God was sorry he made man on the earth. Is that even possible? Edited.

I was asked by a friend about the Book of Enoch that I was recently reading. I acquired it several months ago but have never taken the time to read the book. Having recently decided to pursue its contents, I find it requires my full concentration. Waiting for this friend to get out of his medical appointment, I had a few minutes to spare, and so I began rereading pages of the book I had already read. This time I had determined to make notes as I went because I wanted to build some word pictures in my head (it's how I learn best.) Waiting for some paperwork from the front desk, there were a few brief minutes before we left and so I started talking about what I had learned so far.

I mentioned that the Book of Enoch had been an integral part of the early Church, and had been read aloud among the body for 700 years. Early Church fathers, such as Clement, Barnabas, and Irenaeus referenced and quoted from the Book of Enoch. Th D. JR Church published the book, “Enoch, The First Book Ever Written,” and he does the commentary on it as it progresses.

I have come to realize that verifiable evidence is not enough to convince some people of the necessity nor the authenticity of information that gives us more insight into Biblical events that are otherwise eternally obscured. I am a firm believer that the answers are in scripture, and, if not they might be obtained through some other source, like the Book of Enoch.

Keep this in mind as you read. Jude, the author of his own book, quotes a prophecy from Enoch that is not in our Bibles and can only be found in the Book of Enoch. The writer of Hebrews places Enoch in the hall of fame for his great faith, by which he walked off this earth and into God's arms, never to see death (Hebrews 11:5). And we find the name of Enoch in Luke 3:37, where he is listed in the lineage of Jesus Christ.

I can't remember how we got there, but my friend said, then what do you do with Genesis 6:7 where God said, I am sorry that I made man?

Perhaps I had attempted to point out how the fallen angels had, as Jude tells us, cohabited with the daughters of men, with the express purpose of circumventing God's plan of redemption. How can I make that statement? You have to go back to the garden where God is addressing Eve about her actions. She is cursed, but there is some good news, as one from her seed will bring about the redemption of the world. (Okay, I did not use the exact wording, but you should get a general idea.)

Genesis 3:13-15 NASB Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." 14) The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; 15) And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

Satan's evil plan almost worked prior to the flood.

Consider what was happening at this time. God, seeing that the earth was FILLED with violence and that the thoughts of “men” were only evil. The fallen angels, by taking whomever they wanted among women, had filled the earth with hybrids. The International Standard Bible says it best.

Genesis 6:4 ISV The Nephilim were on the earth at that time (and also immediately afterward), when those divine beings were having sexual relations with those human women, who gave birth to children for them. These children became the heroes and legendary figures of ancient times.

These titans became the foundation of mythology.

Question, does all indeed mean all? No, because there was at that time a handful; specifically the close lineage that produced Noah. This family line was, as yet, untouched by the genetic corruption that these fallen angels were introducing.

So far I haven't focused on any passages that touch on the word all, but the question was asked, “didn't God say that he was sorry he created man on the earth?” Doesn't that phrase imply that God was offended by all, including Noah? There is nothing about this question or the verse, that paints a correct picture of God or His character. If He was disgusted with all, then why waste any time communing with Enoch. The disjointed logic we use when we focus on one verse out of context makes no sense and is incorrect. So let's rethink the generalized question, wasn't God sorry He created man.

Genesis 6:6-7 NASB The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7) The LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them."

While it is true that the Bible translations range from sorry to regret, and grieved; but remember, God, put the man on earth so that He could share His life with and talk to the man.

[Right here is where the understanding that God was not caught off guard by Satan's/Lucifer's actions, and the plan of salvation – that is the securing of the creation, including God's finest creation, man, was initiated. All of our confusion and misunderstandings stem from how we perceive these first few moments of time. God knew full well what would happen and adapted to the perverted twists. The day will come when our relationship with the Father will once again be restored to the condition it was prior to Adam's fall in the garden.]

When you understand God's nature and character, the emotion of being sorry doesn't seem to accurately convey His heart toward men like Enoch, Methuselah or Noah, and they should be excluded from such a generalized statement. Therefore, it must mean something more specific.

To merely quote this verse is to ignore the context in which it is said.

The context begins in verse two, where fallen angels are taking human women, having intercourse with them, and filling the earth with their own version of hybrids. Not only that, but these hybrids are not just tall, they are massive, and they are violent hunters of humankind.

Genesis 6:2-5 CJB the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were attractive; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3) Adonai said, "My Spirit will not live in human beings forever, for they too are flesh; therefore their lifespan is to be 120 years." 4) The N'filim were on the earth in those days, and also afterwards, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; these were the ancient heroes, men of renown. 5) Adonai saw that the people on earth were very wicked, that all the imaginings of their hearts were always of evil only.

The attention grabber in this paragraph above is verse 5, where it says, “Adonai saw that the people on earth were very wicked, that all the imaginings of their hearts were always of evil only.” Evidently, the Satanic scheme to hijack the redemption of the earth was so efficient that it had reduced the unpolluted lineage from Adam to the close relatives of Noah.

Now, if the earth had been infiltrated to the point there were only a handful of undamaged humans left, wouldn't God be justifiably disgusted to the point where he was not only willing but needed to remove this malignancy from the earth.

Genesis 6:6-7 NASB The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7) The LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them."

Sorry, the word used in the NASB is the Hebrew word nâcham and means to sigh that is, breathe strongly; by implication to be sorry.

For me, an implication is not a translation, nor is it definitive. It is, however, something that may explain or add clarity. The words sigh and breathe strongly are words that I can understand, as I do it frequently. I sigh when I am angry, frustrated, and have enough. In this case, God had enough.

The phrase “he had made,” is the Hebrew word ‛āśāh: A verb meaning to do, to make, to accomplish, to complete. This frequently used Hebrew verb conveys the central notion of performing an activity with a distinct purpose, a moral obligation, or a goal in view (cf. Gen_11:6).

I could just as comfortably read Genesis 6:6 as The Lord was extremely frustrated that His good intentions had come to this.

Isaiah tells that the earth was habitable in the day that it was formed, and yet, something transpired because there was most certainly some imperfection taking place.

Isaiah 45:18 NASB For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), "I am the LORD, and there is none else.

Likewise, man was perfect in the day he was made as well.

Genesis 1:27-31 NASB God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28) God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29) Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30) and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so. 31) God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

What is there about this paragraph above for God to be disgusted with? Nothing.

How about here in Genesis 2:7-9?

Genesis 2:7-9 NASB Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 8) The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9) Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Still good. But things are about to change. I am cutting it short for space sake.

Genesis 3:7-10 NASB Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. 8) They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9) Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 10) He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself."

Eve was deceived, but Adam was wide awake and chose to trash his relationship with God. The passage also demonstrates an event that may have happened on a daily basis, God communing with the man and his wife. The tragedy here is that the connectedness and ease of communication with God were now broken.

I pointed out earlier, how in talking with the serpent, God said, “I will put enmity Between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

Not too long after this, is when Satan's plan to stop this seed, gets put into action.

Ask yourself a question. Through intercourse and a maintained level of violence, how long would it take you to redirect the global order of things? Now, consider the added benefit these hybrids had in their completion of Satan's ugly plan. Can you now see why the history of man on earth, has been riddled with holocausts?

Biblical characters that demonstrated trust. Let's look at Noah.

There was a time when my actions caused my world to collapse. That collapse drove me to my knees and toward God with a passion that I did not realize was in me. I read the Bible incessantly, and in so doing I found a God of mercy and grace. I found all this through Jesus, the Son, but then, isn't the Son of God an exacting image of the Father. It seems that when you find something this good, you want to share it, and so I tried. The problem is that the religious crowd was raised on a God of judgment and punishment, and they preach that side of Him that was meant for Satan and his followers. Maybe that is why so many people fear God. I guess it is safe to say that, this characteristic I found in Jesus permeates everything I do and say; at least I try to live my life that way. The reality of that statement is that I frequently have to set aside my judgmental attitude (the one I was raised with,) and look for the mercy. That said, a few months ago our men's Bible study was focusing on Trust, and who the Biblical characters were that demonstrated trust. The Bible is filled with them. Let's just take a look at one, Noah.

Let's assume we know little about the man, and we stumbled upon this description in the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews 11:7 MKJV By faith Noah, having been warned by God of things not yet seen, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

Now, what can we say we know about him?

• By faith, Noah was warned of God about the coming of things he had never seen, experienced, or explain.

In the old testament, many were spoken to by God. However, when you read their stories, you find out it was through some incredibly vivid dreams. Abraham could be used as an example of a man who had some explicit dreams. In these dreams, given to Abraham, God's plan was laid out. Here also, there are repercussions because you now have insight into the future.

• It goes on to say, that Noah was moved with fear to prepare an ark.
  Fear is the Greek word eulabeomai meaning to be circumspect, that is, (by implication) to be apprehensive; religiously, to reverence. Strong's

Circumspect – means, looking on all sides, looking around. Hence, Cautious; prudent; watchful on all sides; examining carefully all the circumstances that may affect a determination or a measure to be adopted. Webster's Dictionary

Since there was no apparent need for boats, he might have been hard-pressed to understand how to build one, especially one of such proportions. How did Noah deal with the variables involved with those instructions? Around him, as he went off to harvest lumber, were large, aggressive, warring tyrants; that aspect alone could cause you to walk with caution; then there was the word that God gave him, most likely through a dream, indicating that all flesh would die. Was it common for God to talk with men at this time? Apparently not, as most men were only violent and their thoughts were solely evil.

We speak of Noah as a preacher and living testimony, but to whom?

As far as we know there were no vessels, nor were there any large bodies of water and therefore no reason to build boats. Noah had to look like the fool in their eyes. Conservative estimates put the process of building this boat between 55 and 75 years, and the time frame alone would make you the madman. Noah's sons would have been too young to be of much help, and I doubt he got any help from the unfriendly community around him. Cutting trees, shaping lumber, and the daily effort of feeding his family would have hindered our traditional concepts of preaching and evangelism.
If anything, Noah's witness came from his actions and persistence.

Since fear, a word used to describe Noah includes being circumspect as a definition; to be so, conveys the idea of carefully examining all the circumstances. Maybe this fear had more to do with what God had pronounced. Another side of this picture that you rarely hear. Noah is not a fool, and the possibility that God's design could carry all men is ludicrous. The obvious point is that Noah can see that virtually everyone will die. What did Noah do with this understanding? He kept building and preaching as if that was necessary.

• Noah's actions brought about the salvation of his household.
  But, what does that mean? Since we comprehend the outcome of the story, we know that it involved his sons and their wives. Why would this be an issue? You would think that Noah raised his sons to be just like he was, a follower of God. But, how often does that happen? When you consider the underlying perversion that Ham reintroduced into the mix, you should be able to understand that anyone can wander, even if briefly.
  • Noah's actions and determination condemned the world.
    Condemned is the Greek word katakrinō, and according to Strong's concordance, means to judge against, that is, sentence: - condemn, damn. The Word Study Dictionary adds, to pronounce sentence against someone or something.
    I have a question Didn't God condemn the earth and bring the flood?
    Let me show you something. Verses 1-3 indicate something radical is beginning to happen on the earth, that is not good, and entirely contrary to God's plan. And yet, as it happens, there is no assignment of punishment or destruction. The interactions between “the sons of God” and the daughters of men become so extreme that we get verse four, which speaks of giants in the earth. The verse also points out that the same giants became mighty men, as though that was a good thing. If you do a quick study of the word mighty, you find the expression gibbôr, which means warrior tyrants.
    Genesis 6:1-4 KJV And it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years. 4 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.
    Genesis 6:6,7 demonstrates a shift in God's attitude and direction for the earth, at least for the moment.
    “And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 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.” KJV
    This passage shows that the change has everything to do with these “sons of God” and their influence, not only in the earth but mankind. The redeeming quality seems to point to one man, Noah. Some that I listen to have stated that Noah's was the only bloodline not impacted by this demonic interaction with women, which produced these giants.
    Giants is the Hebrew word nephil; properly, a feller, that is, a bully or tyrant: - giant. A feller - One who hews or knocks down. Isa 14.
    And yet in the midst of these Nephilim, there was a man.
    Genesis 6:8 NASB But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
    Favor is the Hebrew word mâtsâ'. A primitive root; properly to come forth to, that is, appear or exist; transitively to attain, that is, find or acquire;
• For his efforts, Noah became the heir of righteousness; a righteousness that only comes about through the usage of, or the having of faith.

Now I have to ask, what is faith? Webster's dictionary tells us,

FAITH, n. [L. fides, fido, to trust; Gr. hupóstasis meaning to persuade, to draw towards anything, to conciliate; to believe, to obey.

Noah, given a path to follow, chose to follow God. What other options do you suppose Noah had? One gave hope of a better future, while the other probably involved your imminent demise at the hands of warrior tyrants.

Scripture defines faith as: ”the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 MKJV

Other translations define faith as:

The realization of, or The essence of the thing not seen. Moffatt's translation, tells us that it “means we are confident of what we hope for.”

The Word Study Dictionary defines the Greek word hupóstasis as - to place or set under. In general, that which underlies the apparent, hence, reality, essence, substance; that which is the basis of something, hence, assurance guarantee, to have confidence in (with the obj. Sense).

I want you to see something. If you start with the Jewish understanding of time, it puts us at 4004 B.C. - the fall of man and the beginning of recorded time. Counting backward using the ages given to us in Genesis chapter five, you find some extraordinary bits of information. For example, Adam overlapped Enoch by over three hundred years. So, if you ever wondered how Enoch gained the understanding and ability to talk so intimately with God that he could just walk off the earth, this interaction with Adam is a strong possibility.

What about Methuselah? He was the oldest man on the earth, living 969 years. Does that mean that he died in the flood and was therefore included among the unrighteous? I don't think that is the case. Many years ago I heard someone say, that Methuselah's name meant, "when he dies, it will come." I looked for solid evidence of this statement for years. Just recently I found this, ("he dies, and it (the flood) is sent.") A name given prophetically by Enoch, or given after the event. Phoenician inscriptions use methu or betha ("a man"). Fausset's Bible Dictionary. By Andrew Robert Fausset, co-author of Jamieson, Fausset and Brown's COMMENTARY ON THE WHOLE BIBLE. It appears that Robert Fausset pursued this through Phoenician writings, but that is not clear, and I can still find nothing more to back this claim. What I do have is Strong's concordance, which defines Methuselah's name according to the Hebrew.

H4968 - methu^shelach - From H4962 and H7973; man of a dart; Methushelach, an antediluvian patriarch: - Methuselah.

Man of a dart means nothing to me, but the name Methuselah is a combination of names.

H4962 - math - From the same as H4970; properly an adult (as of full length); by implication a man (only in the plural)

Was he born an adult? No, but the possibilities are good that Methuselah would reach full adulthood. We know that happened.

H7973 - shelach - From H7971; a missile of attack, that is, spear; also (figuratively) a shoot of growth, that is, branch:

Considering that we get our names, typically within minutes of our birth, how is possible that a name, given so early, could define our future and how we act? In a way, the name does not decree the course our lives will take, but I believe that God has His hand in everything. What we see as a human choice or mere coincidence, is no less than God's influence in our lives. For the most part, this is God spelling out the direction your life will take.

Now, I could understand "a missile of attack," from several directions, but one of them could be perceived as God's plan and direction for Methuselah's life. If you look at the figurative portion of the definition, which conveys that Methuselah could or would be representative of a shoot of growth, or a branch. All of which represent life. What do we know of that matches that terminology?

Isaiah 4:2 In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel.

Zechariah 3:8 'Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.

So, the branch then is Jesus. Can we be so bold as to say that Methuselah was a type of Jesus?

Noah, in light of the world in which he lived, and the timeline we can understand, makes him shine all the more brightly. We know from scripture that there were Nephilim in the land. These sons of God that we understand to be fallen angels essentially mated with human females and produced extraordinarily large beings. Because of the information that, not only Adam had access to, but the others that may have had this same information, like Enoch, apparently shared this information. Anyone with common sense can see that there were some highly intelligent and vicious men walking the earth. Should you decide to do a word study on the phrase “mighty men,” you will find that it means warrior tyrants. This scenario was the world, not only Noah but many other men of God. Some have said that Noah's family line, which I just spelled out above, was the only lineage that had not become contaminated by the demonic influence.