Genesis 6.
It was a normal day at work. My Dad worked in an office block in Manchester at the time, and had gone to work as normal. It was an ordinary day.
But at 20 minutes to three in the afternoon, the sky went very dark, very suddenly. Rain was hammering down. The street lighting was still struggling to turn on, so quick was the darkness.
The wind picked up, howling with great force, and suddenly the windows panes were being battered by thousands of tiny stones. Everyone was afraid. Someone screamed really loudly. Some were crying, rocking back and forth in a foetal position. Suddenly someone shouted “Armageddon! The end of the world” and fled the building.
To my Dad and others in that office block and all around the city of Manchester it certainly seemed like it. As a young Christian – all of four months old – he was thrilled, THRILLED to see Jesus. Others were terrified. It obviously was not Jesus; but it was a freak windstorm which dumped tonnes of sand from the Sahara onto Manchester. But as my Dad writes in “Hey Dad, I missed ya like crazy”: “[It was only] twenty minutes… but for some, those twenty minutes of darkness were an eternity.
Supposing it really had been Jesus coming back in His power and glory?
May I ask a question? What would you do? Try to run? Scream? Sit, head in hand, rocking back and forth, wishing it would go away…?”
Today’s passage is about exactly this. Because judgement will come suddenly, swiftly, when we least expect it, in the middle of our ordinary lives, going about our ordinary business.
Life carries on,
Judgement comes suddenly
But there is hope – because there is a saviour
1. Life carries on
Chapter 5:1 to 6:8 is a bridge between the story of Adam and Eve and their descendants, and the story of Noah. With Adam and Eve we see humans living according to the word of God, humans disobeying the word of God, humans being judged by God, humans given hope and a future by God, even though they don’t deserve it. The story of Noah is the same. Humans disobeying God’s word. Humans judged by God. However, all is not lost, because God has given humans a hope and a future: he chose Noah to be the saviour.
So 5:1-6:4 summarise what has happened, and take us to Noah through the line of Mighty Men, and 6:5-8 are the introduction or movie trailer for the story of Noah and the Flood.
So chapter 5 to 6:4 (which is where the chapter division really should be!) sets the scene. People are being fruitful and multiplying, as God commanded. Some live for themselves, like Lamech (not Noah’s father, the other one in chapter 4) others are faithful and call upon the Lord (like Enoch) and indeed Lamech the father of Noah. He believes the word of God, hoping for the serpent crusher, and maybe, perhaps maybe his son is that serpent crusher. 5:29 Lamech named his son Noah, for he said, “May he bring us relief from our work and the painful labour of farming this ground that the Lord has cursed.” Maybe he can save us.
So, life then was pretty much like life today: people are getting married, having babies, sinning, being righteous...and hoping for a rescuer.
5:1 This is the written account of the descendants of Adam. When God created human beings, he made them to be like himself. 2 He created them male and female, and he blessed them and called them “human.”
At the beginning of chapter 5 the writer takes us back to Genesis 1. God created us in his image, male and female. Humans. Like God. In perfect relationship with Him. But, as we’ve seen, we throw away that privilege – being like God – for a cheap imitation: pretending to be God. We rebel against God. We taste death. But God, instead of destroying us, clothes us in animal skins and promises a rescue. The serpent crusher is coming (Gen 3:15).
After sin, death enters the world – but the first to taste death is not us, but some innocent animals in our place, as they are killed to cover our nakedness and shame: Adam and Eve are clothed with fur. God places the curse of death which they deserve on something, someone else. The seeds of the plot are in place... the plot which finally, finally reaches its resolution on the cross of Christ! The one who takes our place, the one who dies so that we can live.
So that is what God is looking towards, that is where the Plan is unfolding. So while we are waiting for Jesus people continue to live, plant cities and live there, farm the ground. As we saw last week, sin is increasing, brother murders brother, Lamech takes two wives and boasts of his revenge – but there is also repentance, there is a city of refuge – a place where murderers can be protected and receive life. As 4:26 says “people call on the name of the Lord”. Life goes on.
5:32 By the time Noah was 500 years old, he was the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 6:1 Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them. 2 The sons of God saw the beautiful women and took any they wanted as their wives. (lit: The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were good, and took them as their wives)
Chapter 5 began by reminding us of Genesis 2: that humans were made in God’s image by God. It then takes us through a list of 10 “mighty men” - heroes of old – what v4 calls the “Nephilim”. And ends in 6:1-4 by reminding us again of Gen 2 (creation of Man) - but also Gen 3 (Man’s Rebellion).
It does this by describing men as “sons of God” recalling how Adam was formed from the dirt by God, who breathed life into him. Women are described as the “daughters of men” recalling how Eve was formed from the rib of the man by God who breathed life into her. The sons of God (the Adam’s) marry the “daughters of men” (the Eve’s).[1]
Adam and Eve were joined together in marriage, something the Lord God, remember, called “very good”.
But here in an echo of chapter 3 it is not God who is saying this is very good – but the sons of God, the men. 6:2 “saw the beautiful women” is literally “saw that the women were good”. Like Eve and Adam with the fruit, they saw what they wanted and declared it good. And so humanity continues, looking and seeing and declaring “good” whatever our eyes fall upon and we want.
The world we live in is a mixture of Genesis 2 and Genesis 3: we have the perfection of creation, we have love and life and marriage and sex and babies and joy and laughter and the knowledge of God. But we also have rebellion against God, truth twisted to lies, murder, fighting, adultery, manipulation, sexual sin, gossip, backbiting, greed, and people using and abusing each other to get what they want.
In short, nothing much has changed. We are just like these people. And so God’s judgement upon them is frightening. As Jesus says in Matt 24:37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
Life goes on as normal - but
2. Judgement comes suddenly
There are two judgements in this chapter. The first is found in verse 3 when we hear God declaring that he will remove his Spirit from humanity. He is our source of life, the Spirit is the life-giver – and so immediately our life expectancy starts to drop.
3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not put up with (or live within) humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.”
To have the Spirit is to have life. No Spirit, no life. 900 years is ridiculous to our ears now – but not if the Holy Spirit is sustaining you! But now it seems that He withdraws and the life expectancy starts dropping dramatically. From 900 years on average – well, flip over to chapter 11 to see the huge drop in life expectancy. Noah was the last to live so long (he lived 950 years). His son Shem only 600. His son in turn only Arphaxad 438. Shelah 433, Eber 464. Then another drop as Peleg 239. Reu 239. Serug 230. Nahor, Abraham’s grandfather, only reaches 148! Abraham’s father Terah lives for probably 145 years, and Abraham himself lives 175 years (which in 25:8 is described as a “ripe old age” and “a long life”. Not compared to his ancestors! Already God’s limit is being reached. Anything more than 120 is miraculous! Isaac too lived 180 years by the grace of God, but Jacob only 147, and Joseph (the next great Patriarch)? He died at the age of 110 years. God’s judgement has fallen upon us.
And life is short. You hit 30 and you start feeling that pressure. I might not be able to achieve all I wanted to. There are dreams which are now impossible. There were plans and hopes that may not happen. Time is running out. It should drive us back to Him who is the source of all life. We need the Spirit of God to breathe life into us. Eternal life. And the Spirit is given only by Jesus. If you are in Christ then his Spirit is in you, and you will live forever. But if you are not in Christ then you will die forever, forever cut off from the Spirit of life, forever lost and without hope.
That is the first judgement.
And the second is worse. God has judged the whole world and it has fallen short. 5 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.
And so God acts: 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. 7 And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.”
What is the right thing to do with evil people? Arrest them. Try them before a judge. Find them guilty. Punish them. Doesn’t it make you mad when justice isn’t done? When a young lady is raped and the rapist gets community service? You feel the righteous anger rise up within you. Or when people are badly treated. So many children here living in two homes, or three. People hooking up then dumping each other – and the poor kids get shuttled around. How would you like to move every week between houses? And that’s only the ones who care! So many Dads are just absent. Abandoning their role as fathers and doing… well who knows what. So many hurting people.
And God looked upon this world and v6 it broke his heart. There is no easy answer to the suffering in this world, but one thing we cannot say is that God is distant and uncaring. He does not watch “from a distance” like that incredibly wrong song said. He is emotionally engaged with his people. He is near.
And already at this point we know, from 3:15, that he has the Cross in mind. The sins of this world, the evil things we do to each other – what you and I have done - they did break his heart, literally, as he hung on the cross, after giving that great cry “It is FINISHED” – his heart burst. He took it, took it upon himself. He is with us, right here in the blood and guts and suffering and harshness of life – and he bore it in his own body in order to rescue us.
And because he is a right and a just God, because he is a God of love who cares for his people: he pronounces the only right judgement: 7 I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. We do not deserve to live. We did not then. We do not now.
5 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.
This is our state as fallen human beings. We are in rebellion against God, and so even the “good” things we do are evil because they are done in rebellion against God. The Nazi mechanic repairing a tank was not spared in the attack because oh well, he’s doing a good thing (fixing machinery). The baseline is wrong. His good thing has an evil outcome. That’s why being good, being religious, is hopeless. Trying to impress God with your good works is simply running up to God and saying “I’m ignoring your words, ignoring your (costly) way of salvation – I’ve found my own. Accept me”.
Religion which is not based on grace, based only on His action to save us, based on crying out to God “Help me, I am a sinner, I cannot save myself” – any other form of religion is rebellion which just leads us farther away from God.
Unfortunately, that type of religion comes so easily to us. We want to justify ourselves, we want to earn our salvation, even suffer for it, go through great pain. Why? Because then God owes me – I have a hold on him. It’s the same old lie “you can be like God” just dressed up in different clothes, religious clothes. That’s why you get these non-Christian “pastors” and bishops and arch-bishops carrying on. That’s why we love the idea of “free will”, Oh I chose God. My heart reached out to him. There’s something good in me, I deserve to be saved. Do you? Read v5 again. 5 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.
(And if you’re tempted to say “well that was them before the flood, not like us today” read Rom 3:10 and following…. No-one seeks God, not even one).
The Lord looked into your heart and saw every thought was only evil all the time. He looked into my heart, and saw every thought was only evil all the time. Judgement is coming.
3. There is a saviour
We may be evil, but God is good, and still chooses to save. Look at Noah. Here in the story of Noah and the Flood it is Noah who’s been chosen to play the role of saviour. Just listen to the language used to describe him: 9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.
What we like to do with v9 is to use it to justify ourselves, our religion of Doing Good Things. We say: SEE! See! He was righteous – the only blameless person. 9 Noah was a righteous man He earned his salvation.
And if we do that, we haven’t learned to read. Most of us know that 8 comes before 9 – so why do we forget that here. Look at v8. What does it say? 8 But Noah found favour with the Lord.
He is righteous because God declares him righteous. Just like in Genesis 1: the word of God is what determines what is good and righteous and what is not. He is God. He decides. And so he declares Noah righteous, declares him saviour of the world: declares him to be the foreshadowing (looking forward) of His Son upon the Cross, saving the world.
Because Noah is not righteous. He was a sinner. The first thing he does after the flood is get drunk and is naked and ashamed – just like Adam and Eve. He’s not personally blameless and righteous: but Jesus is. And he’s playing the role of Jesus.
And more than that, he’s covered by the blood of Jesus. You see, God can look upon Noah, corrupt, violent and evil Noah, and declare him righteous because his sins have been placed upon his body on the Cross, and there paid for in full.
Noah is righteous in Christ. You are righteous in Christ – if indeed you are in Christ. And how do you know if you’re in Christ? Well, because you obey. You know him, You listen to his words. You love him.
God warns Noah, and Noah immediately listens and obeys. V22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.
Noah obeys the word of God. Now, we already know he’s not perfect, not by a long way. He is a fallen sinner. But he “walks in close fellowship with God”. He knows his Father. He wants to obey him. And he’s willing to put his whole life on the line: money, time, energy, reputation – building a massive boat in the desert would have claimed all of these. It is costly to follow Christ. It is costly, it is hard, to obey his Word. But Oh, how much more costly to disobey, to rebel, to face his judgement and wrath. Repent, dear friends, we must repent and turn to Christ.
For life continues as it always has done. People get married, have babies, build cities and live in them. But God’s righteous judgement is hanging just above our heads, and suddenly all will be wiped out. Everything we held so dear, the great works we have built with our hands – will suddenly be washed away, reduced to nothing.
It is a stark warning to us. For we are just like the people in Noah’s day. Life goes on. But a Day is coming, it is set, when we will be tested by fire. And all that we have done will be burnt up – and only that which is done in the power and grace of our Lord Jesus will stand. Nothing else will remain.
[1] There are other interpretations of this, like angels, great kings, or the “godly” line of Seth marrying into Cain’s line. These all have significant drawbacks.
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