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Sermon preached on Genesis 6:1-8 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/23/2023 in Petaluma, CA.
Sermon Manuscript
Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
We finished off last week reflecting on the genealogy of Adam’s line through Seth in contrast to the genealogy of Cain. We referred to the line through Seth as the godly seed of the woman, that was hoping on the promise of God to bring a savior, per Genesis 3:15. We referred to Cain’s line as the seed of the serpent who while accomplishing many things for human civilization, was not described as a godly line. Seth’s line hoped for God to redeem humanity. Cain’s line effectively hoped in themselves. Today’s passage stands at the end of this section that had considered Adam’s line in Seth in comparison to Cain’s line. It serves to conclude that section and act to transition us to the next main section that will begin in verse 9. That’s where we’ll learn about Noah and the Flood in detail. So then, today’s passage will summarize what progress mankind had made in history up to this point, and how that ultimately precipitated the Flood.
Let us begin in our first point by trying to address the big, debated question that presents itself here. I am referring to verse 1 and the description of the sons of God versus the daughters of men. Who are these sons of God who took such daughters of men as wives? There are three main views about this, but really just two big categories. One category is that this is describing intermarriage between angels and men. The other category is that this describes marriage between humans, which has a couple specific variations within that category.
Let me note right away, that I have trouble adopting the view that this is describing relations between angels and humans, despite it being fairly popular by too many in Christendom. What is probably the reason this view is so popular is because it is a somewhat ancient view at this point. There is book called the Book of Enoch written maybe around 200 or 300 BC at the oldest estimates. The Book claims to be written by Enoch but of course Enoch lived several millennia before that, and there is no credible case that Enoch actually wrote the Book of Enoch. But, that book claims to record the backstory to our passage today and describes how fallen angels married human women and made babies with them who become these giant Nephilim. You have undoubtedly heard this view before. But let us note that the Jews never accepted the book of Enoch into their canon of Scripture. But that didn’t stop some people, including both Jews and Christians from buying into it. Then again, I’m always amazed how many people who bought into some of the fanciful claims about the history of Jesus and Christianity in The Da Vinci Code book written in 2003. The Book of Enoch is not in the Bible for a reason. I need not add that Jesus himself taught that angels don’t marry, Matthew 22:30.
The closest thing to an actual biblical argument for understanding the language here in Genesis of “sons of God” as “angels” is the claim that this is what the Old Testament meant when it used that language. Yet, this is a very exaggerated claim. First off, that phrase is only found in the Hebrew Old Testament three times, and all in Job. Yes, there it does refer to angels. However, similar language throughout the Old Testament gets used in various ways, including various times where humans are being referred to somehow as sons of the divine. Sometimes the Bible refers to humans as sons of God to describe their good relationship with God, like Deuteronomy 14:1 that refers to Israel as sons of the LORD your God; in other words its used to refer to God’s people. Or other times the Bible used that language to refer to humans who are in positions of authority, like in Psalm 82:16 which addressed such rulers saying, “You are gods, sons of the Most High.” Jesus affirmed in John 10:34 that was referring to humans not angels. And so, while the language “sons of God” has sometimes been used in history to refer to angels, it has certainly also been used in history to describe humans in various ways. In fact, when we get to the New Testament, the language of “sons of god” is used exclusively to describe humans. One particular fitting reference is that Luke 3 gives us the genealogy of Jesus to Adam and ends by saying that Adam was a Son of God. Luke 3 is likely the most definitive source to cross reference here, since both Luke 3 and Genesis 5-6 here are explicitly recording Adam’s genealogy.
So then, if this is not a reference to angels intermarrying with humans, that would put it as some category of humans marrying humans. Two options are popular, but let me say that I’m not convinced by this first one, but I’ll make you aware of it. That is to identify the Sons of God with Cain’s lineage, as a way of saying they arrogantly took such a label upon themselves in a claim of being deified kings. One could imagine Lamech of Cain’s lineage boasting in such a way, though he’s not specifically recorded here doing that. But if this view were correct, then Genesis here would be lamenting the polygamy of these blasphemous kings were going around and taking any and thus as many wives as they wanted into their royal harem. That is what Lamech of Cain’s line did. So, this view is a possibility, but I’m not convinced it’s the most natural way to read this.
So then what is arguably the best option is that that the sons of God here in verse 1 is a reference to the godly lineage of Adam’s line through Seth, what we’ve referred to as the seed of the woman. We know the Bible will continue to use the language of “sons of God” to refer to God’s people, so this would be the first usage. It also fits in context that Genesis 5 emphasizes that Adam’s line through Seth was the one that started with the image of God, and that this image was then passed on, which again coincides with Luke 3’s description of Adam being a son of God. So then, this interpretation would be to then see the “daughters of men” to refer to the heathen women, such as from the line of Cain, from the seed of the serpent. In other words, this would then be describing how the godly people began to marry the pagan people. Again, in context, we’ve already been setup in Genesis to consider Cain’s line versus Seth’s line, so then context would fit for us to see that they began to intermarry, the godly with the wicked. You will notice that verse 2 tells us why such intermarriage took place. The godly men began to take notice of the beauty of these other women, and so they chose them as wives because of their outward beauty. The Hebrew is very similar here to how Eve saw that the fruit was good, so she took and ate of it. These men are outwardly looking and seeing that these women look outwardly good and so they take them for their wives. The result, of course, would threaten to adulterate the godly line with this pagan influence. From here on, the Bible will revisit this concern about intermarriage between the godly and the heathen, so it would not be surprising to see that concern here. After last Sunday’s sermon, Elder Marlin Viss pointed out that another thing that seems to be suggested by the fact that Cain’s lineage and Seth’s lineage has some duplicate names, is that these peoples groups were interacting, which would further strengthen this point about the intermarriage between the two groups. So, while I’ve been a little long winded here, I think this is by far the best candidate of these three views about Genesis 6 here about these sons of God and daughters of men. That this describes how the godly seed of the woman began to intermarry with the godless seed of serpent.
Let us then now recognize where man had ended up by this point in human history. What we find are some important advancements and some major failings. Let’s think of some of the advancements first. Verse 1 tells us they were multiplying on the face of the earth. Remember, this is what God commanded humans at the start, in Genesis 1, that they were to be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth. By this point of human history, they had been successfully doing this. Not only were they multiplying, but they seemed to be living very long lives, at least a number of them. Last chapter’s genealogy highlighted that. Obviously, there are a lot of things you can accomplish with such long, tall lives. And then you have the reference to the Nephilim in verse 4. Many translations leave that untranslated when it says Nephilim, which adds maybe more mystery than is warranted. It should probably just be translated as “giants”, which is how the KJV translates it. That they were not only people with long lives but long heights too. It mentions how there were giants later on too, which we know later in the Bible, post-Flood, we see them again when Israel later goes to try to conquer Canaan too. Though rare today, there are still some giants in existence today, though to be politically correct we refer to such as the medical condition of gigantism, and it can be a hereditary trait. So then, likely it is still speaking of these giants in verse 4 that these were the mighty men of old and men of renown. In other words, at that time, there came to be these ancient heroes on earth. They were powerful and strong people. And they were people of glory and fame.
Yet, despite such advancements and progress among humanity, their state had become fraught with major failings. What I mean is what we have recorded in verse 5. Here is God’s assessment of human civilization as that ancient world neared its end. Man had become greatly wicked. The word for wicked is the word for evil. Man had become not just a little evil. Man had become greatly evil. Again, I point to the context that at first there was some who were godly and some who were not godly. At least for a time it seemed there was a mix of both on earth. But then as those two separate groups began to mix together in marriage, it resulted in almost no godly people left on the earth.
Verse 5 also tells us how deep the evil ran. It ran to the mind and heart of mankind. “Every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” We often speak of total depravity and distinguish that from utter depravity, but this sounds more like utter depravity. Their thoughts were evil thoughts. And what was coming out of their hearts was evil. They craved and desired evil from an evil heart. They were evil to the core.
This leads us then to our third point to consider today. Despite all their advancements, mankind had fallen so fully into depravity. So, we see then the judgment of God upon them. Verses 3 and 7 both contain words of judgment upon man.
Start with verse 3. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” This is clearly a word of judgment, but what is less clear is if refers to a cap God would put on human lifespans or if it referred to how much longer before God brought a final judgment with the flood. If it is a reference to the lifespans, we would have to note that after the flood, we begin to see a big drop off starting to happen in lifespans, but not immediately capped at 120 years. Instead, we find a gradual but noticeable dropoff starting with the Flood to what we now find, which in modern records, is about a maximum lifespan max of 120 years. That being said, it seems most commentators tend to think this is instead a reference to how much more time God would give them before he destroyed that world with the Flood. The idea would be that God is giving 120 more years for them to yet repent of their wickedness. Indeed, 1 Peter 1:20 speaks of how God exercised patience while the Ark was being built. And 2 Peter 2:5 says that Noah was a preacher of righteousness in those days. So, likely this 120 years is a pronouncement of God’s impending judgment upon the earth, but yet giving mankind an opportunity to turn from their sin.
As an aside, I would note that both possible interpretations would give us important application today. We know that God has pronounced a final day of judgment upon all the world. We also know that each us have a limited lifespan, and I don’t think any of us here will live for more than 120 years. He gives sinners a time to repent, but it is not an indefinite time. May each man acknowledge their sin and find salvation in Christ before judgment falls upon them.
So then, in verse 7 we see even more judgment language. But start in verse 6 for the background. There in verse 6, with heart-breaking anthropomorphic language, God is described as regretting that he had made man on earth. That it grieved God to his heart. Notice how this anthropomorphic language is a clever contrast to what man was supposed to be. God made man in his image, and so man’s heart should be good and every thought and action good. But his heart was not. He rejoiced in evil not grieving over it. So then, in contrast this anthropomorphic language describes God analogously to man by way of contrast. God’s heart is pained and grieved over the evil of mankind. That’s what man’s heart should have been over this evil, but was not.
So then, verse 7 declares that God will blot out mankind. Notice that the scope of man’s destruction would be not just man, but also the animals and creeping things and birds. Again, think in terms of what God created man to be. He created man to be in charge of all these creatures. Genesis 1 called mankind to not only fill the earth, but to subdue it. I think implied here, is that man had also been doing this. He had begun to make his mark on this earth, and had begun to put all these creatures under his feet. And so, then God is going to wipe out the people and all that had become theirs, including these creatures. And as we’ll see in the next passage, God is going do to that via a flood. He will wipe out all mankind, and all these animals. That world that had become so wicked, he would blot it out, and effectively decreate it.
But Noah. Verse 8. But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. I hope you took that for the hope that is here. God declared here that he would wipe out creation, but Noah found favor in his eyes. God would not wipe out Noah, but rather in Noah, he would preserve a remnant of creation. In Noah, he would usher in a new creation. In Noah, God would yet fulfill his Genesis 3:15 promise. Noah, who, relatively, was a righteous man who walked with God, would bring a relative relief from God’s curse as his father Lamech had prophesied. God’s grace would save Noah, and his family, along with a remnant of animals, creeping things, and birds. And so in the face of such a terribly announced judgment on humanity, when all seemed lost, we say, “But Noah.”
But Jesus! We’ll go on to learn a lot more about Noah in the next few chapters. While we’ll see his faith and his righteousness, we’ll also realize he is not a perfect man. He is also a fallen son of Adam in need of redemption. While God would bring forth the promised Genesis 3:15 savior, it would not be Noah himself, but a greater descendent of Noah. It would be Jesus. Noah is a type of Christ. But we’ll see later how he falls short of being the Christ himself. And we’ll see how sin yet survives into the new creation of the post-Flood world. Mankind will grow and fill that new earth, and sadly, he will prosper not only in cultural advancements but also again in depravity. God’s judgment will be again announced to be coming to yet destroy evil humanity once and for all. But Jesus!
Jesus has come and found favor in the eyes of the LORD. Jesus lived a righteous life as the only perfect man ever to come into this world. For he was God himself come into the flesh. He was the precise image of God, the perfect Son of God come down here to the sons and daughters of man. He saw how ugly sin had made us. But he still saw us and loved us. And he gave up his life for us. That whoever believes in him would be saved. He came to turn our evil hearts back to God, to give us a new heart whose thoughts and intentions is only good continually. He came to save us from the judgment to come so that our days would not be numbered, but that our days would be without number, life everlasting. He came to usher us yet safely into a new creation, a new earth, where God in heaven would come down here to live with us there. Where God would be pleased always with us his new creations in Christ.
The good word here of “But Noah” is the word here of “But Jesus”. Find the hope of Christ here in Genesis when things looked so grim. If there was yet hope in Noah’s day amidst a world so given to evil, then there is hope for us today in similar circumstances. Sadly, only those who were in Noah survived the Flood, only his wife and his three sons with their wives. But if you were in Noah, then you were saved. And today, if we are in Jesus, then we will be saved from this degenerate world. If we are in Jesus by faith, then our hope condemns this world, and God assures us that we are heirs of the righteousness that comes through faith.
Saints in Christ, the day of judgment and the day of salvation were one and the same in Noah’s day. For Noah, when the Flood came, it was a day of salvation, even while it was at the same time a day of judgment for the world. The same will be true for us. God has us here and now to be a herald of the truth to a condemned world. God’s patience in bringing the final judgment is an opportunity for us to help yet save people from that judgment. This is God’s plan for us here and now. Let us walk as sons of God, not joining in with the world in their sin, but living holy lives in the face of the world, testifying to them of Jesus. Let us not intermingle, or intermarry, with the sinful world. Rather, may we live in but not of this world as a son of God seeking to show God to the world. Let us seek this by God’s grace until that day of our salvation.
Amen.
Copyright © 2022 Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
All Rights Reserved.
