The Days of Noah

Genesis 6:1-8

How many times have you been asked, “Are you ready for Christmas?” It’s an interesting question. Today is the second Sunday in December, the Christmas season, traditionally called “Advent” in the Christian church. The word “advent” comes from a Latin word that means “coming.” During Advent, believers commemorate Christ’s incarnation and anticipate His promised return. The truth is we live between advents. The first Advent of Christ was over two thousand years ago when God sent His Eternal Son into this world, born of the Virgin Mary and laid in a manger. In His first advent Christ came to die on the cross for our sins and be raised again the third day. The second Advent of Christ will be when the Lord Jesus Christ returns in power and great glory to judge the world and consummate His eternal kingdom.

You might be wondering if I am going to take a break from our study of Genesis to preach about Christmas. Well, not this week! Because Genesis, like the whole Bible, points to Jesus (John 5:39; Luke 24:45-47). Something would have gone sadly wrong if we were able to go to the book of Genesis and find that Christ was missing from there. Jesus said (John 5:45), “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.”

We have already seen Christ in creation because John 1:3 tells us “all things were made through Him.” We have seen Christ in the plurality of the Godhead as God says, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). We also seen have in Adam a type of Christ (Rom. 5:14) who is the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45), the Son of God (Mark 1:1; Luke 3:38) whose obedience will make many righteous (Rom. 5:18). We have seen Christ, like Adam, is the bridegroom who is “one flesh” with His bride, the church, whom the Father has given to the Son (Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:31-32).

We have seen the need for a savior as the human race fell into sin in Genesis 3. From that point forward we have seen the devastating consequences of sin. Alistair Begg pointed out that in Genesis 3-5 sin spoils God’s good creation; sin spreads rapidly in mankind; and sin separates the human race from God and each other. But we also saw the promise of Christ in Genesis 3:15 where the Seed of the woman will bruise the serpent’s head, while the serpent will bruise His heal. This is a promise of Christ’s victory over Satan. So, we have in Genesis the first hint of the gospel.

We have seen in the story of Cain and Abel the offer of a more excellent sacrifice (Heb 11:4) and a picture of Christ “Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel” (Heb. 12:24).

In Genesis 5 we have the godly seed of Christ transmitted through the line of Seth (Gen 5:3), the taking away of Enoch who walked with God (Gen. 5:24) and in Noah the promise of rest—comfort and removal of the curse. The name Noah means “rest” as Lamech said (Gen. 5:29), “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed.” And so, with the arrival of Noah, it raises the question, “Will this be the one who will deliver men from the curse of sin?” We will discover, of course, that Noah was not the savior but that he did have a crucial part in the unfolding story of redemption.

That brings us to Genesis 6 today. Let’s read our text, Genesis 6:1-8:

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.

These are the days of Noah. We would do well to pay attention to these verses, since Jesus compared the days just prior to His second advent to the days just prior to the flood. He said (Matt. 24:37-39), “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 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, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” As we celebrate Christ’s first advent this season, Genesis 6 is a warning for us to be prepared for Christ’s second advent. Jesus said (Matt. 24:42), “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” So the real question we should be asking these days is not “Are you ready for Christmas?” but “Are you ready for Christ’s coming?”

In the days of Noah most were not. In Genesis 6 first we see,

1. Man’s corruption (Gen. 6:1-5)

A. Three interpretations of “sons of God”

There are several interpretive questions regarding these first few verses in Genesis 6. The first question we have is, Who are the sons of God and the daughters of men? This has been a hotly debated question in biblical interpretation. Historically, there have been three main answers to this.

The first view is that the phrase “sons of God” is a technical term from the Ancient Near East that describes human rulers who were despots. These powerful rulers were striving for fame and fertility. Some see them as possibly controlled or indwelled by demons. In some Ancient Near Eastern cultures, kings often were called the sons of one of the gods, and even in the Bible, the Hebrew word gods, “elohim,” is used for men in positions of authority (Exod. 21:6; Ps. 82:1, 6). In this view the “daughters of men” are all women. The sin of these rulers was their lust for power and women. The weaknesses of this view are that depends on evidence outside the bible, it stretches the biblical terms, and it doesn’t seem to account for the total corruption of all mankind.

A second, more widely held, view is that “the sons of God” refers to fallen angels (demons) who came to earth in human bodies and cohabited with women, resulting in a superhuman race called the Nephilim (Gen. 6:4). Many respected modern Bible scholars hold this view (A. W. Pink, Donald Barnhouse, Ray Stedman, James Boice, Charles Ryrie). It goes back as early as the Septuagint in 200 B.C. Justin Martyr and Tertullian held this view in the early Church, but it was opposed vigorously by Augustine and Chrysostom and later by the Reformers.

The strongest argument for it is that every other time the term “sons of God,” is used in the Bible, it refers to angels (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Dan. 3:25; Pss. 29:1; 89:6). Also, Peter and Jude in the New Testament mention angels (or demons) who in the context of the flood disobeyed by abandoning their proper abode, thus incurring God’s judgment (1 Pet. 3:19, 20; 2 Pet. 2:4, 5; Jude 6). It is argued that these fallen angels cohabited with women. But, how could angels do this? Maybe because they appeared in human form. In Genesis 19, the evil men of Sodom desired to have homosexual relations with the angels who visited Lot. We could object that Jesus said that angels do not marry (Matt. 22:30). But supporters of this view answer that Jesus said that the angels of God in heaven do not marry. But Jesus said neither will men and women marry in heaven even though we do on earth. Proponents also argue that in the context of Genesis, Satan wanted to thwart God’s promise to bring a deliverer by the seed of the woman by corrupting the human race with this superhuman race of giants.

Against this view we might say that while the term “sons of God” refers to angels in other Old Testament uses, in those places it refers to righteous angels, not to fallen angels or demons (In Job 1:6 and 2:1, Satan is distinguished from the sons of God, as if he were not part of their number). “Sons of God” seems like a strange term for fallen angels.

The third view is that “sons of God” refers to the godly descendants of Seth, who called on the name of the Lord (Gen. 4:26 & 5:1-32); the daughters of men would refer to ungodly women, mostly from the line of Cain, who rejected God (Gen. 4:16-24). The problem described here, which led to the corruption of the human race and the judgment of the flood, was the intermarriage of the godly line of Seth with godless women.

In favor of this interpretation is the fact that Genesis 4-5 clearly shows the development of two lines—the godly and the ungodly. And we know from many other warnings in the Bible that God forbids believers to deliberately marry unbelievers. While the exact term “sons of God” is not used of men elsewhere, God’s people are called His sons in the Old Testament (Deut. 32:5; Ps. 73:15; Hos. 1:10). With regard to the New Testament references (1 Pet. 3:19-20; 2 Pet. 2:4-5; Jude 6), there are other adequate interpretations that do not require angel-human intermarriage.

If these are mere men, then why does Moses call them “sons of God”? It is an unusual designation. If it were not, everybody would agree on the interpretation! The best answer is that Moses used the term to underscore the high standards which the Sethites should have observed (H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Genesis [Baker], p. 252; also, see Calvin). As “sons of God,” they should have known better than to marry godless women. But instead, they married on the basis of physical attraction only, not on the basis of godly character. They “saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose” (Gen. 6:2). The result was the compromise of godly standards which led to the corruption and judgment of the human race.

B. One application – total corruption of sin

It’s easy to lose the application of this text in the debate over the right interpretation. The debate is centuries old, with godly men holding differing views. But whichever view is right, the application is the same–that the human race before the flood was corrupted by sin. And sin begins with compromise. Satan often uses wrongful marriages as an area of compromise to seduce God’s people. It will happen over and over again to the people of Israel in the Old Testament. They will be led to compromise through ungodly unions. It still happens today. I have seen many young people neutralized in their Christian lives by marrying “nice” unbelievers or worldly-minded professing Christians.

God’s response to their compromise comes in Genesis 6:3, “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.”” God’s patience finally wore thin. The word translated “strive” means to “judge” or may also mean to “govern.” In that sense, this verse is both a warning of judgment and a promise of grace extended for a short period of time. The reason God gives for not striving forever to restrain men from their evil ways is: “for he is indeed flesh.” Men had cast off any desire to live in the realm of the spirit, and was living as mere flesh.

The result is: “yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” Some understand this to mean that man’s lifespan would be shortened to 120 years as opposed to the long lifespans before the flood. Certainly, mankind’s lifespans decreased significantly within just a few generations after the flood to be about the same as they are today. But I take it that the 120 years refers not to man’s new lifespan, but to the years remaining before the flood. Up until now, God’s Spirit has protected mankind from total self-destruction, but at some point (120 years in the case of Noah’s day) God will no longer strive with man and he will then be left to his own devices.

The message of Romans 1 is the same. When men rebel against God, sooner or later God “gives them up” to their own sinful choices. God will not strive with men forever. Judgment day is coming. In Noah’s day, it meant that in 120 years, the flood would come and take them all away. Until then, God’s grace was extended by giving men time to repent.

Peter also writes about how the last days will be like the days of Noah (2 Pet. 3:1-9):

1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

God will keep His promise that Christ will come again. Until that time comes, God is showing patience in giving sinner time to repent. If God has not destroyed you for your sin it isn’t because He is indifferent to it. It is because He is gracious toward you. He is giving you time to repent and be saved. But as in the days of Noah, God’s patience will not last forever.

Moses goes on to describe the corruption of Noah’s day in Genesis 6:4,

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.

The word “giants” is the Hebrew word Nephilim. This word occurs only one other time, in Numbers 13:33. There the spies who return to the Israelite camp report that they had seen the Nephilim, and that they felt like grasshoppers in comparison to them. It is because of this that the KJV translates it “giants.” Who were the Nephilim? Those who hold to the angel interpretation say that they were a race of giants who resulted from the union of the angels with the daughters of men. But the text doesn’t say that they are the product of that union, only that they were on the earth at that time and also afterward.

Nephilim comes from a word meaning “to fall upon” or “cast out.” It apparently points to men of violence, who had a reputation of falling upon their enemies. They may or may not all have been giants physically. But the point is, they were vicious men who would just as soon kill you as look at you. Moses’ point is that the generation prior to the flood was notorious for its violence (Gen. 6:13, “for the earth is filled with violence through them”). Their hardened, open rebellion against God led to unchecked sin that resulted in the worst sort of violence and corruption.

C. Three dimensions of sin’s corruption

God declares their complete corruption in Genesis 6:5, “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.” Here is mankind as God sees it. This is the human race wholly apart from God’s grace. Mans’ wickedness is expressed here in three dimensions:

“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth.” In other words, the evidence of man’s sin was not hidden away. It was open and obvious. The violence, greed, sexual immorality, and self-centeredness was pervasive. Our days must be much like the days of Noah. There’s no need for me to itemize the statistics on immorality and violent crime in our world. It is so commonplace that we’ve now come up with mechanisms not to try to correct it but to accommodate it.
“and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil.” God looked beyond the actual deeds of wickedness and saw the hearts. And what He saw was total corruption. Sin always begins with the thoughts of the heart (Mark 7:20-23; James 1:14). Every sin is an inside job. Flip Wilson was wrong when he insisted, “The devil made me do it!”
“…only evil continually” There is no dimension of life that is untouched by sin, and there is no part of my life—body, mind, and soul—that is not impacted by sin. Because sin skews the way we think and feel. In Romans 8 Paul makes that perfectly clear (Rom. 8:7-8), “because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” In his flesh man doesn’t know God, is at war with God, and can’t please God. Continually.

This is mankind’s corruption. Next we see,

2. God’s judgment (Gen. 6:6-7)

God determined to bring judgment on the whole world because of man’s corruption. 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.””

A. The Lord’s sorrow

Ponder these phrases carefully: “the LORD was sorry” and “He was grieved in His heart.” God’s grief is a sign of His great love. The Lord is not some unfeeling God in heaven who sets the world in motion and then watches in disinterest while men and women destroy themselves. His heart breaks over the sin that covers the earth. He weeps over broken homes, broken promises, suffering children, and the wreckage of human sin that covers planet earth and turns it into a massive junkyard of pain, sadness, shame and guilt.

The Lord only brings judgment after He has repeatedly warned and appealed to us to turn from our sin. When He does judge, His judgments are always just. God has a right to judge man, because He created him (Gen. 6:7). But, even then, as He said to Ezekiel, “’As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die’” (Ezek. 33:11).

B. The Lord’s judgment

God takes no pleasure in condemning sinners, but neither is God indifferent to our rebellion. God will judge the sinful corruption of mankind. In Noah’s day God says He will destroy man from the face of the earth (Gen. 6:7), “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.”

That passage in 2 Peter we read earlier reminds us that God will judge the whole world again like He did in the days of Noah. Genesis 6-9 is a foreshadowing of what will happen at the end of the age: that God will execute His righteous judgment. Most people today scoff at this idea, but this merely proves their rebellion against God. Perhaps the clearest evidence of the fact of our enmity against God is in our absolute unwillingness to admit that the judgment of God is just, deserved, and real. And unless someone sounds out the message of the Bible—unless someone is brave enough to say, “No, actually, the judgment of God is just” Then our world is totally lost and without hope.

But the good news is that God never leaves us without hope. In Genesis 6:8 we see,

3. God’s grace (Gen. 6:8)

“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” This is the first mention of the word “grace” in the Bible. When used of God’s favor toward man it means His undeserved favor. Do not read this verse and think, “Noah was a really good man, a righteous man, and because he obeyed God, he earned God’s favor.” That’s impossible. It doesn’t happen that way. Noah didn’t “earn” favor with God, he found it. In Genesis 6:9 we find that “Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” Verse 9 is a result of verse 8. Noah was a righteous man because he found grace from the Lord. Listen, verse Grace was given to Noah the same way it is given to anyone today. Either grace is a gift or it isn’t grace.

When sin was at its peak, we read that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. That’s a great encouragement. It means that in spite of the corruption, the horrible violence, immorality and degradation around us, God’s grace for individuals still shines through. Where sin abounds, grace superabounds (Rom. 5:20). No matter how terrible your sin, you can find grace if you will turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus did not come to save the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance. If you will agree with God’s view of your heart (Gen. 6:5), and cry out to Him, “Be merciful to me, the sinner” (Luke 18:13) He will pour out His grace and salvation on you. You will be able to stand in the judgment—not on your merits, but on God’s grace through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

In these last days that are so much like the days of Noah, let me ask you again, “Are you ready for His Coming?”