THROUGH THE BIBLE IN THREE YEARS

THROUGH THE BIBLE COMMENTARY

This program of daily devotions is designed to take you through the Bible in three years. It is our desire to help you gain a better general understanding of God's Word.

Please understand that in a study this brief, we will be concerned with only the major emphases and context of the Scriptures.

Each day a devotion for one or two chapters is posted, beginning with chapter one of Genesis and going through chapter twenty-two of Revelation. You are free to print each page as it appears. If you miss a day, you may go to the archive at the bottom of the main page and find it.

Bruce McGee
P.O. Box 69
Columbia, LA 71418

The commentaries for Genesis through John are available.
Send $7.50 per book plus shipping and handling (about $2.00 each)
to the address above. Be sure to designate which book(s) you desire.

GENESIS
CHAPTER 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.

Man perverted the beautiful gift of procreative power that God gave him.
Now some have said that the term "sons of God" refers to angels; and that angels came and had children with the women. But a close scrutiny of the text shows it to be quite different from that interpretation.
The text says "the sons of God ... took wives.."
The best way to interpret Scripture is to let God do it with Scripture. And God Himself said in Matt. 22:30 that angels cannot marry, nor can they have children.
This text simply shows the proud, contentious spirit of man. Even though they are indeed "sons of God," (by His creative power) they took many wives. And the result was more proud and sinful men.
Remember, God's PLAN for man was one woman for one man for one lifetime (See Gen. 2:22).

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.

Because man perverted God's beautiful gift of procreative power, God decided to cause man's time on earth to be shorter. Did you see the life span of the people listed in chapter five? But now God says He will limit man to 120 years.
The canopy of water is at this time still above the earth, and filters the ultraviolet rays from the sun. Man's lifetime at this point in Scripture is quite long.
In verse 4 we see that it became prevalent among men to brag about exploits, and make great reputations for themselves. Even today, man's greatest sin is "self-idolatry."
One can see that in verse 5 men had allowed himself to become permeated with evil.

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.

And this brought God great sorrow.
Therefore, God determined to change the structure of the world so that man's time would be more limited. God determined to destroy all mankind and start over.

8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

But one man found GRACE in the sight of God: Noah.
Why? Why did this one man find grace in God's sight?

9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

Because he "..walked with God."
Now someone might bring the question, "What is GRACE?
Grace is "..undeserved favor." God gave Noah "undeserved favor." He allowed Noah to live.
One man "..walked with God.." and escaped the pain and misery of physical death (Enoch -- Gen. 5:24). But this man, Noah, "..walked with God" and experienced great suffering, heartache and finally death.
Why? Why did God treat them differently?
We don't understand why; but, we are God's. We belong to Him. And we must trust that HE knows what is best for each of us. And we must allow God to use us in HIS plan as He sees fit.

10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 13 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. (with the earth: or, from the earth) 14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

God's sight is above man's sight. He saw corruption. What man sees in pride and exploits is what he thinks is good. But what God sees in it is SIN.
Therefore, God gave Noah a commandment to build an ark. The ark is God's grace to Noah, to Noah's family -- and to the world.
Because it is THROUGH grace that God sends salvation. Eph. 2:8-9 says,
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast."

15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of : The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it

Here is the instructions for building the ark. Very short instructions indeed! Noah must have been a very wise man!
The end result of these instructions is a ship measuring 450 feet in length, 75 feet in width, and 45 feet in height.

17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

Now I'm sure Noah wondered at what God was saying here in this verse.
It never had "rained" before. But God told Noah it was going to; and Noah believed God.
Do YOU believe God? Do you believe Him when He says He will send men who refuse Him to an eternal hell? You and I have never experienced hell -- we've never seen it.
But living by faith is not living by sight; it is living in belief that what God says is TRUTH.

18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.

God made a covenant with Noah. The covenant is simply God's promise that though all other human beings would be destroyed in the flood, God will save Noah and his family if they will enter the ark.
God's promise today is that anyone will be saved from hell if they enter into faith through Christ (See John 3:16).
That little word FAITH means a lot. It is a Greek word which is sometimes translated faith, and sometimes translated believe.
The word Jesus used in John 3:16 ("..believeth.."), was a wrestling term.
It meant to run headlong into your opponent and cling to him until one of you is dead!
Are you BELIEVING Jesus?

19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. 20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. 21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. 22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

After God gave these instructions for gathering the animals, He gave Noah some further ones too. See Gen. 7:2-3.
Notice Noah's ATTITUDE in all of this. It was an attitude of OBEDIENCE.

RECAP:
God sees the sin of man; none escapes Him.
God has a plan of GRACE, and it includes OBEDIENCE. God grants the gift of salvation because He wants to pour out
undeserved favor to all men.
God gives the gift of FAITH to those who surrender to
Jesus as Lord. Without surrender there is no salvation!

Please continue in Bible study with us tomorrow.