Genesis 12
Tonight we’re going to be getting back into the book of Genesis. And tonight’s passage seems to be one where the unfolding events are contrary to how history should be playing out. Things aren’t happening as they should. And as a result, mankind and the earth itself are about to take a journey they never could have imagined.
[Family member getting saved after life took a nosedive story.]
Sometimes things have to get really bad before they can get really good. Well, tonight’s passage shows us that things in the earth are really bad – maybe even the worse they’ve ever been in human history.
The last time we were together we saw how Cain’s family heritage seemed to be one of ungodliness as they built their civilization apart from God.
On the other hand we saw that Adam’s family heritage seemed to have instances where there was a spiritual revival amongst the people.
So there were some good things happening in the earth at this time. But as we’re about to see, for the most part, the people of the earth had turned away from God and were incredible wicked.
[Read Genesis 6:1-5.]
Doesn’t sound like things are going as planned. Man was created to reflect the image of God, yet after the fall continued to get further and further away from God’s plan. And that’s the first contrary thing we see in this passage.
I. Created in God’s image man instead reflects wickedness
1. ‘Sons of God’ take wives
[Read Genesis 6:1-2.]
This is a very peculiar couple of verses. It seems that angels decided that they wanted to experience women in a sexual way so they somehow took wives for themselves from amongst the women. It also gives the impression that the women didn’t have much to say about it and that they possibly took more than one wife each.
[Read Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7, II Peter 2:4, Jude 6.]
Now, Jesus teaches in the book of Matthew that angels don’t marry in Heaven. They’re spiritual beings and marriage is a human experience. So how can spiritual bodies connect with human bodies? The angels either were able to change their spiritual bodies into human bodies or they left Heaven and as spirits possessed the bodies of men and then married the women.
I happen to think the latter is true and that these ‘sons of God’ found some ungodly men who were more open to a fallen angel possessing them than God’s will filling their minds. Created in God’s image man instead reflects wickedness.
2. General rejection of the Holy Spirit
[Read Genesis 6:3.]
Now what God was saying here is that in another 120 years time was up. His Spirit wouldn’t be reaching out to man any more because destruction would be upon all of mankind.
How would His Spirit be at work during this time? Through the preaching of His Word through Noah.
[Read II Peter 2:5, Matthew 24:36-39.]
This great man of faith, this preacher of God’s Word, built on that ark for 120 years. I’m sure the word got around about what he was doing and why. But did any accept his message? No. Did any turn to the Lord? No. When they rejected Noah and his message they were rejecting God’s Spirit that was trying to work in their hearts; (just like He does today.) Created in God’s image man instead reflects wickedness.
3. Nephilims, giants in the land
[Read Genesis 6:4.]
Their name comes from the root meaning “to fall”. Ie. To fall on others. Obviously these were men of great size and strength who used their size and strength to dominate others for their own selfish gain. Created in God’s image man instead reflects wickedness.
4. Man’s totally corrupt thought life
[Read Genesis 6:5.]
Mankind was corrupt from the inside out. Constantly thinking evil thoughts. No godliness, no purity, no love, no selflessness – only evil occupied the minds of people back then. Created in God’s image man instead reflects wickedness.
Can you imagine a civilization like this? I mean, we think things are bad now, but back then it was much worse.
- Men possessed by sex-starved fallen angels take women for their harems
- Mankind in general rejects God Word and His Spirit
- The biggest and strongest rule the smallest and weakest
- Mankind is totally corrupt with every thought
Created in God’s image man instead reflects wickedness. How contrary things have become. And God’s reaction to this reality is contrary as well.
II. God’s creation that He loves causes Him tremendous pain
[Read Genesis 6:6-7.]
Now some of your translation might read that it repented the Lord that He had made man. Well, the better translation of what the original Hebrew states is that the Lord was sorry that He had made man; it grieved Him.
Not that He was sorry like we’re sorry for doing things. “I’m sorry I said that.” “I’m sorry I painted the house that color.” “I’m sorry I went to that restaurant.” When we say we’re sorry for things like that we’re saying, “I feel bad about that decision, I apologize for that decision, I wish I would have done things differently.”
But that’s not what God is expressing here. He’s saying that He’s sorrowful about how His creation has turned out. His creation, that He loves so much, is causing Him great grief and pain. He’s not sorry He created man, just sorry about how man turned out.
- God doesn’t change. (Malachi 3:6)
- If God wished He had done things differently He wouldn’t have allowed the human race to continue through Noah. He would have wiped everyone out permanently!
The point here is that contrary to what God should be feeling through His creation – joy,
satisfaction, pleasure, He’s now feeling sorrow and grief. He still loves man, but that man causes Him great pain.
We can all understand this on some sort of level. We have a child that’s gone astray, or a friend who’s let us down. We still love them, but the pain they cause us.
[Talking with pastor friend who’s son fell away story.]
Well think about what God must be going through. I mean, He is the perfect parent who had provided everything His creation could ever want or need. Yet they still turn away and become the antithesis of what they were supposed to be. God’s creation that He loves causes Him tremendous pain.
But amongst all this negative contrariness in the world there was actually something good that was happening contrary to all the bad.
III. Noah followed God in the midst of an ungodly world
[Read Genesis 6:8-9, Hebrews 11:7, II Peter 2:5.]
Noah was a: - Righteous man
- Blameless man
- Man who walked with God
- Man of faith
- Preacher
- Man of obedience, (built the ark)
Noah followed God in the midst of an ungodly world. Mankind was typified by ungodliness, yet Noah seemed to be determined to follow God no matter what was going on around Him. Could he have fallen away too? Easily! The rest of the world would have welcomed him over to the dark side of life. (And I’m sure there were times when it might have seemed easier for him to quit swimming upstream and join the crowd.) Yet Noah remained a godly man who found favor in the eyes of God.
[Picking out Lisette’s engagement ring story.]
When God looked down at the world there was one man that shined brighter than all the rest – Noah. A man who followed Him no matter what the populace did. Noah followed God in the midst of an ungodly world. And next week we’ll see how the Lord would use Noah to carry on the existence of mankind.
Now, we can pull a lot of similarities between the days of Noah and today. So why don’t we look at it from Jesus’ point of view. Let’s go back to Matthew 24 where Jesus is talking about the past, Noah’s day, to explain what will happen in the future; our future.
[Read Matthew 24:36-39.]
In Noah’s day people were carrying on life like nothing was wrong. They’re living hundreds of years, the earth is a paradise with the firmament still intact, and they’re acting like they haven’t got a care in the world – even though Noah is preaching about coming judgment with this football field sized object lesson of an arc in his front yard!
So when the flood comes it takes them by surprise because they haven’t been listening to the Lord.
When the Lord comes back to earth how many people will be just as surprised as the people in Noah’s day? Oh they’ve heard the message for years but didn’t listen. Carrying on life like there’s nothing wrong and like they’ll live forever. But one day Jesus will come back and it’ll be too late. They’ll be taken in judgment and perish forever.
Are you ready? Are you ready for Jesus’ return? It could be tonight. It could be tomorrow. We don’t know when it’ll be, but we know we need to always be ready!
And if you are ready, who do you know that isn’t ready and what are you going to do about it?
