What follows are my loose initial thoughts on Gen 6:1-8
(note I was still tweaking my slightly revamped study process when beginning this study-see HERE for the revamp)
Summary of Gen 6:1-8
Instead of learning the genealogy which is usually the first piece of information we get in the Bible, we instead learn that God was angry with mankind's behavior and sinfulness and that he had decided to blot out all living creatures.
Man's every thought and intention was evil.
BUT! Noah found favor in God's eyes! And that is significant. Gen 6:1-8
My initial questions:
Gen 6:2
Who are the sons of God?
Gen 6:3
Is the 120 years how much time God was planning before the flood?
And what is the significance of "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever..."?
Gen 6:4
What are Nephilim?
Gen 6:6
Regretted? Such a strong word! Is it related to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah?
Gen 6:7
Why did the animals and creatures now get judged as well? Is this significant?
Gen 6:8
Noah found favor. The KJV says found grace! What DOES this mean?
I believe it is very significant that the last sentence in this section highlighted the fact that Noah had found favor with God.
After all of the negative we are given a positive! There might be hope for mankind?
Below are some historical, literary and archaeological considerations:
Genesis Overview
Moses is generally thought to be the author but that is up for debate within scholarly circles.
Thompson Chain Introduction points out (as does the New Bible Dictionary) that the purpose of Genesis is to introduce the genealogy of man and his relationship to God. Especially God's chosen family as begun with Adam and Eve.
Written to the people of Israel.
The ESV Literary Study Bible:
Stresses that Genesis gives us the first principles of biblical faith!
Genesis makes MUCH use of the "hero story" narrative. (in our case Noah)
Hero Story:
A story built around the character and exploits of a protagonist who is (a) representative of a whole community and (b) largely or wholly exemplary/idealized. The Bible is in many ways a collection of hero stories, and one of the distinctive features of these stories is that only a few of its heroes are completely idealized, in keeping with the essential realism of the Bible. (from the ESV Literary Study Bible)
Is Noah completely realized? HMM?? Good question!
More thoughts on a hero:
five crucial principles regarding a literary hero:(1) real life provides the materials for a hero, but the image of the hero is always a selection and distillation drawn from a larger body of information about a person; (2) cultures celebrate heroes as a way of codifying their ideals, values, and virtues; (3) literary heroes are representative of the culture producing them and of people universally; (4) to rank as a hero, a person must be generally admirable—an ideal character to whom we look up; (5) this does not mean, however, that heroes are wholly idealized, and in the Bible they rarely are wholly idealized. (ESV Literary Study Bible)
Also points out that God is the only character present throughout Genesis. All the human stories and characters interact with God! Or better said, He chooses to interact with them,. God IS the protagonist. Important with Noah! As Noah rarely speaks!
Genesis also has epic qualities as well. Noah and the flood can definitely be considered epic!
Also points out unifying motifs:
- God and His dealings with people
- Sinfulness of human race
- God's unfolding plan to redeem us!
- Hero story
- Beginnings of God's covenant with His chosen people.
Theological Themes:
- God and His creation and ownership of physical nature
- God's nature! (His love, laws, how He interacts)
- Our nature! Basically we sin but some of us are good and have faith but we all sin!
- FAITH! The characters and their faith and obedience to God
- Providence: God IS directing it all!
The ESV Bible Atlas:
shows Mount Ararat to be not that far from the supposed place of the Garden of Eden. Although in that day it would have been incredibly far! So the ark did some traveling.
Zondervan OT Commentary of the KJV:
Points out that many of the everyday matters discussed in Genesis (including a great flood) were of vital concern to the peoples of Mesopotamia and that everyday matters in Genesis reflect findings from other sources.
The 11th tablet of Gilgamesh (an ancient archaeological find) are similar to the outline of the great flood in Genesis.
Also repeats our earlier notes that Genesis is a book of relationships: God and nature, God and man, man and man.
Eerdman's Bible Dictionary:
Points out that Noah was the last patriarch of the former age. And humanity began anew sort of with the "descendants of Noah".
Repeats that other ancient Mesopotamia articles discuss a flood.
Some geography:
The word Mesopotamia means "between the two rivers." The very fertile land E of the river Orontes and lands watered by the rivers Habur and Tigris. (Modern Eastern Syria and Northern Iraq.
Egypt and Mesopotamia were the great civilizations of those times according to the ESV Bible Atlas.
The ark may not have been as glamorous as the movies make it out to be!
I will continue with Cross-References to Gen 6:1-8 in my next post.
I also promise to tighten up the format as I get used to my new study tweaks.
