Noah Part 1
Notes
Transcript
10 - Noah pt. 1 - Giants in those Days Gen. 6:1-12
Friday, February 24, 2017
9:29 PM
Genesis 6:1-7 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
We have come now to what some have called the "Prologue of the Flood." We might also notice that verse 1-10 deal with the reason for the flood. Why the flood came upon the earth.
In This passage there are a few things I want us to notice:
Sons of God and Daughters of Men Thoughts of evil only continuallyMy Spirit will not always strive with man ( 120 years)The Long Ages of Man - There were giants in those daysIt Repented God
The Reason for the Flood Sons of God and Daughters of Men: Gen 6:1-2While this is not an exhaustive reason it no doubt had a huge bearing on the judgement that God was going to send. We don't get very far in this passage until we come across a huge issue. Who are the "sons of God" and who are the "daughters of men" ? This has been a point of contention among Bible Scholars for centuries. The issue only gets muddier when you get to verse 4 and throw in that the "Nephilim were on the earth in those days…" There are a few theories as to what is meant. I'll share these theories and then give my opinion and if you have questions or comments about it, I'll open it for discussion afterward.Up until the second century A.D. as best as I can tell the earliest view which was held unanimously, is that the "sons of God" were angelic beings who reproduced with the "daughters of men." The transgression is that they left the boundaries God had set for them, producing a corrupt flesh.(all flesh is corrupt)This comes from the same usage of the phrase "sons of God" found in Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7 and in each instance they refer to angelic beings. During the second and third century Jewish and Christian scholars began to differ in their opinions of this verse. Jewish commentators took the path of identifying “the sons of God” as rulers. Christian commentators beginning with Julius Africanus promoted the view that “the sons of God” were men from the line of Seth while “the daughters of men” were women from the line of Cain. For Christian's this became the Christian interpretation through the Reformation and into the 19th century. [1]The term, "sons of God" stood for "Rulers or kings" and Daughters of men" were "commoners" the offense being polygamy.
Now all of these have their supporting evidence and problems but to be honest I believe that these "sons of God" were of the line of Seth - that line of good, but could have been demon possessed, and married of the line of Cain - the "daughters of man" I know that doesn't solve the problem, but I have trouble believing that angels and humans can reproduce. So we will have to leave this to your opinion.[2]
My Spirit will not always strive with man - Gen 6: 3
This is a very interesting verse. It has been preached many times along with the doctrine of "The Deadline" A point in the life of a person when they have rejected salvation after so many times and the Lord leaves them to their destruction, often illustrating with Saul, or Judas, or using personal anecdotes. While I believe there is a point of rejection where God can do nothing more but to turn an individual over to a reprobate mind, probabbly never to return, I don't think that is what this verse is refering to. For one reason it gives a time frame 120 years.Now there were people who lived more than 120 years even after the flood. What is he talking about. It seems that he is referring to the time left before the flood 120 years. The 120-year limit expressed in verse 3 probably refers to the years until the Flood would come. God is long-suffering with lost sinners, but there comes a time when judgment must fall. During that "day of grace," Noah prepared the ark and gave witness that judgment was coming (2 Peter 2:5), the same message Enoch had given during his lifetime (Jude 14-15). God gave His message in the mouth of two witnesses, but the people wouldn't listen.[3]
There were giants in those days - Gen. 6:4
This is a strange verse, and it makes one think of the fairy tales of the damsel in distress with the giants and dragons. This word "giants' can have two different meanings and I think perhaps they both apply. It is also the same word for Nephilim. It can mean mighty men and it can mean huge men. If these were created from the combination of human and fallen angels, then they must have made it through the flood, because you find them in Canaan when the children of Israel are wanting to go into Jericho. (notice they were all destroyed as well except for Rahab.)I think it is possible that there are two things, and perhaps I'm stretching things too far but they sound logical to me that might account for their height and long ages of that day.in 1993 palentologists and other scientists came up with a new theory that killed the dinosaurs, a lack of oxygen they said. The reason was they were studying the apatosaurus. An 80 foot dinosaur that had nostrils the same size as a horse, The friction from trying to get a breath would be so bad it would set him on fire. They obviously did breath at one time because the bones of these apatosaurus dinosaurs are scattered all over the planet, even in Antarctica and Alaska. Now today this is impossible but if you remember back to the second day of creation Gen. 1:6-8 God separated the waters and made a firmament with them. Josephus who was a Jew born in A.D. 37 writes on this passage,
"After this, on the second day, he placed the heaven over the whole world, and separated it from the other parts, and he determined it should stand by itself. He also placed a crystalline [firmament] round it, and put it together in a manner agreeable to the earth, and fitted it for giving moisture and rain, and for affording the advantage of dews." [4]
However it was either ice or water of some type was around the earth in a canopy of sorts - or so it would appear. If this is the case the oxygen levels and air pressure would have been significantly different than ours today. The rays from the sun would have been less harmful as well. They have found petrified tree sap that has capture an air bubble, these are thousands of years old. They inject a needle and draw out the air to analyze the air bubbles and they find 50% more oxygen than we have today. We are breathing about 21% oxygen. Living with double air pressure and 50% more oxygen would make breathing exciting, energizing, and healing. Back in 1987 at just 18 months old Baby Jessica as she was known as fell down a 22-foot well in her aunt's backyard. She was trapped in there for 58 hours. [5]One described her state like this, "when they finally got her out of that well, lots of her body had turned black from lack of circulation. Her right leg was totally black because it had been twisted around and stuck in her face from behind, doing the splits. One doctor said, 'We have to cut her leg off immediately!' another suggested "Before we cut the leg off, lets try putting her in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.' They put her in one filled it full of pure oxygen within a few hours her leg turned pink and they restored oxygen. They had to amputate half of her little toe but that was it.According to a more recent article the only ill effects from the ordeal is a little rheumatoid arthritis. Baby Jessica doesn’t even remember the event she was told about it when she was five years old. Many hospitals have these, but you can even purchase personal ones. The Dallas Cowboys and probbaly others have their own hyperbaric chamber. This great amount of oxygen in the atmosphere could have produced longer life spans and even larger people. Dinosaurs which are basically big lizards never stop growing, if they were left to grow for 900 or a thousand years with the proper oxygen and conditions they would still grow that large.Goliath is estimated to be between 9-13 feet according to 1 Samuel 17:4. Robert Wadlow considered the tallest man a few years ago and may still be was 8 foot, 11 1/4 inches. That might have been a few inches shorter than Goliath. One skeleton of a man that has been found was 11 foot, 6 inchesThere are several more - most of these have been taken down from display in musuems to protect the theory of evolution (starting out small and getting bigger and better) A 9 feet, 8 inches (2.95 m) skeleton was found in Indiana.
Two skeletons 9 feet (2,7 m) tall were found in Virginia City [Nevada].
Every skeleton found in this burial mound in Louisiana. 20 skeletons were found; all of them 9 feet tall!
A skeleton 10 feet (3 m) tall was found in Humbolt Lake, Nevada.
In Indiana, eight giants were found, ranging from 8 to 9 feet long wearing heavy copper armor. The museum was not interested in them.
A 12-foot (3,6 m) skeleton, found in Lompoc Rancho, California.
Another 12-footer found in Tucson, Arizona. The guy had six toes. Six fingers, six toes, and a bird-shaped headdress.
When the Mexicans, Cortes went to Mexico and conquered part of it, the people who lived there said: “Oh, there used to be giants that lived on this continent.” They brought a bone of one of these guys out. Just the thigh bone was as tall as Cortes! Just the thigh bone! And he said: “I am a man of good size. I'm a good-sized guy, but this was the same size as me.”
The government of Turkey says they have found the grave of Noah. The skeleton was 12 feet tall. [6]
When the Bible says there were Giants in those days, I don't really have any trouble believing it. Dr. Alan Brown taught, "Obviously, the Nephilim who lived before the flood were all destroyed. Only Noah and his three sons plus their wives survived. Therefore, the Nephilim who lived in Canaan during the days of the Israelites were not in any way connected to the Nephilim who lived before the flood. The Nephilim who lived in Canaan were physical giants. The Nephilim who lived before the flood were definitely “mighty men,” it appears that they were evil as well. I think the best guess is they were people who subjugated other people by force."[8]
Thoughts of only evil continually - Gen 6:5Dr. John MacArthur says, "This is one of the strongest and clearest statements about man’s sinful nature. Sin begins in the thought-life (see notes on James 1:13–15). The people of Noah’s day were exceedingly wicked, from the inside out. Cf. Jer. 17:9,10; Matt. 12:34,35; 15:18,19; Mark 7:21; Luke 6:45. "[8]I think it was sin only personally but also collectively. Matthew Henry points out "the more sinners the more sin; and the multitude of offenders emboldens men." [9]Prov. 29:16, When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth.
This horrid paragraph is an exposé on the degeneracy of the human heart. Collectively, society has decayed beyond recovery in God's estimation. The progression in this small cluster of verses is arresting: “The Lord saw. ... The Lord grieved. ... The Lord said.”[13]
Matthew 24:37-40King James Version (KJV)
37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
This seems to refer to an unrestrained immorality. All flesh was corrupted Gen. 6:12
Warren Wiersbe puts it this way, "The people of that day "married and were given in marriage" (Matt. 24:37-39) and thought nothing of the warning that Enoch and Noah gave about the coming judgment. Human history was now at the place where only Noah and his family—eight people—believed God and obeyed His Word. "[10]
Regardless of which interpretation we choose, this little paragraph is clear that a new stage has been reached in the spread of sin and evil in human history. Whether angels have intermarried with humans, or Sethites with Cainites, the point is that humankind has reached a veritable explosion of evil.[11]
Bill T. Arnold. Encountering the Book of Genesis (Encountering Biblical Studies) (Kindle Locations 1169-1172). Kindle Edition.
It Repented God - Gen. 6:6-7Does this verse mean that God changes his mind? God's ways and thoughts are far above ours, but God seems to be according to scripture changeless. How or why would you change one who is perfect, but I don't necessarily see where God can or cannot change his mind concerning something. However it seems the language here seems to talk about something else.Malachi 3:6 says I the Lord do not change. We teach that God is immutable - he is unchangeable, Numbers 23:19 (“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent”), 1 Samuel 15:29 (“And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or
change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind”), and Psalm 110:4 (“The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind”). In all these cases “repent” or “change His mind”
same with God's Son - Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
How can we reconcile that with this thought of God repenting? I Dr. Alan Brown answer to this question, and he probably compiled this information from various sources, "God’s character and nature is unchangeable. He will always be what He always has been. However, God’s dealings, responses, and feelings toward man change in accordance with man’s obedience or disobedience (see Jeremiah 18:7-9). Genesis 6 reveals to us God’s response to a world that had rejected Him and sought its own way: it pained His heart and caused Him grief. His plan and purpose for the universe had not changed, but His decision to destroy the world was in direct response to man’s disobedience. The God-given power of man’s will is an awesome thing. It is a direct reflection of God Himself. That is part of what it means to be created in the image of God."Or “was grieved”; “was sorry.” In the Niphal stem the verb נָחָם (nakham) can carry one of four semantic meanings, depending on the context:
(1) “to experience emotional pain or weakness,” “to feel regret,” often concerning a past action (see Exod 13:17; Judg 21:6, 15; 1 Sam 15:11, 35; Job 42:6; Jer 31:19). In several of these texts כִּי (ki, “because”) introduces the cause of the emotional sorrow.
(2) Another meaning is “to be comforted” or “to comfort oneself” (sometimes by taking vengeance). See Gen 24:67; 38:12; 2 Sam 13:39; Ps 77:3; Isa 1:24; Jer 31:15; Ezek 14:22; 31:16; 32:31. (This second category represents a polarization of category one.)
(3) The meaning “to relent from” or “to repudiate” a course of action which is already underway is also possible (see Judg 2:18; 2 Sam 24:16 = 1 Chr 21:15; Pss 90:13; 106:45; Jer 8:6; 20:16; 42:10).
(4) Finally, “to retract” (a statement) or “to relent or change one's mind concerning,” “to deviate from” (a stated course of action) is possible (see Exod 32:12, 14; 1 Sam 15:29; Ps 110:4; Isa 57:6; Jer 4:28; 15:6; 18:8, 10; 26:3, 13, 19; Ezek 24:14; Joel 2:13-14; Am 7:3, 6; Jonah 3:9-10; 4:2; Zech 8:14). See R. B. Chisholm, “Does God ‘Change His Mind'?” BSac 152 (1995): 388. The first category applies here because the context speaks of God's grief and emotional pain (see the following statement in v. 6) as a result of a past action (his making humankind). For a thorough study of the word נָחָם, see H. Van Dyke Parunak, “A Semantic Survey of NHM,” Bib 56 (1975): 512-32.[12] Back to the question does God change his mind? R.B. Chisholm of Dallas Theological Seminary wrote an article back in the 90's on this subject, I somewhat agree with his conclusion, listen real carefully because he can be easily misunderstood,"Does God change His mind? It all depends. If He has decreed a certain course of action or outcome, then He will not retract a statement or relent from a declared course of action… If God has not decreed a course of action, then He may very well retract an announcement of blessing or judgment. In these cases the human response to His announcement determines what He will do. [14]
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[M] John H. Walton. Genesis, The NIV Application Commentry (Kindle Locations 6582-6619). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. [M] GBS&C FA16 - Pentateuch Dr. Alan Brown Class Lecture "The Sons of God and the Daughters of Men."[M] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary – Pentateuch, (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2001), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 42.[M] Flavius Josephus, The Works of Flavius Josephus, trans. William Whiston, (Hartford, CN: S. S. Scranton, 1905), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 40.[M] http://www.biography.com/people/baby-jessica-17175736#later-life[M] Adapted from http://www.wiseoldgoat.com/papers-creation/hovind-seminar_part2a_2007.html[M] GBS&C FA16 - Pentateuch Dr. Alan Brown Class Lecture "The Sons of God and the Daughters of Men."[M] MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997, S. Ge 6:5[M] Henry, Matthew: Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible : Complete and Unabridged in One Volume. Peabody : Hendrickson, 1996, c1991, S. Ge 6:1[M] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary – Pentateuch, (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2001), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 42-43.[M] Bill T. Arnold. Encountering the Book of Genesis (Encountering Biblical Studies) (Kindle Locations 1169-1172). Kindle Edition. [M] NET Bible, First ed. (Richardson, TX: Biblical Studies Press, 1996), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "Chapter 6".[M] Kenneth A. Mathews, New American Commentary – Volume 1a: Genesis 1-11:26, (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1996), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 338.[M] https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/08f9/ef6a0e3b99a0f0810e37b391a43f1d888592.pdf"RFFffffffed