Genesis 6:1-9: Remain Righteous

Theological Proposition/Focus: God is good even though there seems to be overwhelming evil in the world.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: In the midst of overwhelming evil, it is possible to remain faithful

Introduction:

Setting the Stage:

We are going to start a short series on Noah. The book of Genesis is a fascinating book. Allen Ross wrote a commentary on Genesis called "Creation and Blessing." The commentary is fitting because the book of Genesis sets the stage from creation for the ultimate blessing of salvation.

The accounts written in Genesis tend to be well-known accounts because they are so common in Sunday School and so controversial in the public square. But these accounts are also fundamental to our understanding of life. The Gospel, the good-news of a gracious God who has divinely provided a way for mankind to be saved, shines through in these accounts. Genesis provides deep insight into the character of God and the way in which mankind must relate to God.

One common theme I find throughout Genesis is that ever since the Fall,

Body

Each and every one of us has a natural bent toward rejecting God (1-4).

Let me start by telling you that the passage we are looking at is the sort of passage that many times will just be skipped.

There are at least five different ways this passage is interpreted

Mythological Interpretation

This interpretation views the passage as a mythological narrative that reflects common themes in ancient Near Eastern literature, where gods and demigods interacted with humans. The "sons of God" would be mythological beings, and the Nephilim would be legendary heroes. Obviously this view is generally associated with a low view of Scripture.

Symbolic or Allegorical Interpretation

In this view, the passage is not meant to be taken literally but symbolically. The "sons of God" and the "daughters of humans" might represent the mixing of different kinds of human behaviors or moralities, symbolizing the blending of good and evil, leading to widespread corruption. While I think this may be a reasonable application of the passage I don't believe that the passage is purely symbolic.

The Fallen Angels Interpretation

This is one of the oldest and most traditional interpretations. It suggests that the "sons of God" were fallen angels who took human wives, resulting in a race of giants known as the Nephilim. This view is supported by texts such as the Book of Enoch and has been popular in early Jewish and Christian traditions. However, there are significant problems with this view.

The Royalty Interpretation

Some scholars suggest that the "sons of God" were ancient kings or rulers who, in their pride and power, took many wives, leading to corruption. The Nephilim, in this view, were simply powerful and influential men of the time.

The Sethite Interpretation

In this interpretation, the "sons of God" are understood to be the descendants of Seth, Adam's son, who were faithful to God. The "daughters of humans" are seen as the descendants of Cain, who were not faithful. This interpretation suggests that the intermarriage between the godly Sethites and the ungodly Cainites led to moral corruption. This is the view that I would probably choose if you pushed me to adopt a view.

But let me just propose something here. What is what is going on here is that the line of Seth is marrying the descendants of Cain in order ro secure power and authority. You know, the whole chieftain model. The passage ends by describing hero's of old men of renown. Her sis a proposal, people who knew better decided to compromise in their relationships in order to gain power and influence.

While it is interesting to contemplate the events that are described, it is much more interesting to examine the application of the events.

I think the application of the passage presents some incredibly important principles that we need to follow and especially reminds me of Galatians 5:9, “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” We must be on guard against compromise against allowing destructive sin to take root in our lives. Why? Because we each have a natural bent toward rejecting God and just like leaven feeds off of fresh dough until it spreads throughout the batch so sin feeds off of us.

A decade ago I would have wanted to go rounds with anyone of you trying to understand what events led to the writing of Genesis 6:1-4. Now, I have to admit, I am not so interested in what events led to the writing of the passage, what interests me is understanding how to live in light of the passage. So, let me break this into a couple of subpoints.

First,

We tend to choose against relationship with God.

If we look back to Genesis 3 and the fall, especially, verse 6, then we see an important principle. Eve saw that the fruit was good. Eve saw! Upon seeing the goodness of the fruit Eve started down a devastating path of choosing something other than God. But look at the parallel in verse 2 of Genesis 6. The "sons of God" whatever they may be (I happen to think they are the descendent of Seth who are supposed to choose God) see and decide that what they see is more important than their own purity.

Let me take this further and make it more explicit there are a lot of things we see and eventually choose over God.

I will start with a couple of big ones

• Sexual sin
• Greed
• Pride

But there are smaller one's too

But it is not just that we choose against God,

We fail to recognize the authority of God.

We so often go about life doing what we want without thinking of the consequences. We choose against relationship with God and instead choose our own sin. In verse 3 we see that the behavior of humanity results in a pretty significant consequence. God divinely restricts the span of human life. If you read Genesis 5 you will be immediately struck by some incredible lifespans. Growing up I often assumed that something changed after the flood but as I prepared for this sermon I was struck by another idea, an idea that made sense to me. "The consequence of their actions is the divine restriction of human life. "

Now, I must admit this is not a universally accepted view on verse 3 but consider the following

The verb form יָדוֹן (yadon) only occurs here. Some derive it from the verbal root דִּין (din, “to judge”) and translate “strive” or “contend with” (so NIV), but in this case one expects the form to be יָדִין (yadin). The Old Greek has “remain with,” a rendering which may find support from an Arabic cognate (see C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:375). If one interprets the verb in this way, then it is possible to understand רוּחַ (ruakh) as a reference to the divine life-giving spirit or breath, rather than the LORD’s personal Spirit. E. A. Speiser argues that the term is cognate with an Akkadian word meaning “protect” or “shield.” In this case, the LORD’s Spirit will not always protect humankind, for the race will suddenly be destroyed (E. A. Speiser, “YDWN, Gen. 6:3,” JBL 75 [1956]: 126–29).

In other words, perhaps in verse 3 what we have is a divine declaration that the giver of life is not going to, as a normal practice, continue to give mankind life beyond 120 years? Alternatively, some interpreters view this as a warning that the flood is coming in 120 years. But back to the idea of God giving life. We fail to recognize the authority of God, that God is the giver of life.

In verses 1-2 we see mankind attempting working to be something great. “The attempt by man to become more than he is results in his becoming less

Again, I have an idea for what might be happening here but I don't know exactly and it doesn't really matter because the principle is the same. Mankind has done it man's way and one way or another man will pay with his life for this decision.

We tend to value power.

The passage ends with a very odd statement "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days." These beings are described as heroes of old and men of renown, adding a layer of intrigue and mystery. Their exact nature and role remain a topic of debate.

The Hebrew word נְפִילִים (néfilim) is transliterated here because its precise meaning is unclear and so we lack a direct translation. According to the text, the Nephilim became renowned warriors and gained significant fame in the pre-flood world. While the text suggests they might be the offspring of the union between the "sons of God" and the "daughters of humankind" (v. 2), it doesn't state this explicitly. The Nephilim are mentioned in only two OT passages, this passage and Numbers 13:33. In numbers they are described as giants (hence the translation as "giants" in the KJV, TEV, and NLT). Numbers notes that the Anakites of Canaan were descendants of the Nephilim, although these later Nephilim could not be direct descendants of the pre-flood Nephilim. Hence, I wonder if Nephilim is more of an adjective than a specific people.

What hits me hard in this passage is the image of people who compromise that they might gain significant power!

We tend to over-value power and we are willing to make all sorts of compromises in order to gain power!

Image: Compromise - people compromise their commitments to God for relationships, rules they don't like and power.

I want to challenge you. I am not going to tell you how to vote in any elections coming up but what I am going to say is that I see a lot of people making a lot of compromises in order to gain a lot of power. I can imagine that the people in Genesis 6 had a lot of reasons why what they were doing was justified but they compromised. They formed deep relationships outside of God's will and they paid the price.

Ok, what about those of you who cannot vote? Well, I will tell you that I know a lot of people who have entered into relationships with a significant other who was not on the same spiritual page as them and for everyone where this worked out there are a dozen where it has led to terrible situations.

MTR: Determine not to compromise!

Parents, don't compromise. Adults, don't compromise. The world is calling on you to compromise. Don't. Today I have invited Lily and Colin because they are fighting on the front lines of compromise at UNL. We have a short video we would like to show you.

It probably seems obvious but it is worth stating.

Sin stands in opposition to God (5-7)

Look closely at verses 5-7. The language present in these verses naturally leads us to feel pity and sorrow. It is worth noting that it is not just the actions of humanity that are described as wicked but instead that the phrase "wickedness of the human race" is used. The reality is that

Total depravity has significant effects on humanity.

The text further states "every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time." God had made Adam in his image and given him the job of bearing that image to creation. Mankind was created to serve as God's representative and governing authority over the earth. Now we see that man had taken that God-given capacity and corrupted it to the point that it was only being used for evil. Man's failure was total.

Total depravity does not mean we are as bad as we possibly could be but rather that we have an inherent tendency to sin that comes from the entire person and affects all humans due to Adam's fall. Scripture highlights the universality of sin, showing that all people are affected by it. Paul emphasizes in Romans that sin impacts everyone, regardless of background. This universal sinfulness stems from an innate propensity to sin, influencing human will, which is shaped by the heart. The heart is inherently deceitful and evil, leading to humans being described as enslaved to sin and unable to please God. This condition is linked to Adam's first sin, which altered humanity's original righteous state, introducing a sinful nature that affects all but Christ. Therefore, the sinful nature is not how God created us but is the result of human choice.

Here in Genesis 6 we see the outworking of this sin. Left unchecked and to their own devices we each would spiral out of control into complete and total wickedness. The sermon title I have for this sermon is "The Gospel - God's righteousness revealed." What I want to emphasize here is that we see a significant contrast in humanity and God. In the absence of divine intervention, humanity inevitably falls into sin.

Romans 6:17 describes the unregenerate person as a slave to sin. "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance." The unregenerate person does not really have free will because the unregenerate person is a slave to sin.

the problem is that

Our total depravity is directly contrary to God.

I have already alluded to the fact that we were created to be God's representatives to creation. On just the most fundamental level we can see that our total depravity puts us in a state of being directly contrary to God. But I want us to really look into this a little more.

Genesis 6:6 states "The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled." The word "regretted" is translated as "was sorry" in the NKJV and has caused a fair amount of trouble for students of the Bible. The issue is a language issue. We tend to associate regret and sorrow with a change in one's mind but that is not how we should interpret this here.

The Hebrew word נחם (nāḥam) that we translate as regretted can refer to emotional pain or taking comfort, that is there is a polarized meaning of the word. If we look at wider context we can see what exactly is going on. In Genesis 5:29 Lamech names his son Noah and calls on this son Noah to comfort (נחם) them in the labor that is a result of the curse. Now we see God being grieved (nāḥam) because of mankind's actions. Mankind sought comfort but, it appears, not from God but from themselves. Mankind's exclusion of God from the problem has led not to the comfort they sought but in fact quite the opposite sorrow for the very creator himself.

We should not read this as regret in the sense of "I wish I had never created man." I think we should read this as a deep sorrow. God is saying "This cannot continue." The curse was not enough to curb man's propensity for sin and so God is going to have to take severe action and judge sin.

God's justice demands that God judge sin.

I say that God's justice demands God judge sin and there are several verses that support this.

• Psalm 9:7-8 The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.
• Hebrews 10:30-31 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

But I think this is also an oversimplification. I think part of what is happening is that God's righteousness together with his love also leads God to judge sin. Things were so bad that God said, this has to stop.

Image: Judging God's judgements

One of the most common mistakes that I hear people make is passing judgments on God's judgment. "How could a loving moral God ever destroy creation?" What if that question fails to really understand the situation? How could a loving moral God allow creation to continue in such a depraved state? I think we fail to understand God's actions because we fail to understand the exceeding sinfulness of sin!

MTR: Recognize the exceeding sinfulness of sin.

How? Consider even minor sins and how they detract from real life. Then repent of those sins.

If verses 5-7 are among the saddest verses in all of Scripture then certainly verse 8 must be among the happiest verses in Scripture. You see, Noah was a sinner, Noah was totally depraved, Noah was part of the wickedness of the human race.

But God has made a way (8-9).

God's way is the way of grace.

The word we translate as favor carries the idea of grace. In fact, the LXX, the Greek translation of the Old Testament translates the word here as χάριν the word that we usually translate at grace in the New Testament. The human race was corrupted, wicked, and totally depraved, but God made a way. Moreover, that way involved nothing that Noah could have done it was all God. That is the idea of grace.

Verses 1-4 we learn about people who compsomised in order to make a name for themselves. In some sense, in order to gain some measure of immortality as the heros of old, those who would be remembered. Now we learn of a man, Noah, who found favor with God.

The Old Testament (OT) concept of grace is not inherently theological but is often associated with God, becoming a central theme in describing His character and interactions with Israel. Grace involves a favorable disposition from a superior to a subject, leading to beneficial actions. Phrases like "if I have found favor in your eyes" express hope for a favorable response. In the OT, grace is primarily linked to God, evident in petitions for His favor and formulaic expressions about His attributes, such as being "compassionate and gracious" (Exodus 34:6). This understanding of God's grace is foundational in Israel's view of Him, appearing in various OT texts. Grace is also related to mercy, as shown by the Septuagint's translation of Hebrew terms for grace with Greek words for mercy. Additionally, grace overlaps with concepts like loving-kindness, mercy, goodness, and favor, reflecting a positive attitude toward others.. Ultimately, in the Bible grace carries the idea of unmerited favor. It is not that Noah earned God's favor, rather it is that God granted Noah his favor.

Verse 9 gives us just a little more detail.

God's way is the way of faith.

I love the description of Noah in verse 9. Noah is described as a righteous man. I want you to notice a couple of things.

First, we already have seen that Noah found grace in God's sight. Noah's righteousness is not his own it is God working through him. Second, Noah's righteousness is contrasted with the evil of the people of his time. Third, Noah is described as a man who faithfully walks with God. God is a God who expects faith.If there is any doubt about what happened we only need to look at Hebrews 11:7 "By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith."

Here is the contrast. Mankind sough comfort, reprieve from the curse but no reprieve would come for the wicked. Instead, a man, Noah, who placed his faith in God was looked upon faithfully and in some sense brings comfort to God in that there is a future for creation. Why, because Noah walked faithfully with God.

God's way proves that God is righteous.

Image: Crossing a Creek, the right path.

Growing up we did a lot of hiking and we were not afraid to get into a creek and cross it. There is an art to crossing a mountain creek. Some rocks are safe. Some are not. So, what do you do? You watch someone who has figured it out. You follow in their steps, and you walk their path.

None of us has this righteousness thing figured out, but God does. Noah walked faithfully with God and is described as righteous. Why? Because God is righteous and when you walk with God you will find yourself taking the right steps. While the rest of the world is stumbling and falling into the creek Noah walked with God.

You see, God's way proves that God is righteous.

Image: The cross.

The beauty of the Gospel is that it reveals the righteousness of God. Just like in the time of Noah, none of us can walk the path of righteousness on our own. Thankful, Christ walked that path. All the way to the cross. Now we too can walk the path of righteousness by walking faithfully with Christ. It will require that we give up our own path and accept Christ's offer but it is so with it.