Genesis 6:1-8
The Progress of Evil and a Hopeful Remnant

Introductory Concerns

  1. Why break the passage up this way?
    1. verse 9 begins, "This is the genealogy of...."
      1. This is the way every new section of Genesis begins
      2. So, according to the Spirit-inspired author, you have a complete story ending in "Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord."
    2. Not too strange if you think about it
      1. Genesis 4 depresses you with the triumph of Cain's line and at the end zings you with hope.
      2. So here, you get depressed with the triumph of sin, yet the last note sounded is the triumph of faith.
  2. Review
    1. Cain's line ending in Lamech
      1. Building a city
      2. Crying Me Me Me
      3. Pretending to be stronger than God
    2. Seth's line ending in Noah
      1. No continuing city
      2. Death, death, death (but Enoch taken)
      3. Ending in Lamech's son, Noah, for whom that Lamech has a different hope.
  1. The Sins of Men and God's Response (1-3)
    1. The Lines of Seth and Cain Intermarry
      1. The "sons of God"
        1. Not angels or demons or any supernatural beings
          1. angels neither marry nor are given in marriage
          2. Thus they cannot take wives and bear offspring
        2. Remember the context
          1. The worldly line of Genesis 4
          2. The godly line of Genesis 5
        3. These "sons of God" are those who by faith walk with God and do not boast in their own strength.
          1. The name confesses what Eve confessed
            • I have begotten a man with the help of the Lord, and
            • God has appointed another seed for me
            • Thus, the "sons of God" are the seed of the woman which will crush the head of the serpent.
          2. This is a proper way to speak of such people
          3. When God promised King David a son, he said, "I will be his Father, and he shall be My son."
      2. And who should such sons marry?
        1. The daughters of God obviously, i.e. other faithful children
        2. Thus the godly line should be preserved.
        3. Instead, their eyes are turned by the daughters of men.
        4. They judge not on the basis of faith but on the basis of outward appearance ("they were beautiful", lit. "They were good"
      3. Does this sound familiar?
        1. Remember Eve looking at the fruit and not believing God but believing her own eyes.
        2. She could see it was good for food, who was God to tell her different?
        3. And she in turn led her husband astray
        4. So again, the daughters lead astray the sons
          1. this is why the emphasis is on daughters of men
          2. It's a replay of The woman leading the man astray, but on a massive scale.
          3. It's happening universally, now.
      4. It's a global Cain and Abel all over again too.
      5. So all those faithful men, Seth, Enosh, Cainan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech,
        1. They all had other "sons and daughters"
        2. But do they grow into a big, faithful, covenant family and dominate the earth?
        3. No, they fell away from the faith and married unbelievers.
        4. Think about this when you think about the words of Jesus, "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38"For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark" (Matthew 24:37,8)
        5. We'll talk more about this in a moment
    2. God Gets Ready to Uncreate Mankind
      1. So God sees this increasing wickedness and says it's time to put a stop.
      2. Not, "My Spirit will not strive with" as in NKJV, NIV, NASB, but "My Spirit will not abide in mankind forever" as in RSV and NRSV
        1. God is referring to the day he scooped dust out of the ground and formed a man and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.
        2. He says, I'm going to take that breath back someday
        3. The body will return to the dust and the spirit will return to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12.7)
      3. Because man is flesh, after all - i.e. weak, mortal, not of a constitution that can live forever.
        1. Note at this point that God is not yet expressing anger
        2. But he's saying it's time to put an end to mortal man because he is, after all, mortal.
      4. But he is saying, it's time to put an end to all mankind (he's been putting an end to individuals for quite some time by this point)
        1. Mankind as a whole has just been given the bad news
        2. It has 120 years to live.
  2. The Sins Increase and God's Response Increases (5-7)
    1. The Earthly Line Produces "Giants"
      1. It's unclear whether their were already "giants" around or whether the sons of God and daughters of men produced them all
      2. In any event, though, it's clear the s.o.G. and the d.om. produced some of them.
      3. They were "giants"
        1. Like in Numbers 13:32,33 when the spies report: "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33"There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."
        2. So here, these are men of great stature, mighty and strong
        3. That is, they are a symbol of all those who trust in their own might and in the strength of their arm rather than in the Lord their God
        4. And why shouldn't they? Don't they stride about as giants on the earth?
          1. Aren't they like Lamech strutting around and boasting that he is more powerful than God?
          2. They are truly sons of their earthly, and earth-loving, father, trusting in themselves
      4. And like that father, they are obsessed with earthly reputation
        1. They are "men of renown" lit. men of name
        2. Just like the builders of the Tower of Babel, they want a name on the earth
        3. It is nothing to have a name before God.
        4. But to boast like Lamech and be taken seriously... that's just the best.
      5. Naturally, God gets angry...
    2. God Gets Ready to Uncreate Everything
      1. He who sits in heaven laughs them to scorn. Do they really think they have any power?
      2. So he sees that the wickedness of man is great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
      3. What a sweeping judgment!
        1. great wickedness
        2. Intent - Everything that motivates him or that he leans toward
        3. thoughts of his heart - from the very core of his being
        4. only evil - he thinks nothing else
        5. continually - all the time
      4. This is the character of man, apart from God's grace
        1. This is your character (preach to unbelievers if necessary)
        2. This is how God sees all those who think so much of themselves and are not humble before him
      5. This is what it means to set your eyes on the things of this world and to lay up treasure here and to rely upon your own strength - only evil all the time.
      6. So the Lord repented and was grieved (6)
      7. And he decides to uncreate everything
        1. Not just man, but the whole shebang
        2. He's wrapping up the show

So has the Serpent won? Has he corrupted the entire race of men? Will God be forced to give the whole thing up as a bad job and come in that final judgment day? Where is the seed of the Woman?!?

  1. One Man Finds Favor (8)
    1. Noah has a "name" with God
      1. What a relief! God favors a man.
      2. There is still one left of whom God may say, "This is a son of God; I am well pleased with him."
      3. How? By faith!
      4. Therefore, imitate Noah's faith.
    2. The Remnant will be saved
      1. This is the way God works with his people
      2. The opposing forces seem more powerful
      3. but what does that matter when God is on your side?
      4. Rejoice! You have favor with God.
      5. Do not fear what the world can do. God alone is the judge and he has accepted you in Christ.
      6. Do not seek the favor of men or strength or wealth or permanence here.
        1. What good are those things?
        2. The only ones who're gonna survive this judgment are Noah and his family, because he found favor with God
        3. seek that with all your might by believing in the One whom God sent!
    3. Noah's World Is Your World
      1. Again, Matthew 24:37,8 - "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38"For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark"
      2. Are things any different now?
      3. We're surrounded by those who strut around boasting in their own strength and seeking a home here
        1. They know they will die, but they want to first make their mark so everyone will remember them.
        2. And they're confident they're strong enough to do it - Politicians, actors, businessmen, writers, whatever
        3. What egotism! What futility!
      4. Don't be swayed by their testimony. You KNOW the flood is coming and only what you have on the ark (Jesus) will be saved.
      5. Are you ready for the Judge to come?
        1. (to unbeliever....)
        2. Can you say, Amen, come quickly Lord Jesus?
        3. Or do you still have things you'd rather do and acquire down here?
        4. Shake it off! Snap out of it!
        5. The Lord is coming. His reward is with him. Your heart's desire is at his right hand.

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