The Sons of God and the Daughters of Men- (Genesis 6:1-8)
NOTE–Daughters of Men–The term“daughters of men,” therefore, refers to the unrighteous children of men, those human beings who do not call on the name of the Lord.
In the context of our Bible passage, “daughters of men” refers to the offspring of Cain and his wife.
Originally, Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain murdered Abel, so God gave Adam and Eve another son, Seth. He began to have children of his own, and they “began to call on the name of the Lord” (Genesis 4:25, 26).
And from what we’ve seen in the Bible, those who call on the name of the Lord are called the sons of God.
Now Cain had been banished from God’s presence. He settled “in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch” (Genesis 4:16–18).
Here, before the Flood, we have the descendants of Cain living in cities and the descendants of Seth living in the country.
As long as they remained separate, the sons of God remained pure in their religious beliefs and practices.
However, eventually they began to intermingle.
Maybe the sons of God needed supplies that could be easily obtained in the cities where the daughters of men resided. The sons of God and daughters of men became familiar with each other, even friendly. Whatever the case, soon the descendants of Seth, or sons of God, began to marry the daughters of men, or the descendants of Cain.
Genesis 6:1 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.
NOTE–Patriarch and Prophets,pp.64-“To Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of Jehovah.”
The faithful had worshiped God before; but as men increased, the distinction between the two classes became more marked. There
was an open profession of loyalty to God on the part of one, as there was of contempt and disobedience on the part of the other.
Before the Fall our first parents had kept the Sabbath, which was instituted in Eden; and after their expulsion from Paradise they
continued its observance.
They had tasted the bitter fruits of disobedience, and had learned what every one that tramples upon God’s
commandments will sooner or later learn—that the divine precepts are sacred and immutable, and that the penalty of transgression will surely be inflicted.
The Sabbath was honored by all the children of Adam that remained loyal to God. But Cain and his descendants Seth and Enoch
did not respect the day upon which God had rested. They chose their own time for labor and for rest, regardless of Jehovah’s express
command.
Upon receiving the curse of God, Cain had withdrawn from his father’s household. He had first chosen his occupation as a tiller of the soil, and he now founded a city, calling it after the name of his eldest son.
He had gone out from the presence of the Lord, cast away the promise of the restored Eden, to seek his possessions and enjoyment in the earth under the curse of sin,
thus standing at the head of that great class of men who worship the god of this world.
In that which pertains to mere earthly and material progress, his descendants became distinguished. But they were regardless of God, and in opposition to His purposes for man. To the crime of murder, in which Cain had led the way, Lamech, the fifth in descent, added polygamy, and, boastfully defiant, he acknowledged God, only to draw from the avenging of Cain an assurance of his own safety.
Abel had led a pastoral life, dwelling in tents or booths, and the descendants of Seth followed the same course, counting themselves “strangers and pilgrims on the earth,” seeking “a better country, that
is, an heavenly.” Hebrews 11:13, 16.
For some time the two classes remained separate. The race of Cain, spreading from the place of their first settlement, dispersed
over the plains and valleys where the children of Seth had dwelt;and the latter, in order to escape from their contaminating influence,withdrew to the mountains, and there made their home.
So long as this separation continued, they maintained the worship of God in its purity. But in the lapse of time they ventured, little by little,to mingle with the inhabitants of the valleys.
This association was productive of the worst results. “The sons of God saw the daughters
of men that they were fair.” The children of Seth, attracted by the beauty of the daughters of Cain’s descendants, displeased the Lord
by intermarrying with them.
Many of the worshipers of God were beguiled into sin by the allurements that were now constantly before them, and they lost their peculiar, holy character. Mingling withthe depraved, they became like them in spirit and in deeds; the restrictions of the seventh commandment were disregarded, “and they took them wives of all which they chose.” The children of Seth went “in the way of Cain” (Jude 11); they fixed their minds upon worldly prosperity and enjoyment and neglected the commandments of the Lord.
Men “did not like to retain God in their knowledge;”they “became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was
darkened.” Romans 1:21.
Therefore “God gave them over to a mind void of judgment.” Verse 28, margin. Sin spread abroad in the earth like a deadly leprosy
Reference-Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis 6:3 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.
NOTE–SDA-Bible Commentary,vol 1,pp.1088-
3 (1 Peter 3:18-21)– God Preached Through Methuselah,Noah, and Others—God granted them one hundred and twenty years of probation, and during that time preached to them through.
Methuselah, Noah, and many others of His servants. Had they listened to the testimony of these faithful witnesses, had they repented
and returned to their loyalty, God would not have destroyed them(The Review and Herald, April 23, 1901).
Enoch Bore Testimony Unflinchingly—Before the destruction of the antediluvian world, Enoch bore his testimony unflinchingly
(The Review and Herald, November 1, 1906).
Voices of Noah and Methuselah Heard—God determined to purify the world by a flood; but in mercy and love He gave the antediluvians a probation of one hundred twenty years. During this time, while the ark was building, the voices of Noah, Methuselah,
and many others were heard in warning and entreaty, and every blow struck on the ark was a warning message (The Review and Herald, September 19, 1907).
Some Believed; Some Backslid—For one hundred and twenty years Noah proclaimed the message of warning to the antediluvian
world; but only a few repented. Some of the carpenters he employed in building the ark believed the message, but died before the Flood; others of Noah’s converts backslid (Manuscript 65, 1906).
Many of the believing ones kept the faith, and died triumphant (Manuscript 35, 1906).
Enoch’s Experience a Convincing Sermon—[Jude 14, 15 quoted.] The sermon preached by Enoch, and his translation to heaven was a convincing argument to all living in Enoch’s time. It was an argument that Methuselah and Noah could use with power to show that the righteous could be translated (Manuscript 46, 1895).
Association With Unbelievers Caused Loss—Those who believed when Noah began to build the ark, lost their faith through
association with unbelievers who aroused all the old passion for amusement and display (The Review and Herald, September 15,
1904).
Genesis 6:4 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.
NOTE–Conflicts and Courage,pp.33--Men before the flood lived many hundreds of years, and when one hundred years old were considered but youths. Those long-lived men had sound minds in sound bodies…. They came upon the stage of action from the ages of sixty to one hundred years, about the time those who now live the longest have acted their part in their little short life time, and have passed off the stage.
There were many giants, men of great stature and strength, renowned for wisdom, skillful in devising the most cunning and wonderful works; but their guilt in giving loose rein to iniquity was in proportion to their skill and mental ability.
NOTE–SDA-Bible Controversy.vol 1,pp.1089–
4. Great Art and Inventions Perished—There perished in the Flood greater inventions of art and human skill than the world knows
of today. The arts destroyed were more than the boasted arts of today (Letter 65, 1898).
How did man gain his knowledge of how to devise?—From the Lord, by studying the formation and habits of different animals.
Every animal is a lesson book, and from the use they make of their bodies and the weapons provided them, men have learned to make apparatus for every kind of work.
If men could only know how many arts have been lost to our world, they would not talk so fluently of the dark ages. Could they have seen how God once worked through His human subjects, they would speak with less confidence of the arts of the antediluvian world. More was lost in the Flood, in many
ways, than men today know.
Looking upon the world, God saw that
the intellect He had given man was perverted, that the imagination
of his heart was evil and that continually.
God had given these men knowledge. He had given them valuable ideas, that they might carry out His plan. But the Lord saw that those whom He designed should possess wisdom, tact, and judgment, were using every quality of the mind to glorify self.
By the waters of the Flood, He blotted this long lived race from the earth, and with them perished the knowledge they had used only for evil.
When the earth was repeopled, the Lord trusted His wisdom more sparingly to men, giving them only the ability they would need in carrying out His great plan (Letter 175,
1896).
Delusions of Progress—True knowledge has decreased with every successive generation. God is infinite, and the first people upon the earth received their instructions from that infinite God who created the world. Those who received their knowledge direct from
infinite wisdom were not deficient in knowledge.
God instructed Noah how to make that immense ark, for the saving of himself and his family. He also instructed Moses how to make the tabernacle, and the embroidery, and skillful work which was to adorn the sanctuary. The women wrought, with great ingenuity the embroidery of silver and gold. Skillful men were not wanting to accomplish the work of making the ark, the tabernacle, and the vessels of solid gold.
God gave David a pattern of the temple which Solomon built. None but the most skillful men of design and art were allowed to
have anything to do with the work.
Every stone for the temple was prepared to exactly fill its place, before being brought to the temple.
And the temple came together without the sound of an axe or hammer. There is no such building to be found in the world for beauty, richness and splendor.
There are many inventions and improvements, and labor-saving machines now that the ancients did not have. They did not need them….
The greater the length of time the earth has lain under the curse,the more difficult has it been for man to cultivate it, and make it productive.
As the soil has become more barren, and double labor has had to be expended upon it, God has raised up men with inventive faculties to construct implements to lighten labor on the land groaning under the curse. But God has not been in all man’s inventions. Satan has controlled the minds of men to a great extent,and has hurried men to new inventions which has led them to forget
God.
Reference-Numbers 13: 31-33 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.
33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
NOTE–Patriarch and Prophet,289—These men, having entered upon a wrong course, stubbornly set themselves against Caleb and Joshua, against Moses, and against God.
Every advance step rendered them the more determined. They were resolved to discourage all effort to gain possession of Canaan. They distorted the truth in order to sustain their baleful influence.
It “is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof,” they said. This was not only an evil report, but it was also a lying one. It was inconsistent with itself.
The spies had declared the country to be fruitful and prosperous, and the people of giant stature, all of which would be impossible if the climate were so unhealthful that the land could be said to “eat up the inhabitants.”
But when men yield their hearts to unbelief they place themselves under the control of Satan, and none can tell to what lengths he will lead them.
Reference--Deuteronomy 2:20-21 That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;
21 A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead:
Genesis 6:5 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.
NOTE–The Desire of Ages,pp.633--The inhabitants of the antediluvian world turned from Jehovah, refusing to do His holy
will. They followed their own unholy imagination and perverted ideas.
It was because of their wickedness that they were destroyed; and today the world is following the same way.
Genesis 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
NOTE–Selected Message,Book 2,pp151– The Message for Today—
The message we bear must be as direct as was the message of John. He rebuked kings for their iniquity. He rebuked the adultery of Herod. Notwithstanding his life was in peril, the truth did not languish upon his lips.
And our work in this age must be as faithfully done. The inhabitants of the world at this time are represented by the dwellers upon the earth at the time of the Flood.
The wickedness of the inhabitants of the old world is plainly stated: “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” (Genesis 6:5). God became weary of these people whose only thoughts were of pleasure and indulgence.
They sought not the counsel of the God who had created them, nor cared to do His will. The rebuke of God was upon them because they followed the imagination of their own hearts continually; and there was violence in the land.
“And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” “And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth” (Genesis 6:6, 12, 13)
There are special duties to be done, special reproofs to be given in this period of the earth’s history. The Lord will not leave His church without reproofs and warnings. Sins have become fashionable; but they are none the less aggravating in the sight of God.
They are glossed over, palliated, and excused; the right hand of fellowship is given to the very men who are bringing in false theories and false sentiments, confusing the minds of the people of God, deadening their sensibilities as to what constitutes right principles.
Genesis 6:7-8 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.
NOTE–Reflected of Christ,pp.323–And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart…. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6:6-8.
The world was arrayed against God’s justice and His laws, and Noah was regarded as fanatic. Satan, when tempting Eve to disobey God, said to her, “Ye shall not surely die.” Great men, worldly, honored, and wise men, repeated the same story, “Ye shall not surely die.”
“The threatenings of God,” they said, “are for the purpose of intimidating, and will never be verified. You need not be alarmed. Such an event as the destruction of the world by the God who made it, and the punishment of the beings He has created, will never take place.” So the people did not humble their hearts before God, but continued their disobedience and wickedness, the same as though God had not spoken to them through His servant.
But Noah stood like a rock amid the tempest. He was surrounded by every species of wickedness and moral corruption; but amid popular contempt and ridicule, amid universal wickedness and disobedience, he distinguished himself by His holy integrity and unwavering faithfulness.
While the world around him were disregarding God, and were indulging in all manner of extravagant dissipation which led to violence and crimes of every kind, the faithful preacher of righteousness declared to that generation that a flood of water was to deluge the world because of the unsurpassed wickedness of its inhabitants. He warned them to repent and believe, and find refuge in the ark.
The message of Noah was to him a reality. Amid the scoffs and jeers of the world, he was an unbending witness for God. His meekness and righteousness were in bright contrast to the revolting crimes, intrigue, and violence continually practiced around him.
A power attended his words; for it was the voice of God to man through His servant. Connection with God made him strong in the strength of infinite power, while for one hundred and twenty years his solemn warning voice fell upon the ears of the men of that generation in regard to events, which, so far as human wisdom could judge, seemed impossible.
Some were deeply convicted, and would have heeded the words of warning; but there were so many to jest and ridicule that they partook of the same spirit, resisted the invitations of mercy, refused to reform, and were soon among the boldest and most defiant scoffers; for none are so reckless, and go to such lengths in sin, as those who have once had light, but have resisted the convicting Spirit of God….
Ambassadors of Christ 