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GOD=S JUDGMENT AND SALVATION
Genesis 6:1-7:24
Key Verse: 6:9
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“This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man,
blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.@
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As world population increased, sin grew and spread. In the times of Noah
corruption and violence reached a climax and the holy and righteous God revealed his
wrath in a mighty act of judgment. He destroyed the earth with a mighty flood. He
also revealed his love and mercy by saving one man of faith. Because of one man=s
faith, the human race was preserved. In this lesson we want to think about how sin
spreads, about the importance of one man of faith and the nature of his faith, and
about God who judges and saves.
I.
The Times of Noah (6:1-7)
As we have studied, man was created with animals on the sixth day. But man
is different from the animals because man has God=s image, God=s breath, and
God=s mission (1:27,28; 2:7). Most of all, he is different because he is the object of
God=s glory (Ge 1:31). But in chapter 6 we read about man, the object of God=s
glory, who became wicked and grieved God.
Look at verses 1,2. “When men began to increase in number on the earth and
daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were
beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.@ Marriage was instituted by God
in the Garden of Eden before the Fall. God created the family for mission, to trust
and obey him and do his work in the world. But the marriages described here were
not godly at all. We cannot be positive about who the sons of God and the daughters
of men were in verse 2. But in the context of the Genesis story, it seems reasonable
to say that the sons of God are the men of Seth=s line who bore God=s image and
daughters of men are the godless descendants of Cain. The sons of God, who were
supposed to be godly people, saw that the daughters of men were beautiful and they
married any of them they chose. One thing is clear: corruption began when men of
God left God out of marriage. Instead of marrying women who pleased God, they
married women who pleased themselves.
Throughout the Bible, there is a constant prohibition against the people of God
marrying those who are not of the people of God. 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 says, “Do
not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness
have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is
there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an
unbeliever?” In spite of this prohibition, many people, even many Christians, leave
God out of their marriage. Outward appearance, physical attraction, and material
possession were their primary criteria in
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choosing marriage partners. The results of these marriages, from a human
point of view, seemed to be good. According to verse 4, the children born of these
marriages were strong and handsome and beautiful. The Nephilim, which means
giants, were on the earth in those days--and also afterward--when the sons of God
went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old,
men of renown.
God, however, was not pleased by these marriages. Man looks at the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Look at verse 3. “Then the Lord said,
>My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal (the KJV says for he
is flesh@); his days will be a hundred and twenty years.@ The 120 years may refer to
the time left before the flood, or it may refer to a general shortening of the life span of
each man. Although we don=t know the exact meaning of this verse, it is clear that
God was not happy that man was following the desires of the flesh rather than God=s
spirit. People were living on the physical level, ignoring the spiritual side of life
completely. Eating, drinking, and marrying are not wrong--they are all joyful human
activities; but if people only think about the flesh and leave God out, this displeases
God very much. It is practical atheism.
Look at verses 5-7. “The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth
had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all
the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart
was filled with pain. So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created,
from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the
ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them." Genesis 6 is
meant to contrast with Genesis 1. When we read verse 5 that “The LORD saw how
great man’s wickedness on the earth had become,” we are to think of the many earlier
statements that God saw what he had made, that it was good (Ge1:4,10,12,18,
21,25,31). How could the world not be good if God made it? Yet now, just five
chapters later, the God who originally looked out on a good world is grieved that he
made man and is determined to wipe all living creatures—“men and animals, and
creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air” from the face of the earth.
What is that has changed God’s outlook? It is sin. Sin is more than mere
imperfection. It something thoroughly hostile to God’s purposes and thoroughly
infecting, like poison in drinking water.
The first thing these verses tell us is that sin is an internal matter. It is not
merely a question of such outward acts as adultery, stealing, murder, and other crimes,
but of the thoughts of the heart (5). We look on the outward appearance, but the Lord
looks at the heart (1Sam 16:7). Second, sin is pervasive. Because it comes out of the
heart, which controls what we think and do, sin is necessarily affects every part of our
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being so that nothing we think, do, plan, or are is unaffected by it. This is the main
thrust of the verse. It does not mean that they never do anything good. It means
rather that even their best is always spoiled by their essentially sinful natures. For
example, the water is pure, but the glass is dirty. Then everything that comes in
contact with the glass will be contaminated. It is the same with the sin that comes out
of the human heart. It contaminates everything (Jer 17:9; Ps 5:9; Ps 14:3; Ro 3:1018). Third, sin is also continuous, for in God’s judgment we all do only evil all the
time. This is what happens to everyone when we leave God out of our lives.
Great Britain was a most powerful nation on earth during the 18th and 19th
century mainly because many of her people trusted and obeyed God. As a result,
they produced many great men of God like John Wesley, Charles Wesley, George
Whitefield, William Wilberforce, William Carey, George Muller, David Livingstone,
Charles Spurgeon, Hudson Taylor, and so on. Not only that, but also over 80% of all
protestant missionaries during those times were sent out from England to many
corners of the world. Great Britain was indeed a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
However, in recent times many people in England left God out, ignoring the spiritual
side of life completely. As a result England became a seedbed of all kinds of
corruption and wickedness. God was pleased when England was a kingdom of priests.
But now God is grieved because England became a practically atheistic nation.
This is what will happen to the United States of America if we continue to
leave God out, ignoring and despising him in our daily lives. I believe that there are
many godly men and women in our country. At the same time we can’t deny the fact
that there are many superficial Christians in our nation’s churches today. They go to
church Sundays on and off, give tips to God, and pray sporadically. On the surface,
they look like Christians, but their commitment to Christ is almost non-existent. And
they comfort themselves, saying, “I love Jesus.” Of course, they love Jesus, but they
love themselves more than God, they love money more than God, and they love
pleasures more than God. From a human point of view, they look like nice people,
but they are nothing but idol worshipers from God’s point of view. What did God
say about them? God spoke through Paul in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “But mark this: There
will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of
money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the
good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—
having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”
This is a time for us to wake up from our spiritual complacency and compromise,
repent of our sins and pray for ourselves and for our nation to be a kingdom of priests
and a holy nation. We need to beg for God’s mercy with crying out prayer.
Practically we need to pray together every morning and evening, especially as we
prepare for the upcoming summer conference. If we don’t want to see our nation
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destroyed by the fiery judgment of God, we need to cry out to God, begging his
mercy. We need to pray for the people of this country, especially for God’s people,
to come out of spiritual compromise and complacency and to honor and hallow God’s
name in their daily lives.
II.
I Will Establish My Covenant with You@ (6:8-22)
Look at verse 8. “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.@ This verse
does not mean that he found favor with God because he was righteous and lived a
blameless
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life. But it means that Noah=s righteousness was the product of his having found
favor with God. Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord, and it changed his life
accordingly. Look at verse 9. “This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous
man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.@ There are
three areas in which God=s favor is said to have changed the life of Noah.
First, he was a righteous man. Noah was righteous, not because he was
sinless, but because he believed in God. His righteousness was the righteousness that
comes from faith. When God told him that he would judge the world and save him
and his family, Noah believed God. And his faith was expressed in obedience to
God=s word. Obedience to God=s word was the key to Noah=s faith.
Second, he was blameless among the people of his time. The word
“blameless@ is closely related to “righteousness.@ In this context, however, the word
blameless@ is probably related to how the people of Noah=s time perceived him. The
idea seemed to be not only that Noah acted uprightly before the Lord but also that he
acted in such a way as to appear blameless in the eyes of the watching world.
Third, he walked with God. In other words, he did not just live life on a
physical level. Although he ate and drank and married and had three sons, he had a
spiritual life. Probably he got up early in the morning to have a sweet communion
with God. In brief, Noah listened to God and obeyed God=s word. For example,
God told him to make an ark. The ark was big enough, 450 feet long and 75 feet
wide and 45 feet high, for Noah and his family and for all of the living creatures, both
male and female. It was not an easy job to do. But the author described Noah=s
obedience like this, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him@ (6:22). God
also commanded him to take the unclean animals as well. The author says again,
“And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him@ (7:5). Many people of his time
must have thought that Noah was a fool. They must have teased and persecuted him
for building such a huge ark so far away from the ocean. Though he grew lonely
sometimes, he did not yield to peer pressure or to his own logic. He listened to
God=s word carefully and obeyed God=s word absolutely. Hebrews 11:7 says, “By
faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save
his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the
righteousness that comes by faith.@ All the people of Noah=s times denied or
despised God, but Noah trusted and obeyed God. Noah built the ark and God saved
his family. Noah obeyed God=s word like a foolish man. Yet, through his obedience
Noah was saved. Obeying God=s word is hard, like building an ark, but obedience to
his word is the power of salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ said the same thing when
he said to those who were professing to love him, “If you love me, you will obey
what I command@ (Jn 14:15).
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Look at verses 18-19. “But I will establish my covenant with you, and you
will enter the ark--you and your sons and your wife and your sons= wives with you.
You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep
them alive with you.@ This was God=s favor. It was a covenant which became
God=s means of grace not only to Noah and his family, but to all life on the earth,
domestic and wild. Noah, by his obedience, accepted God=s gracious covenant. He
continued to obey God=s word: he stored food in the ark; he called the animals and
they came to him, and they entered the ark of salvation with Noah and his family.
God=s covenant with Noah was established when he built the ark and entered it.
People break promises. As a result, we become disappointed with one another. But
our God never breaks his promises. God made a life-line to save the human race and
the animal kingdom through one man, Noah. God still uses men of faith and
obedience to bring his redemption and salvation to the world. Without this one
righteous and blameless man, Noah, this world would have been completely
destroyed. May God raise up a few men who walk with God like Noah, men through
whom he can bring his redemption and salvation to the world.
III.
The Flood (7:1-24)
It is hard to imagine a more thrilling section of Scripture than Genesis 7. Here
at last, after God=s warning of the earth=s coming destruction and the instructions to
Noah to prepare for it by building an ark, the climactic moment comes. Look at 7:1-4.
Noah, who had obeyed for 120 years and had undoubtedly grown increasingly strong
in his obedience during that time, did not fail to obey now. Verse 5 says, “And Noah
did all that the Lord commanded him.@ On the last day God shut the door, the rains
began. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. Verses 22,23 say,
“Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. Everything on
the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move
along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was
left, and those with him in the ark.@ Here we learn about God=s judgment and
salvation.
First, our God is a God of judgment. The flood looks forward to the final
judgment. God will surely judge all men. 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him
for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.@ 2 Peter 3:9-12 says,
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is
patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a
roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be
laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought
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you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of
God and speed its coming.@ The Bible speaks of the day of the Lord,@ the day when
the Lord will execute his judgment on the earth. We must live by faith, knowing that
the world is in God=s hands. When the time comes for the final judgment, it will
come. It will not be an accident. Those who do not belong to God will be cast into
darkness and suffer eternally in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. But those who
belong to God, who have entered into covenant with him, will be saved and will have
eternal life.
Second, our God is a God of salvation. Our God does not want anyone to
perish, but everyone to come to repentance. So he continually extends his hand of
grace to a sinful and rebellious people. He is ready to save anyone who takes his
hand in faith. But there is an end to grace. Grace is great, but it is not unending.
Immediately before the flood, for one final week the door stood open. But the week
ended, the door was closed and the flood came. God opens the door. He also closes
and refuses to open them--when the time for grace is gone (Mt 25:1-13). God wanted
to invite all the people of Noah=s times to the ark so that they might be rescued from
the impending flood. But the people refused to accept the invitation. When they
refused to accept the invitation, they were swallowed by the flood.
In conclusion, we learned that our God is a God of judgment and salvation.
He wiped life from the earth with a mighty flood. At the same time he revealed his
mercy and love by saving one man of faith, Noah. Because of one man=s faith, the
human race was preserved. Our times are not so different from the times of Noah.
What kind of life should we live while we are surrounded by godless people? Should
we live a physical life, ignoring the life of faith and obedience like the people of
Noah=s times? Or should we live a spiritual life--fulfilling the life of faith and
obedience like Noah? May God help each of us to make a clear decision to live a
spirit-filled life, a life of faith and obedience, like Noah who was a righteous man,
blameless among the people of his time, and who walked with God. May God richly
bless you as you walk with him.
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