899 Biblical Characters - Noah Pt.1 (Gen.5.1 – 6.8)
Exploring Biblical Characters • Sermon • Submitted
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- According to the “World Revolution” Website there have been 250 wars since WWII(1)
There have been over 250 major wars in the world since World War II, in which 23 million people have been killed., tens of millions made homeless, and countless millions injured and bereaved. Over 37 (or 42) million people have by killed by wars in the 20th century. Three times more people have been killed in wars in the last 90 years than in all the previous 500.
There are over 35 major conflicts going on in the world today. In armed conflicts since 1945, 90 per cent of casualties have been civilians. 3 out of 4 fatalities of war are women and children.
In the wars of the last decade, more children were killed than soldiers. In the last decade, child victims of war include an estimated 2 million killed, 4 to 5 million disabled, 12 million left homeless, and more than 1 million orphaned. There are 300,000 child soldiers in the world.
- Those statistics make your stomach churn
- You ask why? Why does this happen?
- There certainly seems to be a corruption that comes with having power
- When people have power over others, they tend to use it ruthlessly
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- This is not a new problem – human conflict has been with us since the first generation
- We read of Cain & Abel...
8 Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
- Cain gave way to jealousy & in his depressed/angry state murdered his brother
- This is a microcosm of the larger conflicts that happen
- These conflicts all seem to have the same jealousy behind them
- Someone gets or has more than you
- If it happens to be someone who has what you want
- If it happens to be a country that has something that you want / or is in the way of something you want
- There was going to be conflict in the world & God pointed this out right from the get go, which was after the man & woman sinned
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
- There will be strife between those of mankind who follow after God and those who follow after the serpent
- It culminates in the great duel of the cross – where the seed of the woman – Jesus – bruises the head of the serpent
- In other words, delivers him a fatal blow
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- Yet, the serpent strikes & bruises the heel
- It is a blow that debilitates & injures a person but it is far from fatal
- This speaks to the persecution of all the followers of God & also culminates in the suffering & persecution of Jesus
- He may have died, but the blow was not fatal as 3 days later He rises from the dead
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- I think we see in this passage something along the lines of this distinction between the offspring of the serpent & the offspring of the woman
1. Two Different Line of Descendants: Cain and Seth
1. Two Different Line of Descendants: Cain and Seth
- We will be looking today at one of the most perplexing parts of Scripture ever!
- But before we begin to look at what is perplexing, we should set the scene – look at the props & background to this setting
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- In chp. 4, we see a godless line that follows after Cain
- This line culminates in Lamech who follows in the line of his murderous forefather Cain by taking vengeance out on a young man by killing him & then demanding that if Cain is avenged 7 fold, he is to be avenged 77 fold
- This upstart claims some divine protection for his revengeful murder
- We can also note that the line of Cain was polygamous – both Cain & his descendant in Lamach were polygamous
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- Then in chp. 5 it starts with another line
25 Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.”
- If you remember, Cain was warned by God about letting his depression and anger and jealousy get the better of him
- But as the NT well asserts, he had no faith to obey God
- He gave way to these wayward emotions & instead of obeying God, defied Him & murdered his brother
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- Yet for Abel, the NT writer in Hebrews asserts that Abel through faith offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice – as God sees the heart of faith in Abel
- So many people like to see a difference in what was offered but as we looked at this last week, we noted that there was nothing in that passage that hinted about one offering being materially better than the other
- But what the writer to Hebrews points out is the real issue
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
- This is what ultimately made Abel’s offering acceptable to God
- Cain by his reaction - murdering his brother - showed that he did not possess that humble trust in God
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- Seth is said to now replace Abel who was killed by Cain
Q. Is this a Godly line different from the line of Cain?
- It seems so
26 To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.
- Here we have people who want to walk with God
- No doubt, not all of them were consistent in their walk with God
- They all lived with the same problem – they were banned from the tree of life – they sinned & experienced the cursed earth
- This meant, in spite of living a very long life by our standards – some over 900 yrs, they all died
- This is repeated over and over again in our passage
- So & so lived so many years, and he died
- Such & such lived so many years, and he died
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- As we follow the descendants of Seth we are introduced to a person by the name of Enoch
- Not much is said of Enoch except that he faithfully walked with God 300 yrs
- Over & over again you get the words, “And he died”
- But with Enoch you get this...
24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
Q. What? What happened to… “and he died”, “and he died”, “and he died”?
- Clearly, Enoch did not die – God took him – where, we do not know but it doesn’t take a genius to work out that he took him to be with Himself
- He walked with God 300 yrs – a definite proof of Enoch’s sincerity
- Even Christians I know have not continued in the faith – even after 20 – 30 yrs – 300 yrs, probably nails it
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- Here we have Seth’s line that is more akin to those who trust in God
- Interesting that these 2 lineages (of Cain & Seth) both finish on the same name of Lamech
29 Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.” 30 Then Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other sons and daughters.
- Bob Utley makes a good observation
What a contrast are the two Lamechs. One is boastful of violent revenge (Cain’s line); the other is hopeful of the mercy of God (Seth’s line)!2
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- Lamech has a wish that through Noah, there will be rest from the terrible toil & hardship of a cursed earth
- Well there was something that certainly happened through Noah but, perhaps, not what Lamech had in mind
- It seems that his wish turns into a nightmare, for God, instead changes His mind about having created Man & seeks to destroy it all
2. Man Gravitates to Wickedness
2. Man Gravitates to Wickedness
- The start of Gen.6 is about the most difficult part of Scripture to understand
- No one really can say with confidence what the first two verses mean
1 Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.
Q. Who are the sons of God?
- There are roughly 3 views
1. Sons of God are Fallen Angels
2. Sons of God are Despotic Kings or Rulers
3. Sons of God is the Godly line of Seth
- All of the views have there positives and negatives points
- To be honest with you, I can’t make up my mind
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- You might think that the sons of God are angels & you think it is obvious as obvious
- But how obvious is it when the punishment for the resultant union is not on angels, if they are the sons of God, but mankind
- God is going to punish man because he is weak, corruptible flesh that is always going astray
- Yet it was the “sons of God” whoever they are who imposed themselves on the daughters of men
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- The first view that sees “sons of God” as angels does have a lot to commend it, however
- It is the oldest view & held sway until the 2nd Century AD
- Sons of God seem to be in distinction from the daughters of men
- Sons of God is what angels were called when there was that heavenly meeting mentioned in the beginning of Job
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.
- However, men were also called “sons of the most high”
1 Ascribe to the Lord, O sons of the mighty, Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
- The other difficulty is how angels could desire a sexual union with mankind – but Jude 6...
6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,
- Lots of questions but the angel view has a lot going for it
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- Sons of God could be tyrannical kings who ruled with brute power
- Like many kings who claimed divine status – like the Caesars – these men took what they wanted & forced their wickedness on everyone else
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- The 3rd view is that the sons of God could be the line of Seth as the more Godly line
- That they intermingled with the line of Cain & were corrupted by the ungodliness of the Cainites
- One problem here is that the daughters of men seems a strange reference to the Cainites, unless it is talking about the daughters of both lines
- Bottom line is that no one knows for sure who the sons of God are in this passage & this is not the setting for me to go into detail about it - perhaps it is a good one to think through & ask questions about when I put it up on the Telegram channel (which is open for anyone to join)
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- There is definitely a message that comes through loud & clear here, however
- Corruption had set into the human race big-time
- What comes next does give us a picture of the condition of the human race
3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.
5 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. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
- It is hard to imagine that extent of violence & wickedness among the human race
- That the Lord was grieved – sorry – literally, He repented / regretted that He had made man
- That every inclination of man’s heart was only evil all the time
- No wonder the Lord was grieved – sorrowful – we might say broken-hearted
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- There seems to be a repetition here of the deception that causes mankind to fall
- We see that the sons of God “saw” that the daughters of men were “good” (beautiful) & they then “took” – Saw, good, took
- Does that remind you of anything?
6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
- The actions of the sons of God were tyrannical, violent & unjust
- They saw that the daughters of men were beautiful (good) & they took
- Through this action evil was in the heart of man all the time!
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- But isn’t this the essence of wars & violence
- They saw – hmmm… that it was good (for them)… & they took
- Like that song I quoted in last week’s sermon, “One Tin Soldier”
- They valley people saw that what the mountain people had was good for them, so they just took with violence
3. A Light in the Darkness
3. A Light in the Darkness
- God had decided that His life-giving Spirit will not always abide with man forever
- The breath or the spirit of life will be withdrawn
Q. Remember how life was given to Adam who then passed it down to his son?
7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
- God gave life & it is through the Spirit or breath of God
- God’s Spirit enlivened him - brought him to life
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- But God now says that His Spirit will not abide with man forever
Q. What does this mean?
- It means that man will be finished
Q. How? By means of a judgement of flood waters
- The breath of life is man’s ability to live – take away that breath & a person dies – as would happen when he drowns in the flood
- The problem is stated here:- that man is but flesh
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- In the beginning God created the world & man & said that it is very good
Q. Why would God be saying now that since man is flesh that He will not dwell in man?
- The answer to that is that we need to understand that flesh can mean more than just flesh & blood
- Flesh can also describe a condition & man as flesh has a condition of weakness
- He is always going astray – he is always going astray from God & is corruptible - no wonder Enoch was a ripper – he walked with God 300 yrs
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- The big problem with flesh is that man trusts in that - he trusts in men & not God
- In his weakness, he has a propensity to do things his way
- Like these sons of God whose offspring were the mighty men – men who had made a name for themselves
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
- God made Abraham into a great name; likewise David - He made him a great name
- But these men of old seem to have done this apart from God
- Flesh, therefore, is that which trusts the strength of men over & against God
5 Thus says the Lord, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the Lord.
- This is the problem here & we do well to pay close attention as these are the fundamental flaws of humanity & what landed them in, not hot water, but a global flood!
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- Yet, praise be to Jesus Christ who has become our Saviour & who has rescued us from the power of flesh & immersed us in the Spirit of God
- Having been immersed in the Spirit we are all true sons of God
- That is, if you have trusted in Christ being witnessed to by your baptism into Christ
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- That is the reality
- As promised in Peter’s speech on the day of Pentecost
- Believing (i.e. to repent) & being baptised results in the forgiveness of your sins & the gift of the Holy Spirit which is the very presence of our creator God
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- God withdrew life – His Spirit – from mankind & decreed man’s death in a global flood
- But Jesus reversed death on all levels...
45 So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
- As with Adam, God breathed life into him & he became alive – a living being (living soul)
- Adam was a recipient of life, Jesus becomes the provider of life
- What a difference; what a contrast
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- The breath of life was taken from man - he dies & he died in a global flood
- But with Jesus (last Adam) – He is a life-giving spirit – He is able to impart resurrected life
- He conquered the grave (His own death) & He will conquer the grave for those who have trusted Him
Q. Have you done that today – or are you taking your chances with God?
Q. Are you hedging your bets that what I’m saying won’t happen?
- That Jesus will not impart resurrected life to His people!
- Well there certainly was a global flood & we have evidence of that
- You know when Ros & I were in the USA – Rocky Mountains in Colorado – up over 12,000 ft – the bus driver points over to a bank on the road and said to look at all the sea shells you find up here - interesting
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- Finally, we see here God declaring that man will have 120 yrs
- Some think that God is now stating that man will only live life for 120 yrs rather than over 900
- I don’t think He means that – I think God is talking about the time left until He ends the world with a global flood
- We know it took Noah over 100 yrs to build the Ark
- It’s like the time God gave to the Ninevites
- Remember how Jonah preached to the Ninevites & warned them to repent
4 Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
- God is saying, “yet 120 yrs & the world will be overthrown”
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- It could have all ended there, but the Lord was gracious & chose Noah & his family to survive the flood
8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
- Grace is the same word for favour – Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord
- In the midst of all that depravity, God put His grace on Noah & his family & He would begin the world again through Noah
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- God had not finished what He was doing with Mankind
- He has a plan that will work it’s way through the line of Abraham & David until it was fulfilled in Jesus Christ & this is what Easter is all about - God taking out of the world a people for Himself who will honour Him as God the creator
1. http://worldrevolution.org/projects/globalissuesoverview/overview2/BriefOverview.htm
2 Robert James Utley