The wickedness of the human race in Genesis 6

Genesis 6:1 – 8

    ¹ When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, ² the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. ³ Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

Here the sons of God are descendants of Seth, godly people, or believers. The daughters of humans are descendants of Cain, ungodly people, or unbelievers. ‘A hundred and twenty years’ means time remaining till the judgement of the Flood. Also this means that the length of human life was reduced from many hundreds years to 120 years.

Intermarriage between believers and unbelievers brings serious consequences.

2 Corinthians 6:14 – 18 teaches the principle of believer’s marriage.

    ¹⁴ Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

   “I will live with them 
   and walk among them, 
and I will be their God, 
   and they will be my people.”

   ¹⁷ Therefore,

   “Come out from them 
   and be separate, says the Lord. 
Touch no unclean thing, 
   and I will receive you.”

   ¹⁸ And,

   “I will be a Father to you, 
   and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

    ⁴ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

The Nephilim were the heroes of old, men of renown. They are people these days like popular musicians, actors, actresses, and athletes.

   ⁵ The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. ⁶ The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. ⁷So the LORD said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

God saw

• how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth,
• every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.

Therefore

• God regretted that he had made human beings on the earth.
• His heart was deeply troubled.

And God decided to wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground for He regretted that He had made them.

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD (8).

Let us study about Noah in verse 9 ~ 22 next week.