Bible trivia questions often include some question regarding the oldest person who ever lived. I am sure God recorded Methuselah for more than just his age. His name means “man of the dart”. He is sixth in descent from Seth, and the father of Lamech.
Lamech is mentioned next and he was given some insight into the significance of his son, whom he named Noah. The world was in a mess by this time and Lamech among others was looking for some comfort in the midst of the wickedness that was so prevalent at that time. Lamech noted that life was difficult because of the curse that the LORD had put upon the ground.
Noah is the next man mentioned and details of his life begin when he was five hundred years old. Interestingly, God chose to mention three sons of Noah in verse 32.
Looking at the genealogical record given to us in chapter 5 we can calculate that there was a total of 1656 years from the time of creation to the time of Noah. Some have calculated that based on a normal birthrate and the length of time each man lived in that time, there could have been as many as two billion people living on the earth. We cannot know for sure because God does not give us these details.
Chapter 6 begins with the continuing increase in population upon the earth. God showed the extent of the wickedness of society then. The influence of the wicked like Cain would be included here. It also points to a problem that existed at that time. The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair. We read that the sons of God took wives of all which they chose.
There has been much debate about who the sons of God were. Some believe they were angels. Some suggest they are fallen angels. If they were fallen angels, they would not likely be called “sons of God” by God. They were fallen angels. There is no other Biblical passage to give support to this speculation. The Bible tells us that angels cannot procreate, thus this cannot be speaking of angels.
From what is recorded here, it seems that the godly men kept themselves separate from intermarriage with ungodly women in earlier human history. As is quite common among human beings, over time, there is a growing carelessness among those who are saved. The Word of God loses its place in their lives. It is not that the Word of God is less powerful, but the desires of the flesh seem to pollute the hearts of those who know the Lord. The love of God is no longer the prominent factor.
We see that sin mentioned in other parts of the Bible as well. Verse 2 tells us the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair. God designed us to notice beauty. However, when it comes to choosing friends or a wife, beauty cannot be the primary determining factor. We know throughout the Bible, that women learned how to accentuate certain parts of their bodies to draw attention to themselves. This was not God’s design, but the devil has been involved in seeking to corrupt the good things of God.
It is important for godly men to be taught the significance of not allowing the lust of the eyes to dominate in their lives. We, as men, need to realize the beauty that is inside the woman. This should be what draws the attention of the man who is Biblically seeking a wife. If that man is walking in the fear of the LORD and spending time in prayer, seeking God’s direction in finding a wife, he will appreciate that character. The woman that seeks to flaunt herself is not the one that a good man will want to know.
We read in verse 2 of our text that the sons of God took them wives of all which they chose. Verse 3 helps us to understand that this was not a good thing. The LORD stated that His spirit would not always strive with man. The word translated as “strive” here means: “to contend, or to plead, or to judge.” The Holy Spirit had been working in the hearts of the sons of God, but they were not paying close enough attention to His work. The spirit of the LORD is always judging things and is addressing things according to the righteousness of God.
The LORD knows that we are but flesh and thus at this time He was going to give man 120 years yet. In verse 4 we read that as the result of the carelessness of the sons of God, giants were born into the world. These giants were generally large men who lived in defiance of the true God. They made a name for themselves, but it was not in a good light.
In verse 5 we see that the wickedness of man was great in the earth at this time. People were allowing their imaginations to govern their lives. This is never a good thing. We need to know the LORD and be governed by His Word and His spirit. We see that the hearts of the majority of the people at this time were “evil continually.”
God did not create man to be evil. He created man to glorify Him. He gave man all the knowledge he needed to be able to glorify God with his life. Sadly, most men at that time chose to reject that knowledge and they allowed their imaginations and their association with the daughters of men to govern their lives. This is never a good thing. Adam fell because he rejected God’s clear instructions and chose to follow the lie of the devil as presented to him by his wife. Cain chose to follow his imagination and developed false religion which led to the murder of his brother. He remained in defiance against God. Lamech, allowed his imagination to rule and he married two women. He also defied God’s law and then murdered two men. He boasted of this and wondered what God would do to him for this wickedness. As we see in our text, wickedness was dominant on the earth by the time of Noah.
In verse 6 we see that the LORD repented of the fact that He had made man on the earth. We know that repentance is important for us in order to be saved. The repentance that we must have is a change of heart and mind regarding the course we are on. We need to turn to God and realize that His way is the right way and we need to accept that way by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour.
When God repented in our text we are told that it grieved him at His heart that He had made man. God was vexed by the wickedness that He saw permeating society. In chapter 6 we find that one man of all the people found grace in God’s sight. Only one family consisting of 8 people would be spared the judgment of God. When we stop to think of that, it is quite sobering. All those people and only one family was justified to be saved.
Jesus used the example of Noah in Matthew 24. That passage deals with the Tribulation time. It talks of the darkness that will permeate the earth during that terrible time. We are not in the Tribulation today, but there is great darkness in the world today as well. The wickedness that is seen as normal and acceptable is astounding.
Worse than what is taking place in the secular world, is the darkness that is permeating the religious scene. Most religiously minded people have come to accept the deception and the lies being promoted from the leadership and through the membership. It is quite shocking to see how quickly people who seem to have had some sense of truth, have succumbed to the deception. It shows the shallowness of the teaching that has been taking place for a long time. Many people will come if you feed them sour milk. It is not even the milk of the Word. It is a corrupted milk that cannot help at all. However, many are content with that diet and take great offence to anyone who would suggest there is something wrong here.
Noah is used to show us that it is possible to believe and follow the truth even when the majority of society is wrong. It is also a reminder of the grace of God that enables a person to walk in the truth. We can walk in the truth today if we will walk in that same grace. We will be quite different from our society as well.
Jesus warned that few find the narrow way. The disciples wondered at one point who can be saved? God’s standard of righteousness is high. In the flesh no one can be saved. Those who are saved, are saved by the grace of God. They live by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. They will be different.
Pastor Bartel