Lesson 8 Flashcards
What parallels are drawn between Genesis 9 and Genesis 1, including the relationship between Noah and Adam?
C. Re-creation
1. A renewed separation of land and sea (Gen 8:3, 7, 13)
2. A renewal of the divine command to be fruitful and multiply (Gen 8:17)
3. God’s guarantee (Gen 8:22)
4. Noah’s connection to Adam
a. “Be fruitful and multiply” in marriage (Gen 9:1)
b. Exercise dominion, but with the fear of the animal world (Gen 9:2)
c. The divine image is to be protected from murder by the provision of capital punishment
5. Noah is another Adam figure.
What is the significance of the order of the material in Genesis 10 and Genesis 11?
- that the rebellion of the nations against God, which leads to confusion and dispersion, shows the need for God to form a new nation to accomplish his purposes
- To give an account of the nations
- Judgment
- Fulfillment of the divine command to be fruitful and multiple
- Describe the ancient separation of humanity into 2 competing groups
A. Cain and Abel are the first outworking of the conflict between the two seeds, with sin triumphing
3. The development of the ungodly line
a. The beginnings of civilization and culture
i. Enoch built a city (Gen 4:17)
ii. Jabel and husbandry (Gen 4:20)
iii. Jubal and music (Gen 4:21)
iv. Tubal Cain and craftsmanship (Gen 4:22)
b. Lamech and the swift progression of sin (Gen 4:23-24)
4. The development of the godly line
a. Interest in the seed of Gen 3:15 comes to focus in Gen 4:25-26
i. Cain – ’îṣ (אִישׁ)
ii. Seth – zĕra’ (זְרַע)
b. Enosh
c. The worship of God
- Explain the problem of the “sons of God” in Genesis 6
E. Who are the “sons of God” (Gen 6:2)?
1. The view of W. A. Van Gemeren (1981, 320-48)
a. The sons of God are angels who take to themselves human wives and the result of this union is the nephilim / gibborim (giants) who are born. The sin is the clear disregard for the ordinance of marriage that should entail two human beings. This gives a reason for the flood showing the wicked condition of the earth
b. Strengths of Van Gemeren’s view
i. The phrase “sons of God” does refer to angelic beings in other Scripture passages (Ps 29:1; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7)
ii. This would fit the contrast that seems apparent in the two phrases “sons of God” and “daughters of men.”
iii. 1 Peter 3:19 and Jude 6 might provide confirmation
c. Weaknesses of Van Gemeren’s view
i. Angelic beings are asexual
ii. The emphasis on flesh (––בָשָׁרbāšār) in Gen 6:3, 12
iii. The punishment deals with humanity, not the angels
iv. The explanation that this was man’s attempt to circumvent God’s plan by being enticed to the Satanic scheme of intermarriage with demonic beings in order to prolong life (Van Gemeren, 347) is not convincing since the “angels / sons of God” took the initiative
2. The view of Meredith Kline (1962, 187-204)
a. The sons of God are earthly kings (dynastic rulers) who continue the progress of sin by producing a state of tyranny, corruption, and violence. The sinfulness related to the marriages is polygamy and the development of harems. The offspring are mighty tyrants who continue the violence and tyranny
b. Strengths of Meredith Kline’s view
i. The phrase “sons of God” may designate rulers (Ps 138:1, 4; 138:1 // Ps 119:46; Ps 82:1, 6 and Exod 21:6; 22:8-9, 28)
ii. It fits the context of Gen 4, where we see the triumph of sin leading to the boast of Lamech
c. Weaknesses of Meredith Kline’s view
i. Is kingship and dynastic development emphasized in Gen 4?
ii. Is there too much reliance in this view on extra-biblical material?
3. The view of John Murray (1957, 243-49)
a. The sons of God are the godly line of Seth who intermarry with the ungodly line of the Cainites (the daughters of men). The sin relates to unholy marital alliances in that the godly line marries women from the ungodly line. This grieves God. The nephilim are not related to the marriages but are examples of how much violence has spread in the earth
b. Strengths of John Murray’s view
i. This view connects the incident with the context of Genesis, which clearly shows a division of the line of Seth and the line of Cain
ii. Indiscriminate choosing is stressed in Gen 6:2 (“of all whom they chose”)
c. Weaknesses of John Murray’s view
i. Although God’s people are called sons (Exod 4:22-23; Deut 14:1; 32:5-6; Ps 73:15; Mal 1:6), the exact phrase “sons of God” is not used (although cf. Hos 1:10 [2:1])
ii. Would intermarriage with unbelievers be enough to bring about the flood?
iii. This view does not seem to explain the nephilim well, since they have no relation to the marriages
4. Evaluation of the various views of “sons of God.”
a. The idea of the godly line intermarrying with the ungodly line
b. The terms gibborim and nephilim can refer to warriors and mighty people who do battle and could easily describe the violent situation
c. The mention of nephilim in Numbers as men of great stature weighs against the angelic view
d. Is it significant that the word “God” (Elohim, הָאֱלֹהיִם) has the definite article (Gen 6:2, 4)?
i. Elohim can be used with or without the article to denote the one true God (Gen 1, without article)
ii. But there are also instances where it seems to be significant that Elohim has the article, perhaps to stress the one true God
e. In contexts of non-believers:
i. Genesis 20:6, 17 (Abimelech)
ii. Genesis 41:25, 32 (Pharaoh)
iii. Genesis 42:18 (Joseph and brothers)
f. In contexts of difficulty:
i. Genesis 22:1, 3, 9 (Abraham tested)
ii. Genesis 32:11 (Jacob fleeing Esau)
g. In contexts of blessing:
i. Genesis 27:28 (Isaac blesses Jacob)
ii. Genesis 35:7 (Jacob returns)
h. In contexts of walking with God:
i. Genesis 5:22, 24 (Enoch)
ii. Genesis 6:9 (Noah)
iii. Genesis 48:15 (Joseph)
i. If the article on Elohim is significant in Gen 6, the stress may be on sons of the true God
j. The indiscriminate choice of a marriage partner blurred the covenant community
i. Opens with a summary statement broadening the picture from the godly line (Gen 6:1)
ii. Focus on the godly line intermarrying with the godly line (Gen 6:2)
iii. God is displeased with the union itself, not just with the offspring (Gen 6:3)
iv. The mighty men (gibborim) are the offspring of the sons of God and the daughters of men (Gen 6:4)
k. The purpose of this section is to demonstrate the depravity of the world prior to the flood (Gen 6:5)
i. Intense depravity (“Great on the earth”)
ii. Inward depravity (“thoughts of his heart”)
iii. Pervasive depravity (“only evil”)
iv. Constant depravity (“continually”)
l. Geneis 6:1-8 marks death as the plan of God in response to the wickedness of humanity, as the line of Cain comes to an end
m. Yet, there is hope of deliverance in Noah who walked with God like Enoch (Gen 6:22)
- Describe the Redemptive-Historical significance of the flood
**God’s judgment
The flood is a demonstration of God’s judgment on humanity’s sin and wickedness. God’s wrath was poured out on the world to cleanse it of corruption.
God’s mercy
The flood is also an example of God’s mercy in restraining humanity’s evil. God promised to never again send a flood after the event.
The promise of salvation
The flood story demonstrates God’s promise of salvation. Noah and his family were saved from the flood, and God rewarded Noah for his righteousness and obedience.
The prelude to the story of Christ
The flood story is a prelude to the story of Abraham and ultimately to the story of Christ. The flood story points to Jesus as a righteous leader who entered the waters of death and came out into a new creation.
God’s agreement with all living things
After the flood, a rainbow appeared in the sky as a sign of God’s agreement with all living things on earth.
- Define the significance of the development of the ancient nations for later biblical history
- To show the development of the two seeds
a. seed of the woman
b. Seed of the serpent. - gives us a more comprehensive perspective of the development of God’s people.
- Confirmermation of certain events as they are retold - although slightly differently - from Scripture. I.e. Flood narative.
- Demonstrate the conflict between good and evil.
- Confirm God’s punishement for violating His laws. (i.e. Idol worship)
- To give librals the opportunity to contridict the Bible. :-)
