Are you safe? [Gen 6-7]

ARE YOU SAFE?

Genesis 6:1-7:24

Key verse 6:9

Are you prepared for hurricane Sandy? Today we will study Noah’s flood. What a timely passage? Last week in chapters 4 and 5, we learned how quickly sin grew through Cain’s descendants. In today’s passage we can see that sin spread over the earth and God had to destroy mankind. However, God’s final judgment is yet to come. Are you prepared for the judgment? I pray that through this passage we can find the way of salvation God has prepared for us.

I. The corruption of mankind (6:1-7)

Man’s corruption

Look at verse 1. In the course of time, men began to increase in number. The sons of God began to marry the daughters of men. We don’t know exactly who they were. Based on chapter 5, however, the sons of God might refer to Seth’s descendants and the daughters of men to Cain’s descendants. Seth’s descendants called the name of God and followed God. However, over time they began to intermingle with Cain’s descendants. They married any of them they chose according to physical attraction.

How did God see the generation?

V3 - ³ Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

The word “contend” can mean remain. The word “mortal” means flesh or corrupt as well. So, this verse means that God will not be with man any longer because man is corrupt. God was very displeased with man because they became corrupt so much. As a result, his days will be 120 years. Considering the context of this passage, that means that man will disappear on earth after 120 years. This was God’s final decision but also his hope for them to repent over the grace period.

Verses 1-3 are a kind of synopsis of the chapter 6 and more details are followed in the rest of the chapter.

Let’s look more closely at Noah’s time.

V4 - The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

The sons of God married the daughters of men and the Nephilim were born to them. The Nephilim were giants. They were the heroes, men of renown those days.

In Noah’s times, those who were physically strong were popular and ruled people. Thinkers or artists were not popular. God’s image and spiritual value diminished and physical value ruled over the times instead.

V5 - The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 

Man also became greatly wicked. Their thoughts were always evil. They always thought about how to please their sinful desires and came up with all kinds of wicked things.

V11-12 - ¹¹ Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. ¹² God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.

The earth was full of violence. Violence was prevailing everywhere. They hurt and killed people without guilty sense. Violence was their law. Lawlessness plagued the generation.

Here, we can describe the times of Noah like this: physical, greatly wicked, evil, violent, and corrupt.

The word “corrupt” appears three times in chapter 6 and it means rotten or utterly foul. It describes Noah’s times in the final stages of moral decomposition.

We can learn how much sin had spread over the earth. Adam disobeyed God and then his son Cain became rebellious to God and killed his brother Abel. Now their descendants became indifferent to God and had no fear of God.

Rom 1: 24-32 shows how sin grows when man rejects God. The first symptom of corruption comes in the form of sexual impurity and with violence. Sexual impurity and violence are two most reprehensive symptoms that take place where there is no God. The people in the times of Noah were also sexually immoral and violent. They were so much corrupt that God could not stand it any more.

This was not what God planned and desired when he created man.

God’s pain and his plan for judgment

What was God’s response? Look at verse 6.

⁶ The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 

He was sorry about man’s corruption. He was deeply troubled with pain. His heart was broken. It is like how parents feel about their children who continually sin and go too far to be recovered. Man’s corruption already reached its full measure and passed over the threshold. God was about to do something very serious regarding mankind.

V7 - So the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.” 

God unpleasantly decided to wipe out mankind from the earth along with all other creatures.

How do you view this world? Is it beautiful? Is it ok to God? If we just read the newspapers, we will know how corrupt this generation is. It is almost the same as the times of Noah. How sinful and sexually immoral this generation is? If you have ever been to Las Vegas, you will learn how corrupt this generation is. Las Vegas is the city of sex and violence. Many kids learn all kinds of bad things – drugs, sex, violence, from school friends and the Internet. Some of them boast about their sexual impurity and encourage others to do so. Years ago, I happened to see a boy playing a video game. He was brutally killing so many people in the video game with no second thoughts. The more serious problem is that people are numb to sin. They cannot discern what is right and what is wrong. They just follow their sinful desires. Their consciences are seared. The wrath of God is coming against this godless generation, too.

II. God’s covenant with Noah (6:8-22)

It seemed that mankind would disappear on earth and God’s creation would have become a failure. But that was not the end of God’s story.

V8 - But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

God did not forget his promise in Gen 3:15. God chose one man and continued his salvation work through him. He was Noah. Noah found favor in God. Favor means grace. God preserved the seed of hope through one man Noah.

Who was Noah, then?

V9 - This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

Noah was righteous and blameless. This does not mean he was perfect in every respect. He was also a sinner before God. But he was the one God was looking for to do his redemptive work. The word righteous is used to describe a right relationship with God. Noah had the right attitude towards God and was ready to obey him. He walked with God.

Noah’s characteristics were not the reason God chose him, however. Rather, they showed how he became righteous, blameless, and walked with God through his obedience as shown in the rest of the passage. Verse 9 is the summary of his whole life. The rest of the passage recounts verse 9 in detail.

God’s covenant with Noah & his obedience

Let’s look at verses 11-13.

When God appeared to Noah, the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. It already reached over the threshold God set.  As he saw man’s corruption, God decided to destroy all people with floodwaters. He revealed his plan to Noah and told him to do something in preparation for that. What was it?

V14 - So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 

What is an ark? An ark is not a ship. It does not have sailors or any navigation equipment in it. It is designed to float on the water. The ark was to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. It should have a roof on the top, a door in the side, and three layer decks. It was a huge ark.

V18- But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.

Then, God established his covenant with Noah. A covenant was a legal agreement between two parties used in ancient time. God used a covenant to establish his relationship with man. Simply speaking, it specified what each party was obligated to do - if you do such things I will do such things. God first gave his promise to Noah that Noah and his family would enter the ark he was to build. In other words, God would save Noah and his whole family from the floodwaters on the three conditions. First, as mentioned already, Noah should build the ark as God instructed. Second, Noah was to bring a pair of all living creatures into the ark to keep them alive. Lastly, he was to take every kind of food for his family and those animals.

How did Noah respond to the covenant?

V22 - Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Noah built the ark as God instructed. As you can guess, it was a tremendously difficult job. To build such a huge ark, Noah must have experienced all kinds of difficulties. He should bring or buy lots of woods and other materials; he needed knowledge and skills about the ark. It was a huge project of 120 years. The people must have made fun of him, saying that he was crazy. He was left out. Even his family members might have not understood him or cooperated for the first time. Nevertheless, Noah overcame all these difficulties and built the ark. He built the ark as God instructed, without missing anything and without compromise. How could he do everything as God commanded him?

Heb 11:7 - By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.

Noah had holy fear of God and believed that the flood would come for sure. The coming of such a huge flood was not easy to believe. All other people in Noah’s time did not believe it. They had no fear of God. 2 Peter 2:5 described Noah as a preacher of righteousness. That means that Noah preached the message of God’s judgment through his life of faith by building the ark. However, they did not even know that God was giving them such a long grace period, thinking that they would be ok. In such an unbelieving circumstance, Noah firmly believed that the flood would come and destroy all as God said. It was out of his reverent fear of God. 

III. God’s judgment and salvation (7:1-24)

V1 - The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.

Already 120 years passed and Noah completed the ark. Then, God appeared to Noah and told him to go into the ark he built along with his whole family. God said he found Noah righteous in his generation. It was because Noah obeyed God’s command. According to his covenant, God would save Noah and his family from the flood. Again, we can learn that Noah was saved not because he had been righteous from the beginning but because he obeyed God in fear and completed the ark as instructed.

In verses 2-4, God gave him detailed instructions what to do. Noah was to bring his whole family, seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a pair of every kind of unclean animal, seven pairs of every bird to keep their various kinds alive. By the way, he was given 7 days before the flood came. How did Noah respond?

V5 - And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.

Again Noah obeyed exactly as God commanded him. He did not complain that 7 days were too short to do all those things. He did not say he needed a break or a vacation since he had worked so hard for 120 years. Verses 6-9 show how Noah obeyed.

Finally the floodwaters came when Noah was 600 years old. Noah and his sons and his wife and his son’s wives entered the ark to escape from the waters of the flood along with all pairs of animals. Pay attention to verse 9 that Noah obeyed as God had commanded.

Verses 10-16 show what actually happened on that day the flood began.

In the 600^th years of Noah’s life, on the 17^th day of the 2^nd month, all the springs of the great deep burst forth and the floodgates of the heaven were opened. Rain fell on the earth 40 days.

Verses 13-15 show more details of who entered the ark. This time it mentioned each of Noah’s sons. All pairs of animals came to Noah and he let them in the ark. Interestingly, they came according to their kinds. It was mentioned four times. It reminds us of how God created them according to their kinds in chapter 1. But this time God preserved them for the new creation without missing any kind. Again, in verse 16 it is emphasized that Noah obeyed as God had commanded. That means again how thoroughly Noah obeyed God from beginning to end. Noah was a man of obedience. He feared God and so he seriously took God’s command. As a result, he was regarded righteous and he and his family could enter the ark.

When Noah and his whole family and all pairs of animals came into the ark, God shut him in. What does it mean? God sealed the door so no one could go in or come out. Once God shuts down the door, no one can open it again. That signaled the end of his grace period and the beginning of his judgment. Those in the ark would be safe but those outside would perish.

The result of the flood

Read 7:17-20.

The flood kept coming for 40 days. And the waters rose and increased greatly on earth.

-          They lifted the ark high above the earth.

-          The ark floated on the surface of the water.

-          All the high mountains were covered to a depth of more than 20 feet.

The waters flooded the earth for 150 days. Let’s look at 7:21-23 to see what happened to living creatures.

Every living thing died. All mankind, animals, crawling creatures, and birds died without exception. Each of verses 21-23 is almost the same. Why are they repeated three times? It emphasizes how thoroughly God’s judgment was executed to all living things. No matter how rich, powerful, learned, or able, they all died. No exceptions! When they realized God’s judgment, it was too late.

God’s judgment for their sin came sudden when the people were doing their daily stuff. However, this is not only Noah’s story. In Luke 17:27, Jesus said, “People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.” He said this in reference to the future judgment.

The whole Bible says that there will be the final judgment. It is certain and sudden, but not by water but by fire.

^“6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. ⁷ By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” (2 Peter 3:6-7)

Nowadays, people do not believe God’s judgment. Even some Christians do not believe or take it seriously. As we can see in this passage, God does not overlook our sins. At his time, he will surely judge each person according to what he has done. No one is an exception. We all must stand before God to be judged.

Now are you prepared for his judgment? Do you think you can survive his judgment?

How can we prepare for the final judgment upcoming?

Let’s read 7:23b. “Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.”

All living things died but Noah and those with him in the ark were saved in such terrible flood waters. Noah was saved along with his family because he feared God and obeyed his command absolutely. Judgment is not God’s purpose. Actually, he wants all men to be saved. (1 Tim 2:4)

As God saved humankind through one man Noah, God is saving people through one man Jesus Christ through his obedience to the cross. You don’t need to build a huge ark for yourself. Just accept him as your salvation with a humble and obedient heart and you are safe from God’s judgment.

One day one man was driving in a high speed along with his whole family. And all of sudden he lost control and his car was thrown into the air. He realized he would die along with his family. At that moment while he was still airborne, he prayed to God in the name of Jesus. “Please save my family and I will server you as a missionary all my life.” And then his car landed and flipped over several times. His car was crushed but they came out of it uninjured. He was a Christian since his childhood but he sought the worldly success. He became a diplomat and had a beautiful wife and children. But through the car accident he realized how he was close to death and could lose everything in a moment. He learned how critical and important it was to entrust himself to Jesus.

 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” (John 3:36)

God’s judgment is not a future thing. If you died now, today would be your judgment day. Today God is calling you to Jesus Christ. No time to hesitate. Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus right now and you will be saved. In a sense, Jesus is the true ark. Salvation is here in Christ. 

Message by David Yun