Genesis 5-9

6 1 וַֽיְהִי֙ כִּֽי ־ הֵחֵ֣ל הָֽאָדָ֔ם לָרֹ֖ב עַל ־ פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה וּבָנ֖וֹת יֻלְּד֥וּ לָהֶֽם ׃ 2 וַיִּרְא֤וּ בְנֵי ־ הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת ־ בְּנ֣וֹת הָֽאָדָ֔ם כִּ֥י טֹבֹ֖ת הֵ֑נָּה וַיִּקְח֤וּ לָהֶם֙ נָשִׁ֔ים מִכֹּ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּחָֽרוּ ׃ 3 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֗ה לֹֽא ־ יָד֨וֹן רוּחִ֤י בָֽאָדָם֙ לְעֹלָ֔ם בְּשַׁגַּ֖ם ה֣וּא בָשָׂ֑ר וְהָי֣וּ יָמָ֔יו מֵאָ֥ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֖ים שָׁנָֽה ׃ 4 הַנְּפִלִ֞ים הָי֣וּ בָאָרֶץ֮ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵם֒ וְגַ֣ם אַֽחֲרֵי ־ כֵ֗ן אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָבֹ֜אוּ בְּנֵ֤י הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל ־ בְּנ֣וֹת הָֽאָדָ֔ם וְיָלְד֖וּ לָהֶ֑ם הֵ֧מָּה הַגִּבֹּרִ֛ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר מֵעוֹלָ֖ם אַנְשֵׁ֥י הַשֵּֽׁם ׃ פ 5 וַיַּ֣רְא יְהוָ֔ה כִּ֥י רַבָּ֛ה רָעַ֥ת הָאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וְכָל ־ יֵ֙צֶר֙ מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ת לִבּ֔וֹ רַ֥ק רַ֖ע כָּל ־ הַיּֽוֹם ׃ 6 וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם יְהוָ֔ה כִּֽי ־ עָשָׂ֥ה אֶת ־ הָֽאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וַיִּתְעַצֵּ֖ב אֶל ־ לִבּֽוֹ ׃ 7 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֗ה אֶמְחֶ֨ה אֶת ־ הָאָדָ֤ם אֲשֶׁר ־ בָּרָ֙אתִי֙ מֵעַל֙ פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה מֵֽאָדָם֙ עַד ־ בְּהֵמָ֔ה עַד ־ רֶ֖מֶשׂ וְעַד ־ ע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם כִּ֥י נִחַ֖מְתִּי כִּ֥י עֲשִׂיתִֽם ׃ 8 וְנֹ֕חַ מָ֥צָא חֵ֖ן בְּעֵינֵ֥י יְהוָֽה ׃ פ

Genesis 6:1-8

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Increasing Corruption on Earth 6 1 When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, z “My Spirit shall not abide in 1 man forever, a for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim 1 were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. 5 b The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every c intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And d the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it e grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah f found favor in the eyes of the Lord .

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Sermon 6.1-8

As humans multiplied, so did wickedness Introduction Shouldn't we just be able to live how we want? No rules? 1. As human wickedness multiplied, God shortened human lifespans v1 multiply - linking us back to Genesis 1. Humanity is blessed and so multiplies. v2 who are the sons of God? Angelic beings? Why should we think that, aside from a desire for a fantastical story. Sons of God best understood, in Genesis' own context, as descendants of the 'righteous' line, through Seth (previous chapter). Hence the emphasis on Seth being 'in his own image', as Adam was in God's. And elsewhere, e.g., the NT in particular - sons of God being those right with God through faith. What is implicit in Genesis is often explicit later in the Pentateuch, eg temple/sacrifice; clean and unclean; 'sonship', and marrying those of faith. So the point is that, as the descendants of Seth married without discernment and wisdom, wickedness multiplied. v3 In God's mercy to curb human evil and suffering, he places a greater limit on humanity. Firstly he limited us from the tree of life (chapter 3), now he limited lifespan to 120 years. v4 who are the Nephilim? And the 'mighty men of renown', aka the Gibborim? Rather than some kind of mystical quasi-angelic being, the Nephilim can be understood as mighty tyrant warriors. Warlords, also known as 'mighty men'. NB unlike virtually all other ancient myths (and cf popular movies today), which try to create categories of men descended from gods, Genesis is insisting that even the great and terrible mighty men of ancient legend were just men, limited by God, who died. Later when the cowardly spies (in Numbers) say they are 'sons of the Nephilim', the point is that they are saying they are terrifying and mighty - like those legendary Nephilim, great ones. Not that they are literally descended from them (since, in any case, they died in the flood). Application direction: What does the Bible say about who we should marry? What are the actual consequences? 2. As human wickedness multiplied, God planned to remove humans from the earth v5 How are we to understand this? What do we mean by 'total depravity'? v6 In what sense God 'regrets' and yet never changes. In himself he never changes, therefore his response changes predictably depending on our posture towards him [snooker] v7 This is de-creation language [cf the plagues later] v8 'found favour' = 'received grace' (not legalism). Later, it even says Noah 'walked with God' - like Enoch. So we know there's to be hope. Application directions: Do we actually believe what the Bible says about our hearts? Deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17), the old self, the broken human. Ephesians 4 etc. FCF: Doing whatever we like, constantly wicked thoughts Marriage with idolaters Filthy hearts which are corrupt, deceitful On top of all this, we don't even believe it, even though we know it Person of Jesus: Pure in heart, righteous, blameless, pure, all the time. We desperately need someone who has a pure, undeceived and undeceiving heart to tell us the truth about ourselves! Work of Jesus: He was blotted out and decreated so that we might receive this favour He found favour, Jesus of Nazareth, in the eyes of the Father - with you I am well pleased. Raised and vindicated, and received blessing and glory forevermore. Union with Jesus: I have passed through the 'flood' of judgement in him and nothing can separate me from the father's love. I am one of the sons of God. I share in this 'favour' in the eyes of God, since I share in Jesus' sonship. And so I share in his blessing and glory forevermore. Wrap up: As humans multiplied, so did the wickedness. God planned to blot them from the face of the earth. In Jesus, this final judgement has really happened. The righteous One was blotted out for the sake of his people, so that through his death we might receive eternal favour.

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