December 1 Daily Discovery
December 1 Daily Discovery
Read Genesis Chapter 6
A Place of Grace
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
~ Genesis 6:1-8
Why did God Destroy the Earth?
The easy answer is because of how wicked and violent man had become.
- Man's wickedness was great.
- Man's every imagination and thought was evil.
- Man's violation of God's standards were continual.
However, we are told that there was a mingling of genetics between fallen "sons of God" and human women that had entirely corrupted the human race. (Gen. 6:1-2)
How is this even possible? How could angels mate with human beings?
Consider these things:
- All angels are male. They are called "sons" of God. (Gen. 19:1-5) We are told that two angels visited Lot, but the men of Sodom demanded that he give the men over to them so they could sodomize (rape) them.
- In some classes of angels, you cannot tell the difference between them and men. (Heb. 13:2)
- Angels can sin. Peter alludes to this text in Gen. 6. (Jude 6; 2 Peter 2:4-5)
In heaven there is no mating, and we are explicitly told that in the resurrection, we will be "like the angeles of God in heaven." (Matt. 22:30) What the angels of God can do in heaven is different in what the angels of God can do on earth. They can, or at least could, "leave their first estate.
Now there is a mixed race of people across the entire earth. The whole race had become polluted. Noah was the last man that was "perfect in his generations." This means he was 100% human.
Jude references Enoch in his epistle. The books of Enoch are not included in most of the Bibles that we read today, but it was obviously commonly read and believed by the Hebrews as well as the writers of the New Testament. Read Enoch to get more details about the angelic excursion into the human family.
What is Grace?
Grace means "favor" or "approval" or "acceptance".
Grace does NOT mean "unmerited favor." When considering God's grace and our forgiveness and salvation, God's grace is obviously unmerited. (Eph. 2:8-10; Titus 3:5)
But grace is usually otherwise merited or deserved.
Why did Noah find Grace?
Noah was just, he walked with God and was "perfect" in his generations. He merited God's favor.
The Lord Jesus increased in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:52) God said of His Son, Jesus, "I am well-pleased with Him." (Matt. 3:17) Jesus's own testimony was that He always did what pleased the Father. (John 8:29)
If you want to have God's grace (favor or approval) upon you in your life, do what pleases Him and you will have it. Note that this is only possible for those who have already gained a right relationship with God due to His mercy and unmerited grace.
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