What were the “Nephilim”?
Genesis 6:1-8

    Usually, the best way to understand something in the Bible is to use scripture to interpret scripture. We will often do injustice to a passage if we try to make it a self-contained truth and remove it from the context of the rest of God’s Word.

    It’s amazing how we will believe certain things just because someone told us their opinion or we saw it on T.V. or in a movie…think about that.
    The interpretation of verses 1-8 hinges on the definition of three key terms, ‘the sons of God’ (verses 2,4), ‘the daughters of men’ (verses 2,4), and the ‘Nephilim’ (verse 4). There are three major interpretations of these terms which I will attempt to describe, beginning with the one - which, in my mind - is the least likely, and ending with the one that is most satisfactory. By the way, the definition of “Nephilim” is “giant” or “tyrant.”
    The sons of God… is translated differently in different versions of the Bible…The phrase appears 11 times in the KJV, 7 times in the NIV, 10 times in the ASB, 9 times in the 1890 Darby Bible, 5 times in the living Bible, 3 times in the New Century Version, 10 times in the New King James , 2 times in the New Living Translation, 2 times in the New Revised Standard version, 11 times in Young’s literal translation.
Let’s first turn to the Book of Job….
Job 1:6 “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.”
Job 2:1 “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord” ...Obviously in these passages and in other passages the “sons of God” are angels; and they are good angels; angels that have not fallen and have not sinned in rebellion against God …but there in lies the dilemma…One interp-retation is that The “sons of God” are angels that married the daughters of men…and the Nephilim or “giants” are the offspring. But, there are few problems with this interpretation. If these are good angels that have gone and taken daughters of men unto themselves… something that in our context of this scripture is obviously against the wishes of God, then they would have then been rebellious toward God and by this very act, would no longer be considered worthy of the title “sons of God.” Then there is the idea that these sons of God are the fallen angels… who decided to take human women as their wives…and, if they are fallen angels,  why then would they be called the sons of God? Matthew 22:30 tells us - “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.”  I interpret this to mean that angels cannot procreate.
    The second interpretation is that this is a “gene pool” problem. In other words it was the “sons of God” -represented by the offspring of Seth…(who was blessed and through whom came Noah)…who intermarried with the offspring of Cain…(who was cursed by God and banished from the garden to be a “restless wanderer”)
    Because the line of Seth was considered to be “holy” and the line of Cain to be evil and cursed, although similar to the angel interpretation…this is probably a little more believable…yet, I still think scripture tells us more. For in, Romans it says that “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” There was, nor is there a “holy” race of people.  We need to “shake the branches” a little!
I did a word search on the term “sons of God” and here’s what I found;
Matthew 5:9 - “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”
Romans 8:14 - “because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
Romans 8:19 - “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.” (In other words the full manifestation of what this truly means in the end.)
Galatians 3:26 -“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,
John 1:12 - “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
    So, yes, the Bible does refer to believers as Sons of God or Children of God. It should not be to difficult for us to determine that the Sons of God referred to in the sixth chapter of Genesis are believers… and the daughters of men are non believers….regardless of their geneology…Theory number three.
    Those believers who had called upon the name of the Lord at the end of Genesis chapter 4, had within a few generations, abandoned their Godly heritage for the lust of the world…for physical appeal, and beauty instead of Godliness….Believers marrying non-believers?…What does the Bible say about that?
    Well, believers or godly people, willing to give up their position and abandon their godly heritage, and comp-romise their values and principles for the lusts of the world  was the case leading up to the flood. It was the reason God said in Deuteronomy 7 - “”and when the Lord God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons”…Why?  Because it will produce giants? No - “For they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods!”
    When God destroyed the world in the flood it was not because they were giants, it was because of their wickedness. When God told the Israelites to destroy the nations of the Promised Land, it was for the same reason. 2 Corinthians 6:14 - “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do right-eousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”
    Think about what is going on in our world today. Why is it happening? When God’s people become like the world, there is nothing to restrain the world. If we adopt the world’s values and no longer stand on the unchang-eable Word of God, we compromise the truth for peace with the world; at the expense of peace with God. We need to ask ourselves, “Why are our Sunday schools falling apart? Why is there a battle over prayer in schools?  Why is there a division over abortion…even in our churches?  Why are we even debating same sex marriages?  And the list goes on and on. Could it be because the “sons of God” have lusted after the “daughters of men”?
    One last question…How did the Nephilim or giants come about simply by this union of the “sons of God and the daughters of men” whatever the interpretation of that is? The answer is they didn’t. The text clearly says in Genesis 6:4 - “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days--and also afterward--when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.”
    It says “the Nephilim were on the earth in those days.” It does not say that the Nephilim were the “offspring” of the Sons of God and the daughters of men.
    So, what are the Nephilim? They were - and are “giants”…“tyrants”…”bullies” the strong, evil, immoral, who seem to be dominating our world!  I’ll close with this thought; Jesus said, “As it was in the days of Noah….so shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man” Hmmm.
    Let me go back to what I said in the beginning about how we believe certain things just because someone told us something or because we saw it on TV or in a movie…We need to believe because we have studied Gods word…and allowed scripture to interpret scripture.

Life Preservers 6 – In Times of Grief
2 Corinthians 1:3-7

    The Bible is full of examples of men and women who faced the storms of life as we do. Times of temptation; doubt; worry; fear; guilt; and today grief. We can learn from them the right and wrong way to react when these times come our way…and they will. Psalm 119:50 says “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preservers my life!”

    There are some things I referenced along the way about grief that I want to share. There was an article that had to do with pressure situations and their corresponding “life-change units.” It said that if a person could add up to 150 units in a year, that person’s health would begin to break down. To give you an idea of this, I will start with the smallest unit and work up; here is the list:

1. Minor violations of the law – (traffic tickets) = 11 units.

2. Christmas – (the stress and pressures related to it) = 12 units.
3. In-law problems = 29 units.
4. Death of a close friend = 37 units.
5. Pregnancy = 40 units (I don’t know if that is for the wife or the husband)
6. Retirement = 45 units.
7. Marriage = 50 units.
8. Jail detention = 63 units.
9. Divorce = 73 units.
10. Death of a spouse = 100 units.

    The reason for looking at these things is of course, to see how easy a combination of these things in a years’ time can affect our stress level. Most all of these things involve a loss of some kind, which results in a certain level of grief. The greater the loss, the greater the grief. What we don’t realize is that loss does not always involve death. We can mourn and have stress for other reasons.

    There is a character in the Old Testament who experienced just about every loss imaginable, his name was Job. In Job 1:13-17 we are told that Job had 7,000 sheep; 3,000 camels; 500 donkeys; and 500 yoke of oxen. He lost them all to natural disaster and raiding parties. So the first area that brought stress and grief was the loss of wealth. Not everyone can relate to this experience of financial loss, but many can…Judy and I certainly can.
    In Job 1:18 we are told that Job lost his sons and daughters all at the same time in what seems to be a great tornado. The scripture says a “sudden mighty wind” swept in from the desert and collapsed the house they were all in and they died. So, the second area of loss was the loss of loved ones. There are probably very few who cannot relate to this one. Judy and I are both without parents or grand-parents, and we lost a dear friend just a few weeks after coming to South Carolina. I think of all the losses we grieve over, this one is the hardest and the longest lasting; which is why it has the highest stress units.
    In Job 2:7 we are told about Job’s third loss – the loss of his health. Granted the severity of grief over the loss of heath coincides with the severity of the health problem, but it is still a loss. It may be a result of the aging process, or something more severe, but the stress units accumulate.
    Those who have studied grief tell us that there is a normal cycle of grief; first there is shock – we are stunned and we don’t know how to react; it may even seem unreal. Then there is denial or blame. Third is anger; followed by depression. And, last is finally acceptance and hope. When a person gets stuck in any certain area of this process, we call that despair. Grief is normal; weeping is normal; despair is not.
    I think that of all the times I have talked about in this series in which we need a life preserver, grief is probably the greatest. It is in times of loss and grief that we really need to grab on to God’s Word and allow the “Comforter” the Holy Spirit to weep with us; to mourn with us; and help us through the grieving process and give us new hope.
    God never promised that as Christians we would ever be exempt from grief; but He does promise to comfort and help us through. 2 Corinthians 1:3 says “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all out troubles.”
    It is hard even now to write about times of grief without remembering those times in my own life. A lot of hurt and pain that I thought I would never get through. But, I have found that since becoming a Christian, we so often over-estimate our ability to handle sin and temptation…and we under-estimate our ability to handle trials, loss, and grief.
    I don’t know where some of you are in this process we call grief, but my hope is that you have found some comfort in this message, and in the knowledge that grief; like fear, doubt, temptation, worry, and guilt, is one of those times when we need something to keep us from sinking into “despair” because people in despair are people who have no hope. God’s Word is full of life preservers…grab one and hang on…I promise there is a better day coming!

Life Preservers 5 – In Times of Guilt
Leviticus 5:14- 6:7 and Hebrews 10:19-23

    A few years ago I heard about something that has existed for years that few people know about. The U.S. government has what they call a “conscience fund” to provide relief for people who feel guilty about cheating the government; whether on taxes or in some other way. Thousands of letters and millions of dollars have been sent anonymously into this fund for years. For example: an ex G.I. sent money for some things he felt he had stolen during World War II…And, on a more humorous note; one man sent in $150,000 dollars, admitting he had cheated on his taxes. His letter concluded “If I still can’t sleep, I’ll send the rest later!” We all know what it feels like to feel guilty about something, so let’s see if we can find a life preserver for those times when we want to clear our conscience.

    To begin with, it is important that we understand the biblical view of the “conscience”. Our conscience is that part of us that God has built into our emotions that makes us feel guilty. Guilt is a message of disapproval from our conscience. Something we said; something we did; something we didn’t do; It is an important part of the way God created us. However, it is not always reliable. Walt Disney’s character “Jiminy Cricket” used to say “Let your conscience be your guide” but that may not always be good advise…let me explain why;
    The Bible mentions four different types of “Conscience”. The first is a weak conscience. Sometimes people feel guilty about something when they shouldn’t because of a weak conscience. In the battle over meat that was sacrificed to idols, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8:7 “Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.” This was meat that was sold in the market-place at a discount, and Christians were debating whether or not such meat was acceptable. Paul goes on to say; “Food does not bring us near to God; and we are no worse if we do eat and no better if we don’t.” People with a weak conscience often feel guilty about things that are not sin. One woman may feel guilty because her house is not spotless; someone might feel guilty because they have more than others; children are made to feel guilty if they don’t visit often enough; you may feel guilty if you don’t say “yes” every time someone asks you to do something. I have heard of Christians who feel guilty about listening to country music. The point is that these things are not sin and the guilt comes from a weak conscience.
    Second, is what the Bible calls a “seared conscience.” If we consistently ignore and consistently violate our conscience it will become “seared”. A story is told of an Indian who pictured his conscience as a three cornered thing inside his heart. When he did wrong, it would spin around inside his heart and it would hurt. But if he ignored it and consistently did wrong, it would spin so much the corners would wear off, and it wouldn’t hurt any more.
    The most effective silencer of the conscience is public opinion. If everyone is doing it, then why should we feel guilty? This is why things that were shocking to us in years past, no longer affect us. It’s called “rationalized” behavior. So, the President’s personal life is none of our business…The scandals in Washington are nothing new…(Don’t get me started…)
    Third, the Bible does speak of a “guilty” conscience. Our scripture from Hebrews says “Let us draw near to God …having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience.” If we attempt to “draw near to God” with a guilty conscience, it is because we have sin in our lives that needs to be cleansed!
    The first two types of conscience are wrongly programmed. The person with a weak conscience feels guilty when he shouldn’t; the person with the seared conscience does not feel guilty when he should! A guilty conscience is one that feels guilty when it should feel guilty. A person who has matured in their faith and is led by the Holy Spirit will have a guilty conscience…That is a conscience that sends a message of guilt to the emotions when sin enters in!
    There are times when we should feel guilty, because we are! But, let me take that a step further; there are times when a person is guilty whether they feel it or not. For example; a person who robs a bank is guilty of sin, and whether he feels guilty or not doesn’t change the truth.
    This leads to the final type of conscience; a clear conscience. A clear conscience is one that feels clean because it is clean. There are two ways we can have a clear conscience; one is to be without sin; the other is to be completely forgiven of sin. Jesus was the only one who fits the first scenario…you and I need God’s forgiveness! 1 John 1:8 says “If we claim to be without sin, the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and PURIFY us from ALL unrighteousness.” That’s a giant life preserver! Here is another – “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Perhaps one of the greatest life preservers is John 5:24 – “I tell you the truth, whosoever hears my word and believes in Him who sent me, has eternal life and will not be condemned!”
    Are you a “whosoever” this morning? Is your conscience clear? Do you still fear judgment or punishment in any way? Grab hold of John 1:8 so you can be free of guilt…and let the Holy Spirit be your guide!