In this chapter we will study how wicked the world had become. Noah, his wife Namath, their sons and their wives were the only ones on the ark during the flood.
Verses 1-7
The “sons of God” and the “daughters of men.”
What does sons of God mean? Are these men or some other being?
Verse 5 says that God saw the wickedness of man on earth was great. It doesn’t say God saw the wickedness of any type of being was great.
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the spirit of God, these are sons of God.
In the family generations we studied in chapter 5 we see the line of Seth being the line of the faithful which I believe are the sons of God. They were marrying the line of Cain from chapter 4, who rebelled against God.
Their children were known as the Nephilim
The blending of these two lines caused wickedness to run rampant here on earth. Only 8 people were being faithful to God. Noah and his family.
Verses 8-22
God told Noah he was going to destroy man and beast in a global flood and for him to build an ark.
God told him the exact materials to use: gopher wood and covered with pitch.
God also told Noah the exact dimensions that Noah would need to get his family and all the animals on this ark. (A pair of every kind of animal) 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Make a roof for it and finish the ark within 18 inches of the top. Put a door inside of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. The ark was the equivalent of 500 to 550 boxcars on a train.
Noah was instructed to begin gathering food for his family and the animals.
Noah obeyed God.
In the previous chapters we have seen that obedience brings blessings and disobedience brings a cursed life.
God was merciful to Noah and his family because of their faithfulness. The ark was God’s plan for their salvation.
God has been merciful to us as well not only in our obedience but even when we have let Him, ourselves and others down because of His goodness towards us.
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
This scripture tells us that just as God provided for Noah and his family to be rescued then. God has continued to provide a way of salvation for us today.
