Mankind Rejects God

Cain had murdered Abel, and set out to get away from God.  A hundred thirty years after creation, Adam and Eve had another son, who would fill Abel’s place, according to Genesis 4:25.  “And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.”   In personality and attitude, Seth was like Adam, as Genesis 5:3-5 tells us.  “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.”  In the next eight hundred years, Adam and Eve had many children, but none of them had quite the same attitude.   

One of Seth’s sons developed a similar attitude as we see in Genesis 4:26.  “And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.”  Enos had a similar interest in the things of God, and began to worship God.  He passed that attitude on to some of his descendants, as Genesis 5:6-32 describes.  “And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.

And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.  And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel: And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.  And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:  And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.

And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.  And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.  And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 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.  And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.  And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”

Enos’ descendants intermarried with Abraham’s other descendants, as we see in Genesis 6:1-2.  “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 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 intermarriage between the different races of people resulted in races of giants and men of superior intelligence, much like what sometimes happens when people of different races intermarry today.  Unfortunately, most of Enos’ family also adopted the attitudes of the other groups. 

God was frustrated by their deliberate rejection of his plan and design, as Genesis 6:3-7 tells us.  “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.  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.  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.  And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.  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.” 

Things got so bad, God regretted having made mankind.  Though he had known they would rebell against him and reject his authority, even he had not realized how complete the rejection would be, or how he would feel about it.   He determined to wipe mankind off the face of the earth.  However, there was one man and his family who had not completely rebelled against God.  Genesis 6:8 tells us, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.”  Noah was the only one of Seth’s descendants who still worshipped God.