Welcome to the MHB Podcast. This is Michael Baun. And welcome to my thirty third episode. Tonight I want to study Genesis chapters five and six. I’m going to combine these two chapters because six is short and five is a genealogy. Before I read these chapters, I want to talk a little bit about the purpose of the Bible. I think it’s important to touch on this because I see many people stumbling as a consequence of approaching the text from a limited perspective.
Here’s what I mean: the biblical narrative is intended to tell us about why we exist and how we can be reconciled to God. The stories in the Bible reveal the character of God and who we are in relation to him. Scripture gives us a value structure through which we can engage the facts of reality. All 66 books of the canon are working towards this end – including Genesis. Now, when I say that many Christians are approaching the text from a limited perspective, I mean that they are trying to use what is called natural theology to determine how everything came to exist. The reason they do this is because the Christian faith is dependent upon the universe and everything in it being the creation of God. The Bible is very clear about that. What little we know about the origin of our universe does appear to be consistent with being created by God who exists outside of space and time. The problem is that we know so little.
If you were to go back five hundred years and explain to Christians that the Bible suggests planet earth is spherical and held in place by gravity – they would have accused you of trying to undermine Scripture because they believed the world was flat. And so today, the fatal weakness of natural theology is that it is built on the axiom that says we know enough about the structure of reality to have a framework by which to claim whether something could or could not have happened. Imagine your car. Let’s say you go back in time one thousand years with your car. You drive your car into a village and tell people it has 230 horsepower. Based on what these people know, their only logical option is to assume there are 230 invisible horses pulling your car down the road. They could not possibly conclude that “horsepower” is a term denoting the engine power of your car. They have no framework by which to understand what an engine even is.
This is the fallacy that both natural theologians and naturalist atheists commit. They build all of their argumentation on the belief that we as human beings know enough about reality to determine what can or cannot be ultimately real. I’m going to suggest to you that we are more like the ignorant villagers from one thousand years ago. But we don’t even have to go back that far. If I approached you in the 1950s and showed you my iPhone, you would have no idea where to even begin understanding what this device is let alone how it works. You see, every generation is on the cutting edge of the advancement of understanding and therefore is incapable of realizing just exactly how much they do not yet know.
So, we are totally blind to the possibilities of ultimate reality. This doesn’t mean that we can’t get some grasp of ultimate truth. That is in fact the purpose of the Bible – to lead us to God – who is ultimate truth. Let me explain: a few episodes back I outlined the difference between first order truth and higher order truth. I used the illustration of a man sitting in his living room while the rest of his house was on fire. Using science, the only conclusion he could come to was that his living room was not on fire. The fire that was burning the rest of his house existed beyond the purview of his instruments. If I gave him a Scripture that said the rest of his house was on fire and told him to take it on faith, he would have two options. He could say that he doesn’t believe in anything that his limited perceptions are not able to observe – thus he would remain in his living room until the house fell in around him. Or he could put his faith in the higher order truth and jump out of his window to safety. Once he was in safety, his limited perceptions could then observe that his house was indeed on fire and that he made the right decision.
That is how you should think about the Bible. Each book contains information about who God is and how you can exist in a way that is closer to his original design for you. You can take these ideas and apply them to your life and you will see your life take on a sense of meaning and purpose that you cannot get anywhere else. Furthermore, your families, communities, cities, and nations will stabilize as more and more individuals adopt these values. This is not something that can happen from the top down – a theocracy will never work. It has to be individuals reforming the way that they engage with reality. So as we go through these next chapters in Genesis – try not to get hung up on wondering how these things could have taken place. Remember that we as a species are so woefully ignorant to the possibilities of ultimate reality. And that the purpose of the Bible is to instill values into your thinking that will allow you to navigate the space of your life successfully with a sense of meaning and stability.
I want you to think about three questions as I read these chapters.
- How has your family impacted your choices?
- How do you remain good when surrounded by evil?
- What does your own “ark” look like?
With all of that, I present to you Genesis 5 and 6. Please enjoy.
Genesis 5 – The Descendants of Adam
This is the written account of the descendants of Adam. When God created human beings,[a] he made them to be like himself. 2 He created them male and female, and he blessed them and called them “human.”
3 When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father of a son who was just like him—in his very image. He named his son Seth. 4 After the birth of Seth, Adam lived another 800 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 5 Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.
6 When Seth was 105 years old, he became the father of[b] Enosh. 7 After the birth of[c] Enosh, Seth lived another 807 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 8 Seth lived 912 years, and then he died.
9 When Enosh was 90 years old, he became the father of Kenan. 10 After the birth of Kenan, Enosh lived another 815 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 11 Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died.
12 When Kenan was 70 years old, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13 After the birth of Mahalalel, Kenan lived another 840 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 14 Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died.
15 When Mahalalel was 65 years old, he became the father of Jared. 16 After the birth of Jared, Mahalalel lived another 830 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 17 Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died.
18 When Jared was 162 years old, he became the father of Enoch. 19 After the birth of Enoch, Jared lived another 800 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 20 Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.
21 When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 Enoch lived 365 years, 24 walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.
25 When Methuselah was 187 years old, he became the father of Lamech. 26 After the birth of Lamech, Methuselah lived another 782 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 27 Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died.
28 When Lamech was 182 years old, he became the father of a son. 29 Lamech named his son Noah, for he said, “May he bring us relief[d] from our work and the painful labor of farming this ground that the Lord has cursed.” 30 After the birth of Noah, Lamech lived another 595 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 31 Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died.
32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Genesis 6 – A World Gone Wrong
Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them. 2 The sons of God saw the beautiful women[a] and took any they wanted as their wives. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not put up with[b] humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.”
4 In those days, and for some time after, giant Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times.
5 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. 7 And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” 8 But Noah found favor with the Lord.
The Story of Noah
9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. 10 Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. 12 God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. 13 So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!
14 “Build a large boat[c] from cypress wood[d] and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. 15 Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.[e] 16 Leave an 18-inch opening[f] below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.
17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. 20 Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. 21 And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.”
22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.
First let’s look at chapter five. The genealogies in the Bible can be pretty boring to read through, but they are important for several reasons. In ancient times, people didn’t share information through writing as much as they did through oral retelling of stories. History was passed from generation to generation through these stories. Often, genealogies provided an outline through which people could accurately remember and recite stories. The stories in Genesis are very, very old and no doubt the genealogies helped pass them down accurately. Another interesting point to consider about genealogies is that these individuals are mentioned by name. There are seven billion people on earth today, and it’s important to remember that God pays attention to you and knows you by name.
Something else we can learn from the genealogies is that all human beings are related back to Adam and Eve. If we keep this at the front of our minds it helps us to overcome societal issues like prejudice and racism. Human beings are bent toward sin and one of these sins is the persecution people who are different from us. And that sin is not exclusive to the majority in a given territory – minorities can be prejudice against majorities just as well. Remembering that we are all of common ancestry can help to alleviate these feelings of difference.
By far the most important part about the genealogies is that they track the lineage of Jesus Christ all the way back to Abraham. This proves that God fulfilled his promise to Abraham that the Messiah would be born of his line.
I’m sure you’ve noticed the abnormally long lifespans of the people documented in Genesis. A natural theologian would try to explain how this could have been possible – and in my view they would almost certainly be wrong. So I’m not going to dig too far into how these people lived so long. I’m just going to ask you a question. Right now there are scientists working on slowing down and stopping the aging process. Some futurists have gone so far as to suggest that the first person who will live to 300 years is alive today. If human beings can prolong lifespan and stop the aging process – couldn’t God do the same?
So let’s move on to chapter six, verses 1-4:
Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them. 2 The sons of God saw the beautiful women[a] and took any they wanted as their wives. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not put up with[b] humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.”
4 In those days, and for some time after, giant Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times.
Here we see mention of beings called the sons of God. This is a pretty fascinating passage because the Bible is never clear on who these beings are. Many readers have thought they must be angels, but I don’t think so. Matthew 22:30 tells us that angels do not marry or reproduce. Some scholars have suggested that the sons of God must be the descendants of Seth. Since Seth’s line are the people credited as being the first to worship God by name. If they are Seth’s descendants, then this would explain the moral degeneration that resulted in an explosion of evil – culminating in God’s decision to flood them out. Cain’s descendants were indifferent to evil and committed to sinful behavior, so if Cain’s progeny intermarried with the descendants of Seth – the moral integrity of the human race would quickly deteriorate. My first question to you was this: How has your family impacted your choices?
We see in verse three that God sets the normal human lifespan to 120 years – the lifespan we are familiar with today. Let’s move on to verses 5-8:
5 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. 7 And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” 8 But Noah found favor with the Lord.
I want you to think of the most evil human being you’ve ever come into contact with. Now imagine an entire nation of people just like that person. That’s not even near as bad as things were in the nation that Noah lived in. Every single thought of all people alive was always and entirely evil. Many people think about the story of God destroying everyone in a flood as an act of cruelty or genocide on behalf of God. But tell me, how do you react when you see a news story about someone torturing an animal or a child? You want justice. The flood of Noah’s day was justice.
When we look at these verses we have to ask ourselves, did God regret creating human beings? Did God make a mistake? It can’t be either of these, because God is infallible and in 1 Samuel 15:29 we read that God never changes his mind. The best way of thinking about God’s mindset in these verses is to use the analogy of a parent and child. If a child grows up to be rebellious and gets him or herself into trouble, the parent looks on with a sense of remorse for what the child is doing to himself. But the parent, usually, does not wish that he or she had never brought the child into the world.
Let’s look at verses 9-13:
The Story of Noah
9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. 10 Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. 12 God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. 13 So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!
In verse 9 where it says that Noah was the only blameless person living on earth, blameless does not mean sinless. Even Noah sinned. Blameless simply means that Noah loved God. I think this is what 18th century theologian John Wesley meant when he talked about Christian perfection. Being a perfect Christian does not mean being sinless – it means having perfect love for God. Notice what God is saying in verse 11. He’s decided to destroy all living creatures for all of them have filled the earth with violence. Whatever happened to produce the explosion of evil, the animals were plagued with it too. I want to emphasize, this is not a story of God destroying creatures who were just minding their own business. It’s impossible for us to know just how bad things must have gotten for God to resort to the flood – because we live in a time after Christ. My second question for you was this: How do you remain good when surrounded by evil?
Verses 14-22:
14 “Build a large boat[c] from cypress wood[d] and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. 15 Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.[e] 16 Leave an 18-inch opening[f] below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.
17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. 20 Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. 21 And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.”
22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.
Close your eyes and picture the ark. It’s one and a half football fields long and as tall as a four story building. Noah’s Ark was exactly six times longer than it was wide – this is the same ratio that it used today by modern ship builders. Noah combined faith and action by building the ark. Too often people think that if they do nothing but pray then all of their problems will be solved. The truth is, the Bible is loaded with examples of people combining faith and action to overcome their troubles. James chapter 2 explicitly declares that faith without action is dead. If you’re struggling today, try asking God what it is that you are doing to make your situation worse than it needs to be.
Even though the people of Noah’s day were so thoroughly evil – God still warned them of the flood and gave them a chance to come back home to him. 1 Peter 3:20 suggests that people were warned but still chose to disobey. Today there are many people who scoff at the idea of God’s judgment, they just don’t believe that it will come. I think you can actually see hints of God’s judgment in the negative consequences that often attend sinful behavior. Something else you may have noticed about sinful behavior is that other people will always try to bring you in on it to participate with them. Psychologically speaking, this is usually the hallmark of guilt. An individual will feel the weight of guilt when it comes to bad behavior, but if others are doing it with them then the guilt isn’t so bad. If you bring enough people in to participate in the sin then you have a mob, and a mob is capable of absolute atrocities without feeling any sense of guilt.
We can all learn from Noah having faith and putting his faith in to action by building the ark. All of us are guaranteed suffering in our lives. Your flood is coming. When it gets here, will you be prepared with an ark of Godly behavior to keep you safe, or will you drown? And this is my third question for you: What does your own “ark” look like?
If you find this content valuable, feel free to share it and to use it in your own studies. If you’d like to support this podcast, you can do so at www.patreon.com/michaelhbaun. There is a link in the description. Your generosity goes a long way to promoting the growth of this enterprise and the cause of free speech. Thank you all for joining me this evening, and I will see you in the next episode.
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