Genesis Chapters 6-11 (week 3)
The story of the flood and “Noah and the Ark” is a very familiar story to us and may evoke memories of being taught from a lithograph in Sunday School. It may be important to remember that, no matter how familiar, we can be confident that as we read this story we are revisiting history, and that in the account of these events we do meet God and hear His message:
We live in a moral universe.
Sin brings judgment, for the God behind it all cares about right and wrong.
Yet we see that He still cares for us as well. The surging waters of judgment may swirl around you and me. But God has prepared His ark.
Like Noah, we only have one hope to be saved. For him it was an ark. For us it is faith in Christ, God’s son. (paraphrased from The Teacher’s Commentary)
Your group may want to read 1 Peter 3:18-22 and meditate on this Scripture as it compares to the flood story.
It may be helpful to have your group come up with a phase to describe the theme of each chapter studies thus far as well as the section of study for tonight. It may look something like this:
Chapter 1 It’s a personal universe.
Chapter 2 Man is made in God’s image, or, man is valuable to God.
Chapter 3 Sin is a tragic reality.
Chapter 4 Sin is demonstrated in our attitudes and actions.
Chapters 6-9 It’s a moral universe, or God does judge sin
Genesis 6:1-4
Possible interpretations for the “sons of God”:
1. Refers to the “godly” line of Seth and the “daughters of men” were the apostate line of Cain. Mixed marriages would result in wives and mothers who would exert their influence that could prove fatal to the worship of the one true God and result in moral chaos.
2. “Sons of God” refers to a powerful group of rulers who strive for fame. May have been controlled by “fallen angels” or “demonized”. (see Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Daniel 10:13 for other examples of this). Other mythological writing from this time period offered referred to these types of great leaders as ‘offsrings of the gods themselves’.
3. “Sons of God” refer to angelic beings. Support for this conclusion comes from the fact that the phrase “sons of God” is only used in Old Testament to refer to angels. However, this occurs in the book of Job (a very poetic book) and so a parallel conclusion is difficult to draw. Also, this view conflicts with Matt 22:30 and has no other support in the NT text. Therefore, most scholars tend to reject this view and support view 1 or 2.
Nephilim – “men of renown” (not true giants) a different Hebrew word in Old Testament is used when referring to a true giant like Goliath
The story of the flood - Genesis 6:5 - Genesis 8:19
· (6:6) – It broke God’s heart to see the depths for which man had fallen.
· (6:8) – “But Noah” – contrast this with the beginning phrase of Genesis chapter 8. What phrase does that remind us of in the book of Ephesians that we have been studying on Sundays?
· (6:8) – “righteous man”, “blameless in his generation” – not perfect (Romans 3:23) but he stood out among the people of his day as following God
· (7:8, 15) – the animals “went” into the ark with Noah (God sent them into the ark by His providence
· (7:12) – first time that it had ever rained in Biblical history
· (7:16) – “and the LORD shut them in” – The use of the personal name “Yahweh” here underscores God’s personal relationship with Noah. And it was God who shut the door – it was His (not Noah’s) judgment on the sinful people
· (8:1) – “But God” – you may want to do a word study on this phrase. How often is this found in the bible and in what context. What does this teach us about God?
God’s covenant with Noah – 8:20-22, 9:9-17
God makes an unconditional everlasting covenant with Noah and his decedents – with all living creatures. Even the animals are included, making Noah a kind of new Adam. Covenants usually involve a sign – in this case a rainbow. In the case of Abraham in Genesis 17, it was circumcision.
Thoughts for study:
· Have your group read and meditate on 2 Peter 3:3-18. How are you and I – and the group you are leading – to apply the flood story to our lives?
· In 2 Peter 2:5, Peter calls Noah a “herald” of righteousness. Consider the witness that Noah’s faithfulness was to his generation. But they did not respond. What implications does 2 Peter 2:5 have on how we Christians should behave towards those still “on land”? How do we witness to to others today?
Genesis 10 & 11 – Table of Nations and the Tower of Babel
· How do the actions of Noah’s decedents in 11:2 and their statement in 11:4 conflict with God’s command in 9:1?
· “let us” – The people in Babel are all about human independence and self-sufficiency apart from God. They have confidence in their own abilities and don’t recognize their need for God. Is there a tendency to feel this same way in this day and age? How can we recognize a similar tendency in our own lives?
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