Genesis 5:1 - 11:26, A Display of God’s Justice and Mercy

Introduction

Good morning, beloved! It is a great joy to open God’s Word with you again this morning. We’re continuing our study in Genesis this morning. If you have a Bible, I invite you to open with me beginning with Genesis 5. We’ll be looking at Genesis 5-11 as we continue our high altitude fly over of this incredible account of beginnings. The beginning of God’s creation and his dealings with mankind for His own glory. Before we begin, let’s pray for our time together in God’s Word.

PRAY

I want to begin this morning by helping us to think about puzzles. Perhaps some of you enjoy puzzles, particularly the kind that you put together and they display an image or beautiful picture to enjoy. This past Christmas we got my wife a puzzle and puzzle table that she had been asking for and she has steadily been working on a couple of different puzzles since then.

The thing about puzzles like that is, when you get them out of the box initially, they seem like a disconnected bunch of pieces and it's hard to imagine that they could ever resemble anything like the picture on the box. How could all of these tiny, unique, seemingly unconnected pieces, come together to form a beautiful, unified, cohesive picture that captures our attention?

I think for many of us, though we may not readily admit it, that is how we might look at the Bible––especially when it comes to the Old Testament. We open up this wonderful book, given to us by God for our instruction and our joy in Him and we often see the many parts that comprise the whole as tiny, unique, seemingly unconnected pieces. We wonder, “how in the world does all of this come together?” “Is all of it even intended to come together to give me a discernible and understandable picture about who God is and what He is doing in the world?”

Well, if you know me and you’ve been here with us for any length of time you know that my answer to that question is an unwavering “yes.” It absolutely all fits together. It all fits together to give us a display of God’s glory as we get to know Him and His unfolding plan of salvation. That is our aim with the way we are seeking to study the book of Genesis over the next couple of months.

One day it would be a great joy to move through it a little slower. But for now, I want us to zoom our lens out and see the whole picture––how it all flows and fits together as one unified account that puts God’s infinite glory on display. That we would see Him and what He is doing and as a result grow in our love for Him and thus worship Him all the more. Lord willing, we will do this not just with Genesis, but over time all the way through the entire Bible as He enables and allows us to do so.

We began a couple of weeks ago in Genesis 1-2 where we clearly learn that God is the Creator. He created us and all things. There is none like Him and He created us for His own glory. Then, last week, we learned what went wrong with all creation at the beginning. How the creation that God made “very good” became corrupted as human beings rebelled against God and His rightful rule over us. But he made a promise to one day right this great wrong and make all things new through Eve’s offspring.

This morning, we continue to learn more about who our God is and the unfolding of his eternal plans and purposes of redemption for His own glory. We see the continuing effects that sin had on all humanity in all the world. The Fall had disastrous effects. According to his sinful nature, man will always be tempted to oppose God and constantly inclined toward evil. In spite of this bleak reality, we are not without hope. But it becomes all the more clear that our only hope of salvation is a divine rescue according to God’s merciful provision.

MAIN POINT––Know the depth of our sin problem, see God’s perfect justice, and marvel at His incredible mercy.

We’ll see this woven throughout the fabric of Genesis 5 through 11 as the account unfolds.

A Growing Problem

First, as we begin our journey this morning I want us to see a growing problem. The growing problem of human sin and death that follows as a consequence of our sin. It is an outworking of God’s perfect justice for man’s rebellion against him. Let’s begin by reading Genesis 5:1-5.

Just as I pointed out last week, this section begins with the familiar phrase that we saw then in Genesis 2:4. Here we see that it reads, “This is the book of the generations of Adam.” We’ll see this similar phrase––“this is the book of the generations”––at different points throughout the narrative of Genesis. It's the author, Moses, way of providing structure to the overall book. Here it connects what has come before it with what lies ahead in the section we’re looking at this morning.

We have here a succinct summary statement about creation. Particularly God’s creation of man in his own likeness and image. We’re reminded of Adam, the first man, and we’re reminded that Adam, along with his wife, Eve, had children. Particular attention is given to one of Adam’s sons. We see that Adam fathered a son in his own likeness, after his own image and called him Seth.

Seth would both bear the likeness of his father and also, like all human beings, bear the image of God. While Adam had other sons and daughters, it becomes clear that we’re to focus on the line that runs through Seth all the way to a man named Noah, who we’re introduced to in Genesis 5:28-32. But before we get there we must note something together. Something very important for us to remember given the reality of sin and the Fall.

Genesis 5 shows us the outworking of the curse of the Fall in the human race as death reigns in Adam. Throughout the genealogy of Genesis 5, we see death clearly mentioned eight times as Adam and his descendants each die. It was the penalty for all humanity as a result of Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden. It is the very reason that all of us here this morning will one day experience death this side of eternity.

Maybe you're here this morning and you're thinking, “well that seems a bit unfair! I wasn’t there. Why should I be punished for something those two did thousands of years ago?” A lot could be said in response to that question. For now I’ll just give you a couple of things to consider. One thing is we must remember that God, as the sovereign Creator of all, has the right to determine what is fair and what is not fair. We do not get to set ourselves up as judges over Him. As the Creator, He sets the terms of our relationship with Him and with one another.

Our fallen notions of fairness do not cancel out the infinitely perfect wisdom of God and the way He intended His creation to function. God, in His perfect wisdom, created Adam with the intent that He would be our representative. The representative of all humanity. Such that, if he obeyed, all humanity would be blessed and, when he disobeyed, all humanity after him would suffer the curse of the Fall. This is the very reality that the apostle Paul highlights in Romans 5. That leads me to the second thing for you to consider with this idea of representation.

In Romans 5, not only do we learn that Adam represented us, such that all died as a result of his sin. We also learn that, by faith, we can be represented by the Lord Jesus Christ. Adam is a type that points forward to that far greater representation that is ours by faith alone in Christ alone. Some may want to cry foul over Adam’s representation of all mankind, but nobody wants to do the same when it comes to Christ’s representation of us before God. In light of that reality, praise God for His design, that we might taste of His mercy in Christ alone.

Not only do we see throughout Genesis 5 the pervasiveness of death down through the generations. When we begin Genesis 6 we also see the spiraling of humanity into further sin and depravity. Things just get progressively worse. A number of different interpretations have been given for who the sons of God and the daughters of men are in Genesis 6:1-2 as well as the Nephilim mentioned in verse 4. To be honest, I don’t know the answer to that question. There’s not really a consensus on that issue in all the study I did.

The point of the passage there isn’t for us to get fixated on answering those questions anyways. I don’t want us to lose the main emphasis of these few verses––that emphasis being the depth of human sin and depravity that grieves God‘s heart over his creation and what has become of it, as well as the continuing evidence of God‘s grace as he shows favor to Noah. That’s what we’re intended to focus on here in this passage.

First, in Genesis 6:3 we see the first mention of God’s grief over the depth of man’s sin. We read there, “Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” There’s a couple of possible interpretations to that. One option is that God is putting a limit on man’s lifespan such that he will no longer live beyond 120 years. The other option is that his judgment––the Flood which we’ll see in a moment––will happen 120 years from this point in human history.

Either is possible. I’m inclined to the second option since we see man’s lifespan continue beyond 120 years for several generations after this and even after the flood. Whichever option you lean toward on this, the point is that God will not allow human sin to go on unchecked for long. He is patient. He is gracious and merciful. But He will by no means clear the guilty. He will not leave sin unpunished. It will be dealt with. We see God’s perfect justice in this certainly, but we also see His mercy at work in it.

Remember that God created us to glorify Him and enjoy perfect fellowship with Him. But our sin and rebellion disrupted that perfect fellowship. Our sin has created a chasm between us and God. God would be perfectly just putting us all to death for our sin and rebellion against Him. He could leave us in the misery of our sin. But instead he put a limit on the depth and length of man’s sin. It will not stand forever. Because of this restraining mercy along with his mercy in preserving Noah, you and I have hope in Christ to not be left in our sin and shame forever.

God’s justice and mercy become all the more evident as we read Genesis 6:5-8. Look there with me as I read those verses for us.

There in Genesis 6:5, we’re given the diagnosis of man’s problem. Did you see that? It says, “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Our sin problem does not lie on the surface. It is a deep problem. Intricately woven into the very fabric of our being. The diagnosis is clear. Man has a heart problem. Our sin problem affects us to the very core of our being. So much that it has corrupted the very heart of mankind.

What does it mean that the LORD "regretted" making man there in verse 6? Not intended to communicate that God felt he had made a mistake. It also carries the meaning of "feel sorrow, or be grieved." God is grieved, sorrowful, and pained over what has become of His creation that He created and once declared "very good." Man’s grievous sinful heart problem runs so deep that it grieves God. And rather than comfort man in their sin, God will destroy them for it.

What makes sin so serious that it should warrant such a punishment? Why is God perfectly just in so severely punishing us for our rebellion against Him? The answer lies in remembering who God is and why He created us as well as knowing ultimately what sin is. We must remember that we were created to glorify God. To make much of Him. To praise and worship Him. To delight in and enjoy Him above all earthly treasures. It is in remembering that reality that we can better understand what makes our sin so serious.

John Piper succinctly described the severity of sin, which we take all too lightly, and how terrible it is in relation to who God is. Listen to what Piper says:

“What is sin? It is the glory of God not honored. The holiness of God not reverenced. The greatness of God not admired. The power of God not praised. The truth of God not sought. The wisdom of God not esteemed. The beauty of God not treasured. The goodness of God not savored. The faithfulness of God not trusted. The commandments of God not obeyed. The justice of God not respected. The wrath of God not feared. The grace of God not cherished. The presence of God not prized. The person of God not loved. That is sin.”

Beloved, to not honor, reverence, admire, praise, seek, esteem, treasure, savor, trust, obey, respect, fear, cherish, prize, and love God in all that He is and all that He has done is the greatest evil in all creation. He is worthy of our total love, trust, and allegiance as the One who has every right to rule over us as our Creator. Yes, beloved, our sin deserves the perfect justice of God. That is what our sin warrants.

It is clearly seen in this text that sin brings about God‘s perfect justice and the only hope of escape is God‘s incredible mercy shown to some. With that, we’re introduced to God’s vessel of mercy––a man named Noah, along with his family.

A New Beginning

The Flood account runs from Genesis 6-8. This whole section is dominated by the flood. We see God’s perfect justice against all sin and rebellion against Him. However, coupled with the following section detailing Noah's sin (9:20-28) it shows us all the more that the problem of sin resides in the human heart, which is still inclined toward evil as a result of the Fall.

READ Genesis 6:9-13

In these verses we just read we see a stark contrast. First, we’re given more detail about Noah, who had found favor in the eyes of the LORD. Why did Noah find favor? We see why in verse 9––“he was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.” What are we to make of this in light of what we’ve already considered about the depth of man’s sin problem. Are we to believe that Noah was somehow sinless? I don’t think so.

For one thing, we’ll see when we get to Chapter 9, after the account of the Flood, that Noah indeed has a sin nature as he succumbs to his own temptation and sin. We don’t need to hear that he was blameless and imagine sinless perfection. We don’t think that of elders and pastors who are to be “above reproach” according to Paul in 1 Timothy 3. The word simply carries the idea of being without evident flaw. We get a clearer picture with the statement “Noah walked with God.” In other words, Noah did his level best, by God’s grace, to live God’s way.

Certainly that is what is born out for us in the remaining verses of this flood account. God gives Noah very detailed instructions and Noah does all that God commanded Him to do. He didn’t question God’s blueprints for the ark. He didn’t question his inclusion of animals and their particular numbers. He didn’t question God’s justice in wiping out every living thing from the face of the earth. Very likely he marveled at God’s mercy––that He would spare him and his family.

Noah’s blameless walk with God stands in stark contrast to what the rest of the world around him was like. No doubt he was a man who stood out amidst the masses. We’re told all the more how bad things were in the world. The earth was corrupt in God’s sight and filled with violence. All flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. Man was created to rule over creation in a God glorifying way. But, corrupted with a sin nature due to the Fall, that rule is now domineering, aggressive, vicious, and violent.

Grieved at the corrupt nature of man and all creation as a result of the Fall, God determines to wipe it all clean with a worldwide Flood, save Noah and those with Him according to God’s instruction. God gave Noah His Word––His clear instructions––and Noah believed God and did all that He commanded. Then, God’s judgment was poured out on all living, all the while preserving a remnant for His own glory.

READ Genesis 7:11-24

We’re very plainly given the picture of a cataclysmic event. God quite literally opened the floodgates and the entire world is submerged in a deluge of water. Even the highest of mountains were covered above their peaks. Can you imagine the devastation? Certainly it doesn’t take much to picture it. Even in our modern times we all see news coverage when area floods hit and we see the devastation from those.

Just think back twenty years ago to the images of devastation in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina or the tsunami that washed over southeast Asia. Even more recently the flooding that resulted from Hurricane Helene this past year in places like Asheville, NC. The destruction, the devastation, the geographic upheaval, the death, decay, and ruin left in its wake. Imagine that on a worldwide scale. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. God’s perfect justice poured out on man for their rebellion against Him.

Can you picture the devastation that Noah and his family must have witnessed upon leaving the ark once it was all over? Certainly there would have been remaining evidence of the flood's destructive effects. I imagine this served to deepen their worship. They must have been in awe at what God had done. Even more, they must have been in awe at His mercy in sparing them from such a fate. Beloved, should that not also be our response to God's grace and mercy now as we contemplate what He has done for us in Christ.

For those of us here this morning who are Christians we know that it all began for us when we were awakened by the grace of God to our sin and guilt before God. We became aware of our desperate condition before Him. We became aware of the reality that we too, like those who perished in the flood, are deserving of God’s perfect justice. But God sent His Son into the world to save sinners like us.

God gave us eyes to see and ears to hear. Just as Noah and his family heard God and went into the ark, we too heard God and fled in faith to His merciful provision in Christ. And just as the LORD shut Noah and his family in the ark, He has hidden us away in the love of Christ who bore our sin and shame and took God’s punishment for us in our place. Noah must have looked out on the devastation and thought, “there go I but by the grace of God. I should have suffered the same fate. Praise God for His incredible mercy!”

For those of you here this morning who have never taken hold of God’s mercy in Christ by faith alone, do not take lightly the perfect justice of God that we see on display in this passage. Do not let your heart remain hardened. This judgment of God that we see before us in the Flood is just a preview of final judgment that will one day come. And our only hope of mercy from God’s perfect justice for our sin is God’s merciful provision in Christ.

Come to Him and know that on that final day, God will look at you and remember what Christ accomplished for you in His life, death, and resurrection. That’s what God did with Noah and his family, once the devastation was over. We see that in Genesis 8:1.

READ Genesis 8:1

When the Bible says God "remembered" Noah it is not saying that God had forgotten Noah. He wasn’t looking out over the earth and suddenly saw something floating in the water and say, “oh man! I almost forgot about them!” Not at all. When the Bible speaks this way it is simply communicating the idea that He is about to act for their good. He is going to take action for their welfare. Now that all life has been destroyed on the earth, God is going to renew everything. Beginning with Noah and those who were with him.

The waters subsided and the earth dried out. A New Beginning. Let’s READ Genesis 8:15-22.

Noah built an altar and offered burnt offerings to the LORD, certainly an act of worship in gratitude for God's grace and mercy. More than that, it is also an act of atonement. The burnt offering has a "pleasing" aroma. God’s just wrath had been satisfied. His anger at human sin, soothed. Although human nature has not been changed by the flood, God's disposition toward man has.

Despite the human propensity toward sin, atonement through sacrifice is possible. A peaceful reconciled relationship can be secured between the LORD and man. This most certainly underscores the importance of sacrifice in God's plan of salvation for man. God covered Adam and Eve’s guilt and shame with coverings of skins. Noah provided an atoning sacrifice from among the animals God provided him on the ark. Under the law of Moses the priests would regularly offer sacrifices prescribed by the LORD as atonement for their sins.

All of this points forward to the ultimate and final atoning sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as a ransom for many. This is why the prophet Isaiah is able to speak prophetically about the satisfactory atoning work of the Suffering Servant where he says in Isaiah 53:10 “But the LORD was pleased to crush him.” He bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds we are healed.

This is why all the redeemed of the LORD sing out loudly––

Because the sinless Savior died

My sinful soul is counted free

For God the Just is satisfied

To look on Him and pardon me

God’s wrath having been satisfied, he makes a covenant with Noah and all living, just as he said he would. That’s what we see recorded in Genesis 9:1-17. This covenant relationship formally binds them together in a relationship. Though he makes it with Noah, Noah is representative. He is shown here to be a type of new Adam for all humanity who will follow after him.

As you read through this covenant you’ll notice a parallel with the covenant made with Adam at creation. In verse 1, they are told “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” Then again in verse 7––“be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.” But there’s also some new developments.

In verses 5-6, as a response to the violence in the earth which led to the flood, capital punishment is instituted as a deterrent to such violence. Human life is to be valued and protected because we bear the divine image. To murder another human being is to murder what is most like God and is regarded as an attack on God Himself.

Then, as was common with this type of covenant, God provided the covenant sign. A symbol linked to the covenant as a reminder. Here it is the rainbow, thus serving as a perpetual reminder of God's covenant with all living creatures through Noah that he would never again destroy the earth and all living creatures with a flood. Later would come circumcision as a sign for the covenant with Abraham. The Sabbath for the covenant with Moses.

Even now, as members of the New Covenant in Christ by faith, we have covenant signs that remind us of God’s faithfulness and merciful provision. We undergo the waters of baptism, portraying our union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. We partake in the Lord’s Supper, remembering and proclaiming Christ’s death until He comes again.

We need such reminders, don’t we, beloved? I know I do. We need such reminders, because even as those who have experienced God’s incredible mercy, the same old problem persists this side of eternity.

The Same Old Problem Persists

That’s what we learn as we READ Genesis 9:20-29.

Once again, we’re reminded about the depth and severity of our sin problem. The problem runs deep. Post-Fall humanity, including Noah, has a heart problem. Noah, being a type of Adam and father of the human race, also has his own "Fall" showing that the problem of sin resides in the human heart. He was supposed to exercise dominion over creation. Instead, creation exercised dominion over him as he gave in to drunkenness.

Not only does Noah fail, but the depths of sin are evident even more in his son, Ham. Ham's actions are shown to be more serious as he tried to apparently humiliate his father and bring his two brothers in on it. It seems that Ham thought the whole episode was funny and he wanted to make a joke of his father in his shame and guilt. But, Shem and Japheth by contrast make every effort to cover their father's shame and honor him in spite of his sin. Thus, they are blessed and Ham’s son Canaan is cursed.

Genesis 10 then details how Noah’s three sons populated the earth. It has become known as the table of nations. We learn how all the nations of the earth descend from Noah. But, when we come to Genesis 11, we’re given some more details about what led to them spreading over all the earth as they did. We learn that it was the LORD’s doing. Let’s READ Genesis 11:1-9.

What makes this episode in man’s history so terrible? Is it wrong for man to build impressively large buildings? Is the Freedom tower in New York City or Willis Tower in Chicago an act of defiant sin against God? I don’t think so. The problem wasn’t with men seeking to be industrious. The problem, once again, was man’s sinful rebellious heart. We see that made plain for us in verse 4. They set out to build this tower in order to make a name for themselves. They wanted to be impressive in their own eyes. “Look at what we did! Look how amazing we are!”

Contrary to what God intended, which was for man to multiply and fill the earth as his image bearers, these men were seeking to establish themselves in one place in self-determined autonomy apart from the LORD. This whole episode is about man's foolish effort to establish himself as independent and self-sufficient from God. They see themselves as having no need for him and able to do just fine on their own with their own technological advances and social unity as one people with one language.

Here is exposed, once again, the core problem at the heart of man and all of our sinful rebellion against God––pride. Rather than esteem God, we want to esteem ourselves. Rather than please God, we want to please ourselves. Rather than think much of God, we think much of ourselves. We may not seek to build a tower to the heavens, but we all do things with an eye to being well thought of by others. To make a name for ourselves. Even our good deeds in ministry can somehow be corrupted and twisted to magnify ourselves rather than the One who saved us.

Oh, beloved, be careful that you not be found setting yourself up opposed to God. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. In all that we do we are to be pleasing to Him. We are to make much of Him. We live for an audience of One––our great God who made us and saved us in Christ for His glory. No matter how impressive we may find ourselves, it all ultimately pales in comparison to how great and infinitely glorious our God is.

God has to ironically "come down" to see their city and tower. Man's efforts to oppose God are small and pale in comparison to his power and might and glory. As they sought to stay put in one place, God ultimately saw to it that they must disperse. God’s image bearers will multiply and fill the earth as He intended, serving as emblems of His universal reign over all creation.

God’s Promise Endures (Conclusion)

In spite of man’s ongoing sin problem, God’s promise endures. Though Cain killed Abel in Genesis 4, God provided another offspring in Seth. In Genesis 5, we see the line of Seth trace all the way down to Noah. In spite of the pervasive sin and depracity of Noah’s day, God preserved a remnant in Noah and his family. Amidst His perfect justice he showed incredible mercy. In spite of Ham’s sin, God blessed Noah’s son, Shem. In spite of man’s pride at Babel, God’ promise endures. The family line continued from Shem to Abram.

God’s promise of an offspring who will crush the serpent is still alive. We’re brought to Abram through whom, as we’ll see next week, all the nations will be blessed. Nothing, not even man himself in all of his sinful rebellion can keep God from fulfilling His promise. This promise will continue beyond Abram, down through the ages, all the way to the coming of the Promised One who would defeat sin, death, and the grave. God is faithful and forever to be praised.

Know the depth of our sin problem, see God’s perfect justice, and marvel at His incredible mercy.