1-2 When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in (Or My Spirit shall not contend with) man for ever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterwards, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.

5-6 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6:1-8 English Standard Version

There's been much debate on who the Nephilim (in vs 4) were. Part of the reason is because the meaning of the Hebrew word is apparently obscure. Some say it means 'fallen ones', others say it means 'giants'. It's led to two main lines of interpretation. Some hold that the 'sons of God' in vs 1-2 who took daughters of men were fallen angels, or even demons who possessed men and mated with women. Others see the sons of God as representing men in general, or particularly God fearing men who were descendants of Seth. The view then is that some intermarried with woman who were descended from Cain. There are verses in the New Testament which are used to support either of the views.

Personally, I think the apostle Paul's advice to Timothy is a good one here. He said: “Charge believers before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.” (2 Timothy 2:14) Quarrels over who is right about Nephilim shouldn’t cause us to lose sight of what follows in vs 5-6. What do vs 5-6 say about what became of men in those days when many lived to be well over 600 years old?

They filled the world with wickedness. Notice the emphasis placed on men in those verses. Like Adam, the first man, it was men who ought to have taken the lead in calling upon the Lord, as Seth and Enosh had done. What struck me most in these verses is how wickedness is described. It wasn't just occasional acts of wrongdoing. It says “every intention - of the thoughts of his heart - was only evil - continually.” They sinned even in their imaginations, let alone their actions. They were soaked in wrongdoing. What was God's reaction in vs 5-6 to the path they had chosen?

Their hearts were full of evil intentions, God's heart was full of grief! He was sorry that He had made man. For some that opens up all sorts of theological questions, many of which lead to the quarrels Paul warmed Timothy about. Let's simply take the point that wickedness grieves God deeply. And His response to such wickedness was twofold.

Firstly, He reduced their lifespan from 1000 years to 120! (vs 3) That was a partial judgment. Secondly, He destined a day when He would blot out those who'd filled the world with evil. (vs 7) That, in their case, was like a final judgment. Yet, into this dark scenario there came a bright ray of light. What was that? (vs 8)

Noah ‘found favour’ in the eyes of the Lord. He was a descendant of men like Seth, and Enoch who was raptured, and Methuselah who lived to be 969. It's likely he was one of the few left who was calling on the the name of the Lord. But even so, God's favour was an act of grace. What happened to Noah is a glimpse of what happens to men and women ever since who are saved by God's grace from the coming judgment of the world. This grace is given to us in the Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we receive forgiveness for even the sinful imaginations of our hearts.