Genesis 5:25 – 6:4

²⁵ After Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered Lamech.

²⁶ Methuselah lived after he fathered Lamech 782 more years and had other sons and daughters.

²⁷ So all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died.

²⁸ After Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son

²⁹ and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.”

³⁰ Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 more years and had other sons and daughters.

³¹ So all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.

³² After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

^6:1 When humanity began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them,

² the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.

³ Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.”

⁴ The Nephilim were in the land in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. _________________________________________

120 years

This was not a lengthening of the threescore and ten. God was simply saying that in 120 years, humanity will be put to an end. Thankfully, we learn later that Noah would be rescued, along with his family. Things had gotten so bad that unclean spirits were starting to take over. God’s Spirit could not tolerate such apostasy. He decided to put an end to the world. What if he had not decided to give the world another 120 years? Noah would not have been born.

LORD, thank you for your patience with us. Even in our sin you give us time. May we use the time you give us to bring our families to you.