A Daily Genesis

Genesis 6:3-4

Rate this Entry
[FONT=Verdana]-
[B][COLOR=#ff0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 6:3a . . And Yhvh said: My Spirit shall not strive with man forever[/B]

Some translations have "abide" instead of strive. But the Hebrew word is [I]diyn[/I] (deen) which means: to rule; by implication: to judge (as umpire); also to strive (as at law). It can also mean to plead the cause of; or to contend in argument.

So. How did "My Spirit" accomplish this striving with man? In person Himself? No; just like He always has: via a holy man.

"Noah, a preacher of righteousness" (2Pet 2:5)

According to 1Pet 3:18-20, the Spirit of Christ and My Spirit are one and the same spirit. In point of fact; according to 1Pet 1:10-11, all the Old Testament preachers (a..k.a. prophets) were motivated by the Spirit of Christ. (cf. Rom 8:9 and 1Cor 6:19 where the Spirit of Christ and The Spirit are again seen as one and the same spirit)

Anyway, point being: there does come a time when God's patience runs out. Not because He can't take it anymore, but because when human beings become too decadent and too incorrigible, then any more reasoning with them would be like throwing good money after bad; and risky too.

"Do not give what is sacred to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." (Matt 7:6)

It's sad but true: there are people out there so devoid of spiritual values that they're practically feral.

Contrary to the mushy, sob-sister brand of Christianity going around like swine flu, there is a time when forgiveness is not only impractical, but it's also unreasonable. Hell is populated with people who will never, ever be forgiven. They crossed a line and now there's no going back; ever. God no longer has any interest in their welfare. They are forgotten and ignored; and can expect neither pity nor sympathy from God ever again.

[B][COLOR=#ff0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 6:3b . . for they are only mortal flesh.[/B]

The Hebrew word for "flesh" is from [/FONT][FONT=Verdana][I]basar[/I] (baw-sawr') which essentially indicates that human life is not celestial; no, it is terrestrial; viz: meat on the hoof. Compare Gen 3:21 where God used a meaty portion taken from Adam's body to construct Eve's.

The word "mortal" isn't really mortal. It's from [I]shagag[/I] (shaw-gag') which means: to stray; viz: sin. The phrase "they are only mortal flesh" is actually [I]huw' bshagam baasaar [/I]which means: they are sinful flesh.

That is one of the most striking statements in the Bible; straight from God Himself-- His own judicious estimation that man isn't basically good; no, au contraire; man is quite basically evil.

Some feel that the doctrine of "The Total Depravity Of Man" is a wholly Christian invention. Far from it. Here in Genesis, the very first book of the Bible, in man's prehistoric years, prior to the Flood, prior to Abraham, prior to Jesus, and prior to the New Testament; God said: they are sinful flesh.

[B][COLOR=#ff0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 6:3c . . yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.[/B]

Some feel that God set the limits of human longevity in that verse. But people still continued to live long lives for a great number of years afterwards. Even Abraham, who lived many, many years after the Flood, didn't die till he was 175 years old. It's far more reasonable to conclude that God was announcing a deadline; viz: they had 120 years left to get ready to meet their maker. But you think that alarmed anybody? Heck no. They went right on; business as usual.

"And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all." (Luke 17:26-27)

The time of God's patience is sometimes long; but never unlimited; viz: reprieves are not pardons-- though God bear a great while, He never bears forever.

[B][COLOR=#ff0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 6:4 . .There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.[/B]

The Hebrew word for "giants" in that passage is [I]nephiyl[/I] (nef-eel') or [I]nephil[/I] (nef-eel') and I have no clue why the KJV's scholars translated it giants because it doesn't mean that at all. For one thing; it's an ambiguous word with more than one meaning. It can indicate someone who cuts, knocks, or brings things down, or a killer; and/or bullies and tyrants.

Now; granted that some bullies are big guys; but not all tyrants are big guys. Take for example Kim Jong Il of North Korea, He isn't especially imposing but Mr. Jong Il sure knows how to exercise power excessively and brutally.

In other words: nephiyl doesn't necessarily indicate a special race of people; but simply people whose ambition is to dominate others; even if they have to completely destroy their culture and kill them all off to do it; viz: nephiyl personalities are not good followers nor are they very good team players. It can be accurately said of nephiyl personalities that they would rather rule in hell than serve in heaven. In other words: if they can't conquer God, then they would just as soon have nothing to do with Him.

Historical examples of nephiyl types would be men like Genghis Khan of Mongolia, and Alexander the Great of Greece; Napoleon of France, Chandragupta Maurya of India, shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo of Japan, conquistador Hernando Cortes of Spain, Timur: founder of the Timurid dynasty, and Zahir-ud din Muhammad Babur: founder of the Mughal dynasty that ruled the Indian subcontinent for over three centuries.

[B]Q:[/B] If all the nephiyl types drowned in the Flood; then how did their characteristics manage to resurface down the road?

[B]A:[/B] well; from whence did nephiyl types originate in the first place? Same place every other personality type originated: from Adam's genes; viz: since Noah and his wife, and his sons and their wives, were Adam's descendants, then nephiyl characteristics survived the Flood by riding it out in the DNA of the people aboard the ark.

=============================[/FONT]
Tags: None Add / Edit Tags
Categories
Uncategorized

Comments

Has your Toyota Corolla warranty expired? Get a fast online quote from CarWarrantyUS today. Enjoy the open road and leave the repairs to us.