Genesis Chapter 5, 6 Commentary by Mark Dunagan

Genesis Chapters 5:1 to 6:8

Outline: I.

The lifetime of Adam: 5:1-5

II.

The line of Seth: 5:1-32 A. The one exception: 5:22-24 B. The anticipation of rest: 5:28-32

III.

The universal spread of rebellion to God: 6:1-5

IV.

The promise of Divine Judgment: 6:6-7

V.

Divine mercy in the midst of judgment: 6:8

“This chapter serves at least three ends in the scheme of Genesis. First, it bears witness to man's value to God, by naming individuals...each is shown and remembered. Secondly, it shows how the line of Seth the 'appointed' (4:25) led on to Noah the deliverer. Thirdly, it both demonstrates the reign of death...and 1 1

conspicuously breaks the rhythm to tell of Enoch, the standing-pledge of death's defeat” (Kidner pp. 79-80).

“Reading Genesis 5, is like walking through a cemetery, produces a solemnity of soul” (Davis p. 104). “This list of names and ages of the antediluvians, which may seem dull and monotonous at first, thus becomes meaningful and exciting on closer inspection. It is from this section, telling us that men once were able to live almost a thousand years, that we deduce something of the marvelous nature of the world's primeval environment. It also indicates that men were able to father children during most of their long lives (Enoch had a son at age sixty-five, for example, and Noah at age five hundred)” (Morris p. 151).

The family of Adam Genesis 5:1 “This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him” “The Book”: That is, the written account. The Hebrew word rendered "book" in this verse can refer to any document, long or short. “Simply means something that is inscribed, irrespective of the external form it takes. For example, a tablet can be a 'seper' (book)” (Hamilton p. 254). “This eems to indicate that the chapter was originally a self-contained unit” (Kidner p. 80). Thus Moses, who is the human compiler of Genesis (under the guidance of the Holy Spirit), might be making use of previously written accounts, i.e. the account written by Adam himself. Luke did the same thing (Luke 1:1-4). Watson makes an excellent point, “For many years a strange myth has been floating around religious education classrooms--we may call it the ‘Camp-Fire-Story-Myth’. Religious education textbooks picture Bedouin graybeards in the flickering firelight telling ‘Tales of a Grandfather’ to eager children with popping eyes. This, we are told, is the way the Bible came to us...hundreds of years of story-telling...Genesis 5 could never have come in a ‘Told To The Children’ series because it is not a story. It could never have survived except as a written record...WHO WOULD CARE TO MEMORIZE GENESIS 5?” (p. 74).

“Generations”: “Here is the list of Adam's descendants” (Mof). “In the likeness of God made he him”: Even after sin entered into the world, man is still said to be in the likeness of God (Genesis 9:6; James 3:9). This demands the conclusion that 2 2

despite the "fall", men and women still have freewill choice, that is, Adam's sin didn't make anyone genetically depraved. “These verses obviously refer to Genesis 1:26-28. The reason for this is clearly to tie this new section back to the first record” (Morris p. 152).

Genesis 5:2 “Male and female created He them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created” “Blessed them”: Genesis 1:28. Leupold notes, “This brief recapitulation serves to recall the first chapter and the glorious original state of the first man as well as his glorious destiny. After the things recorded in chapters 3 and 4, destined to such high things as the opening chapters indicate, achieves no record higher than that of this fifth chapter” (p. 231). “Called their name Adam”: The name Adam can be used for mankind in general or as a personal name for Adam himself. Kidner notes, “emphasize the fact that through male, as head, bore the name of the race” (p. 80). It is very unfortunate that part of our society wishes to re-write the past.

Feminists argue that we should eliminate "man" from the word "woman", and spell it something like "womyn". The attitude that says one gender doesn't need the other is destined to fail, for it finds itself fighting against our own genetic makeup (Genesis 1:27; 2:18; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 11:11-12).

Genesis 5:3 “And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat {a son} in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth” “In his own likeness, after his image”: This may simply mean that Seth had the likeness of Adam (which was the likeness of God), i.e. even after the fall man still had a spiritual makeup, a soul. The question has been, how are we to explain the time-span between the birth of Cain and Abel and that of Seth. Were Adam and Eve so heart-broken following the loss of Abel that they postponed having children for awhile? Did God providentially intervene? Were other unnamed children born between Abel and Seth? Morris notes, “It is also possible that they did have other children before Seth, but he was the one whom God revealed would be the true substitute for Abel, the son whose seed would inherit the promises” (p. 153). Of course such is only speculation.

Genesis 5:4 “And the days of Adam after he begat Seth were eight hundred years: 3 3

and he begat sons and daughters” This tells us that Genesis 5 does not give us a complete list of Adam's descendants, but only a line of descendent from Seth, for from Seth the Messiah would be born (Luke 3:38).

Genesis 5:5 “And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died” The Long Life Spans Some have tried to argue that the names mentioned in this chapter do not refer to individuals but to tribes, yet this doesn't add up, for Adam, Seth, Enoch and Noah were definite individuals. Others argue that the word “year” means “month”. “If ‘year’ means ‘month’ in Genesis 5, then Seth fathered Enos when Seth was just 105 months--or about nine years old! And Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, and Enoch would have been fathers at even younger ages” (Davis p. 106). Following the flood, we find a rapid decline in the human life span. While Noah lived 950 years, Abraham will only live to be 175 (25:7), and Joseph 110 years (50:26). This seems to suggest that a radical change in the earth's environment took place at the flood. Morris notes, “Many writers have noted that the life spans begin a slow and steady decline after the Flood, showing evidently that they were connected with the antediluvian climatological and environmental conditions” (p. 155).

Davis says, “Advocates of the canopy theory suggest that this antediluvian canopy arrested life-shortening solar rays” (p. 106). Yet, what we later find in Genesis may also simply reveal that a sin cursed world is finally taking it's toll upon the human body. Leupold notes, “That even under the curse of sin man's constitution displayed such vitality that it did not at first submit to the ravages of time until after many centuries had passed” (p. 106). In addition, we must also assume that the animal kingdom also experienced long life spans.

“This is confirmed by the discovery of hundreds of ‘giant fossils’, e.g. turtles 10 feet long, dragon-flies with a two-foot wing span, the 51 foot Texan pterodactyl, etc…

Crocodiles grew to over 50 feet...Now since, growth is always in three dimensions, this means that prehistoric crocodiles weighed 27 times as much as modern ones, and must have lived many times longer in order to grow to such a size.....The 4 4

Jewish historian Josephus (100 A.D.) writes that 12 ancient historians of other nations agree with the Bible that men before the Flood lived to nearly 1000 years (Antiquities Book I, ch. 3 section 9)” (Watson p. 76). Recently I heard someone say that reptiles continue to experience growth until they die. So what is a 500 year old reptile going to look like? Like a dinosaur!

As noted above, other ancient cultures mentioned incredibly long life spans.

Carefully note that the Bible is not exaggerating. “The Sumerian antediluvian king list includes eight kings who reigned, according to that list, for a total of 241,200 years” (Davis p. 105). With that comparison, the Biblical text looks very conservative and realistic.

Is this a complete list from Adam to Noah?

We already know that this is not a complete list of father-son, father-son or fatherfirst born son for Cain and Abel are omitted. In Adam's case at least the third born son is mentioned as his heir. We also know that other genealogical lists in the Bible do not necessarily always follow a direct father-son-grandson lineage. For example in the genealogy of Christ, three successive kings are omitted in Matthew 1:8.

Uzziah is actually the great-great grandson of Joram. Yet, if this is a complete list in terms of "total years", then some interesting observations can be made: (a) Taking the recorded ages at face value, Adam would have lived until Lamech, the father of Noah. (b) Noah would have been born only 14 years after the death of Seth. (c) “Any tradition that Adam desired to hand down was only in the second generation at the time the Flood came” (Leupold p. 237).

“And he died”: The Devil's claim turned out to be false (3:4), as every assertion of his has failed since (John 8:44). With Adam begins death (Romans 5:14). “It is striking that of Adam's sons only Seth is named here...but placed here in the context of the Cainites and their achievements its silence regarding them is pointed. In the history of salvation the family of Cain is an irrelevance” (Kidner p. 80).

Genesis 5:6 “And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and begat Enosh” “Enosh”: Pronounced (EE nosh), and means “man” or “mankind”. The New Testament endorses the historical accuracy of the early chapters of Genesis (Luke 5 5

3:38), as does the rest of the Old Testament (1 Chron. 1:1-4).

Genesis 5:7 “and Seth lived after he begat Enosh eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters” Genesis 5:8 “and all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died” Genesis 5:9 “And Enosh lived ninety years, and begat Kenan” “Kenan”: Pronounced (KEE nuhn), a form of Cainan. “Usually it is interpreted as a variant form of Cain” (Wenham p. 127). “Perhaps means ‘smith’” (Leupold p. 239).

“It is not impossible that the name attached itself to this man as the introducer of Cainite skills to his fellow Sethites (cf. 4:20-22)” (Kidner p. 80).

“Genesis 5:12 And Kenan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalalel” “Mahalalel”: Pronounced (muh HAY luh lee el), and means “God shines forth”.

(Nelsons p. 669). “Praise of God” (Aalders p. 140).

Genesis 5:15 “And Mahalalel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared” “Jared”: Pronounced (JAY rid), and means “servant”. “It could be derived from Hebrew…’to go down’ and therefore mean ‘going down’, (descent), or from Akkadian…’servant’” (Wenham p. 127).

Genesis 5:18 “And Jared lived a hundred sixty and two years, and begat Enoch” “Enoch”: Pronounced (EE nuck), meaning “initiated” or “dedicated”.

Genesis 5:21 “And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah” “Methuselah”: Pronounced (meh THUE zuh luh), and meaning “man of the javelin”.

The Case of Enoch 6 6

Genesis 5:22 “and Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters” “Walked with God”: “The particular preposition used denotes ‘intimacy, fellowship’” (Leupold p. 241). The same expression will be used in reference to Noah (6:9). This expression infers that Enoch was obedient to the will of God (either written or directly given to him by inspiration). The Bible says that Enoch was a man who lived "by faith" (Hebrews 11:5), but "faith" comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). This is not a mysterious "walk". “Walking with God” does not mean living by one’s emotions or feelings. Neither is walking with God found in "guessing" what might please God (Proverbs 16:25). What has always pleased God (Heb. 11:5) is a faith which obeys the will of God (Luke 6:46; Matt. 7:21; 24-27; Romans 1:17). Morris says, “It is important to note that his walk with God was not such a mystical, pietistic experience as to preclude an effective family life or a strong and vocal opposition to the unbelief and wickedness of his day” (p. 157). The New Testament endorses the historical reality of Enoch (Hebrews 11:5). In addition, the New Testament also tells us that: (a) Enoch was the seventh (or the seventh generation) from Adam (Jude 14). (b) Was a prophet (Jude 14). (c) Lived in a time when many people were ungodly (Jude 15). (d) And spoke of God's judgment coming upon the world (Jude 15).

Genesis 5:24 “and Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” “For God took him”: The New Testament validates very precise details in the early chapters of Genesis (Hebrews 11:5 “so that he should not see death”). Enoch and Elijah are the two men who escaped death (2 Kings 2:3,5). Apparently these two men experienced what all living Christians will experience when Christ comes again (1 Thess. 4:17). This process seems to involve a bodily translation and transformation as one leaves the physical creation. In the case of these two men, the resurrection does not apply to them, for they already have a glorified spiritual body. I think certain writers have a good point, that before death entered this world, what happened to Enoch and Elijah is what would have happened to everyone. The way of release from this physical world, wouldn't have been death, it would have been a translation and transformation of the physical body. This translation also proves that "life" exists beyond the physical realm, and that man is 7 7

more than just a physical being (Matthew 10:28).

Leupold notes, “Standing thus halfway between Adam and the Flood, this translation of Enoch constitutes a most welcome testimony to the prospect of life eternal, both to the older generation as well as to all those who were to follow as his younger contemporaries” (p. 243).

Genesis 5:27 “And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died” “One point of interest is that Methuselah lived 782 years after the birth of Lamech.

Noah was born when Lamech was 182 years old. The Deluge came when Noah was 600 years old, which would have been the year in which Methuselah died.

Some have tried to prove that Methuselah died in the Flood...It is just as reasonable to assume that he died a natural death before the Flood actually came on the earth” (Aalders p. 142). “The fact that the longest living human does not reach the age of 1000 years, which is a single ‘day’ in God's life (Psa. 90:4), is another illustration of the Scripture's refusal to grant godlike status to its heroic mortals” (Hamilton p.

258).

The Birth of Noah

Genesis 5:29 “and he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, {which cometh} because of the ground which Jehovah hath curse” “Noah”: “The days preceding Noah's birth must have been extremely difficult ones. Lamech named his son Noah, a word which means ‘to rest’ or ‘to lie down’ hoping that Noah ‘shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands’” (Davis pp. 106-107). “Shall comfort us”: This verse reaches back to Genesis 3:17.

Again the Book of Genesis (as well as the entire Bible) is one complete whole.

Carefully note that the ancestors of Adam still had a clear view of precisely what had happened in the garden. There is no way that we can harmonize this chapter with evolutionary theory. For all this knowledge would have been lost, if Lamech 8 8

is separated from Adam by a million years.

Various views exist on "what" Lamech was hoping for: (a) Taking this section at face value, Noah would have been the first individual (mentioned in the text) who would have been born after the death of Adam. Some think that Lamech believed that the "curse" of Genesis 3:17 would cease when Adam died. (b) Noah did bring comfort to the troubled race, by saving a godly remnant to re-populate the earth. (c) "Rest" would come through Noah, for eventually Jesus would be born from Noah's ancestors, the promised "seed" of Genesis 3:15. (d) Aalders notes, “They can then be interpreted as expressing Lamech's hope that his son would bring a better life to mankind, that a new and better period in the history of mankind would be introduced” (p. 143).

Kidner notes the differences between the two men named Lamech in these early chapters. “Both its bearers are remembered by their words, the Cainite one for his arrogance (4:23f), the Sethite for his yearning” (p. 81). Those who claim that the early chapters of Genesis are mythical are really faced with a dilemma.

Considering the fact that every one of the individuals thus far mentioned in this chapter is named in the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Luke 3:36-38), is Jesus then a myth? One cannot undermine Genesis without undermining one’s own salvation.

Genesis 5:30 “And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters” “Begat sons and daughters”: Remember Noah lost relatives in the Flood! Noah had other younger brothers and sisters.

Genesis 5:31 “And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died” Genesis 5:32 “And Noah was five hundred years old: And Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth” “Shem”: Pronounced (shim), meaning “renown”, “fame” or “reputation”.

Through Shem the Messiah will be born (Luke 3:36). “Ham”: Meaning “hot”. “It may be that Ham's name looks forward to his improper behavior toward his father 9 9

(9:20-27), which is a type of the heated sexual conduct of his descendants” (Wenham p. 129). “Japheth”: Pronounced (JAY fehth), and meaning “'to make broad”? (9:27; 10:2). In view of the fact that Ham is called the "youngest son" (9:24); and one is called the elder brother (10:21), is seems clear that Genesis 5:32 is describing not the birth of triplets, but three separate births.

Chapter 6 Like many other sections in Genesis, the days before the Flood are mentioned by Jesus Himself (Matthew 24:37-39), and the New Testament agrees that the people who lived immediately prior to the flood were disobedient to God (1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 2:5).

Genesis 6:1 “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born unto them” “Men began to multiply on the face of the ground”: Davis notes, “Men lived to be over five hundred years old, and their procreative powers persisted over an extended number of years, from as young as sixty-five…(Mahalaleel and Enoch) to as old as five hundred (Noah). Their families must have been large. Population, it must be remembered, increases geometrically rather than arithmetically. The human race, expanding as rapidly as it was, must have distributed itself over a wide geographical area” (p. 110). Whitcomb and Morris in the book entitled "The Genesis Flood", using very conservative estimates, i.e. each family had an average of six children, each new generation required ninety years on the average, and that a strict 1,656 years existed between Adam and the Flood...conclude that the world's population at the time of the Flood was 1,030 million. 1 The sons of God and daughters of men

1

"The Genesis Flood". John C. Whitcomb and Henry M. Morris p.

26.

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Genesis 6:2 “that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose” “Sons of God”: Basically two views exist on "who" the "sons of God" are in this passage: (a) Fallen angels. (b) The descendants of Seth, i.e. godly men.

The Fallen Angel View: Has in its favor the fact that angels are actually called in other places in the Bible by the term "sons of God" (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7), and that the "fall" of angels seems linked to the Flood (2 Peter 2:4-5) and seems to be linked with sexual immorality (Jude 6-7).

The Line of Seth Intermarries with the Line of Cain View: Has in its favor: (a) The immediate context. The line of Cain is described in 4:16-24, the line of Seth in 5:132. In chapter 6 these two lines intermarry with disastrous results. (b) The fact that Jesus said angels do not marry (Matthew 22:30; Mark 12:25). Of course some have argued that heavenly angels don't marry, but the text says nothing about "fallen" angels. (c) Davis makes a good point when he says, “An equally formidable problem is that judgment in Genesis 6:6ff. fell upon men alone. Since the sons of God were the real initiators of the evil that was judged, surely they were human rather than angelic” (p. 112). Such is a very important observation. The total blame for the sinfulness of the ancient world is clearly placed upon the shoulders of "men" (6:3,5,6). This seems strange, if the real trouble-makers were angels who had assumed a human form. Why not just destroy the evil angels? (d) As for the passage in Jude 6 and 7. That passage is dealing with fornication (sexual immorality), Genesis 6:2 is dealing with marital relationships. (e) Godly individuals can also be referred to as "sons of God" (Galatians 3:26), even in the Old Testament (Deut. 14:1).

Aalders makes a good point when he says, “Holy Scripture portrays the Cainites and the Sethites as being distinguished from each other by increasing godlessness on the one hand, and evident godliness on the other. We need but to compare what is said about Cain and Lamech in one line and about Enosh, Enoch, and Noah in another line” (p. 146).

“That they were fair”: Beautiful and attractive. Unfortunately we often forget that "good-looks" can be a curse as well as a blessing, for it can attract the wrong crowd.

“The Bible has no shortage of stories in which human beauty is central to the context (2 Samuel 11:2; 13:1; Esther 1:11..)” (Hamilton p. 265).

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“They took them wives”: “The standing expression for marital union” (Leupold p.

253). “Of all that they chose”: “Which does not mean selecting some from ‘all’ but carries the force of ‘whichsoever’” (Leupold p. 253). “Without regard to their spiritual status” (Davis p. 114). Or with no regard as to whether these women were true believers in God. Some suggest that this expression infers polygamy, yet it may simply mean an indiscriminate selection of a single mate. Leupold notes, “That the controlling factor was the chance fancy of the moment rather than sound judgment which weighs the moral character” (p. 253). This will not be the last time that "spiritual compatibility" is completely overlooked when a mate is found (Deut.

7:1-4; Nehemiah 13:23-27; 1 Kings 11:1ff).

Genesis 6:3 “And Jehovah said, My spirit shall not strive with man for ever, for that he also is flesh: yet shall his days be a hundred and twenty years” “My Spirit”: Two basic views exist on this statement: (a) “My spirit” refers to the spirit God placed in man (1:26-27), God is going to remove that spirit, i.e. people will die (James 2:26). (b) A better explanation is seen in the word “with”. During this time God has been preaching via the Holy Spirit through men like Enoch (Jude 14-15) and Noah (1 Peter 3:18-20; 2 Peter 2:5 “a preacher of righteousness”) to these ungodly people. God is not going to continue such preaching forever to this generation. If the message is not heeded, judgment will come. “Strive”: The idea might that of "contend". The warnings from the Holy Spirit will cease, the preaching will stop, and dialogue will be followed by destruction.

God eventually cuts off the communication. We have too many people who assume that they can "debate" with God and the Bible "forever". Carrying on or being involved in "a religious discussion" does not save one’s soul! God demands repentance, not "discussion" (Acts 17:30; 2 Peter 3:9), for even very ungodly people listen to a sermon now and then (Acts 24:26).

“For that he also is flesh”: Morris notes, “the also probably referring to the fact that he (man) had a physical body as well as a spiritual nature. Since the witness of God's Spirit to man's spirit (via preaching) had been rejected, there was no purpose to be served any longer in maintaining his (man's) physical life” (p. 171). “Yet shall his days be a hundred and twenty years”: That is, the time of respite before the Flood, because a number of people lived longer than 120 after the flood (Genesis 11) and many never even came close.

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Again we find "grace" in the midst of judgment. Mankind is given 120 years of mercy and time to repent. Unfortunately it seems that most used this "time" to sin even more. God doesn't desire that anyone end up lost (2 Peter 3:9). This verse suggests that times were really getting bad before Noah's children were born, because only 100 years separates the birth of Noah's oldest child from the Flood (5:32; 7:6).

The Giants Genesis 6:4 “The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them: the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown” “The Nephilim”: The word means “a bully”, “tyrant” or “giant”. Hamilton notes, “But in what capacity? Are they simply contemporaries? Or are the Nephilim the result, the fruit, of the union between the sons of God and the daughters of men?” (p. 269). Aalders observes, “Those who interpret verses 1 and 2 as indicating that angels cohabitated with women are naturally quick to conclude that these giants were the progeny of those unions. Others, who proceed more cautiously, recognize that the text indicates only that the giants were present at the same time as the marriages between the ‘sons of God’ and the ‘daughters of men’” (p. 156). Many point out that the Hebrew word "Nephilim" comes from a word which means "to fall". Many assume that such argues that these giants were the offspring of "fallen angels", yet this expression can also mean "those who fall upon", i.e. aggressors or attackers. “One of the amazing facts revealed by paleontology (the study of fossilized remains of creatures which inhabited the earth in a former age) is that nearly all modern animals were once represented by larger ancestors. One thinks of mammoths and cave bears, giant cockroaches and dragonflies, and huge reptiles” (Morris p. 172). It is only logical to assume that such long life spans and the environment/climate/genetics which enabled them, must also have produced some "big men" also.

“And also after that”: Following the flood. The Bible is a complete whole. Moses writing c. 1500 B.C. is informing his generation that the "giants" they encountered (Numbers 13:33) had also existed in pre-flood times. This last expression, seems to contradict the idea that these "giants" were the offspring of men and angels. For if that were the case, then that specific gene pool would have been destroyed in the 13 13

flood. Yet Noah and his descendants also passed on genes which eventually produced more men of huge stature.

“Giants even exist in modern times, 'The Guinness Book of Records lists 8 modern men over 8 ft and many more over 7 ft. In the Anatomical Museum of Birmingham University Medical School stands the skeleton of a 7 ft 9 inch woman who died in 1921” (Watson p. 79). Remember with height also comes increased weight. “It is a common experience that even a man of 6 ft will feel ‘dwarfed’ by a man only 20% taller. If a man of 70 inches weighs 150 pounds then a man of 84 inches will weigh 260 pounds” (Watson p. 79). Giants are the exception in the Bible, not the norm--we see the same truth demonstrated today (most people are not seven feet tall). For specific references to such biblical giants see-Deut. 3:11; 1 Samuel 17:4; 2 Samuel 21:16-22; 1 Chron. 20:4-8; 11:23. Again, note that the Bible does not exaggerate. It does not claim that men existed who were 100 feet tall or that a man carried the world on his back, or even that such "giants" attempted to fight some cosmic battle against God Himself.

“The same”: Apparently referring to the Nephilim. Carefully look at verse 4, and note the word "when" (“when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare them children to them”). This seems only to be a statement of "time".

Such giants lived on the earth "when" these other events were taking place. The text really doesn't connect the "giants" or the "men of renown" with the offspring of the daughters of men. “Mighty men”: Despite their accomplishments and stature, they were still "men". “Were of old”: Of remote antiquity. “Men of renown”: “Famous men” (Wenham p. 143).

Leupold argues that they were "famous" for violence. “It is obvious that these men were not only of enormous size, but that they also possessed great physical strength. Moreover, they were proud of their prowess and exploited it on the field of battle and elsewhere. Thus they may well be considered to have been men of extreme violence as well as renowned popular heroes” (Aalders p. 157). God did not choose to pass on the "names" of such worldly famous men. Instead we have the name of a very godly man in this chapter, who wasn't so popular. Every generation has its “men of renown”. What Christians must always remember is that the most "famous" people are not always the "most important" people.

Sin Full Grown 14 14

Genesis 6:5 “And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” “Wickedness of man was great”: This once again seems to infer that this chapter is talking about the rebellion of “men” and not of angels. “Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart”: “The whole bent of his thinking” (AAT). “The intention of all human thinking produced nothing but evil all day”(Ber). Despite the 120 years of grace being given to man, the human race is not getting any better. Calvinists are quick to use this verse as "proof" that man following the fall is inherently depraved.

In response: (a) God knew that Cain had complete freewill (Genesis 4:7). (b) These early chapters mention a number of individuals who were direct descendants of Adam, and yet very godly (Genesis 5). (c) This condition was not genetic, rather it was the result of abandoning God (a freewill choice). We see the same self-chosen depravity in Romans 1:18ff; Ephesians 2:1-3 and 2 Timothy 3:2ff.

Note that the technology in Chapter 4 is unable to bring happiness to the earth.

Watson notes, “In the 19th Century many people believed that the human race was progressing towards a new era of peace, plenty and prosperity. There was no problem that Science could not solve! Then came the Great War of 1914-18.

Dreams were shattered as the most ‘advanced’ nations of the world fought like savages. Here was a problem that Science could not solve” (p. 80).

I think we sometimes perceive this pre-flood generation to be worse than any other, yet these people were still doing the regular things that we do, i.e. work, getting married, and providing for families (Matthew 24:38).The great myth of our time is that if I work hard and take care of my immediate family, then I am a good moral person.

Hamilton notes, “The God of the Old Testament never acts arbitrarily; He does not run His world amorally. Nobody will receive this divine judgment simply because he is human. God is moved to anger by man's deliberate violations of the code by which God wills His world to live” (p. 273).

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Genesis 6:6 “And it repented Jehovah that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart” “Repented”: “To be sorry, change one's mind” (Hamilton p. 274). “Obviously this does not mean that God decided He had made a mistake or miscalculation, or that He was unsure of His own desires. It denotes instead a change in God's actions resulting from a significant change in the objects of His actions” (Davis p. 116).

Someone has said, the very fact that God is "unchangeable" (Hebrews 13:8) demands that God must change His mind, when man changes his ways. God is consistent and unchanging in the fact that sin is always punished and righteousness is always rewarded. This applies to both nations and individuals (Jeremiah 18:7-10; Ezekiel 18:20-32; Jonah 3:10; Romans 2:6-11; 2 Timothy 2:11-13).

“Grieved Him at His heart”: “The Hebrew is even stronger: ‘into His heart’” (Leupold p. 261). “The root is used to express the most intense form of human emotion, a mixture of rage and bitter anguish...a deserted wife feels this way (Isaiah 54:6)” (Wenham pp. 144-145). While most people believe in a "personal" God, sadly, even many Christians somehow think that God is not affected by their sins. God is far from a cold or insensitive being who simply issues commands and gives people what is coming to them. God cares! (John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:9). This verse should really make us wake up. The only real "victim" in this life is God. God is truly the only "innocent" person, for everyone of us has sinned (Romans 3:23) and hence contributed to the suffering in this world. So much for with the naive idea that "I'm only hurting myself".

The Coming Judgment Genesis 6:7 “And Jehovah said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the ground; both man, and beast, and creeping things, and birds of the heavens; for it repenteth Me that I have made them” “Destroy”: “The verb translated ‘destroy’ means ‘to wipe, wipe out, blot out’, an excellent description of the impending destruction” (Davis p. 117). “The ease with which God's greatest works are done is revealed in the word ‘wipe out’” (Leupold p.

262).

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“Whom I have created”: An oft forgotten fact among men that gives God the moral right to execute such a judgment. “Birds of the heavens”: This indicates a Universal Flood and Judgment, because birds could always escape a local or regional flood. Some view the Flood of Noah as a very harsh thing, yet we easily forget that the Flood is also for our salvation. Because without the flood mankind may have annihilated themselves before the Messiah could be born, or at least, the rebellious may have wiped out the godly line of Seth, Noah or even Abraham. To ensure that coming generations would have the opportunity to be saved, these rebellious sinners had to die.

Mercy in the Midst of Judgment Genesis 6:8 “But Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah” “Found”: Such "favor" wasn't accidently found. Noah and his family did not happen to be the only lucky winners in some "grace lottery" held by God. Noah "found" favor, because Noah was trying to do what was right (6:9). Noah was demonstrating an obedient faith long before he built the Ark. Noah was saved by "grace", i.e. Noah didn't merit or earn his deliverance. And yet, his deliverance by grace was conditional. It required a faithful obedience upon his part (Hebrews 11:7). In like manner Christians are saved by God's grace (Eph. 2:8).

But such grace is conditional, requiring hearing the gospel (Romans 1:16), faith (John 8:24), repentance (Acts 17:30), confession (Romans 10:9-10) and baptism (Mark 16:16). Remember "grace" appears to all men (Titus 2:11), yet all are not saved (Matthew 7:13-14). In a sense, everyone in Noah's generation also found some favor in God's sight, because God gave them 120 years to repent and He also gave them some good preaching (1 Peter 3:18-20), yet Noah and his family were the only ones who responded favorably to God's grace. “The simple brevity of verse 8 is extremely telling after the sweeping terms of verse 7. Together the two verses show God's characteristic way with evil: to meet it not with half-measures but with the simultaneous extremes of judgment and salvation” (Kidner p. 86).

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