The Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created

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.”  Genesis 6:1-7

To understand this statement by Yahweh, and appreciate the causes of this complete degeneracy of the race, we must first derive a correct interpretation of the expressions "sons of God" (האלהים בני) and "daughters of men" (האדם בנות). Different views have been entertained from the very earliest times but Keil and Delitzsch offer a comprehensive, and compelling, explanation of who these people were. "The sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose." Now אשּׁה לקח (to take a wife) is a standard expression throughout the whole of the Old Testament for the marriage relation established by God at the creation, and is never applied to πορνεία, or the simple act of physical connection. This is quite sufficient of itself to exclude any reference to angels (the alternative understanding of "sons of God"). For Christ Himself distinctly states that angels  cannot marry.

This great wickedness God saw was the direct result of the godly Sethites marrying the carnal Cainites. This alone must be a resounding declaration for why you and I should never countenance the marriage of believers to non-believers: the result is naturally wicked...not divine. Even more, its time we understand that merely cavorting with the wickedness of man demeans and stains us beyond recognition as children of God. Our ability to affect righteous change in our culture is completely destroyed. So...God said, “I’ll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds—the works. I’m sorry I made them.” Can you imagine if God had completely blotted out humanity? We would exist only in the memory of God himself. There would be not trace of us.

But Noah was different. God liked what he saw in Noah...and, rather than human history having no cosmic trace...one righteous man altered the outcome and saved us all.

You and I, today, live in a culture not profoundly distinct from the one Noah witnessed. We see evil all around. We see open defiance of God. We see wickedness that has surpassed anything history has recorded. It is easy for believers to lose heart and wonder if God is even paying attention. If He is, why doesn't He do something?

What could we suggest that God has not already done?

The real lesson is clear. Our wickedness breaks God's heart. We fill Him with sorrow...to the degree that He cannot stomach it. He promised He wouldn't send another flood but...it doesn't mean judgment is not coming. When that time comes, will we be Noah? or, will we be history? The answer depends on our willingness to separate ourselves from the snares of wickedness in order that God might "like what He sees".

Live boldly out there today...

The Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”

Then the Lord (Yahweh) said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” Genesis 4:9

The good news is...even though a relationship is fractured, it can be repaired. Adam and Eve were punished and banished but did not abandon God. Nor, did God abandon them. When Eve gave birth to Cain she said, “I have gotten a son with the help of the Lord.”
Eve also gave birth to Abel. Abel became a shepherd, and Cain was a farmer. By all appearances, one happy family. By God's grace, we do not have to become prisoners to our past disobedience. We can trust God and He will provide. He is faithful.

Unfortunately, we see the insidious consequence of sin raise its ugly head. The sins of the parents are passed on to their children...even if those parents have managed to restore their own relationship with Yahweh. Children have to make their own peace with God.

So it came about that both Cain and Abel brought an offering to the Lord. The Lord looked favorably upon Abel and his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. Naturally, Cain became angry. The Lord asked, “Why are you angry? If you do well, won't you feel better? And if you don't, sin is looking for a way to control you, but you must master it.” 

Anger issues...Cain could not overcome his anger and he killed his brother...God noticed.

God has demonstrated an interesting quality when he deals with sin. He asks questions.
"Adam... where are you?"
"What is this you have done?"
"Where is Abel?"

These questions are designed to bring us face to face with our sin. Satan asks questions as well..."Did God say...?" But, Satan only asks questions in order to create doubt in our minds about God's authority.

God wants us to take ownership for our actions. He want's us to acknowledge what we have done and confess (tell the truth) our sin before Him. God has determined that forgiveness begins with confession. Sadly, Cain refused to confess. He added another sin on top of murder; he lied. "I don't know!" Then...with the defiance of a child he challenged God's authority with "am I responsible for my brother?" It wasn't an innocent question.

Keil/Delitsch remind us defiance grows with sin, and punishment keeps pace with guilt. Adam and Eve feared before God, and acknowledged their sin; Cain boldly denied it, and God therefore charged him with his crime: "What have you done! the voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the earth."

As punishment for his defiance, God cursed Cain and proclaimed his life would forever be in despair. Still, Cain did not confess. He said to the Lord, “My punishment is too great to bear! Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” He blames God for being unfair. Then Cain went out...east of Eden...from the presence of the Lord...

What a tragedy! A simple and truthful confession before God could have had dramatically different results and, like his mother, he might have found himself celebrating life "with the help of the Lord".

Where are you today? Are you "East of Eden?" or, are you living in the presence of the Lord? It all begins with hearing God's question and answering truthfully.

Live boldly out there today...

The Lord, God said - "Behold, the man has become like one of Us "

“Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever. Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden”— Genesis 3:2

We were created to live forever...spiritually and physically.

This was a perfectly fine plan as long a man lived in a state of innocence and obedience with God. It is not beneficial for a person who has fallen from grace and his being is ravaged by the fatal decaying influence of sin. As it was, Adam lived, on earth, 930 years. In today's world that seems like an eternity. That would equate to me being born around the time William the Conqueror subdued England in 1066. Its an intriguing thought but, these old bones are pretty tired at the age of seventy. The arc of vitality in life seem to rise until about the age of fifty. Then, it slowly begins to bend downward...and that downward arc gets steeper and steeper until it seems we discover a new ache or pain nearly every day. Nine hundred more years might be too much of a good thing! In fact, I've counseled with countless aged patients at the V.A., hospital whose only wish is to die. They've already had "too much of a good thing!"

So...Yahweh drove them from the garden so they wouldn't live forever. Actually, an act of mercy.

The consequence of this judgment is that we all actually die twice but, most people are not wise enough to discern it. Adam died spiritually when he was ate the fruit. He was separated from God by his sin. That death had eternal consequences. Adam also died physically 900 years later when he was separated from his physical body. As a result, you and I, as Adam's children were born spiritually dead (separated from God) with terminal case of Asham (אָשָׁם: guilt). 

We also begin to physically die from the moment of birth. And, that death is the moment of truth for all of us. If we have not made peace with God before we physically die...the opportunity has forever escaped us and we spend eternity separated from the loving God who created us.

Think about it this way: God could have destroyed Adam and Eve at the moment they ate the fruit in the garden because they disobeyed. He could have started over with another couple who might have done better. Instead, in His mercy, he gave them time to repent and turn back to God. I believe this is because, when that sin happened, Adam and Eve were still very innocent and naïve to the world. God wanted to offer them an opportunity to recognize the error of their ways and return to Him. When I say you and I are born spiritually dead...infected by the flawed spiritual DNA of Adam, I also say God has given us a number of years on this earth to recognize our condition and return to Him.

But...there is a cost. No "get out of jail free" card.

This is our primary task on earth: Find our way back to Yahweh, If we fail in this, we fail to spend the rest of eternity with Him. It's a mission we have no choice but to accept. And, the road back to God is paved with the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. He paid the price for our sin (Romans 6:23). When we look at it this way, Christ on the cross is not an ego driven demand to submit. Christ on the cross is a lifeline offered to every one of us even though we didn't ask for it and we don't deserve it.

Live boldly out there today...

The Lord God said - “What have you done?”

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:13

Some things are not easily undone...

It is often the case that we have no real idea of the consequences of our actions. On a whim, on a dare, on an impulse...we are convinced to do something without regard for the outcome. As a youngster I rushed into the kitchen with my hand bleeding profusely. "What have you done!" my mom asked. Well, on an impulse, I had decided to ride my bicycle down the steepest hill I could find...with no hands. The front tire hit a stone and the outcome was predictable.

Had I known about the ensuing doctor visit, the probing forceps painfully removing debris from a gaping wound, the shots and the long process of healing...I might have rethought my plan. But, people don't often think that far ahead. We tend to think about what is right in front of us. It takes years of painful experiences to develop the "long view". At the age of seventy, I understand walking around the fence is more prudent than trying to hop over it.

So...what had Adam and Eve done?

The Lord God said to the serpent,

And I will put enmity (hostility) between you and the woman,

To the woman God said,
“Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

Then to Adam God said, “Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life...till you return to the ground because from it you were taken; For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return."

 

Consequences should not be viewed as punishment. They are simply the logical outcome of events according to cosmic law. Occasionally we get lucky and dodge consequences but...not generally.

 

Consequence number 1: Sin is addictive. Once Adam and Eve tasted the temptation they were hooked. "I will put enmity between you and the woman" lets us know that the hostile lure of sin will hound us forever. And, just as addiction is passed from a mother to her child, you and I still fight the hostile attacks of Satan every day.

 

Consequence number 2: Sin distorts relationships. I surmise...as Adam began to understand what had actually happened...he began to hate his wife for tempting him. "Yet your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” is a picture of Eve doing everything she can to make up for her misdeed and Adam refusing to let it go. The human need for forgiveness and the human refusal to grant it still haunts us thousands of years later.

 

Consequence number 3: Sin kills us. We see a new image of Adam. We see him as a product of the dust rather than the Image of God. When the Lord God formed Adam of dust from the ground (Gen. 2:7), He "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being". This was a transformative act that delivered the eternal breath of God into Adam.  We saw Adam living in communion with God...no hint that this relationship would not go on forever. Perfect tranquility. After sin, His perfect life in God's world changed radically. Yahweh banished him from Eden before he could partake of the Tree of life and live (physically) forever. We understand man is terminal...he will eventually cease to exist as a living image of God. What a profound tragedy. “Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life...till you return to the ground because from it you were taken; For you are dust, and to dust you shall return." pictures a life of hard labor that is sustained solely by human efforts. When those human efforts fail...we die. God is no longer there to manage our lives.

 

But...that's not the end of the story. As you recall, God created us as eternal beings...with a living soul. When our soul is liberated from these earthly trials by our physical death, we will face God and He will surely ask..."What have you done?" 

 

God has designed a way back but He has not chosen to liberate us from daily consequences of sin. We long for the day when we will see Him face to face and our trials end. Until that time we have a choice. We can curse God for not removing the consequences or we can bless God for the redemption he has offered through His Son.

 

Live boldly out there today...