Text: Genesis 6:1-8 (NKJV)
1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 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.
3 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.” 4 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.
5 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. 6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 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.” 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:
This brief passage sets the stage for the toledoth of Noah, and it lets the reader get an idea of just how bad things had gotten on Earth since Creation. What had started as a perfect setting of mankind communing directly with God in the Garden of Eden had been ravaged by sin, resulting in a downward spiral into oblivion. The near universality of totally wicked behavior and rejection of God brought a divine hand of judgment; however, God promised to spare righteous Noah (will get to a technical but interesting tidbit on Noah and righteousness in the next post) and anyone who would obediently enter the ark. Only Noah and his immediate family entered the ark, of course also containing representatives of the world's animal species.
Now, let's dive into the text at hand. The meaning of verses 1-4 is hotly contested among Biblical scholars, and there must be some challenging questions that arise. Who were these "sons of God"? If they were angels as many believe, how did they produce offspring since angels do not reproduce? Is this proof of a different race of similar-to-but-not-human beings? Some have suggested that the were fallen angels (demons), aliens, human rulers, or the sons of Seth as the Godly lineage from Adam. Let's examine the views on who the "sons of God" are below:
- Angelic Beings: It would seem that Jesus taught that angels do not reproduce in Matthew 22:30. The expressions there are idiomatic and indicative to that end, but they really don't totally preclude the ability of angelic beings to reproduce, just that the good angels in Heaven do not marry (thus, reproduce). Additionally, angels are described as God's messengers and ministering spirits, but they are not portrayed in the role as His sons elsewhere in Scripture. That being said, this would best account among these ideas for the nephilim ("giants") in 6:4. This theory also fits well with the theme of this introduction- sin, as this was outside the system established by God. I am going to describe the theory that fallen angels are the "sons of God" as possible.
- Aliens: There is no evidence in the earlier chapters of Genesis or the entire Bible to reflect the existence of any other physical beings outside of Earth. We'll leave this theory for the loonies.
- Human Rulers: I think this one is possible; however, I don't really think it is a good one. Certainly those with power could be seen through the higher ascription "of God" than "of men", but that really isn't very consistent with the narrative. If this were the case, it would be more a condemnation of inter-class marriage than fitting with the theme of sin in this passage.
- Sons of Adam's Son Seth: Of these four theories, I think this is one of the two most likely. In it, the Godly lineage of Seth was allegedly intermarrying with the wicked lineage of Cain. This would represent the universal pervasiveness of sin at that time best, but it doesn't really make sense of the nephilim.
Looking into verses 5-7, a very sad picture is painted. The sin of humanity, primarily in rejecting God, was so pervasive and heinous that God is grieved to the point of changing course in His relationship with mankind. In the Garden, God was a close God, portrayed like an older friend. With the sin of Adam and Eve, that relationship changed as sin put distance between man and God. Then, men were condemned to certain physical death and spiritual death if apart from faith in God. By the days of Noah, the rejection of God in the sins of humanity was so great that God declares a new stage in the relationship- appropriate judgment. God declared that He would wipe out the human population and all the living creatures.
Thankfully, there is a verse 8. Of course, omniscient God knew that Noah would exist eternally before this moment in time; however from a human perspective, humanity's existence hung by a thread. Only one human being on the face of the Earth found favor in the sight of God, due to his faith in God and righteous behavior. It is Noah's toledoth that we will see in the next verse (in the next blog) and will be studying for the next three chapters.
Application(s):
Our world is becoming a place where, when compared with the standards of the Bible, there is great wickedness on the Earth and most people spend their time thinking Biblically wicked thoughts. Jesus taught in Matthew 24:37-39 that such wickedness as in Noah's day would describe the Earth right before the Tribulation judgments and the end of time. I am not making some claim that Jesus is returning on May 14, 2012, nor am I necessitating that He will return in my lifetime. However, judgment is coming on the unbelieving, as in and actually even worse than in Noah's flood. Reflect on your eternal destiny. Do you know for sure where you are going? If you know it is Heaven, what are you doing to preach the truth for others as Noah did faithfully?
Although you are hopefully a Christian, we need to live righteous lives. They serve as testimonies to show Christ to a world that does not believe in Him, they glorify God, and they are an act of obedience to God. Read Romans 6:1-14 if you are struggling with the idea of needing to live obediently to God.
Other Studies from Genesis
"Herme- what?" How to Understand the Bible
glad you covered the "sons of God" aspect. at least somewhat. that part of the passage always threw me off.
ReplyDeletei read this passage a week ago and remember thinking how unfortunate it is that humanity keeps failing God so badly. wasn't it just 2000 years before that earth was created? and now 4000 years after the flood the majority of people reject God again.
considering how bad our failures have been in the past, i wonder if it could happen again? as in, all of Revelations come to pass and we're supposed to be in Heaven with God forever, could man fall again?
Well, based on Genesis 9:8-17 and the Matthew 22 passage, I would say that mankind will become so far distant from God that judgment comes. However, this time it will not be in the form of a flash flood that killed things quickly. Instead, as described in the Matthew passage and Revelations (and elsewhere in Scripture), sin and rejection will get to a point where Jesus will return to remove those who are alive and believe in Him, as well as the souls of those who have died in Him (the Rapture). This will be immediately followed by 7 years of the most horrible judgment possible doled out on the Earth (the Tribulation).
ReplyDeleteBased on Revelations, there is apparently another great rejection of God at the end of the Millennium, a 1000-year period after the Tribulation where Christians and those who believed in Jesus during the Tribulation will live in peace. At the end of those 1000 years, Satan will be unleashed to lead a rebellion against Jesus among the descendants of those survive the Tribulation because of their belief in Jesus.
Does that answer your question?
Also, I know that I introduced a lot of terms and concepts that I have not discussed before on this blog, so if you or anyone else has any questions about such things of the end times (Rapture, Tribulation, Millennium, etc.)