Genesis, In the Beginning - I
Genesis 6:1-16
October 21, 2007
John Ryan

Genesis 6:1-2, 4 1 When man began to multiply on the face of the land ...
In the midst of this great population increase, evil grows. Who exactly were the sons of God? In the Book of Job the phrase is used for angelic beings (Job 1:6; 2:1). The phrase, "sons of God" appears in the New Testament as a name for people who are in a covenant relationship with God (Romans 8:12-19). We have three options as to who these people were? 1) They were fallen angels or demons. 2) They were those who followed God. 3) They were humans who were indwelt by demons or fallen angels. Each option has its problems. 1) No where in scripture does it say angels and humans can mate. Jesus said angels do not marry (Matt. 22:30). 2) Why would God's people create giants who were cited here as being part of the most vile evil ever on the earth? 3) This phrase is never used in scripture to speak of men who are demonized. "sons of God" could be a reference to rulers over men in that day. This phrase, although not used in the Bible, is used in other literature of the day. Each has its issues. However, 1 and 3 seem most likely. 1) Demons could break all the rules and come to earth to marry. Angels throughout scripture could look like men in form. 2) It does not seem likely this refers to Godly men. 3) These could have been men descended from Cain who were rulers and possibly indwelt by demonic angels. Whatever the case, it is obvious that these were evil men being ruled by evil forces. Literature of the day speaks of kings who were half god and half men of great strength and stature. "Nephilim" is the Hebrew word for giants and that was the result of these marriages. All through the scripture and history we have evidences of giant strong men.

Genesis 6:3 ... for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.
God declares that man is fleshly (sinful and not after the things of God). His Spirit will not "abide in" means dwell with or contend with. The point - God says He is done with the evil that man is. His days shall be numbered to 120 years. What does this refer to? Many think this means instead of living for hundreds of years man will be limited to no more than 120 years during a life time. The only problem with this is that for years after the flood, men lived past 120. Abraham was 175 when he died and Sarah was 127 for example. This 120 year sentence was a reference to how long before the flood. It is interesting, most ship builders believe it would have taken at least 100 years for Noah to have built the structure he did with just his family

Genesis 6:5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great ...
Listen to the judgment of man by God Almighty. 1) The type of evil was great. The things he actually did were spiritually abhorrent to God. 2) Even every thought was about evil. 3) The amount of evil was numerically great.

Genesis 6:6 ... the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
We see the emotions of God revealed. He can be made sad and He can be hurt. The word here means to live in the pain of a great loss. This is how we feel when someone very close to us dies or leaves us. This is how sin affects God.
Genesis 6:7 So the LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created ...
Here we see God's character. He is holy. He is just. He is fully and completed perfect in all He is and all He does. Everything He is and does is perfect. So, when we say God is just - He is perfectly just. Here - the questions are asked? Is God perfectly just in choosing to destroy the earth? What about His mercy? What about His love which is perfect also. How can perfect mercy and perfect justice exist in the same being? Don't they contradict?

First question - Is God perfectly just here in choosing to destroy the earth?
First, God created the earth and men He says in verse 7. It is His creation so He could do as He pleases, but that would not demonstrate His perfect justice; rather, it would demonstrate His sovereignty. This word "created" here means to form with intentional design. God had intentionally designed man to reflect the greatness of God. Now, all he reflected was the great rebellion of men. In ten generations, man gone from walking with God in the garden to inventing new ways to grieve God's heart daily. God who can see all (He saw their thoughts) knows that every action and every thought of all men were continually evil. Evil here is a word that represents the most grievous aspect of sin to God. It is the picture of men wanting nothing to do with God and doing everything they can to be the opposite of God. It does not simply mean grotesque acts. Only we categorize sins. God sees Sin. Evil here is the attitude and the action that opposes God's rule and love. Would God be perfectly just in condemning all to die? According to God's character, yes He would. Being holy means God is grieved and angered by sin. He is grieved because He knows the damage to us. He is angered because His holiness requires He judge sin. We believe in justice. We believe certain acts must be punished justly. The question lies in what are those acts. For holy God, any person who is sinful must be judged. The whole earth had become so full of sin that God in His perfect justice had to destroy the people and animals of the earth.

Second Question - Where is God's mercy and His love in the flood?
Where was God's love and mercy? First, it had been shown for 10 generations as God pursued men after they sinned like Adam, Cain, Seth, Enosh, and Enoch. Some responded - some did not. Second, during the 120 years before the flood, God preached to the evil men and women of this earth through Noah.

God did not spare the ancient world, but brought the flood on the world of godless people; the only ones he saved were Noah, who preached righteousness, and seven other people. (II Peter 2:5 GNT)

Third, He chose not to destroy Noah and his family. The Word does say Noah "was a righteous man and blameless in his generation." This means he was right with God and right before man. Does this mean he was holy? No, the words don't mean this or imply this in any way. Does it mean his family was? No.

Matter of fact, soon after Noah exits the ark many years and a great flood from this point in scripture, he gets drunk. This sin leads to another sin and we see that this is not the model family or the Beaver Cleavers of the spiritual world. So why did God chose Noah? He chose Noah because Noah was the only man who walked with and after God. He did not choose Noah because Noah had been good enough to make Himself right before God. Rather, He chose Noah because he faithed that God alone could make Him right before God.

Third Question - How can God be perfect justice and mercy?

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. / I Peter 3:18-20

Perfect justice and perfect mercy can only exist in a perfect God. We cannot have these two attributes or demonstrate them. How does God - through - Jesus.
We deserve to die and be separated from God for our sin or rebellious hearts. This is God's perfect justice if He does this. However, God's perfect mercy cannot leave us to this punishment. Jesus is the answer to His justice and mercy. Holy perfect Jesus suffered and died for unholy sinful us. In doing so, He completely fulfilled God's perfect justice by suffering the full punishment of sin. Jesus became all our sin and fully suffered for our sin. After paying for our sin, He was made alive conquering death and sin. Now God can offer forgiveness to us. We are "brought to God - made righteous" by Jesus' perfect act on the cross. This is God's perfect mercy. As we are made righteous by God through what Jesus did, Noah was made righteous by God through what Jesus would do.

There's more - God tells us through the disciple Peter that Jesus had previously gone to preach to the disobedient in the day's of Noah when God patience was delaying judgment. This is a difficult verse - but the best interpretation based on all of scripture is that Jesus went "in the Spirit" during the days of Noah, to those now in prison (present tense of the Hebrew implies now), to preach the gospel of God's righteousness, while the ark was being prepared. No where does scripture teach we receive a 2nd chance after death. Heb. 9:27 says, it is appointed for man to die once and after that comes judgment. Jesus didn't visit souls in hell. This is religious myth spun to destroy the truth of the gospel. God's mercy sent Jesus to preach through Moses. God's patience shown over 120 years demonstrates his mercy and love. The ark like Jesus is the complete picture of who God is - perfect justice and perfect mercy.

Do you have to ask God to make you right with Him through the person and work of Jesus? Do it now! Cry out - Jesus I trust my life to you and your sacrifice on the cross. Forgive me and make me right with you!