In the previous article, we discussed the “days of Noah” with a particular focus on Noah’s lineage. His father was from the line of Seth, which had produced men like Enoch, who had shown more affinity for the things of God than the descendants of Cain had. Unfortunately, however, many of the people of Enoch’s day stopped walking with God and took a different path. Genesis 6: 2 records that righteous men, many of whom were probably from the House of Seth, began to marry women of the world, many of whom were probably from the House of Cain: “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose”. The title “sons of God” is used repeatedly in the Bible in reference to faithful people.1For example, John states that God’s love for us is shown by the fact that we are called “the sons of God” (1John 3:1).
However, in the time before the Flood, the sons of God went astray. Genesis 6:2 describes what happened. They looked on the daughters of men; they saw that they were beautiful, and they took them as wives.
It is remarkable the number of times that the Bible hints at the character of a person’s spouse. It does this because when a person has a choice of who they will marry, the decision that they make reveals a lot about who they are. And it is a consistent characteristic of the ungodly to select a marriage partner based on appearances and physical appeal alone. Consider Lamech, for example. The Scriptures make repeated references to his wives, Adah and Zillah. “Adah” means “ornament,” which certainly indicates beauty and a focus on appearance. The name “Zillah,” his other wife, means “shadow,” which brings to mind the woman of Proverbs 7, who waited in the shadows and seduced her lover with flattering words and sensual speech. Faithful Ruth, of course, was the exact opposite. She was commended for choosing a spouse based on his character and not focusing merely on physical attraction (Ruth 3:10). And God blessed her marriage to Boaz.
The marriages of the sons of God to the daughters of men did bring some material advantages for a time. The descendants of Lamech were very skilled in the ways of the world: “And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah” (Genesis 4:20-22 NKJV). Perhaps that is why the children of the unions between the sons of God and the daughters of men produced giants: “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” (Gen 6:4). Maybe the technology they had access to, and the high standard of living they enjoyed, allowed them to grow larger in stature, just as people from prosperous Western nations are often physically bigger than people from poorer countries.
Of course, the real reason that those unions produced giants was probably because of the lesson it conveyed. Those marriages were just based on flesh. So, what did they produce? More flesh. Giant amounts of it.
And the end result was not happiness. The corruption of God’s way led to lawlessness: “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (Gen 6:5, NIV). It is not hard to imagine that the giants that came from the marriages of the sons of God to the daughters of men probably took advantage of their imposing size and contributed to the violence that prevailed in society.
There is a powerful lesson for us in the developments described in Genesis 6. We should never deceive ourselves into thinking that supposed “little” deviations from God’s way, such as cultivating relationships based purely on physical attraction, are acceptable as long as we are “sons of God” in every other way. That is a temptation that our minds are prone to indulging in. It is so easy to think that we can have the best of both worlds by permitting ourselves to have “little” departures from divine standards. We can think that a few moral compromises will allow us to enjoy both the benefits of a relationship with God, as well as some pleasures of the flesh. But, as Genesis 6 shows, that never works. Indulging our own disobedience only leads to more departures from God’s way. Notice how quickly the world progressed from being a place that had “sons of God” who strayed, to being a place completely given over to wickedness. Moreover, the departures from God’s way that we permit in our lives have a way of creating new problems for us. That principle is illustrated vividly by the appearance of the giants. If the sons of God had not allowed themselves to be drawn away by the beauty of the daughters of men, the place would not have been overrun with giants. A lot of hardship and sorrow could have been averted if the sons of God had stuck to divine principles in all aspects of their lives. The same is true for us, particularly when it comes to whom we spend our time with, and especially whom we marry.
Trust in God when it comes to finding a marriage partner
Proverbs states: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Prov 3:5-6). The question of trust was a defining characteristic that distinguished the House of Seth from the House of Cain in the years before the Flood. Those who followed the principles of the House of Seth put their trust in God. But those who followed the principles of the House of Cain trusted in themselves.
So, do you trust God? It is an important question. The answer has a lot of implications for our actions. For example, much of what happens in our dating relationships and our choice of a marriage partner are reflections of how much trust we place in God to do what He has said.
So, what has God said that He will do? Well, He has promised that He will give us what we need to serve Him. The Apostle Paul writes: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19 ESV). And if we need a Godly, loving spouse, God will meet that need: “House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord” (Prov 19:14 ESV).
But, if you are a single person, you may go through periods where you feel you have a need along those lines that is going unmet. You may want a relationship but have a hard time finding the right person or having things work out. You may even want to date someone for all of the right reasons and still find yourself alone.
If you find yourself in this situation, continue to trust that if marriage will be a happy and spiritually healthy state for you, God will provide you with a suitable partner. But make sure that you have your priorities straight. Look for someone who loves God more than anything else, including you: “And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:25-26). If someone loves God above all else, they will try to love you as God loves. They will be nurturing. They will be gracious. They will forgive. And they will do it even when you do not necessarily deserve it.
Look for someone who is incredibly supportive of you and your activities, even if he or she cannot fully participate in them. God ordained marriage so that two people could help each other: “Then the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Gen 2:18 ESV). The person you marry should be your biggest fan and the best supporter of your activities, especially of your spiritual pursuits. So, observe the inclinations of the person you are dating. Do not stay with someone who is not particularly supportive of you and what you do. Do not stay with someone who you do not especially enjoy helping. That is not what relationships are supposed to be like.
And remember that your timeframe for dating and marriage, and God’s timeframe for you, may be different. One implication of that is that you and your friends may not get into serious relationships (and get married) at the same time. If you find yourself on a different timeline than your friends, do not panic and either get into a relationship, stay in a relationship, or marry a person who is not right for you just so that you can “keep up.” In other words, do not jeopardize your future happiness at 30, 35, 45, 55, 65, and beyond for the sake of being in the same place as your friends when you are 19, 22, or 25. Place your confidence in God. Trust that He will take care of you and will meet your needs when the time is right.
“Rest”
God provides. If you trust Him, He will provide in your life, just as He provided for the faithful remnant of the House of Shem. A boy was born to Lamech, the son of Methuselah. His father named him “Noah,” which means “rest” or “comfort”: “And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed” (Gen 5:29). His father gave him that name because he hoped that the boy would bring rest and comfort to the world. In that way, and in many others, Noah prefigured the Lord Jesus Christ, who offers us hope of rest from the curse.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One