Wicked (Genesis 6:1-8)

Intro: “Wicked” the musical

Wicked, the Broadway musical sensation, looks at what happened in the Land of Oz…but from a different angle. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another girl, born with emerald-green skin—smart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships…until the world decides to call one “good,” and the other one “wicked.”

I’m sure “Wicked” is a very entertaining show. But, pardon me if I’m a stick in the mud, it is another example of how the world likes to make Satan out to be a cartoon character and evil a fairy tale. And by the way, the world doesn’t decide what is good and what is wicked. God does.

Wickedness is nothing new. We’ve already seen it in Genesis: eating forbidden fruit, casting blame for sin on others, killing a brother. And we see it. We know that Satan is no cartoon character; he’s a real threat. And we see for ourselves the wicked nature of humankind: wars and other forms of violence, alcohol and drug addiction, domestic violence, institutional corruption, racism, human trafficking, and much more. Last week we saw it in the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Paris, and just a couple of days ago heard about it from the report of a killing just up the road in Richton.

We are all too familiar with the wickedness of humankind.

The point of today’s passage was to point out and warn the Israelites, poised to cross over into the land of promise, of the inherent wickedness of humankind.

The passage also has a few strange and difficult components to understand and interpret. And, I think, understanding them is important before we attempt to appropriate meaning and application for our living.

Who were “the sons of God?”

Who were the Nephilim?

And what did the 120 years mean?

Before I explain the meaning and application of the passage, let’s handle those questions.

Controversial Questions

Question #1: "Who were these sons of God?

fallen angels.

powerful rulers.

the line of Seth, a godly line.

Compare verse 2 with Eve’s actions in 3:7. She saw that the fruit was delightful and desirable; the sons of God saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful (desirable); she took and ate the fruit; they took any they chose for wives.

“sons of God” is a phrase used for angels in heaven. For example, Job 1:6 “One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them.” But it is also a phrase used for God’s people, Israel.

Angels are never assigned gender, or described as husbands, wives, children, or babies. Neither does the Bible mention angels having a physical form, though they, at times, appear in physical form. There's no biblical passage that speaks of angels having the ability to reproduce or bear children.

In Genesis 3: 14-19, both humans and the devil receive punishment/judgment. God’s observation in verse 5, regret in verse 6, and judgment in verse 7 are all pointed toward humans. If "sons of God"referred to fallen angels, why do they not receive punishment/judgment?

Chapters 4 and 5 contrast the two lines of descent from Adam: Cain and Seth. The contrast shows that Seth's line was a godly line, while the descendants of Cain proliferated evil.

Plus, Seth's genealogy isn't actually complete until the notice of Noah's death in 9: 29 > "So Noah's life lasted 950 years; then he died. "You'll note how that matches the pattern in chapter five.

So, in summary, I believe that "sons of God"(which can also be translated as "godly sons”, by the way) refers to Seth's descendants.

The point here is the wickedness of humankind, first hinted in verses 1-2 by Seth's descendants marrying outside their godly heritage, resulting in moral decline.

Question #2: Who are the Nephilim?

Some have interpreted them to be the offspring of fallen angels with human women. But I've already explained my position that the "sons of God" refers to Seth's descendants.

Notice > "in those days." This seems to stress that Nephilim were already present in the days that are described in these verses.

Plus, refer to Numbers 13:31–33 “But the men who had gone up with him responded, “We can’t attack the people because they are stronger than we are!” So they gave a negative report to the Israelites about the land they had scouted: “The land we passed through to explore is one that devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of great size. We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim! To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them.” And Deuteronomy 2:10 “The Emim, a great and numerous people as tall as the Anakim, had previously lived there.” Each of these passages refer to humans of exceptional size and height: giants.

Lastly, remember the story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17). Verse 4: "Then a champion named Goliath, from Gath, came out of the camp. He was nine feet, nine inches tall... "

It seems to me that the Nephilim were human giants, not the progeny of a strange intercourse between fallen angels and human women.

Question #3: What do the 120 years represent?

a new age limit for people. This suggestion is based on the phrase at the beginning of verse 3: "My Spirit will not remain with mankind forever... "Spirit also gives reference to "breath"and note that when God created man he blew his breath into there -the breath of life. So it is suggested that the verse emphasizes both the mortality of humankind and the reduction of their life span. The probleme is that after this some continue to live for a very long time; specifically, Noah, who lived 950 years.

The better suggestion is that it specifies the time left for humankind before the flood. Note verse 7 "I will wipe mankind... off the face of the earth! Also note that the passage ends with a mention of Noah, which prepares the reader for the floor story. According to the genealogical records in the Bible, Noah was approximately 500 years old When God commended him to build the ark. In 7: 6, we read that Noah was 600 years old whenthe flood came. That's about 100 years past 6:1-8. We can easily imagine 10 years between 6:8 and 6:13.

If we’re not careful, we will get obsessed trying to figure out those three questions, and miss the main point. Whether the sons of God were men in the line of Seth or fallen angels; whether the Nephilim were human giants are powerful rulers possessed by demons; let’s not forget the main point:

The wickedness of humanity and God’s response.

The Meaning And Application

THE PROBLEM WITH SIN (verses 1-4)

Humankind's wickedness is set against the blessings of a loving God (verse 1, multiply corresponds to God's command and blessing to be fruitful and multiply (1: 28)

The basic principle of sin is stepping out of the boundaries (standard)God Ordains (verse 2> they saw, they chose, they took: one of the crucial sins of Israel was marrying outsiders)

Our sin interrupts God's inclination to bless us (verse 3: His Spirit removed and judgment pronounced: 120 years)

Our sinful actions breeds more sin (verse 4 > "bore children to them")

GOD's RESPONSE To WICKEDNESS (verses 5-8)

God sees our Sin (verse 5 > Note the contrast between Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.” and Genesis 6:5 “When the Lord saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time,” What did God see now?

Breadth of human wickedness > it covered the earth (note that the flood waters covered the entire earth)

Depth: the human heart > Note the contrast between God and humankind: God is inclined to bless-humankind is inclined (bent, made into a shape) to do evil

God grieves our sin (verse 6 > regretted = sorry/repent; deeply grieved = infers intense suffering -> Does this hint Christ's suffering?

God judges sin (verse 7 -> wipe: a violent word: erase, cancel, obliterate!

Genesis 2:17“but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

(Note also that all of creation is impacted by sin and suffers the consequences. )

God gives grace for our wickedness (verse 8 > Noah, however (in contrast), found favor... "> grace! )

OUR RESPONSE To GOD

Repent (Acts 2:37–39 “When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Walk in the light (Ephesians 5:8–10 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light—for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth—testing what is pleasing to the Lord.”

Share the gospel with our friends who are still in darkness (Matthew 5:14–16 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”