Wednesday Bible Study: Genesis 6

1. ENGAGE: The "Weird" Bible (The Sons of God)

Goal: Hook the group’s attention by acknowledging the strange and difficult nature of the passage.

The Hook: Today we are looking at perhaps the strangest chapter in Genesis. We have "sons of God," "daughters of men," and "Nephilim" (giants). It sounds like mythology. But the New Testament authors didn't treat this as a myth; they treated it as a historical warning about boundaries.

Read: Genesis 6:1–4

Teacher's Note (Clearing up the Views):

The identity of the "Sons of God" is debated, but the New Testament offers clarity.

The Debate: Are they the line of Seth (good guys) or Fallen Angels?

The Clarification: Jude 1:6–7 explicitly links the judgment of Sodom (sexual immorality) to the judgment of angels who "left their proper dwelling." 2 Peter 2:4 also links the Flood directly to "angels when they sinned." (Note: While neither text explicitly says "Genesis 6," the context of linking angels to the Flood and sexual immorality makes the connection undeniable).

The Takeaway: The "wall" between the spiritual and physical order was broken. Evil wasn't just human anymore; it was supernatural and pervasive.

2. TENSION: The Grief of God (The "Days of Noah")

Goal: Define the nature of sin—not just as violence, but as apathy.

The Problem: We often think of the Flood generation as running around murdering people 24/7. But Jesus gives us a clearer picture of what the "Days of Noah" actually looked like.

Read: Matthew 24:37–39

Discussion Questions:

Jesus describes them as "eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage." Why is that scary?

Answer: It clears up that the "Days of Noah" weren't just about chaos; they were about apathy. People were living "normal lives" completely oblivious to God.

3. TRUTH: Verse-by-Verse Deep Dive

Goal: A detailed walkthrough of the text, integrating theology and cross-references.

A. The Corruption (Verses 1–4)

“When man began to multiply... the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive... The Nephilim were on the earth in those days... the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.”

"Began to multiply" (v. 1): In Genesis 1, multiplication was a blessing. Here, without God, multiplication becomes a cancer. More people = more sin.

"Saw... Took" (v. 2): This mimics the Fall (Gen 3:6). They didn't consult God; they seized what they desired.

"My Spirit shall not abide... 120 years" (v. 3): This is God setting a countdown clock.

(Fact Check: This is most likely a "grace period" before the flood, not a human lifespan limit, because people lived much longer immediately after the flood—e.g., Noah lived to 950, Shem to 600).

"Nephilim / Men of Renown" (v. 4):

Nephilim: Comes from the root naphal, meaning "to fall" (Fallen Ones). They were fearsome warriors.

Men of Renown: Literally "Men of the Name" (anshei ha-shem). In Genesis 11, the Tower of Babel builders want to "make a name for ourselves." These men sought fame through violence and power.

Note on Numbers 13: You may get asked, "If they all died, why are Nephilim in Numbers 13?" Clarify that the "Nephilim" in Numbers are part of the bad report brought by the faithless spies. They were likely using it as a descriptive term (hyperbole for "scary giant warriors") rather than claiming the genetics survived the flood.

B. The Diagnosis (Verses 5–7)

“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great... every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man... So the LORD said, 'I will blot out man...'”

Total Depravity (v. 5): This is the Bible’s darkest diagnosis of the human heart.

Extent: "Great in the earth."

Depth: "Every intention of the thoughts."

Frequency: "Only evil continually."

"Regretted / Grieved" (v. 6):

Does God make mistakes? No (Numbers 23:19).

The Meaning: This is Anthropopathism (human feelings describing God). It shows that sin causes God pain. He is not a cold force; He is a Father grieving over a lost child.

"Blot Out" (v. 7): This is language of De-Creation. God is going to reverse Genesis 1, collapsing the waters above and below to wash the world clean.

C. The Pivot (Verses 8–10)

“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD... Noah was a righteous man...”

"But Noah..." (v. 8): The most important "But" in the Old Testament.

"Found Favor" (v. 8): The Hebrew word is Chen (Grace). (Fact: This is the very first time the specific word for "Grace" appears in the Bible).

"Righteous / Blameless" (v. 9):

The Order Matters: Verse 8 (Grace) comes before Verse 9 (Righteousness). Noah wasn't given grace because he was righteous; he became righteous because he received grace.

NT Connection: Hebrews 11:7 says Noah became an "heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." He believed God’s warning about the unseen future.

D. The Solution (Verses 11–22)

“Make yourself an ark of gopher wood... But I will establish my covenant with you...”

The Ark (v. 14–16):

Design: It was a chest (tebah), not a ship. No sails, no rudder. Its only job was to preserve life.

Dimensions: 300 cubits long. Using a standard royal cubit (~18 inches), this is 450 feet long.

Volume: Internal capacity was ~1.4 million cubic feet, roughly the same as 500 railroad stock cars.

"Covenant" (v. 18): (Fact: This is the first explicit mention of the word "Covenant" / Berith in Scripture). God binds Himself to a promise: If Noah enters, God will save.

"Two of every sort" (v. 19): Noah took "kinds" (genetic families), not every specific breed, making the logistics possible.

Obedience (v. 22): "Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him." In a world of chaos, Noah’s life was marked by simple, quiet obedience.

4. INSPIRATION: The Meaning of the Ark

Goal: Move from the wooden boat to the spiritual reality.

The Insight: The Ark wasn't just a boat; it was a theology lesson. It was a giant, floating "Type" (picture) of salvation.

Read: 1 Peter 3:20–21

Teacher's Note (Clearing up the Symbolism):

Peter explicitly tells us that the Flood corresponds to Baptism.

The Water: Represents death and judgment (washing away sin).

The Ark: Represents Jesus.

The Meaning: Just as Noah passed through the waters of death inside the Ark to reach a new world, we pass through death (baptism) "in Christ" to reach eternal life.

5. APPLICATION: The "Men of Renown"

Goal: Bring the ancient conflict into today's culture.

The Concept: Genesis 6:4 mentions the "Nephilim" were "men of renown" (literally: Men of the Name).

Discussion:

The Nephilim sought to make a "Name" for themselves through power and violence.

Noah sought to "Walk with God" in quiet obedience.

Question: In our culture, who are the "Men of Renown"? Are you tempted to build a "Name" (career, status, likes) or build an "Ark" (hidden obedience)?

6. ACTION: Getting in the Boat

Goal: A specific challenge.

The Challenge:

"In Noah's day, there were no 'partially saved' people. You were either in the Ark, or in the water. Today, the Ark is Christ."

Next Steps:

Identify: Where are you "eating and drinking" (distracted) like the people in Matthew 24, ignoring God's warnings?

Act: Noah spent 120 years building something that looked crazy. Commit to one act of obedience this week that might look "crazy" to the world but is faithful to God.

Closing Prayer: Thank God that when the world was "only evil continually," He provided an Ark of Grace.