Genesis 6:5-22: The Great Flood

Genesis 6:5-22: The Great Flood

 Our Scripture Reading this morning comes from Genesis 6:5-22. It says,

⁵ The 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. ⁶ And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. ⁷ So 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.” ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. ⁹ These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. ¹⁰ And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. ¹¹ Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹² And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. ¹³ And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. ¹⁴ Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. ¹⁵ This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. ¹⁶ Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. ¹⁷ For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. ¹⁸ But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. ¹⁹ And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. ²⁰ Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. ²¹ Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.” ²² Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

May God bless the reading of his Word.

Today’s passage is one that virtually everyone is at least somewhat familiar with. For some reason, we love to take this story and cover our children’s bibles with it. My former church even had Noah and his ark as a mural on the wall of the nursery. Now, I am all for teaching kids the Bible and having them familiar with important stories that carry the greater biblical storyline forward. It’s just a little odd that we really like to inundate kids with a story where God destroys the entire world and consigns to judgment via a watery death the entirety of humanity, minus 8 people.

It certainly seems like an odd thing to downplay with an image of a happy little boat overflowing with animals that looks like it could tip over at any moment, while Noah is smiling the whole time. Seems to almost trivialize the situation, downplaying the severity of God’s wrath and certainly minimizes the evil and wickedness of mankind that prompts God to send such a judgment. But what we actually have in this text is a story that is critically important to not only rightly understanding sinful man, but the greater story of what God does for sinners in Christ Jesus.

Main Point – Our text illustrates the catastrophic cost of sin, as well as the graciousness of our Good God.

The Cost of Sin is Catastrophic…

 Our text opens with a dire assessment of humanity (Genesis 6:5-7). V. 5 states “the wickedness of man was great (abundance, exceedingly) in the earth.” “Every (the whole, entirety, in every sense) intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (same word as every). V.11 – “Now the earth was corrupt (decay, ruined, spoiled) in God’s sight and the earth was filled with violence (damage, injustice, oppression).”

• We might struggle to identify with this description at this point… maybe serial killers and Nazi’s - but surely not me… But this is where the truthfulness of the Bible needs to bare down upon us, revealing that even if we haven’t acted upon our sinful nature…It is still present in the thoughts and intents of our hearts…
• The realm of men (earth) has become filled with violence, injustice, & oppression – leading it to being called corrupt, ruined & spoiled in God’s sight – Molded food instead of good food.
• Man has harmed their fellow man and ruined God’s good world entirely (v.13) – to the point where the author uses human language/emotion to describe God’s “regret”.

As a result of man’s wickedness & evil, God determines to make an end of all flesh (v.7, 13, 17). In this, God is acting justly and in accordance with his good & loving nature.

• It is good for evil to be punished. It is loving to defend what is good & to remove that which would bring it harm.
• The “problem” is that it is humanity, us, that is the problem. The origin & source of evil & brokenness of the good creation comes from the sin nature that humanity inherits from our fallen forefather Adam. His rebellion and rejection of God has corrupted his posterity entirely.
• God’s goodness & justice present us, the fallen, the wicked, & the evil with a problem – b/c we stand justly accused & rightly condemned.

 But God is also gracious…

 ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. ⁹ These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. ¹⁰ And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. ¹¹ Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹² And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. ¹³ And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Though mankind is thoroughly corrupted, God had made a promise to redeem mankind through the seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15. So, God shows Noah “favor”, or grace (1^st explicit ref.).

• This grace would be described as the New Birth in the NT & is not only saving, but transformative.

As the genealogy of Ch. 5 concludes with its bleak assessment of humanity in 6:5-8, we see God taking action with Noah. This transformative grace results in Noah’s description in v. 9.

• Important to see (through the repetition of humanity’s description) that Noah is saved because God is gracious & faithful to his own promise, not b/c Noah is one of the “good guys”.

Just as God made a promise of redemption & provision of covering through animal skins in Genesis 3 – God again promises redemption & rescue. This time, it will come through a covering of wood, as his plan of rescue will involve the building of the ark (v.13-18)

[¹⁴ Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. ¹⁵ This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. ¹⁶ Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. ¹⁷ For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. ¹⁸ But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.] 

and is founded upon a covenant or promise that God will mercifully spare Noah & his family from the judgment to come.

• This floating rectangle, this coffin shaped, life raft is the only means of rescue that God holds forth to a fallen and sinful people…
• Noah & his family will be saved because of God’s promise & plan of rescue (Ch. 7-9), as he & 7 others experience God’s mercy & grace. This story of sin & salvation truly points to the greater biblical story of sin & salvation – that of Christ.

Through God’s grace, Noah & his family are saved from death & judgment. B/c of God’s faithfulness to his own promises, from Noah’s family line will come the Seed of the Woman promised to be the victor over sin & the Serpent. This story of God’s flood of judgment serves to point us to a greater, future flood of judgment…

• But as God’s salvation of Noah comes through the judgment of his enemies, the salvation Christ brings will also come through a flood – the flood of his wrath being poured out once again – but this time, on a substitute.
• A substitute who stands in the place of God’s enemies, receiving the flood of judgment in our stead. Once again, the means of deliverance comes in the form of wood – but not in the shape of an ark. This time it will come in the shape of a cross and the flood will not be water, but the full fury of hell will be poured out upon Jesus.
  • o Listen to Jesus’ own words from Mark 10:38& 45 for his view of the cross:
  • o ³⁸ Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
  • o ^45“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 As a narrative, we could look at this text and conclude, “I need to be like Noah – who was obedient and that’s why God chose to save him (v.9, 22). But that’s not the point!

The point is, humanity is by nature only corrupt & evil, yet – in verse 8 – Noah found favor in the eyes of God. The point is that God is gracious!

Noah, in faith, believed the Word of God. Noah believed God’s promise of rescue & redemption, the one opportunity for life – the Ark.

• In like manner, this text calls us to believe in, to trust in, & to rest in the one way, truth, & life, that is the Lord Jesus.
  • o To look to the sufficient substitute who endured the flood of God’s wrath & rose again, proving himself to be the means of rescue & redemption that God graciously provides for sinful humanity.
  • o Look in faith & trust to the one who will redeem & renew what humanity has spoiled & corrupted through our sin – and - promises to one day remake and renew the earth (the realm of man) into the paradise that Eden was meant to be. The place where God and Man would dwell together in goodness and peace.