GENESIS 6:1-8
1When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide ina man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4The Nephilimb were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.
5The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
TEN POINTS TO PONDER
Not everything that looks good is good for us. Sin often follows the same pattern: we see something we want, and we take it—even when God has told us not to.
You don’t have to take everything you want. Self-control and sacrifice are signs of spiritual growth. Sometimes following Jesus means saying no to something that looks good.
Sin has a way of getting worse with every generation. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve ate forbidden fruit. One generation later, Cain murdered his brother. By Genesis 6, the world was filled with wickedness.
Satan loves to counterfeit and corrupt God’s plan. He takes the good things God created and twists them into something destructive. He’s been doing it since the Garden of Eden.
We don’t have to agree about everything to agree about the most important things. Christians can disagree about the Nephilim without disagreeing about Jesus, salvation, or the character of God.
God’s children should be noticeably different from the world. We are called to live in the world, but differently from the world, so we can influence the world for good.
We all want to live in a world where justice is served. God’s judgment may be difficult to understand, but a good God cannot simply ignore evil forever.
Before judgment, God showed mercy. God gave humanity time to repent. His patience wasn’t a sign that sin didn’t matter. It was an opportunity to turn back to Him.
Before judgment, God showed grief. God wasn’t surprised by humanity’s wickedness, but He was grieved by it. Our sin doesn’t just break God’s commands; it grieves His heart.
Before judgment, God showed grace. Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Even in the most evil of times, God was still good—and He still is today.
WHATEVER YOU LOOK AT IS WHAT YOU WILL SEE
Genesis 6 paints a disturbing picture of humanity. Wickedness had become so widespread that every intention of the human heart was continually evil. It’s difficult to imagine a darker description of the world.
But perhaps the most important thing about this passage isn’t what it tells us about humanity. It’s what it tells us about God.
Even in the midst of overwhelming evil, God was still good.
Before judgment, He demonstrated mercy. Before destruction, He expressed grief. And in the middle of a world that had turned against Him, He extended grace to Noah.
We live in a world where it’s easy to become consumed by everything that’s wrong. Every day brings another reminder of violence, corruption, selfishness, and suffering. When we constantly focus on the darkness around us, it’s easy to become anxious, angry, cynical, or judgmental.
But what if we intentionally changed our focus?
What if, instead of constantly looking for evidence of how bad the world has become, we started looking for evidence of how good God continues to be?
We would begin noticing His patience when we fail, His provision when we have needs, His compassion when we suffer, and His grace when we least deserve it.
That doesn’t mean ignoring evil or pretending suffering doesn’t exist. It means choosing to interpret the world through the unchanging character of God.
The world was terribly broken in Noah’s day. Yet God was still good.
Our world is terribly broken today. And God is still good.
THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE: Every evening, identify and write down one specific example of God’s goodness that you experienced or witnessed that day. At the end of the week, review your list and consider how intentionally looking for God’s goodness has influenced your perspective.
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Use these seven passages for this week’s daily verse studies. They will help you to focus more on God’s mercy and grace.
- Exodus 34:6-7
- Psalm 103:10-12
- Micah 7:18-19
- Titus 3:5
- 2 Peter 3:9
- Romans 5:20-21
- Ephesians 1:7-8
Use these questions as journal prompts or as conversation starters with a group of friends or a Bible study group:
Why do you think God included difficult passages like Genesis 6 in the Bible? What can we gain from studying passages we may never fully understand?
How can Christians demonstrate both conviction and humility when discussing biblical passages that have multiple reasonable interpretations?
In Genesis 3 and Genesis 6, people saw something desirable and took it. Why do you think this pattern is so common in human behavior?
What’s the difference between something being desirable and something being good for us? How can we learn to recognize that difference?
Do self-control and self-sacrifice come easy to you? Why or why not? Where have you experienced growth in these areas? Where do you still struggle?
Where in our culture can you see Satan’s work to counterfeit and corrupt the good gifts of God? How can we recognize the difference between God’s good gifts and their counterfeits?
How would you respond to someone who says that God’s decision to send the flood seems cruel or unjust?
Do you think that the flood may have been an act of preservation as well as judgment? How does that possibility influence your understanding of God’s actions?
Genesis 6:3 reveals God’s patience before judgment. Why is it sometimes difficult to recognize God’s patience as an expression of His goodness?
Genesis 6:6 says that humanity’s wickedness grieved God’s heart. How does knowing that God grieves over sin and suffering influence the way you understand His character?
Noah found grace in God’s eyes before he was obedient to God. Why is that order important for understanding our relationship with God?
What would change in your daily life if you intentionally focused more on God’s goodness? What is one practical step you can take this week to develop that perspective?
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