Wickedness That Invites Repercussion-3(2016-17) Series

WICKEDNESS That INVITES REPERCUSSION-III—Genesis 6:1-8

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If people would take it upon themselves to heed God’s alarm clock, they would not be considered by Him to be ‘wicked,’ & would thus have opportunity to not suffer the consequences of missing His presence!

Genesis records the wanton wickedness of humanity & its repercussions.

Repercussion—An unintended consequence occurring some time after an event or action, esp. an unwelcome one.

Wanton wickedness invites repercussion.

How/When does wickedness invite repercussion?

7 channels thru which wickedness invites repercussion.

7 aberrations of wickedness that invite repercussion.

We have seen previously that Wickedness invites Repercussion thru...

1. Aberrant RELATIONSHIPs(:1-2)

2. Aberrant BURDENs(:3)

3—Wickedness invites repercussion thru...

Aberrant STANCE(:4)

Explanation: (:4)

:4—“There were giants on the earth in those days, & also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men & they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”

This situation of (“giants on the earth”) was evidently still present after the world-wide Flood into Moses’ time(he is the writer of Genesis!)—hence the phrase “also afterward, when.”

“Afterward,” in postdiluvian times, these ‘giants’ are never presented as some strange mixture of humanity with the demonic—although that which was demonic may have had a tremendously influential relationship upon them!

These are only men, although they were definitely ferocious, brutish, or animalistic in behavior. Thus there is no real mystery to the designations “sons of God” & their relationship to the “daughters of men.”

The presence of these Nephilim(so-called “giants”) ‘SEEMS’ to be directly tied to the “sons of God going in to the daughters of men.” A noteworthy outworking of the progeny of this union ‘MAY’ have been the Nephilim or “mighty men.

*However, this statement that the Nephilim were present “when”, may simply be a statement that the Nephilim were ‘absolutely not’ a result of the union of “the sons of God with the “daughters of men.” They were merely present in the same time-period. This would be evidenced by the Nephilim being present “also afterward.”

These “men of renown” are mentioned because they are readily noteworthy.

*“Renown” has a neutral connotation. It is qualified by its context. One can either be a renowned farmer or citizen OR a renowned murderer or dictator.

These Nephilim(?) were of some notoriety & ferocious reputation among men whose demeanor was quite unlike them.

*This fits in especially well with an understanding of the “sons of God” being the sons thru whom Noah was produced.

“Giants/Nephilim”—lypn nef-eeyl' OR—lpn nef-eel' OR Mylpn nef-fawl-eem'(plural)—1) Giants, the Nephilim. Strong—properly--A feller, i.e. A bully or tyrant. Used 3X.

From—lpn naw-fal'—Strong—a primitive root; To fall, in a great variety of applications(intransitive or causative, literal or figurative).

“The term in Hebrew[Mylpn] implies not so much the idea of great stature as [it does] of reckless ferocity, impious & daring characters, who spread devastation & carnage far & wide.”—JFB

“The whole problem with verse four is relating the allusion to these men who were mighty or strong & “men of renown [name]” to the context of the degradation of humanity. An answer may lie in the reference to nephilim in Numbers [sic.-13:]33.”....“So, while these nephilim could have been tall & strong(with some exaggeration by the spies being considered), their obvious military prowess may have struck fear into the Israelites.....Thus, nephilim may not have been a reference to a racial group as such, but rather to those of a fearsome character.”—Trevor Major

...Or, I might add, Mylpn may refer to a racial group which is characterized by exceptionally ferocity!

And if the numbers of the “sons of God” were sizably reduced by such rampant ferocity & ungodliness(cf.--:5), then the testimony & influence of the “sons of God” was significantly reduced.

Num. 13:33—““There we saw the giants Mylpn(Nephalim) (the descendants of Anak came from the giants Mylpn); & we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, & so we were in their sight.””

This is the only other use of Mylpn(Nephalim) used outside of Genesis. Used 3X in total thruout the whole Bible.

Thus we can gather that the Nephalim were at minimum a very tall, & along with that, an imposing people, judging by the comparison with grasshoppers.

Deut. 2:9-11—““Then the LORD said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab, nor contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’”(The Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great & numerous & tall[Mwr] as the Anakim. They were also regarded as giants[Myapr], like the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim.”

Deut. 2:19-21—“‘And when you come near the people of Ammon, do not harass them or meddle with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’” (That was also regarded as a land of giants[Myapr]; giants[Myapr] formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim, a people as great & numerous & tall[Mwr] as the Anakim. But the LORD destroyed them before them, & they dispossessed them & dwelt in their place,”