A Daily Walk

Guest (Male): Today on A Daily Walk from Pastor John Randall.

John Randall: God says in this passage, "I'm going to give them 120 years." That's grace. 120 years I'm going to give them to repent. I was thinking about that passage today. How old is the United States? 245 years old. We're on double overtime. How much time does he give us to repent for the sins that we've committed? Are we doing anything less than what they were doing in the days of Noah? Probably worse.

Guest (Male): As parents, there are those times when we extend grace, love, and patience to our kids. But sometimes their rebellion or disobedience reaches a point where we can't help but say enough is enough. That's the place we find our Lord today on A Daily Walk. Pastor John Randall will show us why God chose to judge the Earth through a worldwide flood today as our study in Genesis continues. Genesis chapter 6 is the place to be. So let's find our place there now as we turn things over to John.

John Randall: Genesis chapter 6, but I want to draw your attention back to chapter 5, verse 28 because this will put it in its proper context as we continue into the sixth chapter. Genesis chapter 5, look with me at verse 28.

It says that Lamech lived 182 years and he begot a son. And he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed." And after he begot Noah, Lamech lived 595 years and he begot sons and daughters. And so all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died. And Noah was 500 years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

If you have been studying with us through the book of Genesis, you remember that following the murder of his brother Abel, that Adam's son Cain was sentenced to be a wanderer and a vagabond. However, we noted last time that he did get married and he started a family. But the successive generations that followed the line of Cain were as ungodly as he was. His heritage was unholy, his legacy unblessed.

Then once again, the Lord gave Adam and Eve another son whose name was Seth. And it was through Seth's line that a man by the name of Enoch was born. Enoch was a man that walked with God and the Bible says the Lord took him, for he was not. Yet before he went, he passed on a godly heritage to his son whose name was Methuselah, who in turn passed it on to Lamech, from whom came Noah, whose name means comfort.

And as you move into the sixth chapter now of Genesis, there are several things that we will discover. One, what the earth was like prior to the worldwide flood; also what Noah was like; and what happened as a result of the flood itself. Beginning in verse 1 of chapter 6, "Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God," make a note of that, "saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose."

"And the Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not always strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be 120 years.' There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown." During the days of Noah, we see that there was a population explosion. Prior to the flood, they began to multiply. Many sons and daughters were born.

During this time, it says that the sons of God were connected to the daughters of men and they took wives as they chose. And the result of this relationship between these two groups, it says that they were people were increasingly large. There were giants in the land, and they were wicked giants at that. I want to begin and I want to pause here in this section because these first few verses of chapter 6 have been the source of some debate among Christians.

Perhaps you're unaware of that, but the question is what does this actually refer to? And the debate centers around a couple of things: one, who are the sons of God that are referred to in this particular passage, and who are the daughters of men? I will present to you both sides and you can decide for yourself what you think and make the best decision based upon the information that's presented.

But let me also say this to you, and this is just for your own when you're studying through the word of God, whenever you come to a controversial passage like this, it's important to remember that this isn't a salvation issue here. And I've had people say, let me ask you a question. Come to the church for the first time and ask me the question, "What do you think about Genesis chapter 6? Who are the sons of God?" Because what you say based upon who the sons of God are is going to determine whether or not this is my home church or not.

Wow, okay. That's the theological bedrock. I mean, this isn't a salvation issue here. It's an important passage like all of the Bible, but when it comes to that controversial kind of passage and there are godly people, scholarly individuals on both sides of it, you know, to be dogmatic isn't necessary. But you know how I feel about this. What you believe on Genesis chapter 6 and who the sons of God truly are is not going to determine whether or not you're saved or going to heaven. It's not going to affect your eternal destiny one way or another, but it's still an important passage.

So here's the first thought: who are the sons of God? Some say that the sons of God are the descendants of Seth. There's an important distinction: there's the descendants of Seth and then there's the descendants of Cain. And the descendants of Cain did not intermarry for fear that it would taint and hinder the Messianic line. So the descendants of Seth and the descendants of Cain were separate from one another because there was one line ultimately that would lead to the individual who would be the Messiah who would crush the serpent's head.

So to intermarry would endanger the arrival of the Redeemer and so they ended up not intermarrying one with another. But when you examine this passage, there are those that would declare that the sons of God represent the godly line of Seth and that the daughters of men were the ungodly line of Cain. They weren't supposed to intermarry, but they did. This was not God's plan. They should not have done this because it was going to taint the line, but they disobeyed God and judgment would then follow.

The fruit of that relationship was wickedness and sin. Some scholars suggest that most likely the interpretation of Genesis chapter 6 and verse 4 is that God saw the people of that day as fallen ones, while men saw these people as mighty leaders. And when the Sethites or the descendants of Seth compromised by mingling with the Cainites, they fell from God's blessing. God was grieved that they had married the godless Cainites, choosing wives as they pleased without considering God's will.

They chose for themselves instead of what God's best was. And in so doing this, they endangered the fulfillment of Genesis chapter 3, verse 15, that was the promise given to Eve that the Messiah would eventually come from that line and would be the Redeemer of the world. And this is one interpretation of the passage. There's also another interpretation of the passage as well. And some feel that the sons of God refers to demonic spirits commandeering the souls of men and having relationships with women and producing an ungodly line of giants or a hybrid progeny.

Seriously, this is one of the thoughts. You say, "Why is that?" Listen carefully. Occasionally, sons of God refer to people. However, there are also times when the phrase "sons of God" refers to angels. Let me give you some examples. Job chapter 1, verse 6. It says, "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them." That reference to sons of God in Job chapter 1 is to angels, angelic beings.

Again, Job chapter 2, verse 1. It says, "Again there was a day when the sons of God," referring to angels, "came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord." Once again, Job chapter 38. By the way, Job is believed to be one of the oldest books of the Bible ever written. Job chapter 38 says this in verses 6 and 7: "On what were its earth bases sunk or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"

It's referring to creation when God was putting things into existence, that the sons of God, the angelic beings that were watching the creation take place, rejoiced and shouted for joy. Then when you come to the New Testament, there are a few passages that refer to fallen angels and their connection to the days of Noah and the flood. This is another reason why people think this. In 1st Peter chapter 3, in verses 19 and 20, this is what it says: "For Christ suffered once for sin, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, putting to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who were formerly disobedient, when once the divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water."

That passage there, when it talks about the word spirit, the spirits in prison, many believe this refers to the supernatural beings who were judged because of what happened during the days of Noah. But then 2nd Peter, Peter mentions this again. 2nd Peter chapter 2, verse 4 and 5. Listen to what Peter said: "For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into the chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly."

There it is again. Peter in the context of what happened back in Genesis chapter 6 or as we'll see in a few moments, the flood that took place, angelic beings were cast down to hell, reserved in chains for judgment. Then there is a passage found in Jude, second to last book of the Bible, right before Revelation. Jude chapter 1, one chapter, verse 6 says this: "And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day."

The angels did not keep their proper domain, left their abode. You know, there's only two places in scripture, in the Bible, where it speaks of angels sinning. First, there was the original rebellion of some of the angels against God, mentioned in Isaiah chapter 14, also referred to in Revelation chapter 12. But in Revelation chapter 12, verse 4, John writes about what took place in eternity past where a third of the angels fell with Satan. In that rebellion, Lucifer, who became Satan, rebelled against God.

You remember in studying through Revelation it says John said he saw the dragon being cast out of heaven and with his tail he drew a third of the stars. It was a reference to the fallen angels, a third of the angels went with the devil and became demonic spirits. Thus there are some who say that that's what Jude was talking about. This is what Peter was alluding to. That something happened back in Genesis where the angels left their proper abode and were judged. The result of these relationships ended up in wickedness.

When it says they did not keep their proper domain, these angels didn't stay within the limits of the authority that God gave them. And the verb that's used there expresses an act of watchful care. That is this: the angels did not fulfill their obligation of carefully guarding and maintaining their original position in which they were created, but transgressed those limits and invaded territory which was foreign to them, namely the human race.

The idea is that certain angels acted improperly, going outside of the boundaries prescribed by God. They left their abode. The verb for "abode" or "abandoned" means "left once for all," a left once-for-all act. And this apostasy of angels is that they did not stay where God had placed them. And as a result, again it is suggested that they had foreign relations with human beings in some regard. And by the way, I will also mention to you another reason why many people hold to that particular view is because it is one of the oldest interpretations of that passage of scripture held by those like Clement, Origen, and Tertullian.

So those who believe this view say that the sons of God were demonic beings that somehow inhabited the bodies of men and as a result these relations, a hybrid race of persons in the form of giants were born. You say, "Pastor John, what do you think?" I don't know. I just know there was some evil giants that were born and they were wicked and God judged the earth. But I will say having studied through it myself, I tend to lean toward the second version, the second interpretation.

But again, I'm not going to be dogmatic about it. But it seems to lean that particular way. But what I do know for a fact is that regardless of the direction you take on this particular passage, the inhabitants of the earth were wicked and they were practicing unspeakable evil that brought about a worldwide judgment. That you can be sure of because it says it right here. Furthermore, there was a rejection of mankind concerning the work of the Spirit during the days of Noah.

So there's this population explosion, there's this wickedness that's pervasive, and there is a resistance to the work of the Spirit of God. Because it says in verse 3, here's what God's response was to man's wickedness: "My Spirit shall not always strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be 120 years." At this time the sin upon the earth was so great, the Spirit of God was trying to turn men toward God, but they were resistant.

They hardened their heart. They wouldn't listen. And it came a point when God said, "You know what? There's a timeline here. There's going to come a moment where my Spirit is not going to strive with men anymore. 120 years, I'm going to give men 120 years, and I'm not going to strive with them any longer." Folks, the Holy Spirit, if you are unaware of it, is not an "it." He's a person. You say, "How do you know that?" He has a personality. He is God. All of the attributes that are ascribed to God the Father and God the Son are also ascribed to God the Holy Spirit.

And in his personality, the Holy Spirit can be quenched, he can be grieved, he can be blasphemed, he can be ignored, he can be lied to. And the purpose of the Holy Spirit is to draw people to Jesus. That's his whole goal, to draw people to the Savior, to bring men to the awareness of their sin in order that they would repent and be saved. But there is a line. I don't know where it is. I don't want to know where it is.

But there's a line that a man or woman can say, "I don't want you in my life, God, and I'm never going to turn to you. So quit striving with me." Maybe they don't even recognize God. They harden their heart towards him and eventually God is going to honor the decision that they made. The Lord makes it clear his Spirit will not always strive with man. He is gracious. He is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish.

He takes every opportunity to save mankind, pursuing people by the Spirit, seeking to get their attention, shaking up their life, bringing situations to get them to this place where they'll actually cry out to God. He is faithful like that. And maybe some of you he's pursuing tonight and you've been running fast and you think he's never going to... oh, he's coming for you because he loves you. He wants to draw you to himself. But if you keep on resisting, the Spirit is not always going to strive with you.

There's going to come a point when you're just not listening. You're just deaf to the Spirit of God. You don't want to hear it. And so you don't. And there comes a point when it's too late. God says in this passage, "I'm going to give them 120 years." That's grace. 120 years I'm going to give them to repent. I was thinking about that passage today. How old is the United States? 245 years old. We're on double overtime. How much time does he give us to repent for the sins that we've committed?

Are we doing anything less than what they were doing in the days of Noah? Probably worse. And so, it says in verse 5, then the Lord saw the wickedness of man that it was great in the earth. And notice this: it was so great that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. There's the description. And the Lord was sorry. He was sorry that he had made man on the earth and he was grieved in his heart.

And 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." What a contrast this is, really. If you've been studying with us through Genesis, you go back to Genesis chapter 1 and the Lord said, "This is good. This is very good. This is so good. This is good." And now he said, "This is bad. This is really bad. In fact, I'm grieved over what I see."

"Every, only, continually." Those words stood out to me. The wickedness of man and every, even in the intent of his heart, there wasn't even a thought that was even remotely good. It was just evil continually, always. The very intention, perverse and vile. When it says "every intention," it actually means "every forming." It's a metaphorical picture of what a potter does with clay. The reflections of fantasy, the rising and freely formed movements of the will were just evil continually.

The depravity had come to a permanent state. And boy, we are, I feel like we are right on the edge of that if not there in some, to some extent. And notice how as Moses writes the book of Genesis, he seeks to communicate God's heart. He says that the Lord was sorry. He was sorry. He was grieved. God loved man so much, and you don't grieve over somebody you don't love, right? You only grieve or hurt or feel something deeply when you actually care about somebody.

And here the scripture gives the indication that God really does care for his creation. God really does... he feels it. I can't explain it other than this is the best way in human terms how God felt concerning man's response to all that he had provided, to everything. God's heart was grieved. He was grieved and sorry over what man had done, the choice that man had made. And by the way, sin always grieves the heart of God. It doesn't stop loving us, but he's grieved by it.

If your child sins against you, lies to you, does something that is sinful, you don't stop loving them. You love them, but you are grieved. Fellowship is quenched. But there is an opportunity to restore that. You understand? This is what was happening. It reminds me of Jesus. You remember when Jesus was outside the city of Jerusalem and he was making his way into Jerusalem riding on the donkey and people were cheering? Remember what it says he was doing? Weeping. He was weeping over the people.

He was weeping because they did not know the day of their visitation. And he said, "How often I wanted to gather you as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you weren't willing." And he wept over the city. "Oh, Jerusalem," he said, "the one who stones the prophets." Oh, you're missing it. And his heart was grieved. And so this was the situation before the flood in the midst of all of the corruption and violence, all of the wickedness, there's this bright spot and his name is Noah.

His name means comfort. It says in verse 8, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Here in Genesis 6:8, we see the first appearance of the word grace. Here it is, the first time it's mentioned. Grace. And gives us insight into Noah's character when it says that he found. It's used as an active perfect verb, not a passive one. Noah found favor, grace in God's eyes. He was actively looking for it. He was diligently searching for it and he found it in the Lord.

Grace is God's unmerited favor. The God that we serve is gracious. We are saved by grace. We are sustained by God's grace. Grace enables us to stand. And when God looked at Noah, he looked at him through the eyes of grace. Even in the midst of a perverse and corrupt culture, he saw Noah's heart and he found grace in his eyes. Friends, listen tonight when God looks at us, he looks at us with eyes of grace. He's so gracious.

Guest (Male): And aren't you glad for that? Something to be thankful for today and every day. God is gracious. And like Noah, we can be seen by God through the eyes of grace because of Jesus Christ. To hear this message from our through-the-Bible study again, either go to adailywalk.org or oneplace.com. And by the way, our recent programs are accessible through the website at adailywalk.org and at oneplace.com, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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