Lesson 6: Genesis 6

Tragic though the events of chapter 3 were, the Lord had provided hope: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15, ESV) The beginnings of those two lines (the offspring of woman and the offspring of the serpent) are traced in Genesis 4-5. Cain showed himself to be of the spiritual line of Satan (cf. 1John 3.12) and the disregard for God’s ways was manifest in Cain’s descendants culminating in Lamech’s boast that he had “killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech’s is seventy-seven-fold” (Genesis 4.23-24). By contrast, Seth’s line was typified by a people who “began to call upon the name of the Lord” (Genesis 4.26). The most outstanding of Seth’s descendants was even spared from death because of his close walk with the Lord (Genesis 5.24). There was hope so long as this line of God fearers remained, for from them would come the One who would bruise the head of the serpent!

But what would happen if the two lines were mixed together? What would result if all of mankind forsook the way of the Lord? That’s exactly the circumstances we find at the beginning of chapter 6. And while the results of man’s iniquity would truly be disastrous, God’s mercy and grace continue to shine throughout the text. His promise would be kept, the righteous would be saved, and as the story of Noah illustrates, the work of one would save the many!

Vss. 1-7, Judgment Pronounced

Much speculation has come from vss. 1-2. Some believe the text is describing a situation where angels (see Job 1.6) were marrying human women, resulting in a race of giants called the Nephilim (vs. 4). However, there are several problems with this theory:

1. Jesus proclaimed that angels are not like us and do not marry (Matthew 22.30).
2. Nephilim, while translated as “giants” in the KJV/NKJV, has the basic sense of “strong” or “mighty”. It likely describes their violent and tyrannical nature (emphasized in vs. 11). Note that this type of people continued after the flood (see Numbers 13.33).
3. There is no support elsewhere in Scripture for angels intermarrying with women, and would have made little sense to the original audience of Israel.

A much likelier scenario is that the text is describing the intermarrying between the lines of Seth with the lines of Cain, marriages based on physical attraction and not on spiritual heritage. Israel was warned against such marriages (see Deuteronomy 7.3-4) lest they also turn away from God and suffer His wrath.

The situation was so dire (vs. 5) that the Lord determined to destroy man after another 120 years (vs. 3). While it is possible that this was describing man’s average lifespan in the years after the flood, the likeliest reading is that the Lord was describing how long His patience would endure (cf. 1Peter 3.20). Of greater significance is the Lord’s statement that “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh” (vs. 3). Man, created in God’s image, was now completely dominated by his flesh; God’s Spirit would not abide in such!

Finally, note how the text describes man’s sin on his Creator. The Lord was so grieved by the rampant iniquity He saw that He “regretted” or “repented” of making man. The idea is not that the Lord realized He had made a mistake, rather He was changing course in His dealings with His creation. The Lord who created would now destroy. Israel would have done well to heed this warning (see Exodus 32.7-10).

Vss. 8-12, Salvation For Noah

Towards the close of the Old Testament the Lord stated through Habbakuk that “the righteous will live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2.4). Noah’s salvation is a prime example of that passage. First, his righteousness was tied to his faith (see Hebrews 11.7). Second, his righteousness resulted in “favor in the eyes of the Lord” (vs. 8) as opposed to the world which was “corrupt in God’s sight” (vss. 11-12). Truly, “the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry” (Psalm 34.15). This is why the righteous live, because their Lord has His eye on them!

The inclusion of Noah’s three sons (vs. 10, Shem, Ham and Japheth) is significant. Nothing is said of their spiritual character, or that of their wives (see vs. 18), yet they would be saved. The righteousness of the one could lead to the salvation of the many! This theme would be repeated numerous times in the Scriptures, notably when Moses interceded for Israel (Exodus 32.11-14), but most significantly in the righteousness of Jesus (see Romans 5.18-19).

Vss. 14-21, God’s Plan To Save Noah

The ark was not a ship, but a chest. Some have noted that the proportions of the ark (450 feet x 75 feet x 45 feet) are in the same ratio as man’s proportions. Or, even more significantly, would be the same proportions as a casket. While the Scriptures do not encourage us to think of the ark in this way, the symbolism fits 1Peter 3.20-21; if Noah and his family were saved in a floating casket, our salvation through baptism (death to sin in Romans 6), is all the more astounding!

The ark was perfectly suited for God’s purposes, a vessel to save Noah, his family and “every living thing of all flesh” (vs. 19). It is estimated that the ark would have had the storage capacity of ~ 500 railroad stock cars and could have held more than 125,000 sheep-sized animals. Given that a vast number of creatures could have survived outside the ark (sea creatures and some birds) and that the Lord could have brought the young and smaller varieties to Noah, the size of the ark was more than adequate for the task! Interestingly, the gross tonnage of the ark was almost ~14,000 tons, a number not equaled in modern ships until 1884.

God termed His salvation of Noah as a covenant, the first appearance of the term in Scripture. The idea is that of a binding agreement, but not necessarily between equal parties. Here, the Lord was promising wondrous blessings to Noah (salvation from the flood AND from the wickedness of man), but the terms of God’s covenant would have to be met. Noah would have to construct the ark exactly as the Lord revealed. God’s acts of salvation are typically termed as covenants (see Exodus 19.4-5; Matthew 26.28) and like God’s covenant with Noah require the faithful obedience of those who’ve been brought into the covenant (see Exodus 24.3; Matthew 28.20).

Vss. 22, Noah’s Obedience

“Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” The Hebrew writer has us understand that Noah’s obedience was the result of his faith (Hebrews 11.7) and thus furnishes us with a better understanding of how salvation occurs. Only God could save Noah from the flood and He furnished his favored one with instructions for how he could experience such a great salvation. Noah would have to place his faith and trust in the Lord, enough faith to do whatever the Lord asked even if his understanding was limited. The Lord’s means of saving has not changed (Ephesians 2.8-9; Hebrews 11.6; 1Peter 3.21).