After the murder of Abel, another son was born, whom Eve named Seth. "For God, [said she,] has appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also, there was born a son; and he called his name Enos." (Genesis 4:25-26)
Seth was indeed "instead of Abel;" for he, as had been Abel, was a worshiper of the Lord in truth. And Seth's son Enos was also one who walked in the Lord's way. And the influence of these two was so remarkable for good that it is written, "Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord." (Genesis 4:26)
Another translation is that "Then began men to proclaim the name of the Lord."
Both thoughts are correct, for when men called upon the name of the Lord, they did it in a way to let it be known by others; to persuade them also to call upon the name of the Lord. And the results of this gospel preaching were then such as always-men were born again, and so became sons of God.
And the distinction was so clear between those who worshiped the Lord and those who did not, that these were called "by the name of the Lord," (Genesis 4:26,margin)--and so were called, "the sons of God," (Genesis 6:2)--the people of the Lord, etc., as distinguished from those who were only the children of men and of natural birth."
Through nine generations this genuine gospel work prevailed; and in such sincerity and power that by it one man was brought to such height of divine living that he never died, but actually passed alive from this world into the world of eternity. "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him." (Hebrews 11:5)
But gradually the people of God forgot their high calling, loosed down their integrity and stepped down from the high estate of the sons of God and mingled themselves with the seed of men in the ways of the flesh. "The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took themselves wives of all which they chose." (Genesis 6:2)
Note that it was not that they took themselves wives of only such as they chose, as if each one had taken him a wife from the daughters of men. "They took themselves wives of all which they chose;" (Genesis 6:2)--they entered upon the polygamous practice of the sons of Cain. If they had maintained their integrity, then the sons of God taking from the daughters of men, bringing in from the descendants of Cain, each of them only a wife, would have been bad enough. For, such numbers of unconverted women, caring nothing for the way of God, and knowing only the wild ways of the descendants of Cain, could have had no other effect than to wipe out the clear distinction between the children of God and the children of this world.
That, we say, would have been bad enough if only that had been done. But that is not what was done. It was not that the sons of God brought the daughters of men across the line and over into the field of the children of God; it was the far worse thing of the sons of God crossing the line and going over into the field of the daughters of men, the field of the descendants of Cain, and adopting their polygamous practices. And the effect of this was as a mighty tide to sweep the world into the very depths.
So long as the sons of God kept themselves on their own side of the line of the gospel distinction, their life of the righteousness of faith was through conscience and the presence of the Spirit a restraint upon the evil tendencies of the descendants of Cain. But when they abandoned their own native ground of the sons of God, and went over to that of the descendants of Cain, this was only to encourage the descendants of Cain by putting the fullest seal of approval upon their evil courses. It was to say that the Gospel distinction that had been made was a mistake from the beginning, and that the descendants of Cain had been right all the time.
Of course the only effect of this was to encourage a perfect abandon to every kind of excess without restraint. And so in the tenth generation from Adam, and only the third from Enoch, the wickedness of man had become so great in the earth that "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:5)
The spring of every thought, the spontaneous impulse of every purpose, the deepest depth of every desire, was only evil continually; and all of this continually manifesting itself in excessive and unrestrained eating and giving in marriage, till "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filledwith violence, ... for all flesh had corrupted His way upon the earth." (Genesis 6:11-12)
But lo! there was one man in the world who in the midst of it all and in spite of it all stood true to God and thus true to the right. "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." (Genesis 6:9)
Literally, "Noah set himself to walk with God."
And when Noah set himself to walk with God, God responded with the assurance, and it was certified, that "Noah walked with God." (Genesis 6:6)
But how could Noah do this? How could he be "a just man" and "perfect in is generation," and "walk with God," when all the world beside, and all round him everywhere, was so entirely and continually evil?
He could do this just as truly with the world all this way as with all the other way; for it was all outside of him. And it is never what is outside us, but what is inside of us, that decides our cause and makes the way of right easy or otherwise to us.
Noah was a son of God by birth. He had made God his portion. God was his king, ruling in him and reigning over him. This was Noah's fixed choice; and whatever others might choose, made no difference to him, and could not affect his course. And so, "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." (Genesis 6:9) "And as it was in the days of Noah," (Luke 17:26) "so shall also the coming of the Son of be." (Matthew 24:37)
In the days, and at the time of the coming of the Son of man the earth will be corrupt, and filled with violence, as in the days of Noah. Also, thank the Lord, there will be those who in the midst of it all, and in spite of it all, will be just men and perfect in their generation, and will walk with God.
And in that day Noah's righteous example and instruction carried with him his whole family. In the presence of universal polygamy, it held his three sons true to the way of the true sons of God in the marriage bond as established by the Lord, when all the professed sons of God had gone in the way of the children of men in taking to themselves "wives of all which they chose." And this shows what could have been done, if all the professed sons of God had been true sons of God as was Noah--each a just man and perfect in his generation and walking with God.
And this in turn tells that it was not so much the wickedness of the confessedly wicked, as it was the sheer formalism and denial of the power of godliness--of the general looseness--of the professedly righteous that brought the Flood.
In this also, as it was in the days of Noah, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. As it is written, "In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
Yet let it never be forgotten that still, "As it was in the days of Noah, "so shall also the coming of the Son of man be;" (Matthew 24:37) "And Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." (Genesis 6:9)--Medical Missionary, August 26, 1908.