The first several generations of mankind have gone by now, and it's not quite clear what happened along the way, but something went wrong--or continued to go wrong. Adam had fallen. Cain had fallen further. Through Seth and Enosh a God-worshiping line of believers seemed to be calling on the name of the LORD, and we might assume that such calling on His name would continue, since we didn't hear any different. But then comes a surprising and perplexing wrinkle in the story of mankind, and it provides the background for our next Encounter:
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. Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years." Genesis 6:1-3
I won’t pretend to understand what all happened with the sons of God and the daughters of men, or even what came along in just a few generations to turn mankind—even the line of Seth—toward evil. I do understand that my own heart is inclined toward evil, and I find myself capable of much more sin than I give myself credit/blame for. And, as God told Cain, evil is crouching at my door, but I must not let it win the battle for control. In this present era, we live with an infinite advantage, because the Holy Spirit inhabits those who are in Christ. But in that ancient era of humankind, something happened so that even beings in the spiritual realm were corrupted.
The Bible never describes right out the fall of Satan (of Lucifer) or the origination of demons, but maybe this has something to do with that dark turn of history. These spiritual beings ("sons of God") were somehow intermixing with humans, and wild, demon-possessed people were growing in evil spiritual power and ambition. I believe God literally means it when He says that every inclination of the heart of every person was inclined toward nothing but evil all the time. Adam had outgrown his britches.
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 regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 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." Genesis 6:5-7
The Father’s heart was broken over the state of his children. They were more than just prodigal children, leaving home; they were actively at war within their own family. God was going to have to match the absolute evil in mankind with an absolute destruction. The destruction would be so devastating that God was willing to wipe out the crown of His creation, the very people who were made in His image and likeness, along with the rest of the living world. There was no more need for any of it, for it had all become foul and corrupt. They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, but all were actively evil, like some bad apocalyptic horror movie. It was bad, boys and girls.
And God cried for forty days and forty nights.
But just before He does, the LORD discovers that there is one who is living blamelessly on the earth: Noah.
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.Genesis 6:8-9
They were all bad, all right. All of them. Except one. One man. Noah. Note: Not his wife. Not even his children. He had three boys, but they were riding on Daddy’s coattails for their salvation. It’s not because they were righteous themselves, but because his family was under the umbrella of his spiritual protection, you might say.
For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 1 Corinthians 7:14
God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 1 Peter 3:20
This is the background to the story that we have all known so well since we were young. You ask, “Where is worship in this story?” Well, it may seem to be a bit obscure right here, but worship is really the center of Noah’s tale. (to be continued...)
“Well it seems the race had hardly begun when mankind turned aside
and he turned his feet right off of the track where he thought that he could hide so the Lord looked out over all of the field to find an honest man
but only one out of all of the pack would carry out His plan
So the sky began to darken while Noah built with fear
and he sermonized a century but no one seemed to hear
so he stepped his family into the boat and God did shut the door
and before men changed their ways or their minds the rains began to pour
Hear the thunder in the skies
See the fire in His eyes
The first time it’s by water, the second time by flame
So don’t stand outside too long, now
Here comes the rain”