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As I read through Genesis 4–7 today, I was reminded of a few important truths:

While the Bible in its entirety is God’s truth, it does not provide every detail of history. What it does give us is enough to lead us into a restored relationship with God. Here are a few reflections from today’s reading:

  1. We are not given specific details about who the “sons of God” were in Genesis 6:1–4 or exactly who the Nephilim were. What we do know is that the wickedness of humanity deeply displeased God, while the righteousness of Noah—who walked with God—was pleasing to Him. The first person in Scripture I find myself wanting to emulate is Enoch, because he walked with God (Genesis 5:24) and clearly found favor with Him. The second is Noah, whose obedience to God is emphasized in these chapters.

  2. We know that Noah found favor with God (Genesis 6:9), but some details about the flood narrative that many of us learned in childhood are not found in the text. For example, I expected to read about people mocking Noah and his sons as they built the ark on dry land, or about Noah trying to convince them to repent. Yet, these elements are not in the biblical account; they’ve been added to Sunday School lessons to make the story more engaging. What the text does emphasize is the need to “rule over” sin in our lives (Genesis 4:7). The key lesson is this: when you walk in righteousness, the Lord will find favor with you.

  3. My main takeaway was that Noah, like Enoch, walked with God and found favor with Him. Walking with God means living in dependence and obedience to Him. This prompts me to ask: What does obedience to God look like for us today? It may not be a direct command like “build an ark,” but the implication is clear in Jesus’s words: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Our obedience is found in believing in Jesus as the Son of God, surrendering our lives to Him, and trusting in the salvation He provides.

God does not expect us to be perfect. Adam and Eve, before the fall, were naked and felt no shame. But He does expect us to surrender to Him fully, depending on His guidance. It is in this surrender and dependence that we find favor with God.