Answers for a study in the book of Genesis: Chapter Six

“Answers for a study in the book of Genesis” is a weekly post in addition to the regular “apologetics” posts on the weekend where the original questions can be found at the bottom of the study, and then answers appear here mid-week. This gives you time to do your own research, and then check your answers. Keep in mind these will be basic answers with a little depth, but you can go much deeper for discussion if you’d like.

1.  Review of Class Topic: With your table group, discuss today’s presentation by summarizing what you learned, commenting or asking any questions.

Answers will vary…

Read Genesis Chapter 6 with your group then, to the best of your ability, answer the following questions:

2.  What lead up to God’s decision to destroy His creation at this point in time (6:1-7; 11-13)?

“Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”

Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.”

Genesis 6:1-7, 11-13

From Cain’s murder of his brother Abel, to the bragging of murder by Cain’s descendant Lamech, the hearts of men had grown colder and the influence of evil was worldwide, these are the reasons God wanted to destroy the Earth:

• The wickedness of man was great on the earth (6:5)
• The intent of man’s heart was only evil all the time (6:5)
• The earth was corrupt (6:11)
• The earth was filled with violence (6:11, 13)
• All flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth (6:12)

3.  Who was Noah (what was his lineage), and how did God feel about him (6:8-10; 7:1)? What does the name Noah mean?

• Noah was the son of Lamech, who was the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Kenan, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam.
• “Noah found favor in the eyes of God. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.” (Gen. 6:8-9).
• Noah was the only one left who had a personal relationship with God, and God made a Covenant with him (Gen. 6:18).
• Noah would carry the righteous seed of the “Original Promise/Covenant” (Gen. 3:15) through to the post flood world.
• It is through Noah’s descendant Abraham that God would further unveil the meaning of this Covenant to Abraham in Gen. 12:1-3.
• Noah’s name means: “he will give us rest or peace”

4.  What did God tell Noah He was going to do, and what did He ask Noah to do (6:14-22)? Discuss: What do you think is the significance of God giving such detail in the dimensions and building of the Ark? Do you think there was enough room to fit all the animals?

“Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.  Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. As for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them.” Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.”  Genesis 6:14-22

• God had previously said that He was going to bring an end to all living things upon the Earth because of wickedness of humans. So, God gave specific directions to Noah on how to build the Ark for the survival of Noah’s family and the living “Kinds” upon the Earth. Noah had found favor with God who established His Covenant with him, to be carried on through Noah and his offspring (specifically Shem).
• The detail in the directions is significant because these are the dimensions necessary for the Ark to survive in a catastrophic flood. We know today that these dimensions mirror modern ship building and would allow, not for sailing or motoring, but for buoyancy, stability and survival of the passengers. The Ark was built like a type of barge, capable of surviving extreme tipping and surging. The size of the Ark and its capacity was more than adequate to carry the “Kinds” of living things necessary to repopulate the Earth. The most amazing part is that skeptics and critics of the Bible have a hard time arguing these facts. God, in His Word, gives us just enough details, often very specific, so that we would know His Word is not mythological but reasonable and true.

5.  What did God say in verse 6:18?

Discuss: Genesis 3:15 was God’s first Covenant. What is a Covenant? Are there any other Covenants in the Bible (Give Scripture references), and do you think they are connected?

God said: “But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall enter the Ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.”

A Covenant is a promise, and God’s Covenant Promise flows through the Bible, culminating in the person of Jesus, the Messiah. The main Biblical Covenants are unfolded as follows:

• The Adamic Covenant (God’s original Promise): Genesis 3:15
• The Noahic Covenant: Genesis 6:18; 8:20-9:17
• The Abrahamic Covenant: Genesis chapters 12, 15 and 17
• The Mosaic Covenant: Exodus chapters 19-24
• The Land Covenant: Deuteronomy chapter 30
• The Davidic Covenant: 2 Samuel 7; Psalm 72, 89 and 132
• The New Covenant: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:22-32; Matthew 26:26-29; Luke 22:19-22

6.  What did God tell Noah to do, and why, concerning the animals (6:19-22)?

Discuss: Specifically, what kinds of animals did God tell Noah to bring on the Ark (what kinds were not included) and for what purpose? Note: Consider the age and size of the animals Noah might have brought and why.

“And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. As for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them.” Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.”  Genesis 6:19-22

• God told Noah to bring 2 of every “Kind” of living thing of all flesh, male and female, to keep them alive on the Ark. Birds, animals, creeping things of the ground. God also told him to take enough food for both his family and the animals, and according the dimensions of the Ark there would have been plenty of room.
• The type of creatures that would not need to go on the Ark would be those who could survive in water (all sea dwelling creatures and water life).
• It is reasonable to assume that Noah would have taken young animals that were capable of reproduction after the Flood. Another reason to have taken the younger animals is their size. They would have been smaller, allowing for more room on the Ark.

Special Note: The word “Kind” is approximate to the Genus or Family level of taxonomy which encompass more species. The word “Kind” is meant to show that the organism has the genetic material capable of reproducing all of the variations of species within its “Kind.” For example, Noah would only have needed to take one “dog kind” with the genetic information to reproduce all of the variations we see in dogs today. We could use the term species even though this is a much larger grouping, and still show there would have been more than enough room on the Ark to accommodate them.

7.  Going Deeper: Biblical scholars are split on the interpretation of “the sons of God and the daughters of men” and the term “Nephilim.” Research and discuss your findings on this topic – What are the most common views held by Biblical scholars?

Three common interpretations by scholars for the “sons of God and the daughters of men” (Gen. 6:2)

1. Sons of God = the line of Seth, and the daughters of men = the line of Cain (this is the most common Christian interpretation today)
2. Sons of God = angels/demons (early Church Fathers’ interpretation)
3. Sons of God = royal line (Jewish traditional interpretation)

• Most scholars say that the Nephilim were the offspring of the union of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men,” however, some scholars say the text implies offspring, but it could also mean they were a “people group” not necessarily the offspring.
• The word “Nephilim” also means giant ones, as seen later on in the Old Testament, (for example Goliath).

Please continue to join us as we read and study the Bible as part of our Christian Apologetics’ class each week!

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in!  Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

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Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15