God Cherishes You Blog

The Flood / humankind – take two:

            Before we jump headfirst into this phase of the history of humankind, we must set the stage. As always, the grace of God abounds – even with Cain:

So Cain left the LORD’s presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Cain had sexual relations with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain founded a city, which he named Enoch, after his son. Gn. 4:16, 17. NLT

            Why do I say grace? Because God lifted the curse of being a perpetual vagabond, and let Cain establish a city, and find a bride who provided him with offspring. That begs the question of who that wife could be. After all, we’ve only been exposed to Adam and Eve, and Cain and Abel.

            The answer lies in the next chapter:

After he became the Father of Seth, Adam lived eight hundred years and had other sons and daughters. Gn. 5:4 AMP

            (Thus, Cain would have had to marry one of his sisters. Elsewhere in the Bible, sexual relations with close relatives are condemned.[1] But in Cain’s time, that was all they had to work with.)

            The Bible then relates to us the next 6 generations of Cain, and within those we also see a chronicling of different phases of the development of civilization – beginning with Cain’s establishment of a city. This is followed by tent-dwelling and livestock farming, fine arts (music), and technology (metallurgy).[2]

The Bible does not mention any further lineage of Cain’s. Instead, it turns to the lineage of Adam – following the birth of His 3^rd son, Seth, and Seth’s son, Enosh:[3]

This is the book (the written record, the history) of the generations of [the descendants of] Adam. When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]. Gn. 5:1 AMP

He created them male and female, and he blessed them and called them “human.” Gn. 5:2 NLT

            No other difference matters: only the two genders. Anything that denies this is only a product of man-made delusions.

            There are 10 generations listed in Adam’s descendants, ending with Noah’s sons. All were long-lived, an average of 762 years! How do we explain this? The Bible is not forthcoming. However, God can do anything…

            Note the comment when Adam’s third son Seth is introduced in that list of descendants:

When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father of a son who was just like him – in his very image. He named his son Seth. Gn. 5:2 NLT

            Seth is made in the image of Adam, not God. You might think this is splitting hairs because Adam was made in the image of God. But when he and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, they were changed – altered by the taint of their ‘original sin’ that was now carried by every descendant of humankind. Seth bore that image, as we all do, until we are saved.

            Another thing to ponder: Given the longevity of ages of these descendants, most of them would have been born before Adam died. Thus, they would have had access to first-hand information about God, creation, and the Garden of Eden.

            Now, let us advance to the next episode in the history of humankind – first directly from the Hebrew translation:

When men began to increase on earth and daughters were born to them, the divine beings saw how beautiful the daughters of men were and took wives from among those that pleased them. Gn. 6:1, 2.

            Compare that to a contemporary Christian translation:

Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them. The sons of God saw the beautiful women and took any they wanted as their wives. Gn. 6:1, 2. NLT

            ‘Divine beings’ is translated from the Hebrew b’ nei ha-elohim, meaning ‘sons of the gods’; the meaning of which is inexplicable in the Torah. The two major interpretations are as follows:

1. The sons of God were ‘fallen angels’ who impregnated women on earth; and the outcome of those trysts were offspring that were a race of giants called ‘Nephilim’[4], from the Hebrew nphiyl, meaning ‘bully’ or ‘tyrant’, and means ‘giant’ in Greek.

This is problematic, because nowhere in Scripture does it say that angels can procreate. In addition, ‘Nephilim’ is only used one more time in Scripture[5], thousands of years later, to describe giants (like Goliath), living in Canaan.

• The ‘sons of God’ were descendants of Seth, while the ‘daughters of men’ were descendants of Cain, which corrupted the offspring.

I favor the latter. Nevertheless, God is not pleased:

Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.” Gn. 6:3 NLT

 

God is limiting the lifespan of humanity to 120 years. This is an act of mercy. He is reducing the time that they have to live in immorality, (which all people are wont to do), to lessen the amount of judgment that He must place upon them.

What was the outcome of these genetic mixtures?

There were Nephilim (men of stature, notorious men) on the earth in those days – and also afterward – when the sons of God lived with the daughters of men, and they gave birth to their children. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown (great reputation, fame.) Gn. 6:4 AMP

What is God thinking about all of this?

The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. Gn. 6:5, 6. NLT

            This is the human plight, even to this day. However, according to the Hebrew, God does not punish us for bad thoughts – only when we act upon them. (The Christians, however, have two diverging exceptions – ill will towards others or entertaining adulterous thoughts).[6]

            Okay. The stage is set. Humankind, at that time, was beyond redemption. Now, we can dive into the ‘flood’:

So the Lord said, “I will destroy (annihilate) mankind whom I have created from the surface of the earth—not only man, but the animals and the crawling things and the birds of the air—because it [deeply] grieves Me [to see mankind’s sin] and I regret that I have made them.” Rv. 6:7 AMP

            We continually put God to the test. There are only two ways of being: either we are operating in the spirit, doing our best to emulate God; or we are moving in the flesh, walking in the ways of the world.

            Reaching across to the New Testament, we can find where Jehovah tells us how to walk in the spirit:

But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control. Ga. 5:22, 23. AMP

            There is nothing inherently wrong with the flesh. We need to live in this suit until we finish our earth tour. The problem occurs when we give into its base desires:

…walk habitually in the [Holy] Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance], and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts].For the sinful nature has its desire which is opposed to the Spirit, and the [desire of the] Spirit opposes the sinful nature; for these [two, the sinful nature and the Spirit] are in direct opposition to each other [continually in conflict], so that you [as believers] do not [always] do whatever [good things] you want to do. Ga. 5:16, 17. AMP

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these…anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Ga. 5:19 – 21. NLT

            Jehovah wants us to treat ourselves, each other, and Him, decently, morally, and lovingly. All that was gone in Noah’s time. But God’s heart is so big, and He loves us so much, that He scoured the entire planet, looking for just one righteous person. That person was Noah:

This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. Gn. 6:9 NLT

            As we’ve seen, the earthlings are behaving badly in Noah’s time:

The [population of the earth was corrupt [absolutely depraved – spiritually and morally putrid] in God’s sight, and the land was filled with violence [desecration, infringement, outrage, assault, and lust for power]. God looked on the earth and saw how debased and degenerate it was, for all humanity had corrupted their way on the earth and lost their true direction. Gn. 6:11, 12. AMP

            God tells Noah of His intentions, and He establishes a covenant (the first time this word appears in the Bible) with him:

So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!”

“Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.” Gn. 6:13 – 15. NLT

“Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die.

“But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat – you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring a pair of every kind of animal – a male and a female – into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal…will come to you to be kept alive.” Gn. 6:17 – 20. NLT

            What is happening here? God is giving humankind a potential ‘do-over’, a chance to get right with Him. And all those people will be descendants of Noah from the line of Seth, not Cain, whose descendants would perish in the flood. Noah had 3 sons; therefore, there would be 8 people boarding that boat.

            Notice too that only land animals are put on the ark. Aquatic animals were not threatened by the flood.

            Noah was 500 years old when God called him. It took him 120 years to build the ark. Can you imagine the ridicule he and his family must have had to suffer through? They would have to repeatedly explain themselves – effectively preaching the word of God. And they would have been considered crazy, because ‘rain’ did not yet exist on earth at that time.

            (Here’s an interesting tidbit. Of all the major characters in the Bible, Noah never speaks in the Scriptures.)

            One week before the flood came, God told Noah exactly what He was going to do:

“Seven days from now I will make the rains pour down on the earth. And it will rain for forty days and forty nights, until I have wiped from the earth all the living things I have created.” Gn. 7:4 NLT

            Despite any difficulties, Noah never wavered from Jehovah’s commands:

So Noah did everything as the LORD commanded him. Gn. 7:5 NLT

(It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.) Heb. 11:7 NLT

            Much to the surprise of all of humanity, the rains came:

…[God released the rain] and the floodwaters came on the earth…on that same day all the fountains of the great deep [subterranean waters] burst open and the windows and floodgates of the heavens were opened. It rained on the earth for forty days and forty nights. Gn. 7:10 – 12. AMP

            Just before the deluge began, Noah, his family, and his charge of critters boarded the ark. At the 40-day mark, the ark was afloat, and all mountains were underwater. And every living thing on the earth was killed. Water covered the earth for 150 days.

            Jehovah keeps His word:

God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede…After 150 days…the boat came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. Gn. 8:1, 3 & 4. NLT

            When the Scriptures say, God ‘remembered’, it means that He has decided to act. He doesn’t forget anything.

            After waiting 150 days for the earth to dry out, God calls upon Noah and family and critters to disembark from the ark. And what was the first thing Noah did?

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose. And the LORD was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood.

I will never again destroy all living things. As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” Gn. 8:20 – 22. NLT

            (God does not eat. He derives no physical pleasure in an aroma. He is instead recognizing the sacrifice as an expression of Noah’s gratitude.)

            Also, we can deduct from this Scripture that people are inherently malicious. This is because they are morally bereft, lack self-control, and do not possess a ‘just’ consciousness.

            Then, God begins to flesh out His covenant (from the Hebrew briyth – meaning to ‘form a compact’, ‘joined’, or ‘closely put together’):

Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth. All the animals of the earth, all the birds of the sky, all the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the fish in the sea will look on you with fear and terror. I have placed them in your power. I have given them to you for food, just as I have given you grain and vegetables.

But you must never eat any meat that still has the lifeblood in it.” Gn. 9:1 – 4. NLT

            So, Jehovah’s first ‘law’ given unto Noah, is to repopulate the earth. Perhaps we need greater energy for that, (tongue-in-cheek), because God has now granted us the leave to eat meat!

            God’s second law unto Noah, is a proscription against eating blood; it must be removed prior to ingestion of the meat. The blood represents the life of a living being and belongs solely to God.

            The third law given by God is a prohibition against premeditated murder, along with a required ‘death sentence’ for anyone who indulges in it:

“And I will require the blood of anyone who takes another person’s life. If a wild animal kills a person, it must die. And anyone who murders a fellow human must die. If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image.” Gn. 9:5, 6. NLT

            This Scripture also implies that our ‘human models 2.0’ are still made in the image of God, (again though, in the Christian divergence, we don’t reach our full ‘God-image’ potential until we are saved by Christ.)

            Returning to the structure of God’s covenant with Noah:

Then God told Noah and his sons, “I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, and with…every living creature on earth. Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.” Gn. 9:8 – 11. NLT

“I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you…” Gn. 9:12 – 15. NLT

            Now, we learn a little bit about Noah’s sons – Shem, Ham, and Japheth:

From these three sons of Noah came all the people who now populate the earth. Gn. 9:19 NLT

            Back to the father:

…Noah began to cultivate the ground, and he planted a vineyard. One day he drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent. Gn. 9:20, 21. NLT

            (This is the first biblical reference to alcohol consumption.)

Ham, the father of Canaan, saw [by accident] the nakedness of his father, and [to his father’s shame] told his two brothers outside. Gn. 9:22 AMP

            So, Ham publicly humiliated Noah to his brothers. How did his brothers handle this?

Then Shem and Japheth took a robe, held it over their shoulders, and backed into the tent to cover their father. As they did this, they looked the other way so they would not see him naked. Gn. 9:23 NLT

            Thus, no harm, no foul for these two brothers. However, how does Noah react when he comes to?

When Noah awoke from his drinking and learned what his youngest son had done to him, he said: Canaan is cursed. He will be the lowest of slaves to his brothers. Gn. 9:24, 25. CSB

            Now, a little ‘sleuthing’ is required to bring light to the wordplay. Notice in 9:22, Canaan’s name is brought to distinction as the son of Noah’s middle child – Ham. But who does Noah curse for the infraction made against him? Canaan – the ‘youngest son’ (grandson), who had perpetrated something physically (some scholars have suggested that he ‘uncovered’ his drunken grandfather as a ‘prank’).

            Indeed, Noah’s words were prophetic, as Canaan and his offspring were infamous for their depravities.

            Chapter 10 of Genesis expounds upon the descendant lineages of the three sons of Noah, with Japheth and Ham giving rise to the Gentiles, and Shem producing the first Hebrew, Abraham – all giving rise to 70 nations around the globe…

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[1] Lv. 18:6 – 7.

[2] Gn. 4:17 -24.

[3] Gn. 4:25, 26.

[4] Gn. 6:4

[5] Nm. 13:33

[6] Mk. 11:25; Mt.5:27,28.