after the long genealogy of chapter 5, one might expect the next character to be noah. instead, there is a desription of the circumstance in which noah appears, a situation very different from the first themes of genesis in which "god saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good."
"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. 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." (6:1-6)
one question that comes to mind is who are these sons of god? it has been suggested that they are angels, fallen, but originally part of those who, we are told in job, "when the morning stars sang together, all . . . sang for joy." as the church began to understand that what we usually call "angels" are creatures without bodies, then it was often speculated that the "sons of god" were seth's descendants, and the "daughters of men" those of cain, on a supposition of good guy seth and bad guy cain. however, if we look at the descriptions of the births of cain and seth, god seems equaly involved in each, at least according to eve. if there is a difference, the title "son of god" seems perhaps more applicable to cain.
this deceptively simple little piece of dark music carries a lot of meanings. it is an instance once again, if the sons and daughters are those of cain and seth, of the use of the second son in the working out of our redemption. there is perhaps a warning even against taking wives "of all which they chose." the wives who will be pivotal in the story of salvation, srah, rebekah, rachel and leah, are all chosen.
then there is the matter of the spirit of god. the jerusalem bible,perhaps more helpfully than the authorized version's "strive with man," translates verse three as "my spirit must not forever be disgraced in man, for he is but flesh." we will not hear again the echo of these words until the annunciation to the virgin, a daughter of man upon whom the holy spirit will come in redemption of the world. and of course we will hear much of man's fleshliness in the writings of paul.
mary's son will be little regarded by the powers of the world, who agree that "here 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." (v.4) this idea has been the source of all numbers of science fiction and horror films, from "spawn" and "rosemary's baby" to the italian peplums "the sons of hercules."
god sees things differently: "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." (v. 5)
the solution, although grievous to the lord, is plain: "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." (vv. 6-7)
but god chooses something later theologians in writing of the holy one's ultimate act of redemption will call "the scandal of particularity:"
"noah found grace in the eyes of the lord."
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