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Teaching And Research By: M. E. Arbaugh
Genesis
Chapter Six
Genesis 3:22- through Genesis 8:14 is known as the antediluvian age. Antediluvial means pre flood. This age is also called the dispensation of conscience, where people had knowledge of right and wrong and were expected to follow their conscience to do right
V 1. When men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,
V 2. The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair, and they took wives of all they desired and chose.
There two schools of thought about this verse, One holds that the Sons of God were men. Since Cain’s descendants had no true beliefs, it would have to be Seth's descendants that abandoned the commandment of God. The second, believes that fallen Angels consorted with the daughters of men. The Living Bible states this theory as follows: "In those days, and even afterward, when the evil beings from the spirit world were sexually involved with human women. Their children became giants of whom so many legends are told. When the Lord God saw the extent of human wickedness, and the trend and direction of men's lives were only towards evil, he was sorry he had made them. It broke his heart."
Bible scholars Adam Clarke and Matthew Henry consider verse 2 to be marriages between believer and unbelievers. But many who have unequally yoked together have not had offspring that were 13 to 18 ft. tall. Scholars, Dake, Pink, DeHawn, Wuest and Kenyon all say the sons of God refers to Angels.
Scholars opinions are sometimes based on whether they translate or they transliterate. Transliteration means to get the exact same words in another language. To translate is to get the same meaning but in different words. Example: the Spanish words, Tu’ eres mi cora’zon means you are my heart in English but in Spanish it means you are my sweetheart.
There are five instances in the Old Testament where the Sons of God are mentioned. In each case it refers to angels. Genesis 6:2 and 4. Job 1:6, Job 2:1 and Job 38:7. For a review on Angels check page seven in chapter one. The case is made because angels have appeared on earth as men. In the New Testament, we are told that it is possible to entertain Angels unaware.(Hebrews 13:1) So, they must appear in the form of and look like humans.
Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first high place, but left their own house, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Kenneth Wuest Expanded New Testament Version.
The Greek word Oiketerion which is translated house is used only in Jude 6 and 2 Corinthians 5:2. This word indicates spiritual and glorified bodies. The Greek indicates that the angels disrobed themselves. Apparently, they took off their spiritual bodies, put on earthly ones and co-habited with women.
Both theories have merit. In my opinion, the second theory has more scripture to back it up. At the present time Angels do not reproduce. Those who did were chained. and placed in prison. Matthew 22:30 does not say that Angels are without gender, most scholars believe they are male.
2 Peter 2:4-5 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast <them> down to hell, and delivered <them> into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth <person>, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
Note that these scriptures link the judgment of these angels with the flood of Noah. Satan's plan was to destroy the path through which the seed of woman would come. He did not know which seed would be the one to bruise his heel. So he sent his fallen angels to mingle their seed with that of woman.
What we believe about this particular matter is not a matter of life and death. It will not affect our salvation. We can believe it either way and still make it to heaven. So why should we even form an opinion concerning this subject? We should be aware because there is always going to be someone who tries to shake your faith by majoring on minor subjects.
V 3. Then the Lord said, My Spirit shall not for ever dwell and strive with man, for he also is flesh; but his days shall yet be 120 years.
There are three major views concerning this verse. View 1 says, you can harden your heart to such a degree that the Spirit of God will cease to deal with you and withdraw and the span of life is 120 years. View 2 says, this refers to how many years it was from the command to build the ark until the door was closed. View 3 incorporates view 1 and 2 and adds that the Holy spirit will be with drawn from the earth at the time of the catching away of the church.
The Greek word used for Spirit is paraclete, which means one who is called along side. At the present time the Holy Spirit reproves and convicts the world of sin. John 16:8 Guides into all truth. John 16:13. And acts as an advocate, strengthener, standby counselor, comforter, helper and intercessor.
It seems that the 120 years does not refer to the length of time that it took to build the ark. Noah’s sons were already grown and married (Genesis 6:18) when God told him to build the ark. Genesis 11:10 tells us that Shem was 100 years old 2 years after the flood. That would make Shem 98 when the flood ended. The flood lasted 1 year and 17 days ( the door of the ark was closed for 110 ten days), that would place Shem’s age in the 96 or 97 year range at the start of the flood. The 120 years seems to be a warning of the impending disaster but we are short more than 20 years. In any case these folks had plenty of warning. Enoch preached to them, Noah preached righteousness to them (2 Peter 2:5) and God"s Spirit had been striving with them. And still they rejected God.
Again, no need to get all bent out of shape over this. It’s kind of like all the ruckus over the rapture. Most (not all) everyone agrees there will be one but it’s the matter of timing that is questioned. There’s "A" "pre" "mid" and " post" tribulation positions. My version is "pan", meaning I trust God that it will all pan out. We can get so hung up on some of these "jots and tittles" that we lose sight of the main theme of the Bible. The main theme is that Man was created for fellowship with God, sin entered the picture, fellowship was broken. From there on the theme is about God’s determined purpose to restore man to fellowship.
V4. There were giants on the earth in those days and also afterward when the sons of God lived with the daughters of men, and they bore children to them.
These were the mighty men of old, men of renown.
Nephilim (translated giants) has a Hebrew root meaning of fallen ones. It appears that there were other outbreaks of this problem on the earth after the flood. Deuteronomy 13:11 mentions Og a giant who had an iron bed that was 18ft.9inches long. 1 Samuel 17, speaks of Goliath who was somewhere between 10 and 13 ft. tall and in Numbers 13:33 they spoke of giants in the land of Cainan.
V 5. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually.
What a contrast between this verse and Genesis chapter one where God saw everything as good.
The minds of the people were blinded by the god of this world, to the goodness of the God of the universe.
V 6. And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved at heart.
V 7. So the Lord said, I will destroy, blot out and wipe away mankind whom I have created from the face of the ground; not only man, [but] the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air, for it grieves and makes Me regretful that I have made them.
V 8. But Noah found grace (favor) in the eyes of the Lord.
V 9. This is the history of the generations of Noah. Noah was a just and righteous man, blameless in his [evil] generation] Noah walked [in habitual fellowship] with God.
It was possible to live a righteous life in the midst of evil. Enoch did and so did Noah. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Verse 7 reminds us that we are made from dirt and we need to remember that dirt responds to dirt. If we submit ourselves to lewd dirty thoughts and actions, our bodies will react to them.
V 10. And Noah became the father of three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Some translations read that Noah had three sons. This is a repeat of an earlier verse, it does not mean just born.
V 11. The earth was depraved and putrid in God's sight, and the land was filled with violence (desecration, infringement, outrage, assault, and lust for power).
V 12. And God looked upon the world and saw how degenerate, debased and vicious it was; for all humanity had corrupted their way upon the earth and lost their true direction.
V 13. God said to Noah, I intend to make an end of all flesh, for through men the land is filled with violence; and behold, I will destroy them and the land.
Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he reveals his secret unto his servants the prophets.
Verse 11 and 12 sound a lot like the current evening news. Notice, that before there was a need, God set Noah to work. God looks ahead, and makes provision for the faithful. Noah knew the voice of God and was quick to obey. He put his faith in the Word of God. Through the preaching of Noah, others were invited to accept the provision of the Lord.
V 14. Make yourself an ark of gopher or cypress wood; make in it rooms (stalls, pens, coops, nests, cages, and compartments), and cover it inside and out with pitch (bitumen).
This seems like a good place to define a few words. The scripture is literal, practical and spiritual. Literal in that it either happened or is going to happen. Practical in that it can be applied to our every day lives and spiritual in that it draws us closer to God. Therefore we can take the following scriptures and apply them in those ways. There is a lot of symbolism in the building of the ark.
The common Hebrew word for pitch is Zetteth. The word that is used here is Kapher. This same word is translated more than 70 times in the Old Testament as "to make atonement" Thus the pitch symbolized the blood of Jesus.
V 15. And this is the way you are to make it; the length of the ark shall be 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits and its height 30 cubits [that is, 450 ft. x 75 ft. x 45 ft.]
The ark has often been the subject of ridicule by those who reject the Bible. They claim it would not be possible for such a craft to carry such a huge cargo. A modern rating of the Ark would equal it to a 40,000 ton vessel. In 1609 at Hoorn, Holland, a Mennonite produced a vessel after the pattern of the Ark, only smaller. He proved it well adapted for floating. He also proved that it would carry the cargo. This revolutionized ship building. By 1900 every large vessel on the high seas was inclined toward the proportions of the Ark. (Verified by Lloyd's Register of Shipping, in the World Almanac.) Later, ships were built longer for speed.
V 16. You shall make a roof or window--a place for light--to the ark, and finish it a cubit [at least 18 inches] above--and the door of the ark you shall put in the side of it; and you shall make it with lower, second, and third stories.
The window, or skylight, was under the roof over hang of the third story. They had to look up. Imagine if the window had been on the side, they would have been looking at the flood. That would have been overwhelming. There was only one door to safety. The same is true today. There is only one door, His name is Jesus.
John 10:7-9 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily , verily, I say unto you, [I am the door] of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
The Ark is a type of Christ. He is our Ark of safety in the earth. There maybe a flood of evil around us, but we are safe in the shadow of His hand. He has said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
Acts 16:30-31 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
The Ark had three stories, they represent:
1. Father, Son and Holy Ghost
2. Spirit, Soul, and Body
3. Three fold Salvation: Saved from the penalty of sin. Saved from
the power of sin. Then at last, delivered from the presence of sin.
There are three arks mentioned in scripture:
1. The ark of Noah
2. The ark of bulrushes (Moses)
3. The ark of the covenant (encased the law)
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V 17. For behold, I, even I, will bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy and make putrid all flesh under the heavens, in which are the breath and spirit of life; everything that is on the land shall die.
V 18. But I will establish my covenant (promise, pledge) with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, and your sons, and your wife, and your son's wives with you.
Safety is given to those who believe and obey. No matter how high the waters rose. They were safe.
Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I <will be> with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:
V 19. And of every living thing of all flesh [found on land], you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.
V 20. Of fowls and birds according to their kinds, and of beasts according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in with you that they may be kept alive.
V 21. Of fowls and birds according to their kinds, and of beasts according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to their kind, two of every sort shall come in with you that they may be kept alive.
V 22. Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.
Try to picture what Noah went through: He was in a desert area. No large bodies of water nearby, and he starts building a ship, not a boat, BUT A SHIP!!!
Perhaps he asked passing people to send or bring to him various kinds of animals, a male and a female of each kind. The front yard looks like a zoo, it is filled with cages. Bales of hay and various containers of feed are stacked by the cages. The sounds of mooing, quacking and growling can be heard for miles. Noah’s place was probably becoming the tourist attraction of the area. The back yard is filled with boat building supplies. The giant skeleton of the ship is rising in the air. Noah is lifting his voice to each passer-by,
preaching, repent, the flood is coming. I'm sure he was subjected to many curious stares and unkind remarks about his mental stability. The senior daughter-in-law might have said, Shem, do something the old man is losing it. At the start of the project, it is possible that Mrs. Noah, and the sons and daughter-in-laws, may have wondered about his sanity. Noah probably spent the entire family fortune on building supplies and no doubt Mrs. Noah had a honey do list that was a mile long. She may have complained that the house was falling down, desperately needing repairs. Perhaps Noah told her, honey, when this is all over we will go on a long cruise. And don’t worry, God will take care of our retirement plan.
While others were eating and drinking, paying no attention to God, Noah heard the voice of God. And he considered it to be worth all, he was like the man who found the pearl of great price. Matthew 13:46
What a wonderful testimony of Noah's faithfulness. He did all that God commanded him.
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Teaching And Research By: M. E. Arbaugh
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