declare “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years”—a reference to the Holy Spirit’s work in revealing man’s sinfulness, which is preparatory to the salvation experience, and also a reference to the time-frame of 120 years that man now had before God’s judgment of the Flood. We believe that Noah preached for 120 years and during that time the Spirit of God was striving with men. Peter makes it very clear that it was back in the days of Noah that the Spirit of God was striving with men in order that He might bring them to God—but they would not turn. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison” (1 Pet. 3:18-19). These spirits were in prison when Peter wrote, but they were preached to in the days of Noah. How do we know that? Verse 20 reads: “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a-preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” When were they disobedient? During the longsuffering of God in the days of Noah—during those 120 years. (Thru the Bible commentary, J. Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publisher, 1981) The day is coming when by means of the Rapture the restraining (or striving) quality of the Holy Spirit via the Church will once again be taken from this world and its affairs. Once this is done, literally “all hell” will break loose, just as in the days of Noah. This will be the Great Tribulation in which violence, degradation and suffering will prevail. Yes, the Holy Spirit will always be present (He is omnipresent, for He is God) to seal new believers when they by faith alone in Christ alone are saved, but all other influence, which today He administers through the Church, will be gone. Mankind will be left to itself to sink into Satan’s pit of total corruption—and its eternal consequences. Genesis 6:6, 7 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” This sorrow is not indicative of an arbitrary change of mind or of a change in the nature of God (Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17). Rather, it indicates a predictably appropriate change of attitude on God’s part in response to man’s behavior. Because God is holy, He must react against evil and its fruit, sin. In the King James Version of the Bible the phrase, “was sorry,” is represented by the word, “repented.” Repented does not imply that God made a mistake in His dealings with men, but rather indicates a change in divine direction resulting from the actions of man. It is “an anthropopathism” (a human emotion applied to God), describing the pain that is caused God by the destructiveness of His creatures. It is used 30 times with God as its subject, each time speaking of a change of mind or intention that accords with His righteous purposes, and results in action commensurate with those purposes. (The King James Study Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985) It is notable that God mentioned the destruction of all life upon earth with one exception, fish. One can only conjecture that fish were excluded for two reasons: (1) they did not share the same air-environment of man, birds and animals—they lived in the water and God would destroy all air-breathing creatures by water, so He would only be sending more water; and (2) they may have been part of the food source for those He would save by the ark. Genesis 6:8, 9 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. In verse 8 there is the first mention of grace in the Bible. Both in the Hebrew (chen) and in the Greek (charis) the word has several shades of meaning and translations: grace, kindness, favor, loveliness, charm, preciousness. It is a term that is often used in a human superior-inferior relationship. But when used in the relationship between God and man, and this is particularly true in the New Testament, it expresses “unmerited [no expectation of return] kindness or favor.” Noah “found” grace in the eyes of the Lord. The word “found” in Hebrew is matsa, which may be understood as “to attain or to take hold on.” This gives rise to the question: How did Noah “find” [attain or take hold on] this grace? To fully understand the answer the student must go to the New Testament. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear [respect], prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. (Hebrews 11:6, 7) The principle of faith, which is the only way man may achieve the approbation (approval) of God was the same in the Old Testament as it was in the New Testament and as it is today. God’s grace (unmerited favor) toward man has never changed. It exists for all mankind. But man must appropriate this free grace, and this can only be done by faith. Noah appropriated the grace of God solely by faith. The question then arises: What does it mean “by faith?” It is more than a simple head acknowledgment of God (James 2:19); it is a total trust or confidence in Him and His Word. Although this passage doesn’t exactly say it, Noah was a righteous man. This is made clear in Genesis 7:1 and in Ezekiel 14:14 when God includes him along with Daniel and Job as being righteous. Then, in 2 Peter 2:5, it is learned that Noah was a “preacher of righteousness.” But the primary lesson, which is supported by all of Holy Writ, is that the righteousness of God may only be apprehended by faith (Romans 1:17). John Wesley had this to say about Noah: Noah was a just man—Justified before God by faith in the promised seed; for he was an heir of the righteousness which is by faith, Heb 11:7. He was sanctified, and had right principles and dispositions implanted in him: and he was righteous in his conversation, one that made conscience of rendering to all their due, to God His due, and to men theirs. And he walked with God as Enoch had done before him: in his generation, even in that corrupt degenerate age. It is easy to be religious when religion is in fashion; but it is an evidence of strong faith to swim against the stream, and to appear for God, when no one else appears for Him: so Noah did, and it is upon record to his immortal honor. In the days of Noah there was no such thing as rain or of aquatic springs that would flood the land. There were no such vessels as arks or boats. All such occurrences or implements were unknown to man. So when God instructed Noah to build an ark of gargantuan size on dry land, which construction took over one hundred years, one can only wonder about the derision (mockery, insults, contempt, ridicule) that was heaped upon Noah and his family during this time. Yet in spite of the scorn and disdain of man personally and the pain he must have experienced seeing his family subject to the same, Noah believed in God totally, that is, he completely trusted in God and His Word—his faith moving him to the action of obedience to God’s instructions. Because of Noah’s faith, he found God’s grace—that same grace that applies to mankind to this day. But it was not until the coming of Christ that grace took on its fullest meaning. His self-sacrifice is grace itself (2 Cor 8:9). This grace is absolutely free (Rom 6:14; 5:15-18; Eph 1:7; 2:8-9). When it is received by the believer, it governs his spiritual life by compounding favor upon favor. It equips, strengthens, and controls all phases of his life (2 Cor 8:6-7); Col 4:6; 2 Thess 2:16; 2 Tim 2:1). Consequently, the Christian gives thanks (“charis”) to God for the riches of grace in His unspeakable gift (2 Cor 9:15). The apostle Paul was the principal human instrument to convey the full meaning of grace in Christ. The NT offers grace to all, in contrast to the OT which generally restricted the offer of grace to God’s elect people Israel. Grace in its fullest definition is God’s unmerited favor in the gift of His Son, who offers salvation to all and who gives to those who receive Him as their personal Savior added grace for this life and hope for the future. . . . . At least three motives are indicated in the NT as to why God acts in grace, especially in salvation. He does it to express His love (Eph 2:4; Jn 3:16), to be able to display His grace in the ages to come (Eph 2:7), and that redeemed man will produce good works (Eph 2:10). . . .(Wycliffe Bible Dictionary, Charles C. Ryrie, Ph.D., Professor of Biblical Theology, Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky) As mentioned previously in the comments by Chuck Missler, the description of Noah as a just and perfect man had reference to his not being tainted by the unholy union between occupants of heaven (fallen angels) and earth (human women). But the description in this passage also states that “Noah walked with God.” Noah and Enoch (5:22) are the only men in Scripture who are said to have “walked with God.” Two thoughts come to mind in considering them and their “walk with God.”
Genesis 6:10-13 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” Here it is reiterated that Noah gave birth to three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth (5:32). Next the Holy Spirit reiterates the state of the earth, as the result of the angel-human procreative activities, which was born of Satan’s plan to destroy the linage of the foretold Messiah. At this time in history earth’s population was “corrupt before God;” its inhabitants did not recognize God. They may in fact have been “religious,” with many gods—but they would not recognize and honor the one true and living God. Because of this, “the earth was filled with violence.” Society without God can go in only one direction, which is toward an increasingly violent state. When man sears his conscience by forsaking God, he eventually becomes as the beast in the field or as fish in the sea where the strong preys on and then violently consumes the weak and then each other. No property or life was safe; only violence ruled the land. None of this escaped God’s attention. He is always acutely aware of every thought and every action of man. Man’s actions, corrupt or otherwise, can never escape the “eye of God.” The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, No, not one. (Psalm 14:2, 3) The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works. (Psalm 33:13-15) God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, No, not one. (Psalm 53:2, 3) And because of this totally depraved state of affairs what now existed upon the earth, God declares to Noah that He will use the forces of the earth to destroy all air-breathing life (6:17) upon it. Note that God seems always to take council with those who are righteous, who truly recognize Him in faith. The same council is available to the believer today. It is the Bible—the Word of God. It not only will guide one’s path, but it will make clear what soon will come. It is a shame that many Christians treat it so lightly! Genesis 6:14-16 “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.” John C. Whitcomb, Th.D., Director of Postgraduate Studies, Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Indiana, in the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary has this to say concerning the ark: Noah’s ark was a colossal barge which God commanded Noah to build for the purpose of keeping alive members of his family and two of every kind of land animal through a universal flood (see Flood) which would come upon the earth in 120 years (Gen 6:3, 14-21). The ark (Heb. “teba,” fro the Egyptian “db’t” meaning “chest,” “box,” or “coffin,” and found elsewhere only in Ex 2:3, 5) was not a ship with sloping sides, rudder, and mast, but rather a barge-like repository intended only to float and to withstand the impact of waves. Shaped thus, its carrying capacity was one-third greater than a ship of similar length and width, and it would have been almost impossible to capsize. The ark was constructed of gopher wood (cypress?) and was protected by an inner and outer coating of pitch or bitumen (Heb. “koper”). The three decks were divided into rooms (Heb. “qinnim,” “nests”). Around the entire vessel just below the roof was an opening for light; and in one side was a door (Gen 6:14-16). . . . The ark was 300 cubits long, 50 wide, and 30 high (Gen 6:15). Assuming that the basic Hebrew cubit was 17:5 inches . . . , the ark was 437.5 feet long, 72.92 feet wide and 43.75 feet high. Since it had three decks, its total deck area was about 95,000 square feet. The total volume of the ark would have been 1,396,000 cubic feet, giving it a gross tonnage of about 13,960 tons, which is well within the category of large metal ocean-going vessels today. . . . Not until the last half of the 19th century was a ship built with dimensions exceeding that of the ark. . . . . For well over a century, scholars have debated whether the ark was sufficiently large to carry two of every kind of air-breathing animal in the world, plus an additional five of each “clean” kind. It must be recognized, in the first place, that two or more similar “species” of modern taxonomy may be included within one Genesis “kind.” But more important, the vast majority of nearly one million species of today are marine creatures which could have survived outside the ark. A leading systematic taxonomist, Ernst Mayr, lists 17,660 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. So we may assume that there were probably not more than 35,000 individual vertebrate animals in the ark, the average size being that of a sheep. Since a standard two-decked railroad stock car (with an effective capacity of 2,670 cubic feet) can carry about 240 sheep, only 146 stock cars would be needed to carry 35,000 animals of this average size. But the ark had a carrying capacity equivalent to that of 522 stock cars; so it is obvious that it was entirely adequate for its God-intended purpose . . . . When fully laden with its cargo (Gen 6:21), the ark sank into the water 15 cubits, or one-half its height. This seems to be the implication of Gen 7:20 (“fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail”), for if the Flood had not covered the mountains by at lest 15 cubits, the ark could not have floated over them. . . . This commentator believes the most accurate and timely information regarding Noah’s ark can be found at www.ronwyatt.com. This is the site of the late Ron Wyatt, a registered nurse anesthetist and amateur archeologist. But during his life time and his hundreds of trips into the Biblical lands, he was credited by many with finding the remains of Noah's Ark, the ashen ruins of Sodom & Gomorrah, the spot where the Red Sea Crossing took place, the real Mt. Sinai (not in Egypt but in Saudi Arabia), the location of the crucifixion site of Jesus Christ and the hiding place of the Ark of the Covenant. In fact, and his reasoning is valid, Ron believed that the cubit Noah [who recorded the account in Genesis] would have known would have been the Royal Egyptian Cubit, the most universal standard of measurement in the ancient world at that time. There was no "Hebrew cubit" in existence during Moses' time . . . . 300 Royal Egyptian Cubits equals 515 feet, not the 450 feet commonly accepted (and based on the future Hebrew cubit). Ron discovered the remains of the ark in a crescent-shaped valley at 7,000 feet altitude 20 miles south of Mount Ararat. His video documentary of this event is most compelling. This commentator recommends the above listed web site for additional study regarding Noah’s Ark and various Biblical sites of great significance. Genesis 6:17-22 “And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.” Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did. More of the details and validation of the Flood will be covered in the preface to the next chapter. In verse 18 is the first recording of the word, “covenant,” in the Bible. Although the number and types of covenants between God and man is subject to interpretation, most, if not all, of these covenants have already been covered (above) in the preface of this chapter. As to this passage, the importance is that God instructed Noah as to who and what was permitted in the ark, and “Noah did according to all that God commanded him.” So no matter how much of a laughing-stock Moses was made by the inhabitants of earth during the 120 days he preached righteousness and built the ark, his faith in God and His Word sustained him and assured his obedience to his Creator. |