The Destruction of a World

Chapter Five

5:1, 2

UPON the basis of evidence supplied by thousands of tablets unearthed by archaeologists, the expression in this opening verse of chapter five might well be Adam’s signature to the record of the preceding four chapters of Genesis. The Hebrew text would allow a paraphrase, “This is the record of Adam and his descendants from the day that God created him in his image and after his likeness.” Inasmuch as there is now abundant evidence to show that the art of writing on clay tablets was practiced before the flood, it is not unreasonable to suppose that Adam wrote the “book” referred to in this verse. When tablets were used as historical records of families they were carefully kept together, and the last in the series bore the signature of the compiler. Each tablet was as a page in a book.

There is an erroneous theory which has found quite wide acceptance to the effect that the man who was created in the image of God, as recorded in the first chapter of Genesis, was not the man named Adam in the second chapter. These verses, however, disprove this theory for they speak of the man created in the image of God and Adam as the same person. Some fail to see that the first chapter of the book is merely a brief summary of the entire creative work of God as it pertains to this earth, and that beginning with the second chapter the Scriptures present in detail, not only the manner of man’s creation, but his fall into sin and death, and his final recovery during the “times of restitution of all things.”—Acts 3:21

“And he called their name Adam.” This statement emphasizes the fact that Eve was in reality a part of Adam, that the separation was made merely for the propagation of the human race to fulfill God’s purpose concerning the earth—that it was “formed to be inhabited.” (Isaiah 45:18) While the Scriptures do not explicitly so state, it is reasonable to conclude that when the earth is properly filled with Adam’s offspring human beings will revert to the original status of Adam before Eve was separated from him. The matter of companionship will then be no problem, for there will be countless millions who can enjoy one another’s fellowship.

5:3-32

The chief purpose served by the remainder of this chapter is to furnish the chronology giving the length of time from creation to the flood, as shown in the following table:

“Adam lived 130 years, and begat a son and called his name Seth.”—Gen. 5:3	130	years
“Seth lived 105 years, and begat Enos.”—Gen. 5:6	105	“
“Enos lived 90 years, and begat Cainan.”—Gen. 5:9	90	“
“Cainan lived 70 years, and begat Mahalaleel.”—Gen. 5:12	70	“
“Mahalaleel lived 65 years, and begat Jared.”—Gen. 5:15	65	“
“Jared lived 162 years, and he begat Enoch.”—Gen. 5:18	162	“
“Enoch lived 65 years, and begat Methuselah.”—Gen. 5:21	65	“
“Methuselah lived 187 years, and begat Lamech.”—Gen. 5:25	187	“
“Lamech lived 182 years, and begat a son: and he called his name Noah.”—Gen. 5:28	182	“
“Noah was 600 years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.”—Gen.7:8	600	“
	-----
Total from the creation of Adam to the day the flood was dried up.—Gen. 8:13	1656	years

Enoch and Lamech are the only ones mentioned in this list concerning whom any information is given other than their age and their children. Of Enoch it is written that he “walked with God.” (Gen. 5:22) Jude tells us that Enoch prophesied the coming of the Lord with myriads of his saints to execute judgment. (Jude 14,15) This would indicate that he understood something of the divine plan of salvation, and that his walking with God was in the fact that he had confidence in God and in his purposes, and was faithful in bearing witness thereto.

And Enoch “was not, for God took him,” the account states. (Gen. 5:24) In the New Testament we read that Enoch was translated that he should not see death. (Heb. 11:5) On the other hand, he is mentioned in the Book of Hebrews along with many other faithful characters of the Old Testament concerning whom the statement is made, “These all died in faith.”—Heb. 11:13,39,40

These various statements leave a measure of uncertainty as to just what is meant by the expression that Enoch “was not, for God took him.” An expression similar to this is found in Jeremiah 31:15, and here the reference is to death. Concerning the inhabitants of the wicked city of Sodom, which the Lord destroyed, the Scriptures declare that he “took them away as he saw good.” (Ezek. 16:50) So the fact that Enoch “was not,” and that God “took him,” could very well refer to death. The New Testament statement that he did not “see death” might well mean that in his experience he had not come in contact with the dying, or perhaps that he did not “see death” in the sense of anticipating it in any way either by decrepitude or any last sickness.

Lamech, in naming his son Noah, observed, “This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hat h cursed.” (Gen. 5:29) This statement indicates that the people of Lamech’s day were familiar with the account of creation and the fact that for man’s sake the earth had been cursed.

Chapter Six

6:1, 2

Adam, when created, is spoken of in the Scriptures as a “son of God.” (Luke 3:38) Through sin, however, he lost this standing, and so did his entire progeny. (Rom. 5:12) This means that at the time referred to by this record there were no human beings having standing as sons of God. Who, then, is referred to by the expression in verse two as the “sons of God”? In Job 1:6; 2:1, and 38:7 we have references to “sons of God” who evidently were spirit or angelic beings, and when we consider the testimony of I Peter 3:19,20; II Peter 2:4,5; and Jude 6, we are led to the conclusion that it was some of these angelic sons of God who, materializing, intermarried with the human race.

Jude tells us that these angels “kept not their first estate,” and Peter relates that they “were disobedient.” God had commanded human beings to marry and bring forth children, but for the angels to leave their natural habitation to do this was an act of disobedience, yet it was within their power if unhindered by divine providence.

Three angels materialized and appeared to Abraham, and while visiting with him partook of the meal which he provided. (Gen. 18:2-8; Heb. 13:2) If a materialized angel could partake of food, there is no reason to suppose that other functions of the human body would not be possible.

Peter and Jude explain that the punishment of these angels who thus sinned was their being restrained in “chains of darkness.” These are the spirits responsible for the deceptions palmed off upon so many concerning the matter of talking with the dead.

6:3

The wording of this text is very peculiar. In the sense that the expression would ordinarily be understood, God’s spirit was not striving with man during that antediluvian world. It seems reasonable to conclude that this period was included in Paul’s statement on Mars’ Hill, “The times of this ignorance God winked at.” He did not undertake at that time to bring about the repentance of the world. (Acts 17:30) When our first parents were cast off from divine favor God ceased dealing with the human race, with the exception of the few whom he selected to be special representatives to carry forward his plan for a future recovery of the race and the nation of Israel through being descendants of Abraham.

What, then, is meant by the expression, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man”? The Hebrew word here translated “Spirit” is the same one translated “spirits” in Psalm 104:4, which reads, “Who maketh his angels spirits.” The root meaning of the Hebrew word translated “strive,” is “rule,” or “execute.” It is quite possible, therefore, that the verse is a reference to the fact that God had given his angels the opportunity to rule over that antediluvian world, and that he is here saying he would not permit it to continue for more than 120 years longer. The expression, “for that he also is flesh,” or has become flesh, may be a reference to the fact that the angels overstepped their bounds in materializing. This suggestion would be in harmony with the general testimony of the Scriptures concerning God’s arrangements for that world.

6:4

The offspring of the illicit union between the fallen angels and the daughters of men were evidently outstanding personalities, both from the standpoint of physical strength, and mentality.

6:5

High mentality did not lead to righteousness, but under the influence of the great Adversary these superior beings used their abilities to lead the people into greater depths of sin.

6:6, 7

Many have wondered how God could repent. Webster defines repentance to mean a change of mind, or course of conduct, on account of regret or dissatisfaction.

The thought emphasized is that God changed his method of dealing with the human race because he was dissatisfied with the conduct of the people. He brought to an end the rulership of the angels. It does not mean that God suddenly discovered that he had made a mistake. In the Scriptures, two viewpoints of God are presented. One is that of his omniscience, his ability to know all things, even before they happen. Thus we read that “known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.”—Acts 15:18

On the other hand, the Lord often speaks to us through his Word as though he were one of us, coming down to our level of understanding when explaining the outworking of his plans and purposes. We have a good example of this in the text under consideration. God became grieved over the sinful conduct of the human race, and took steps toward destroying the world that then was; but this in no sense means that he did not know in advance how that world would end. God is able to know the course of events in advance without the necessity of exercising arbitrary control over them.

6:8-13

From among that wicked generation Noah was chosen by God to represent him as a witness and to do what was necessary in order to save a nucleus of the race from the coming flood. Even in the darkest periods of the world’s downward course into sin and death, God has not been without his witnesses in the earth; and happy are they—and highly honored—who are selected by him to serve in this manner.

Of Noah it is written that he was “perfect in his generations,” and that he “walked with God.” Undoubtedly nearly all of the human race at that time had become corrupted through intermarrying with the “sons of God,” but Noah was one of the exceptions. And besides, as the margin states, he was “upright” before God having ordered his life in keeping with the divine principles of righteousness.

Not only was the earth corrupt before God, but it “was filled with violence”—a general breakdown of law and order. This condition existed just prior to the flood, and during the time referred to by Jesus as the “days of Noah.” (Matt. 24:37-39; Luke 17:26) It is interesting to note that Jesus used this condition as illustrative of the present time—the time of his second presence—when it is due time for the “present evil world” to come to an end.—Gal. 1:4

The violence of Noah’s day was evidently caused somewhat by the “giants” which lived at that time—the offspring of the fallen angels. It has been suggested that we also have “giants” in our day who are filling the earth with violence—giant corporations of both capital and labor—and that these, because of their conflicting ideologies, are helping to destroy the present order of things, the present world.

6:14-16

Here briefly stated, we have the specifications for building the ark. It is generally supposed that the cubit here mentioned was about eighteen inches in length. If this be correct it would mean that the ark was approximately 450 feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. It had three decks, or “stories.” As no space was needed for a power plant or fuel supply, there would seem to be all the room that was needed.

6:17-22

An important point to notice in this passage is the emphasized statement by the Lord that he was taking the responsibility for destroying that world. God may permit evil to continue for a time, but when, in keeping with his plans and purposes, he decides to intervene, he does so; and he wants us to realize that this is true regardless of the agency he might use.

The covenant which the Lord promised to establish with Noah was actually made after the flood, and after Noah had fully obeyed the Lord’s instructions with respect to building the ark, and the manner in which it was to be used. No more eloquent testimony could be given concerning a man than the one recorded in this passage—“Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.” It was this full obedience on the part of Noah that constituted his walk with God.

Chapter Seven

7:1-6

Noah’s faith must have been under test during the entire time he was building the ark, but it was a victorious faith which enabled him to continue the task and to keep separated from the unrighteousness of the world around him. God took notice of this, and when the time came for Noah to enter the ark, encouraged him by a reference to his righteousness. The way of the righteous in a wicked world is always a difficult one, but the Lord never leaves them without encouragement and strength.

In the pervious chapter the reference to two of each of the animals being taken into the ark apparently applies only to those which were “not clean,” for in this chapter Noah is told to take seven males and seven females of all the “clean” animals. The reason for this may be that they were to be used for food.

In Jesus’ reference to the conditions which prevailed in the “days of Noah,” he tells us that the people were ignorant of the coming flood, and that they “knew not until the day that Noah entered into the ark.” (Matt. 24:39; Luke 17:27) But this was not true of Noah, the servant of God. He knew many years in advance that the flood was coming, and now that it was near he was told the exact day. “For it is yet seven days,” the Lord said, when telling him that it was time to enter the ark. This was just about enough time to assemble the animals and to get them into the ark.

“And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him.” Not only did the Lord let Noah know that he appreciated his faithfulness, but caused this fact to be recorded in order that all of the Lord’s people might later be encouraged by his example. God does not hesitate to speak of the faithfulness of his people. He wants them to know that he appreciates their loyalty, and he wants others to be blessed by their example.

The statement of Noah’s age, in. verse six, might seem unimportant, but actually it is found to be a material aid in computing the time measurement of the world before the flood, hence the total length of time from creation to the present.

7:7-24

Here we have the story of the flood itself, which was caused, the account states, by the fact that the “fountains of the great deep were broken up.” The “great deep” was apparently a vast canopy, or ring of vapor that continuously surrounded the earth prior to the flood. The fact that the rainbow did not appear until after the flood would indicate that this ring of vapor, or “fountain of the great deep,” was thick enough and dense enough. to prevent the direct rays of the sun from reaching the earth. The breaking up of this ring would, of necessity, cause a flood of waters—a flood so ample that it would easily prevail for 150 days.

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