Tag: Noah

March 8th 2026: Tom Baker

Published on by Penuel Baptist RochLeave a comment

To watch this service click on the link to our YouTube channel:
https://youtu.be/wDJuO92vaoc?si=Ga6ERpMKeopystd-

Genesis 9: Blessing and curse

At the end of Genesis 9 we have the tragic statement concerning Noah “and he died” which brings us back to the genealogy recorded in Genesis 5 where this phrase is repeated throughout. Genesis is a book of genealogies about which we also get some important prophetic stories. We are in the realms of the new world. Things have started afresh. Creation has been renewed. The old has been swept and washed away, behold all things are made new. But is this ‘happily ever after’? Well sort of but not quite yet. There is an awful end to this history which we read of at the end of Genesis 9. There are really sad events recorded here and yet there is still a bright future ahead. Although at the end we read of a curse, yet there is still the hope of blessing here too. There are more dark days to come as we read of in Genesis 10 and 11 but nevertheless there is this bright future coming too. One day all will be truly good and right. For now in Genesis 9 we have a new start and there is hope despite the fact it all ends in tears. Noah’s new world is not quite the end, and yet the real fulfilment is coming. So in Genesis 9 we see blessings and we see the curse once again. Near the end of Deuteronomy 30 Moses spoke to the Israelites calling heaven and earth as witness and offered them life and death, blessing and curse, and ends by appealing for them to choose life, for the Lord is their life. The same is true for us today. The Lord Jesus offers us the same. We must respond to this call of Christ. So here in Genesis 9 we shall consider these two things. First we have the blessings which come in the first nineteen verses. And then we have the curse which features from verse 20 onward.

[1] Blessing.

            In Genesis 9:1 we see the general blessing we observed at the end of Genesis 8 being particularised to man. All that had gone wrong in the world was on account of man and his sin and waywardness. It was all man’s fault. So since man was at fault why then does God bring blessing to man? Yet he does. This is astonishing. There are further clues to this blessing in Genesis 9:2,3. Man’s place is restored in creation, for he is once again given dominion and charge over creation. Order has been restored. In Genesis 6 there was disorder. The order that God had made was like this: God ruled over all, man was under God’s authority and ruled over creation. But in his sin and rebellion the order was flipped. Man served creation and demanded that God come under his rule and governance. Do we not see this today? People worship and serve creation or the environment and expect God to do as they demand. People argue that God ought to do as they think rather than sit under the authority of God’s perfect rule. The truth is that God rules. He is good. He is sovereign. We are His creatures made in His image and so we must come under His authority. He has called us to do all His commands and to have dominion over all of creation. And so here in Genesis 9 the right order has been re-created. This is a tremendous blessing. And then in Genesis 9:6 we get another hint of blessing, for man is made in the image of God. We may disfigure the image of God, but it is still there. Even when the disfigurement is gross, the image is still there. There is a dignity in human life on account of who has made it. Mention of blood is key here too, for only by blood can a life be purchased. This is also a clue to future redemption in Christ, for only in blood can life continue. The covenant is reaffirmed in Genesis 9:9. never again will all flesh be cut off and never again will water cover the entire earth. God seeks to bless! Man deserved the judgment that was passed, and still man is sinful and had a wicked imagination, and yet the Lord promises not to flood the earth ever again. The covenant was to be established with a sign: the rainbow. This rainbow in the clouds is a light shining amidst a dark place. Why does this visible sign matter? Well imagine the traumatic things that Noah had been through. All flesh was wiped out and died. Noah was trapped in a box for a year and ten days. What do you think Noah may have felt and thought when a rain cloud appeared in the sky? He might have thought: ‘things are going bad again, will God judge us once more’? And then he sees the rainbow in the clouds and he knows that God has promised not to do as He has done. The bow in the sky brought rest. God will not judge! Now this bow in the sky points us clearly to the Lord Jesus on the cross. Where the bow in the cloud was a sign indicating no more condemnation, the cross is the means by which this has come about. For on the cross of Christ judgment was passed on Him who knew no sin and life has been offered to all who believe. Christ swallowed up death, took all the punishment, and brought life. When you see the rainbow in the cloud it is not just a promise that the Lord will not flood the whole world, but that the coming of the Saviour will be the great sign and seal of salvation. There will be dark clouds ahead, but remember the rainbow! Light shines in the darkness. The bow shines brightly on the day of darkness and declares that God loves us.

[2] Curse.

            Genesis 9:18 gives us a clue to this idea of a curse, for Ham is the father of Canaan. Noah is presented to us as a kind of new Adam or a second Adam. This is tragic. He seems to repeat the same errors and mistakes the first Adam made. Noah finds himself in a type of garden as Adam was in Eden. He has all the blessings of this setting. He meets with God through sacrifice but then in Genesis 9:20 we read that he was ‘a man of the soil,’ or ‘a man of the ground.’ Some translations have “farmer” here but this misses the point that Noah having been shown the bow in the clouds above, now focuses his attention on the ground, which had been cursed. The ground that man as taken out of at first, and on account of sin was made to return (dust to dust). Man was taken out of the ground and made into a living being and given great blessings, but he sinned and so had to return to the dust of ground and be uncreated. And now Noah has drawn himself down back to the ground. In Genesis 9:20 we find Noah making a vineyard, and so grows grapes. We thus seeing him take of the fruit (just as Adam and the Woman did), and he makes use of it in a wrong way, in a way he ought not to have, and then he becomes naked and ashamed. So here we see Noah falling just as Adam had done. Now one of his sons acted badly and this ended up in spawning a curse for his son, Canaan (Genesis 9:24). But there is comfort here, for in Genesis 8:21 we learnt that despite the sinfulness of man the covenant of God is everlasting. What will be is determined upon God’s heart and will, and not upon what man may do. The Lord was fully aware of Ham’s sin and Noah’s fall, and yet still there is hope – hope lived out in Noah’s other two sons, Shem and Japheth. These two sons provide a covering for Noah’s shame. They take the responsibility for something which was not theirs to take. Isn’t this remarkable? Christ bore the penalty for the sins which we have committed and have a responsibility for. So Shem and Japheth seek to cover Noah and seek to put things right. As a result they are both blessed both with a multitude of descendants and with the very presence of God. Adam was told of the promise of a Saviour who will take the responsibility for the sin of mankind. Now Shem and Japheth act in a similar way, although this is not the final end to the story. What they do is a picture of, and a pointer to, what Christ has done at Calvary. We need Noah who brought us out of darkness into new life. But really we need someone who is better than Noah. We need someone like Shem and Japheth to cover our nakedness and shame. But in reality we need someone better than Shem and Japheth who will cover sin and shame eternally in a universal way.

            Genesis 9 ends with Noah dying – tragic. But there is a bigger story of which Noah (and Shem and Japheth) are but a small part. This bigger story is unfolding. God reigns still and in the fullness of time He will send the real seed of the woman who will completely undo the curse and will usher in lasting blessings. This One has come! Christ has come and has risen! He has borne all the worst sin and horrors of wickedness that we have committed, and has dealt with them fully and finally. He has borne these on the cross. Our sins are done with – completely. Noah’s sons tried their best but could not do what was fully required. But Christ has come for our salvation and will come again to make all things new where the true and final rest will be found.

March 1st 2026: Tom Baker

Published on by Penuel Baptist RochLeave a comment

To watch this service, click on the link to our YouTube channel:
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Genesis 8: All things new

The days of Noah were dark days but there was a bright future. There were people reaching for forbidden fruit and everything was falling apart in the world, and yet there was also a glimmer of hope in Noah. We live in very similar times. Moses, who compiled Genesis, gives us certain clues in the text which show forth this hope amidst the horror. Our Lord Jesus spoke of Noah’s day and said that when He would return it would be just like the days of Noah. People would strive after the things of this world only, and they were grasping at things they shouldn’t have grasped at. And then Noah was called to make the way of escape, of salvation. Now we too are called to get into the ark, but this time our ark is Christ Jesus Himself. We are called to come out of the old world doomed to death and destruction, and to enter in to the ark which is Christ.

We have two graphic pictures here. First, we have our great need for salvation. There was gross wickedness which deserved judgment out of which man needed rescue. These were real historical events that we read of in Genesis but they also paint a picture of what the world is truly like in all ages. Second, we have two pictures of how this salvation from judgment was to be accomplished. Noah is placed for us in the text as a righteous man who leads others to safety. Then also we have the ark which bore the full force of the waters of judgment given to us as a type of Christ too. Now in Genesis 8 we have a new picture. Again we have real historical events that actually happened, but we are also taught something about the goal or end of salvation. Where does it all lead to? What happens when the rain stops? What comes after judgement? Well, the answer is: to a place where everything is made new. This scratches an itch we all experience doesn’t it? We often look for a fresh new start when things have gone wrong don’t we? Do we not feel like this old dead world that is destined for destruction? And do we not have this thought: ‘there must be more to life’? There is this inner desire for a fresh start, to make all things new. We don’t often get this chance to make a fresh start. Often we have to continue with the disaster we have all around us. But there is always this wish that things will be made new. Well of course the Scriptures give us the response to this longing. The Lord is making all things new.

  • How do things turn out for Noah and the ark?

The first thing we read of in Genesis 8 is that God “remembered” Noah (Genesis 8:1). At the end of Genesis 7 everything dies and was wiped off the face of the earth. But Noah was in the ark on the surface of the flood waters. Did Noah think that God had forgotten him? In relation to the entire globe covered in water, Noah and the ark were simply a tiny box floating on the surface. Even large tankers out on the Atlantic ocean are no match for the waters and seem insignificant. So was Noah worried that God had forgotten him? Well God had most certainly not forgotten him! It was impossible for God to forget Noah. After all it was God who called Noah to build the ark and gather the animals. And it was God who secured Noah and his family in the ark. Remember that Noah had found grace and so was favoured of the Lord. How could God forget the one whom He had called and instructed. This opening verse of Genesis 8 is an encouragement to us. God is mindful of His people. He thinks upon them always. It is not possible for the omniscient God to forget! What about us? Who are we? Does God forget us and abandon us? What is man that God should be mindful of him? We may be small and insignificant, just as Noah and the ark were on the water covered earth. Yet God remembers me, and you. He takes thought of you as He did of Noah and the ark.

  • What was the new world like?

In Genesis 1:2 we have an unformed and unfilled watery mass which speaks of the raw materials from which God created all things. Now here in Genesis 8 the old created order has been judged and we have another watery mass once again. Then we read that God made a “wind” to blow on the waters to make them recede (Genesis 8:1). The word for “wind” can also be rendered as “Spirit.” So we have the same situation we read of in Genesis 1. In Genesis 1 the Spirit hovers over the watery mass, and here in Genesis 8 we have the wind (the Spirit) blowing the eaters to cause them to recede. So here in Genesis 8 we have a kind of recreation. Later on we read about a dove being sent out. The dove is a symbol for the Holy Spirit. So Moses, in recounting the revealed history of the flood, gives us hints along the way to show that God is doing the same type of work – creation. The God who made the raw materials at first and then made all things from those raw materials is now re-creating this new world. See also that signs of life emerge. We have the olive branch brought back by the dove. We have the land appearing once again like it did in the original creation. We have the waters being bounded and sent to their original place once again. All these things are meant to remind us of how God created in the beginning. Note also that the dove is sent out after a seven day period. Further, that the ark rested on the mountains. The ark finally comes to its grounded resting place. The floating zoo is like a second little Eden. The world eventually dries out and then when the ark is opened an abundance of life bursts forth to spread out over the new world. Thus we have a new world. All of this is a picture pointing us towards the new heaven and the new earth to come.

Noah is presented to us as another Adam. He is the head over creation. This points us to the true second and last Adam, Christ Jesus the Lord. What does Noah do? He plays the part as-it-were of the first Adam. He leads his people out into the new earth (Genesis 8:16). As Noah obeys the Lord doing all that

He commanded, we see the blessing of his obedience is passed on to the others who follow him (Genesis 8:18). In genesis 8:17 we see that Noah is (like Adam) ruler over the animals. The animals went out according to their families over the earth (Genesis 8:19). So Noah is pictured as lord of creation and brings the animals out at the command of the Lord. Noah also leads his people (his family) straight away to the throne of God, for the first thing he does is to build an altar and offer burnt offerings (Genesis 8:20). When Noah made this offering the Lord was pleased with it (Genesis 8:21). Noah is acting like a priest. He brings people into the new world and into the presence of God through sacrifice. They find real life here. It appears that the Lord was delighted with this action. In the same way we see also the Lord Jesus Christ as our high priest whose sacrifice leads us into the new creation. It is through Christ’s sacrifice that we are granted new life. Even though we do not inhabit this new heavens and earth, through His once-for-all sacrifice we are made new creatures. The Lord was pleased to bruise our Saviour and delights in the sacrifice made. God the Father is thrilled for Christ our Pioneer leads the way to glory through His sacrificial gift.

  • A new and lasting hope.

In Genesis 1 & 2 we read of life and blessings. In Genesis 3 to 6 we read of death and the curse. In Genesis 7 we read of judgement. In Genesis 8 we read of life and blessing once more. Noah is commanded to be fruitful and to multiply (Genesis 8:17). Note that the Lord gives order in the seasons once again. For a year and ten days the world has been covered in water. But now there will be seed-time and harvest, winter and summer to order life on this new earth (Genesis 8:22). The ancient blessing of God cannot be overturned or undone. His delight in Christ never ends, so His plan and His blessings in Christ will never end. What the Lord had done in and through Noah and the ark, prefigures what He will do perfectly in Christ, so this new creation will not suffer such a judgement again and the seasons will remain true. See how this promise to continue the new world is offered despite the fact that “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis 8:21). The everlasting covenant is not based upon the works of man. Our sin does not stop the blessing of God. He has made a way whereby the sin is once and forever judged and a new order is made.

A word of application.

How shall we respond to these thoughts? Well make sure that you are on the ark, which is Christ. Make sure that you partake of the new world to come through the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ which is pictured here wonderfully in the ark which preserved creation amidst the judgment of God by the waters of the flood. Do not remain in this old world of sin and corruption. Do not be content with this cursed world and earth. It is destined for destruction (although next time by fire). Make sure that you enter the ark which I Christ, for in Him is true salvation and safety.

February 8th 2026: Tom Baker

Published on by Penuel Baptist RochLeave a comment

Genesis 7: A Call to a better life.

To watch this service, please click on the link to our YouTube channel:
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In Genesis 6 we saw that the days in which Noah lived were dark days but they had a bright future. This is the same for us. We live in dark days but there is a bright future too. Society in Noah’s day was sinful in many ways that permeated throughout the culture. And the same is true today. The choices people make are everywhere apart from any thought of God, whether it be in personal life or in professional life or even in leadership. And yet in the midst of the days when Noah lived there was a bright future, for whilst the world was amidst death and destruction, violence and corruption, Noah found favour with God and walked with Him. What the world offered was boring really, for it all ended in death, corruption, and violence. But in stark contrast Noah, whose name means ‘rest,’ had peace with God and received from Him life. In the world there was no hope. But with Noah we see a hope built upon the revelation that he received from God.

            Now in Genesis 7 we have effectively a call to enter into a better life. In the world there was nothing but death, destruction, corruption and violence, but in Noah we find one commissioned to build the ark. In Genesis 7:1 we find the call to go into the ark, and we have the same situation today. All around us is corruption, violence, death and destruction but the Lord calls us to enter into the ‘ark’ (which is Christ).

            Note here the great patience of God. There was darkness and degradation all around from the sin that pervaded the world, but the Lord had made a way for salvation in the ark. In Noah and the ark the Lord spared creation and brings it through judgment, for whilst all was to be destroyed, those within the ark would be safe. In Genesis 7:4 we find that the Lord waited for a period of seven days before sending the forty days and nights of rain. Seven is the number of completion or perfection. The Lord gave a perfect time of waiting in patience so that people could heed the call. This was a week of grace. Judgment is coming but not yet, there is still time, and so God displays His perfect patience that none may object.

            There is also a sense of urgency here in this chapter. You must get into the ark. But even though the perfect patience of God waits, yet none come to the ark save Noah and his family. Noah was “a preacher of righteousness” (2Peter 2:5) calling out to people that judgment was coming, but still none came. The people of that age seemed to have had a real deep and settled commitment to staying in the darkness. The Lord Jesus declared this truth about the time when He appeared:

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19).

But the same was true in Noah’s day, and the same is true in our time as well. Psalm 1:1 speaks of this downward progression in darkness. Fallen man first walks in “the counsel of the ungodly,” and then he “stands in the path of sinners,” before finally he “sits in the seat of the scornful” (Psalm 1:1). People get comfortable in their sins. They associate with others who reinforce their comfort zones. And so no one paid any attention to Noah or to God’s word. Is this the same today? Are people comfortable in their sinful lifestyles? We pause and reflect how great a salvation we have that the Lord brings many up out of the pit of sin and death! The Lord is so patient! He has waited since the dawn of time before bringing the just judgment we deserve. And at the very centre of history He demonstrated both the need for this judgment and the way of rescue and redemption, for Christ bore our sin in full on Calvary. This displayed the need for judgment against all sin and the means by which we may be reconciled! We must get into the ark (i.e. Christ). Just as the ark bore the full brunt of the waters of judgment from beneath and from above so too did Christ bear judgment for sin both from the Father and the world of men.

            In the brief time we have left this morning I want to look at what life was like outside the ark and contrast this with life inside the ark.

[1] Outside the ark.

            The picture outside the ark is one characterised by death and destruction. The world was a violent and corrupt place. But the judgment that is about to fall meant that all living flesh were to die. Everything that had life was to be snuffed out and all of creation was to be ripped apart. In our world today life without Christ is a life of decay, disaster, disease and death. Lives are failing, crumbling, and ultimately end in death. The passage we have read leaves us with no uncertainty about what life outside the ark was like. There is utter devastation. Every form of life was blotted out and wiped from the face of the earth. All the high and highest mountains were overspread with water to a depth of 15 cubits (about 22 or 23 feet). All flesh died, whether it be birds, creeping things, livestock and cattle, or men, women, and children. No life would survive. We might think of terrible disasters that occur in the world from time to time such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and so on. But even those these are terrible yet still some may survive, or at least certain areas are left unaffected. But with this flood there is no escape whatsoever. Outside the ark meant total devastation, destruction, and death. The same is true for the coming judgment. For those who are not in Christ will face the judgment of fire which will bring complete and utter destruction.

            Now this devastation is all as a result of the ‘normal’ way of human wickedness and sin. Sin and rebellion against God always leads to death. As a society we are not as liberated and free as we might like to think. We might think that we can choose our path and do what we will but at the end we all face death and then judgement (Hebrews 9:27). We learn from this passage the true nature of sin and rebellion and what it brings. Let us always remember this, that sinfulness leads to death. I remember visiting a man who was struggling in sin. He said to me ‘the problem is that sin is so lovely and appealing.’ But when we see the outcome of a life of sin, i.e. destruction and death, it will give us pause for reflection. We must look to the cross of Christ. And if we do we shall see what sin does to a person – utter devastation. When sin seems so appealing, bring to mind this truth that sin leads to utter devastation and death.

            Notice here that the Holy Spirit has selected language to show that sinfulness (violence and corruption of the world in Noah’s day) is effectively undoing creation. God created the world in seven days and all was good. Here we find that after seven days following the wickedness of sin there would be the flood of judgement so that creation would be broken up and destroyed. The firmament of Genesis 1 which was made to separate the waters above from those below has been undone as-it-were so that destruction and death ensues. Why? Well all of this characterises life outside the ark. This is what happens when people engage in sin and rebellion.

[2] Inside the ark.

            What do we find on entering the ark? We find life – real life. This is always the outcome of God’s call to us, to bring us to life (John 10:10). This thought becomes obvious when we look at what Noah and his family entered into. It was a floating zoo. But not like some of the zoos we might go to where you walk around and struggle to see any wildlife because they are all hidden away or camouflaged in the woods and thickets all around. Here the picture is more like the children’s picture books of the ark where all the animals are stuffed together and crammed into a small space. Or think of those pick-n-mix tubs you get. Children cram as many sweets into the tub as they can get in! The ark was a ‘box full of life.’ it was bursting with life, all kinds of life. So the call to Noah was to get into life.

            But what is the ark really? Well essentially it is nearness to God. Outside the ark is a fleeing from God and a running into sin and rebellion. But inside the ark it is a getting closer to God. Note that in Genesis 7:2 we read of seven of each of the clean animals were to be brought in. In the popular mind it is only two-by-two, but here we see seven of each of the clean animals are brought in. Why is this? Well there were two-by-two for the purpose of procreation. But there were seven for the purpose of sacrifice. The two-by-two reinforces the idea of the ark being a place of life, for recreation is implied since two animals (male and female) will give rise to many more! But the seven clean animals speaks of sacrifice. Remember that the number seven speaks of completion or perfection, so here is pictured the perfect sacrifice, i.e. the sacrifice of Christ at Calvary.

            But there is also another theme which comes across when we look at the ark. It is the place of life, of new life.. It is the place where the perfect sacrifice is to be found, but it is also in many ways a floating church – the assembly of those who believe and who have heard the call of the Lord. Noah is a type of Adam. He was given dominion over the animal kingdom to bring them into the ark. How this was done is surely a wonder! There are clear connections here with thoughts we get in Genesis 1, so that we are meant to think of this as a new start. Inside the ark speaks of a new creation. It all happens after the seven days of God’s perfect patience and it shows forth a box of life. The eighth day is shorthand for new beginnings in Scripture. But what is the eighth day really? It is the first day of a new week, and so also speaks to us of the resurrection of Christ who rose again on that first day! Everything is to be made new through this one man’s action. Everything is to be raised again from destruction and death to life.

            Yet another feature of this ark is safety. Note that Genesis 7:16 tells us that the Lord shut them in. How was the door to be closed? The Lord does this and He makes them all safe inside the ark. Since the Lord is outside at this point it is as though He is saying ‘don’t worry Noah, I will shut the door and make you safe inside, and I will bear the brunt of the storm outside.’ Noah and his family were now shut inside and dwelt in a place of safety. They were not yet in the new world. This would not be until a year and ten days time. But they were safe. Do you sometimes think ‘I wish I was in the new heavens and earth!’ Maybe Noah longed for this too as he sat inside. But you are no less secure now than you will be in glory. Noah was as safe in the ark as he would be in the new world. In Genesis 7:18 we read that the ark “floated” on the waters. Those outside suffered destruction and death but the ark was carried along by the waters. It was safe from the storms and turbulence felt by those outside. In Genesis 7:23 we find only one person named (Noah) who survived. But then we read “and those who were with him” were safe and alive. Christ alone is the only one who comes through the judgment. He suffered the full wrath of God for sin and He triumphed! But wonder of wonders, “and those who were with Him” are brought through to safety too. It is those who are “in” Christ who will be saved and see the shores of the new heavens and the new earth.

            We do live in dark days just as Noah did. But everything will be fine for there is a bright future. Judgement is coming, but praise God He has commissioned an ark for our salvation. That ark is Christ Jesus the Lord. But we must get into the ark. Outside lies destruction and death. Inside is life! Lamech called his son ‘Noah’ in the hope that he would bring rest. He did in a way, but all of this points us to the only One who brings true rest, Jesus Christ the Lord who declares:

28 Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30).

He calls all those burdened and wearied by sin and rebellion to come to Him for perfect rest. We must come into the ark, Christ!

February 1st 2026 – Tom Baker

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Genesis 6: Dark days with a bright future

To watch this service please click on the link to our YouTube channel:
https://youtu.be/D16P6biBpWE?si=8uUbVx1mOYfvFJ1l

The book of Genesis is essentially a large family tree with breaks in between revealing the history of certain individuals. Genesis 5 begins with a genealogy that stems from Seth, a son of Adam, and then reaches down to Noah, the son of Lamech, so that in Genesis 6 we have the beginning of Noah’s account. We are going to look at Genesis 6 specifically and will concentrate on two features: the darkness of the days, and the bright future shown within these dark days.

But before we begin let me give you an illustration of what I think is going on here. Recently we went to the aquarium in Bristol. And among the many exhibits there were on display, I was particularly struck by the Mexican blind cave fish. It is only small and pretty drab in appearance being mainly translucent. It has no eyes, only eye sockets. It lives in the cave in darkness and has no concept of light or of colour. If you were able to talk to this Mexican blind cave fish you could not really tell them about what you know because it is all outside of their experience. To such a creature, colour and light are meaningless. The Mexican blind cave fish lives within its own dark world and speaking to it about the world outside the cave would be meaningless to it. Unless they were given eyes to see!

Now this picture is something like what we observe within society in the days of Noah. The people of that age thought they had everything they wanted. They could go after forbidden fruit with freedom. They believed themselves to be enlightened. They were thoroughly independent and indulgent. But in truth as the Lord recounts here in Genesis 6 they were in darkness, in chaos, and without God in the world. They despised God, for they ignored Him and what He had to say. He did not fit into their view of life. Now such was true also of the days of Moses, although not in exactly the same details. The mention of giants and men of renown occurs not just here but in the early history of Israel under Moses and beyond. Obviously, these are not the same groups because the flood destroyed the old world. But it is clear that the outcome or fruit of such sinful and God-hating ways is demonstrated by the giant offspring of the pairing between the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men” (Genesis 6:2,4). Now at the time of Jesus the Lord stated clearly that when He would be about to return, the world would be in very much the same way as found in these days of Noah (Matthew 24:37,38). Nothing has changed. Mankind born in sin if left without restraint will always descend into degradation and wickedness. Modern man here in out country thinks of himself as so enlightened and free, and yet is bent on the pursuit of godless wickedness.

Clearly our passage teaches that judgment is about to come and will not delay, for the flood is coming as promised. We live after this time, after the time when the Lord promised never to flood this world again, but judgement by fire is coming as promised (2Peter 3:10f). We are in the same situation as Noah. We live in a sin-sick world bent on running away from God, and judgment is about to come.

Now the great purpose of this passage in Genesis 6 is to call people to life. That is the whole point of God’s revelation to Noah, the provision of an ark within which salvation may be secured. In the book of Genesis we see at least four origins. We see the origin of the world, the origin of man, the origin of sin, and the origin of God’s chosen people and their salvation. In short the Bible is like the story of a messed-up family. It is something like the Jeremy Kyle show where all the dirty laundry of life is aired for all to see. What is the human family like? We are all Adam’s descendants and so born in sin. And yet into this dysfunctional family is born the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. He was born without sin, of course, but he was truly flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone. How wonderful that in the midst of sin and rebellion we get the promise of One who will crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15)! And so within Genesis we also see one family set aside through whom would come the promised Seed (Genesis 12:7). And out of this promise all the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). Scripture always guides our focus to the Lord Jesus Christ. Whereas man was given dominion over the earth but sinned and so earned death, which we see clearly in Genesis 5 where we read repeatedly “and he died,” the Lord Jesus – the promised Seed – has come to bring life by His death. As far as man is concerned his contribution is sin out of which flows death. After Adam and Eve sinned we not only see the promise of Genesis 3:15, but the provision by the Lord of garments (slain animals whose blood was shed) to make covering for sin. And then we read of Cain’s shedding the blood of his brother and the outcome of Cain’s descendants, the pride and wickedness of Lamech of Cain. The blood of Abel cried out from the ground against Cain but the blood of Christ speaks of  “better things” (Hebrews 12:24). The promise of hope and of light can be seen in such things as the early part of Genesis 5 where there is a recollection of creation placed there in the hope of new beginning. Then also we read of Enoch walking with God which recalls the days before Genesis 3 and the fall suggestive of the possibility of being right with the Lord. So we have here in Genesis 6 an account of the reality of sin and its dreadful effects, but also of the promise of hope and life once more. Whilst there will always be darkness, there is too the promise of light shining in that darkness, a promise of a bright future.

[1] Dark days.

            Genesis 6:5 is stark. The Lord saw that man on earth was extremely wicked. The sentences are laboured. The wickedness of mankind was “great,” all the purposes and inner thoughts of mankind’s heart was exclusively wicked (“only evil” i.e. no good), and it was so “continually.”  Now this is the first time that we read of God looking at creation since Genesis 1. In Genesis 1 we read that He “saw” and that it was “good,” and “very good.” But now here in Genesis 6:5 the Lord “saw” something very different indeed. He saw that it was deeply, desperately, depressingly evil and wicked. How so? How had this come to be?

            Well, the answer to this question is that man had rejected God and had therefore gone his own way, but the outcome of such an action is always on a downward trend or spiral. I do not want us to be distracted about whom the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men” may be here. This discussion will be for another time. Whichever view you take the problem really is a spiritual one. The key point to note here is that these ‘men’ (or fallen angels or demon possessed men), “saw” the women they desired, they saw that such were desirous to them, and so they “took” of any they wanted. Such language at once reminds us of Eve’s deception by the serpent:

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.  (Genesis 3:6a).

Boundaries have been crossed here. Eve should not have listened to the serpent. (Adam was culpable too as he should have told his wife to come away). In Genesis 6 boundaries have been crossed. Whatever our view of these two depictions of men and women may be, there is a choice being made here which is opposite to the good and the consequences are dire. Just as Eve listened to the serpent, there is a spiritual wickedness operating in Genesis 6. These people of Noah’s day were trying to engage in the spiritual realm in wickedness. How do we know this? Well listen to the Lord’s first word to the world of that time: “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever” (Genesis 6:3). The Lord was remonstrating with mankind not to do what they were doing.

            But how did the Lord view all of this intense wickedness? In Genesis 6:6 we read that “the Lord was sorry” for having made man on earth and that “He was grieved in His heart.” The Lord who made all good was now grieving on account of man’s terrible state and condition. Do we not see the Lord Jesus expressing similar depths of emotion over sin and wickedness (Matthew 23:37)? Now it is also evident that the Lord was going to bring judgment to bear upon this wicked world. But let us remember that He does not do it as a dispassionate judge who has no personal interest in those whom He rightly judges. IS this not a warning to us? Yes we must preach that judgment is coming, but do we do so out of a deep sense of compassion for those to whom we witness? We must proclaim this grief of God over sin and evil. He is grieved so much that He sent His One and Only Son to bear the judgment! Notice too how grieved He feels about the sin and evil. The only solution is to wash it all away (Genesis 6:17). Mankind had corrupted himself to the point that the only solution was to destroy him completely. The Lord saw the depth of mankind’s corruption and evil and said ‘this cannot be.’ And so He destroyed the corruption by the waters of the flood.

            But notice too the great patience of God. He does not react to things like we do but is long suffering and patient towards mankind (2Peter 3:9). Every sin committed deserved bucket loads of the water of judgment but these have come after a long time of patient waiting for man to heed Him and turn from His wickedness.

[2] The hope and promise of a bright future in dark days.

            God shines light into the darkest places. Is this not what we see when He created the world in the first place? The darkness of initial creation (Genesis 1:2) was not evil nor chaos, but simply the starting point that God had made from which He constructed our world. He made all in the beginning but such were the raw materials (unformed and not yet filled), and then His first act was to create light. This is our God. He brings light into the darkness. And there are always two responses to that. To many the light exposes their darkness and because they love their darkness they recoil. To others the light illuminates their sight to see the truth about themselves and what the Lord is bringing and they are drawn toward it in faith. Scripture is full of this idea of two peoples and two ways. We see it in the position of the line of Cain to Lamech placed beside the line of Seth to Noah. But there are many other illustrations of this division in humanity into the righteous (who are so only by faith) and the wicked.

            Look at how the Holy Spirit puts it in our text. We read about the Lord’s intention to destroy all on account of wickedness in Genesis 6:7, and this was because He was “sorry” that He had made man. And then in Genesis 6:8 we read those wonderful words “but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Hebrews 11:7 tells us that it was “by faith” that Noah was enabled to do all that God commanded him. So Noah by faith in God and all that He had revealed received the grace of God and so he “found grace.” Grace is a gift. It is not something we earn. God is gracious. Praise His name! And Noah was enabled by faith to find this grace.

            Noah’s father, Lamech thought it might be through his son that the promised Seed would come. And so he called his son “Noah” because this name means ‘rest,’ for he hoped that “this one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed” (Genesis 5:29). It is through the grace of God that Noah listened to what the Lord had said to the whole world (Genesis 6:3,7) and was thence “divinely warned” to seek God for more and was thence “moved with godly fear” (Hebrews 11:7).

            In Genesis 6:9 we read more about Noah. He is described as a “just man, perfect in his generations,” and he is referred to as one who “walked with God.” Noah, and Noah alone is described in such a way. Obviously as a man born of Adam Noah is so by faith as we have said. But the way in which the Holy Spirit has centred our thoughts upon this one man (who was just and blameless) serves to point us towards the truly Righteous One, the Lord Jesus Christ. Noah walked with God just as Enoch had done, but Christ was One with the Father and did all that the Father willed. And so at the end of Genesis 6 we discover that “Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did” (Genesis 6:22). This is set in such a way to remind us that Christ did all that the Father asked of Him so that He could cry out on the cross “it is finished” (John 17:4; 19:30). Now Noah appears in the Genesis account as a type of person that we have not been presented with before. And so in some ways he is presented to us as a new Adam, and in such a way he serves as a pointer to the true second and last Adam Jesus Christ (1Corinthians 15:45,47).

            In Genesis 6:18 we have the first mention of the word “covenant” in Scripture (although this is not the first mention of the idea of covenant which we see in Genesis 2:17). But notice also that this is God’s covenant (“My covenant”). At this point Noah is told that He will go into the ark, for this is the provision of God’s covenant. But, although his family also enter the ark and so benefit too, only Noah is described as a “just man.” We are not told about what his family believed at all. But in the account of Genesis 6 it is pointedly clear that Noah stands alone as a “just man.” In this we are pointed again to the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is righteous and by His one righteous act many are saved. Noah’s family are saved as-it-were on Noah’s coat-tails. We too hang onto Christ and are included in His sacrificial death. And so our entrance into the ark Christ by faith is only on account of the righteousness work of the Lord Jesus. Notice too that this covenant of God’s was already in existence because here we read that He will “establish it” and not ‘make it’ as in other cases (Exodus 24:8; 34:27; Deuteronomy 4:32; 5:2). This is the covenant of grace. There was nothing for Noah and his family to do except hear the Lord call them to come in. This covenant was made in eternity. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in eternity determined to save a people. The Father initiated this covenant, the Son carried it out, and the Spirit applies it to those who would believe.

            The answer to the world’s corruption is complete destruction by the waters of the flood (genesis 6:17). But the answer to the coming destruction (deserved as it was) is the ark (Genesis 6:14)! The ark was a box which was much larger in length than breadth or height. Noah was given precise instructions as to its construction. They were to go into the ark, Noah, his family, and all creatures whom the Lord would call, and inside there would be safety. Outside there will be nothing but destruction, but inside all is safe. There would be trials and difficulties inside the ark, of course. They would hear the rain and feel the effects as they were jostled about, and they were inside with many animals and one another. But they were safe from the outer destruction which was borne by the ark. Note too that all of life was crammed into this giant box. The Lord said that one of the purposes of His coming was to bring life in all its abundance, and in this ark we see the presence of the abundance of life that He has made (John 10:10).

Exhortation.

            I leave you with a few words of exhortation. Judgment is surely coming. Just as in Noah’s day the wickedness of the earth could only be blotted out by the judgment of God, so too in our day when wickedness abounds and is on the increase, such is ripe for judgment by fire. If we do not see that judgment is coming we are burying our heads in the sand. I am not talking about climate change and such disasters as the world may be overly concerned about. I am talking of the heavens and the earth (the universe) being destroyed and remade into a new heavens and a new earth. This is far more serious because it involves personal judgement for sin. All will be held to account, life to those who trust in Jesus and all he has done, and eternal death to those who reject Him and all that he has done. So get into the ark, which is Christ. It might not appear that judgement is close at hand, but then the rain did not fall until Noah and his family were safely shut in the ark. The Lord has made this incredible way of getting out of the coming judgment. The Lord calls all who are weary and who are labouring under sin to come to Him to receive rest (Matthew 11:28-30). So get into the ark! Come to Christ who alone brings rest.