Koutz Farm Bible Study: Genesis 6.1 - 6.22

BIBLE STUDY FORMAT:

To begin this Bible Study, simply read the sections below: “Who”, “What”, “When”, “Where”, "Why", “How”, and “The Study Notes”. Use your own Bible as a reference and make sure to keep a journal handy for taking notes as the Lord guides you through your spiritual studies. When you are done, read the Prayer section (and pray along with us). Make sure to review the Action section and use our action points or make up your own actions. Make sure to check out our Questions & Answers section and if you want to dive deeper into your study invest some time in our References section, as well. This is how our Bible Study Format will be in this and all future Bible Study Posts. Let's get started...  

WHO

This bible study includes God, The Nephilim, Noah, Shem, Ham, Japeth and their wives.

WHAT

1. The Nephilim were the sons of God that were on the earth in those days.  They were giants compared to humans.  They married and mated with the daughters of human men.  The Nephilim and their children were the heroes of old, renowned upon the earth.  

2. Evil grew upon the earth and the Lord saw the wickedness that lived in the heart of humans all of the time.  God was deeply troubled and regretted created humans and all the creatures upon the earth.

3. There was one that found favor in the Lord’s eyes and that was Noah.  Noah was righteous and blameless among the people of his time.  Noah walked faithfully with God.   

4. The earth was full of violence and corruption.   So God told Noah that he was going to destroy the humans, the earth and all living things. 

5. God gave Noah instructions to build the Ark.  These instructions were very specific and God provided everything that Noah needed to complete the Ark.  The Ark was large enough to ensure that it could carry tens of thousands of animals. 

6. God established a covenant with Noah, because Noah was faithful to the Lord.  Noah and his family (his sons – Shem, Ham and Japheth – and all of their wives) were to be saved from the destruction by entering the Ark and living there throughout the great flood.

7. God instructed Noah to bring two of all living creatures to the Ark.  The creatures should be 1 male and 1 female.  Noah was to also take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store the food for his family and the animals that he would be saving. 

8. Noah obeyed the Lord – just as God told him to do, he did.  This event demonstrates God’s hate of sin and the wrath that God will unleash to eliminate evil.  This event also demonstrates God’s love of those that walk faithfully with Him.  God’s grace towards those that love Him..

WHEN

This is the time of the Great Flood of the earth.

WHERE

Over the entire earth.

WHY

God was heartbroken and had regretted making man because they were filled with evil. Their constant desires were against God's desires. God wanted love and peace, but man wanted hate and war. God felt He had no choice because HIs creation was out of control - so He had to put them down for everyone's sake. Think of having a pet dog that you love and suddenly it turns rabid. You can't keep it around because it is out of its mind and there is no cure. So, you have to euthanize your beloved pet and it breaks your heart. That is kind of what is happening here. The evil spread into everyone except a select few. If you weren't on the Ark when the waters came, you were a rabid dog God put down.

HOW

The how of this story is amazing.  This is all through the power of God.  God ensured that Noah had everything he needed to build the Ark.  God helped Noah to get each of the animals to come to the Ark and into the Ark.  God made sure Noah and his family had the food they needed to survive – as well as the food for each of the animals that would be upon the Ark.  Everything that happened here was God’s amazing power – the power that we both fear and rejoice in.

STUDY NOTES

We aren’t perfect. We are going to sin because we are but fleshy humans – but you can redeem yourself. Just take small steps, small actions and you will start seeing big changes in your life as God’s grace pours over you.

“And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” ~ Genesis 6:3

The Lord sees the wickedness of the flesh and judges their evil ways. He numbers the days that a human will live in the flesh. 

“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” ~ Genesis 6:5 – 6:6

The Lord is regretful that he created us. That He created the animals of the earth. This really makes me sad.  He sees that humans are sinful all the time and His hate for sin forces Him to make a decision to end life on earth.

“And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it…” ~ Genesis 6:13 – 6:15

God give Noah instructions on how to build the infamous Noah’s Ark. The instructions are very specific and Noah follows God’s instructions perfectly. God provides Noah with the materials and supplies Noah needs to build and stock the Ark.

“But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark – you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.” ~ Genesis 6:18 – 6:19

God makes a promise to Noah and Noah’s family – to keep them alive while He destroys the rest of the earth. God saves 2 of each kind of living thing so that His creations aren’t completely obliterated but His wrath will be upon everyone and everything that is not secured upon the ark. 

“Thus Noah did, according to all that God commanded him, so he did.” ~ Genesis 6:22

Noah and his family have walked faithfully with God and because of this, God gave Noah a way to save his family during the Great Flood. God gave commandments to Noah and because Noah listened to God and followed those commandments, Noah was saved. God’s grace was upon Noah and his family..

PRAYER

Oh Holy God, The Sovereign Creator,

Help us to walk faithfully with you. We are contained in a body of flesh, we are humans prone to sin and to following the ways of the world. We often find ourselves in situations where we are alone in righteousness and surrounded by evil-doers. It is hard to stand alone and we often fall wayward. Help us, oh Lord Jesus, to stand our ground and to be strong against the ways of the world. Help us find others that will stand up with us, by our side, so that we are stronger together in our fight to remain faithful to you, Lord our God Almighty. Help us to deny temptation and if we should fall into sin, please reach out to us and pull us back into your loving arms. Show us your grace, oh Lord. Forgive us of our sins against you. Protect us from the evil that surrounds us every day. In our weakest moments, give us your presence so we know we are not alone. Lord, we want to be faithful to you. We want to be righteous in your eyes. We don’t want to cause your heart to grieve. Help us be the children that you want us to be. Dear Lord, Jesus our Savior, do not let us be alone in a world of corruption and sin.

In Jesus Name we pray,

Amen

ACTION

• Take a stand against the ways of the world. Understand what sins surround you in your own environment, in your own life. Write them down and then write down your plan to take a stand against those sins. Even if your action is just to pray against that sin, to pray for someone, to pray for the world – the smallest of things can make a big difference. What are you going to do to change your walk with God? What are you going to do to help others know God? Write it down.

• Now, go out and take action on your list. Tackle the list one-by-one. Read your list often, so you don’t forget your mission. Work on your mission to stand against sin, against evil, against the ways of the world – work on it every day in some way.  Work on yourself and your environment so that you gain favor in God’s eyes and your walk with Him is one of righteousness.

QUESTION & ANSWERS

When we go through the Word of God, we often have questions and sometimes even thoughts that might not make us feel good as Christians. I know that our family often runs into this and we do our best to talk through them and find answers to help us better understand. This section contains some of the questions we often ask ourselves. You are welcome to comment with your thoughts or with additional questions too. We are not perfect by any means and we definitely are not Bible scholars, theologists, pastors or any profession even close. We are just a family trying to learn the Word of God by reading it and praying about it.

QUESTION:

WHY DID GOD REGRET MAKING ANIMALS? ANIMALS ARE NOT EVIL IN THEIR HEARTS OR FLESH.THEY WERE INNOCENT OF THE SINS OF MAN. WHY DID GOD DESTROY ALL THE ANIMALS (EXCEPT THOSE ON THE ARK)?

ANSWER:

God knew Noah couldn't sustain literally all living animals on the ark. The ark was big - but could never be that big. Noah wouldn't be able to keep them fed or cared for; God's solution is to save 2 of each so that they can breed and repopulate the earth. Tens of thousands of animals were o the ark.

QUESTION:

HOW BIG IS A CUBIT?

ANSWER:

Upon an initial Google search, it tells us that a cubit is 1.5 feet, but if you really want to deep dive into the history of the measurement check out this same question on our main Bible Study page (in top menu) under the FAQ section for Genesis. We have a link to a really interesting article that will teach you more about cubits than you ever wanted to really know. It is good information though.

QUESTION:

IT IS SAID THAT GOD IS PERFECT AND NEVER MAKES MISTAKES. AREN'T HIS FEELINGS OF REGRET AND GRIEF ABOUT HIS CREATION AN ADMITTANCE OF A MISTAKE - THE MISTAKE OF MAKING HUMANS IN THE FIRST PLACE? AREN'T WE IMPERFECT CREATIONS? WOULDN'T THAT IMPERFECTION REFLECT ON OUR MAKER?

ANSWER:

God IS PERFECT; He didn't make a mistake in making us. God purposely made humans to have free-will & wanted us to choose Him. God's creation was perfect in His eyes. God leads us on the path of righteousness but we don't always listen or do the right things; that isn't God's fault, it is ours when we choose temptation & sin over choosing God.

BIBLE STUDY TIPS

Speak the word of God out loud. When you are reading the Bible, read it out loud. Speaking God’s word out loud spreads God’s grace over your home and out into the environment. It sounds silly but it truly is powerful.

REFERENCES

Our favorite Study Bibles:

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