A Daily Genesis

Genesis 6:1-2

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[B][COLOR=#ff0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 6:1-2 . . Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were good; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.[/B]

The Hebrew word for "good" in that passage is [I]towb[/I] (tobe) which is the very same word that Genesis utilizes to evaluate God's handiwork in creation; e.g. Light (Gen 1:4) Land and Seas (Gen 1:10) Vegetation (Gen 1:12) Sun, Moon, and Stars (Gen 1:18) Birds and Aquatic Life (Gen 1:21) Beasts and Bugs (Gen 1:25) and the finished product. (Gen 1:31)

Towb is one of those ambiguous Hebrew words that can be utilized as either a noun or an adjective in a wide variety of applications. It can indicate morality, it can indicate a tasty meal, it can indicate a job well done, it can indicate a nice man, it can indicate a pretty dress, it can indicate a shapely woman and/or a handsome man, and it can indicate an expert musician and/or a really groovy song like Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance"

In my judicious estimation, when God's handiwork turned out "good" towb indicates that the cosmos-- and all of its forms of life, matter, and energy --came out just the way God wanted it to; perfectly suited to the purposes He had in mind when He designed everything. But in this case; I think it's pretty safe to assume towb indicates a woman's looks.

[B][SIZE=1]NOTE[/SIZE]:[/B] Ambiguous Hebrew words like towb serve to illustrate why it's virtually impossible to translate Hebrew into English with 100% verbatim precision. No linguist in his right mind would dare to say that English versions of the Hebrew Old Testament are perfect word-for-word renditions of the original manuscripts-- no; they can't even be certified perfect word-for-word renditions of the available manuscripts let alone the originals.

The precise identity of the "sons of God" has been debated. Some say they were the sons of the aristocracy of that day who married attractive women from among the commoners. Others say they were renegade spirit creatures who cohabited with humans to produce a hybrid strain of hominid freaks. Others say they were believing men who threw caution to the wind and built themselves harems of irreverent women instead of marrying believing women of like faith; viz[B]:[/B] the men married infidels-- implying that "daughters of men" were women who didn't fear the Bible's God. (e.g. Gen 26:34-35)

Intermarriage between men of faith and infidel women is as old a practice as adultery; and a proven tactic for watering down, compromising, and even extinguishing Bible beliefs and practices (e.g. Num 31:7-16). The people of God are strictly, unequivocally, and clearly forbidden to marry outside their faith. (Deut 7:1-4, 2Cor 6:14-18)

In a mixed relationship-- one a believer and the other an infidel --the believer will be forced to compromise their convictions in order to keep the relationship going. Compromise in the area of spiritual values is not a good thing for God's people. It's not only bad for the conscience, but will quickly ruin a believer's relationship with their Lord. (1John 1:6)

Most people want love, romance, companionship, and a family of their own. According to Gen 1:27-28, and Gen 2:21-24, those things are Divine blessings, they're perfectly normal and nothing to be ashamed of; nor is there anything intrinsically naughty or sinful about them. But a believer has to be self controlled, and not permit their base nature to make them lose their heads and ruin their chances for happiness.

Adult dating is where it starts. And adult dating isn't harmless. It leads to other things, and it leads into commitments and promises that are not easily reneged. The end result of adult dating is ultimately marriage and children (quite possibly illegitimate children). Whose spiritual philosophy will prevail in the marriage? Whose spiritual philosophy will be taught to the children? The believer's or the infidel's? And ultimately, who will get the children's souls-- God, or the Serpent?

Some couples try to accommodate each other's beliefs by teaching their children the concepts of both religions. For example, a marriage between a Buddhist and a Christian. The children are given a choice between the Bible and the Four Noble Truths; and between Christ and Siddhartha Gautama, and between resurrection and reincarnation.

That may seem like a good idea, but it only creates confusion in the minds of the children. Why are mom and dad not in agreement? Whose religion is right? Can both be right? Does it mean that one religion is just as good as the next?

Teaching their children more than one system of spiritual beliefs and practices is out of the question for Christians because the Lord and Master of New Testament Christianity demands their exclusive devotion.

"I am the path and the truth . . No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and humanity; the man Christ Jesus" (1Tim 2:5)

Wives can be very effective in influencing an otherwise pious man to compromise his convictions (e.g. Gen 3:6). All too often, in a mixed marriage, the mother's religion will be taught to her children because husbands, as a rule, put a higher priority on sex and peace in the home than religion, so they won't risk alienating mama by forcing the issue.

The sons of God in Noah's day-- whose wives were chosen based solely upon sex appeal sans any spiritual prudence whatsoever --all perished in the Flood right along with their infidel wives and children. Not a one of them had the good sense to go aboard the ark with Noah.

It's never wise for believers to marry outside their faith. A good example is Solomon. He got off to a good start but down the road accumulated a harem of foreign women who led him into idolatry; which subsequently caused The Lord to engineer rebellion in the kingdom. (1Kgs 11 & 12)

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