05.011. Chapter 6
There are two principal interpretations of Genesis 6:2. One is that the sons of God were angels who left their proper sphere (Jude 1:6) and intermarried with women on earth, a form of sexual disorder that was most hateful to God. Those who hold this view point out that the expression “sons of God” in Job 1:6; Job 2:1 means angels who had access to the presence of God. The passage in Jude 1:6-7 suggests that the angels who left their first estate were guilty of vile sexual behavior. Notice the words “even as Sodom and Gomorrah …” at the beginning of Genesis 6:7, immediately after the description of the fallen angels. To the objection that angels are incapable of sexual relations, based on Matthew 22:30, it is pointed out that Jesus was speaking of angels in heaven when He said they neither marry nor are given in marriage. Angels appeared in human form to Abraham (Genesis 18:1-5), and it seems from the text that the two who went to Sodom had human parts and emotions. The other view is that the sons of God were the godly descendants of Seth, and the daughters of men were the wicked posterity of Cain. The argument is as follows: The preceding context deals with the descendants of Cain (Genesis 4:1-28) and the descendants of Seth (Genesis 5:1-32). Genesis 6:1-4 describes the intermarriage of these two lines. Angels are not found in the context. Genesis 6:5-6 speak of the wickedness of man. If it was the angels who sinned, why was the race of man to be destroyed? Godly men are called “sons of God,” though not in exactly the same Hebrew wording as in Genesis 6:2 (see Deuteronomy 14:1; Psalms 82:6; Hosea 1:10; Matthew 5:9).
God warned that His Spirit would not always strive with man, but that there would be a delay of 120 years before the judgment of the flood would occur (Genesis 6:3). God is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish, but there is a limit.
“The Nephilim are considered by many as giant demigods, the unnatural offspring of ‘the daughters of men’ (mortal women) in cohabitation with ‘the sons of God’ (angels). This utterly unnatural union, violating God’s created orders of being, was such a shocking abnormality as to necessitate the worldwide judgment of the Flood.”6
God’s repentance (Genesis 6:6) does not indicate an arbitrary change of mind, though it seems that way to man. Rather, it indicates a different attitude on God’s part in response to some change in man’s behavior. Because He is holy, He must react against sin.
Noah found grace in God’s eyes and was forewarned to build an ark. The measurements are given in cubits (1 cubit = 18 inches). Thus the ark was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. It had three decks. The window in verse 16 was literally “a place of light,” probably an opening for light and air which extended the full length of the ark.
Noah was saved by grace (Genesis 6:8), an act of divine sovereignty. His response was to do all that the Lord had commanded (Genesis 6:22), an act of human responsibility. Noah built the ark to the saving of his family, but it was God who shut and sealed the door. Divine sovereignty and human responsibility are not mutually exclusive, but are complementary.
Noah (Genesis 6:9) and Enoch (Genesis 5:22) are the only men in Scripture who are said to have walked with God. If Enoch is a symbol of the church raptured to heaven, Noah symbolizes the faithful Jewish remnant preserved through the tribulation to live on the millennial earth.
Genesis 6:18 is the first mention of covenant in the Bible. Scofield lists eight covenants: Edenic (Genesis 2:16); Adamic (Genesis 3:15); Noahic (Genesis 9:16); Abrahamic (Genesis 12:2); Mosaic (Exodus 19:5); Palestinian (Deuteronomy 30:3); Davidic (2 Samuel 7:16); and the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:8). A pair of every living creature was to be brought into the ark as well as food. Critics claim that the ark was not big enough to hold all the species of animals and enough food for one year and 17 days. But it is likely that the ark contained only the basic kinds of animal and bird life, and that many variations have resulted since then. The ark was more than large enough for this.