Genesis 6:1-9. 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.”
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.
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. 7 So 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.
9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.
Since the Fall (Genesis 3:1–7), people have lost their spiritual identity and fallen into the hands of Satan, ruled by the law of sin and death. As a result, they have lost spiritual discernment and now follow the ways of the world and the desires of the flesh, eating, drinking, and marrying anyone they choose (Genesis 6:1–2; Luke 17:27).
They have long forgotten who they were and the covenant God made—that He would send His own Son as “the offspring of the woman” (Genesis 3:15), the Christ, to rescue them from the kingdom of darkness.
Having lost every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms, people chase after the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16), producing generations that belong to the devil. That was the age of the Nephilim—the fallen—and that age continues even today.
Separated from God, people worship money, power, and pleasure. They look to “the heroes and men of renown” for answers to their problems and suffering. Seized by evil spirits, “every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart has become only evil all the time.” As a result, the world is now filled with corruption and violence (Genesis 6:11–12).
Tragically, even the covenant people—“the sons of God”—befriend the world and forget their spiritual identity and authority. The church, which God called to shine the light of the gospel in a dark world, preaches with no shame the kind of different gospels that lead to destruction (Matthew 16:13–14; Galatians 1:6–9). This grieves God more than anything else.
Once again, God took the initiative to remind the world of His covenant through Noah. He was “a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time,” and “he walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). By God’s grace, Noah realized, believed, and confirmed God’s covenant (Genesis 6:8).
God commanded Noah to build an ark—to escape from the curses (Genesis 6:13), to save himself (Genesis 6:14), to save his family (Genesis 6:18), and to preserve life (Genesis 6:20).
For the next 120 years, Noah would build an ark of cypress wood, coated with pitch inside and out (Genesis 6:14). It was strong and secure, and anyone who entered the ark was saved and protected from all harm.
That is exactly what it means to be in Christ. In Him, there is no condemnation. In Him, there is complete freedom from the power of sin and death (Romans 8:1–2).
If you are in Christ, your place is secure. The enemy—the devil—cannot touch those who have been covered by the blood of Christ. You may be weak in many ways, but Christ is strong. He has all authority in heaven and on earth and is now with you through the Holy Spirit. Nothing can destroy you.
“Noah did everything just as God commanded him” (Genesis 6:22). You are today’s Noah. You have found favor in the eyes of the Lord. For such a time as this, God has chosen you to build an ark for your family, your school, your workplace, and your community.
The time is short (1 Peter 3:20), and the call is urgent. So begin building the ark—by enjoying and proclaiming the Good News that Jesus is the Christ.
Prayer. Father, I thank You for rescuing me from the age of the Nephilim. It was by Your grace that I found favor in Your sight. Open my eyes to see the reality of the world, completely covered by thick darkness. Like Noah, I will do everything You command me to do as I build the ark. In Jesus’ name, Amen.