Genesis 6
1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
In today’s text, Genesis 6: 1-8, God looked down on His creation and was greatly grieved. He saw that the evil on the face of the earth was rampant and He would no longer allow the situation to continue. God began to plan mankind’s destruction.
In the first instance, God saw what was happening on earth. God takes a strong interest in His creation. We are evident to Him and He observes our every action. Do not think that God will turn a blind eye and not do something about your lifestyle. He is not distant from His creation even when He appears to be silent and does not instantly respond to acts of wickedness.
What was it that God saw? Not only was the earth exceedingly evil but God grieved about the condition of the “sons of God.” We will avoid the various interesting interpretations about the “sons of God and the daughters of men”, the giants etc. It is certain that by this time people knew full well the institution of marriage. But in this case, the sons of God went beyond the boundaries clearly defined by God. Their criteria became beauty – physical and sexual attraction. They saw that the daughters of men were beautiful. Perhaps they started with relationships and even had multiple wives.
LUST FOR BEAUTY: The present generation is much the same. Too much credit is placed on a person’s physical attractiveness. People are pressurised into trying to meet all the criteria of beauty and good looks. They feel agony at the thought of getting old. If you are awakened to the desire for beauty and your attention is on that, then you are on the edge of destruction. The sons of God lost the barriers of God and started to crave for the world. Their relationships were based on lust and their attention was on those who were physically attractive.
CHOOSING WITHOUT GOD: The wives they chose were their own choice and they excluded God. A life without God! Such a life becomes corrupt.
VIOLENCE: Another evil in the world then and today is the increase of violence where it becomes a norm. Last week some university students in Pretoria raped a school girl in campus, while others looked on. Violence has progressed so far that even children and babies are sexually abused in South Africa. A sick and perverse generation indeed! Where does it start? Violence starts in the heart. You are angry with your brother and in this way have murdered him already.
TOTAL DEPRAVITY: Verse 5, 11 and 12 indicate that depravity was total. Perversion had become the norm. Our hearts, without grace, are totally depraved.
GOD’S STRIVING: But God will not strive with you forever, as we read here. If you continually resist the Spirit of God, you are in danger. You could even fall into the final sin of the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Stop and turn to God today. Jesus died to save the perishing. Repent and seek the grace that God is wanting to give you. Jesus Christ is the Ark into which we can escape.