1 When mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives for themselves. 3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit will not remain with mankind forever, because they are corrupt. Their days will be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth both in those days and afterward, when the sons of God came to the daughters of mankind, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men.

5 When the Lord saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time, 6 the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and he was deeply grieved. 7 Then the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I created, off the face of the earth, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky—for I regret that I made them.” 8 Noah, however, found favor with the Lord.

9 These are the family records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with wickedness. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth was, for every creature had corrupted its way on the earth. 13 Then God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to every creature, for the earth is filled with wickedness because of them; therefore I am going to destroy them along with the earth.

14 “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it with pitch inside and outside. 15 This is how you are to make it: The ark will be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 16 You are to make a roof, finishing the sides of the ark to within eighteen inches of the roof. You are to put a door in the side of the ark. Make it with lower, middle, and upper decks.

17 “Understand that I am bringing a flood—floodwaters on the earth to destroy every creature under heaven with the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark with your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives. 19 You are also to bring into the ark two of all the living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of everything—from the birds according to their kinds, from the livestock according to their kinds, and from the animals that crawl on the ground according to their kinds—will come to you so that you can keep them alive. 21 Take with you every kind of food that is eaten; gather it as food for you and for them.” 22 And Noah did this. He did everything that God had commanded him.

1) This passage states that “human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time”. What does this say about sin and God’s plan for redemption?
At this time, the law (Ten Commandments) had not yet been established. The law was given to Moses years later (Exodus 20). However, sin had entered the world through Adam (Genesis 3) and the people of the earth knew right from wrong. The law that specified sacrifices had not yet been given, but Cain had sinned when he brought his offering to God and it did not please God like the sacrifice of Abel (Genesis 4). God saw that the people he had created were full of sin. “…every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time.” (Genesis 6:5) The creation that He had deemed “very good” (Genesis 1:31) had become completely wicked. God was grieved at what humanity had become. In His great mercy, God did not destroy all people. He could have called a do-over and started anew, but instead He preserved the human race by keeping Noah and his family, while ridding the earth of the evil that humans had caused. God will redeem His people through His ultimate plan and purpose.

2) What makes God’s followers unique in the world?
Noah and his family were spared from the great flood because Noah was a righteous man and he found favor in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8-9). We are often influenced by the people we are surrounded by, but Noah remained faithful to God when everyone around him was continually evil. Genesis 5:30 says that Noah had brothers and sisters, but even his family did not follow God. Not only did Noah walk with God among sinful people, he obeyed God even when God told him to do something crazy! Surely Noah was ridiculed for building the ark as God had commanded. Noah was unique because his identity came from God alone and he would obey God at all costs.

3) Verse 18 says that God will establish His covenant with Noah. What does it mean when God makes a covenant and what covenants has He made?
After the flood, God made a covenant never again to destroy all life on earth. This covenant was made with Noah and all of life on earth. When God makes a covenant, we can be sure that He will follow through. A covenant is more than a contract or commitment, because both of those can be broken. But God never breaks His covenants, it is against His character. The rainbow in the sky reminded Noah (and us today) of the Noahic covenant.

1) This passage states that “human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time”. What does this say about sin and God’s plan for redemption?
Still today, every person is born into sin. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “…every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil” sounds pretty extreme, but Romans 8:7-8 says that “The mind-set of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Our sinful nature makes us unable to please God. But again, in His great mercy, God chose to send His Son Jesus to repair the relationship between us and God that is broken by sin. Romans goes on to say, “Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.” (Romans 8:10-11). Though our own minds are “nothing but evil”, God redeems us through His ultimate plan and purpose!

2) What makes God’s followers unique in the world?
Like Noah, Christ followers today stand out from the rest of the world. Our identity doesn’t come from things of this world – how much money we make, how many likes we get on social media, or what neighborhood we live in. We find our identity in Christ as adopted sons and daughters (Ephesians 1:5-6). What is of this world that you are finding your identity in instead of Christ? Do you stand out from the rest of the world like Noah?

3) Verse 18 says that God will establish His covenant with Noah. What does it mean when God makes a covenant and what covenants has He made?
Today we live under God’s new covenant: that Christ died in our place and we can have forgiveness of sins through God’s grace. We can be assured through His covenant that we can receive forgiveness and mercy. God will always hold up His side of His covenant, no matter how many times we fail.

Don’t miss today’s other Journey Study, The Rescuer!
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Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

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