The Well: January 3

January 3: Genesis 5-6

The structure of Genesis revolves largely around Moses’ use of “these are the generations of” to mark off sections. We see it here in 5:1, and again in 6:9, 10:1 and 11:10. While sin changed the nature of man dramatically, it did not hinder him from populating the world, as the genealogies show. Chapter 5 moves the story from Adam to Noah.
 
As Moses wrote, he must have realized that the story of the Flood would come at his readers as a harsh act on the part of God. After all, the entirety of mankind was put to death by the water, except for the family of Noah. The first few verses of chapter 6 seem to be Noah’s list of reasons why God had to take such drastic measures. The primary reason was the damage being done to the line of promise through which the “he” would one day come.
 
While the “sons of God” phrase is used in Job to refer to angels, it is best to see it here as distinguishing the line of promise from the line of rebellion. In Genesis 3:15 God had distinguished between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. Both were human lines and God declared that they would forever live in enmity with one another. Throughout the Bible we see this enmity. It began with Cain and Abel, and flowed through Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Israel and the nations, and today is seen in the enmity between those who are “in Christ” and those who reject him. In chapter 6 we see the first time that the promised line is in danger due to intermarriage. As we will see, intermarriage between God’s people and the unbelieving nations is time and again the cause of apostasy.
 
A second reason for the Flood seems to be that the Nephilim were in the land. Contrary to some, there is no evidence in the text that these “men of renown” were in any way related to the intermarriage between the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men.” Rather, these men represented the high position of arrogance, power, and rebellion to which many among humanity had gained. They had followed the path of Lamech (chapter 4) and surpassed him greatly. 
 
Thirdly, Moses sums up the situation of mankind in 6:5: “every intention of the thoughts of his (man’s) heart was only evil continually.” The entirety of humanity is summed up in the singular. The promise that the “he” would come through a human line was now in great jeopardy. And so God determined to begin again. Yet, because of his promise he could not destroy everyone. He needed a “human bridge” through which the promise of the “he” could be carried across from creation to a kind of “re-creation” in the post-flood world. It is certain that Noah was among those described in vs. 5 given that the description is all inclusive. 
 
Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. And given that we know “favor” (grace) is never earned or merited, we are face here with the truth that Noah did not deserve God’s grace anymore than those in his world. Here we see the first act of God’s electing love. He chose Noah, and brought him to faith for his own Name’s sake, and for the sake of his promise. 
 
The Flood stands as the first great demonstration of the wrath and justice of God. The Ark stands as a picture of the saving grace of God. Together we see through God’s mind just how his love and justice will act at the end of time. All those who perished in the flood received justice in light of their lives of rebellion before God. On the other hand, the eight granted rescue in the Ark receive mercy they didn’t deserve. But it must be seen that no one was treated unjustly. God, the sovereign creator, acted in both justice and grace, with both truth and love, to set his world and his redemptive plan back on track.
 
Prayer: Holy God, forgive me for thinking too lightly of your justice and your holiness. The story of the Flood reminds me just how blessed I am to have been rescued by your grace, extended to me in the refuge that is Jesus Christ. I know I don’t deserve your love and forgiveness. I am so grateful today that you looked at me through eyes of love; that you sent your Spirit into my life and used the Gospel to draw my heart to you. Lord, help me to be a light that shines into the lives of others today, by your grace and for you glory, Amen.