Today’s passage: Genesis 6:1-8
Helpful thoughts:
- There are different views on who the “sons of God” who bore children with the “daughters of men” are.
- Some think these “sons of God” are demons (Fallen angels).
- Some think the “sons of God” are the descendants of Seth and the “daughters of men” are the descendants of Cain.
- Some think they are simply princes, men from families who ruled over the people. Taking the phrase “Sons of God” to be better translated as “Sons of the gods.” In this instance, “the gods” would just refer to those who were in power.
- I tend toward the third option. But, whichever is true, what we do see is a repeat of the progression in the garden. They SAW…and they TOOK in a way that was contrary to God’s command. A repeat of the fall in the garden.
- The Nephilim are mentioned again in Numbers 13:33 when Israel spied out the Promised Land. These early Nephilim would not have survived the flood. Therefore, it would make sense to assume the spies likened the warriors they saw in Canaan to these men of renown they had been taught about from Genesis 6.
- God was not surprised. He did not have to change His mind and rewrite all of eternity because of a mistake (Numbers 23:19). However, in time, from man’s perspective, God changed direction from where things had been going. This is the meaning of God’s “regret” in verse 6.
- Noah was not without sin. He found “favor” with God. Noah was going to be saved from destruction by the grace of God.
Questions to consider:
- What is the condition of the heart of man as recorded in verse 5? Was God being hyperbolic here or was this accurate? How might Romans 3:10-18 help us answer that question?
- What stark warning do we see in this passage? If the world counts you a mighty man, a man of renown, does that automatically mean you are a delight to the heart of God? What emotion did God have in response to the actions of mankind?
- Why was Noah spared? In what ways do we already begin to see an illustration of our salvation in Christ through the narrative of Noah? Why have we been saved from judgment?