6 In this chapter we have,

1. The abounding iniquity of that wicked world, Gen 6:1-5. and
   Gen 6:11-12.
   
2. God's just resentment of that iniquity, and his holy resolution to punish it, Gen 6:6-7.
   
3. The special favour of God to his servant Noah.
   1. In the character given of him, Gen 6:8-10.
      
   2. In the communication of God's purpose to him, Gen 6:13-17.
      
   3. In the directions he gave him to make an ark for his own safety, Gen 6:14-16.
      
   4. In the employing of him for the preservation of the rest of the creatures, Gen 6:18-21.
      
   Lastly, Noah's obedience to the instructions given him, Gen 6:22.
   

6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth - Abundance of sin was committed in all places, by all sorts of people:and those sins in their own nature most gross and heinous, and provoking: and committed daringly, with a defiance of heaven. And that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually - A sad sight, and very offensive to God's holy eye. This was the bitter root, the corrupt spring: all the violence and oppression, all the luxury and wantonness that was in the world, proceeded from the corruption of nature; lust conceives them, Jam 1:15, see Mat 15:19.The heart was evil, deceitful and desperately wicked; the principles were corrupt, and the habits and dispositions evil. The thoughts of the heart were so. Thought is sometimes taken for the settled judgment, and that was biased and misled; sometimes for the workings of the fancy, and those were always either vain or vile. The imagination of the thought of the heart was so, that is, their designs and devices were wicked. They did not do evil only through carelessness, but deliberately and designedly, contriving how to do mischief. 'Twas bad indeed, for it was only evil, continually evil, and every imagination was so. There was no good to be found among them, no not at any time: the stream of sin was full and strong, and constant; and God saw it. Here is God's resentment of man's wickedness. He did not see it as an unconcerned spectator, but as one injured and affronted by it; he saw it as a tender father sees the folly and stubbornness of a rebellious and disobedient child, which not only angers but grieves him, and makes him wish he had been written childless.

6:6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man upon the earth - That he had made a creature of such noble powers, and had put him onthis earth, which he built and furnished on purpose to be a comfortable habitation for him; and it grieved him at his heart - These are expressions after the manner of men, and must be understood so as not to reflect upon God's immutability or felicity. It doth not speak any passion or uneasiness in God, nothing can create disturbance to the eternal mind; but it speaks his just and holy displeasure against sin and sinners: neither doth it speak any change of God's mind; for with him there is no variableness; but it speaks a change of his way.When God had made man upright, he rested and was refreshed, Exo 31:17. and his way towards him was such as shewed him well pleasedwith the work of his own hands; but now man was apostatized, he could not do otherwise, but shew himself displeased; so that the change was in man, not in God.

6:7 I will destroy man - The original word is very significant.I will wipe off man from off the earth; as dirt is wiped off from a place which should be clean, and thrown to the dunghill. Or, I will blot out man from the earth, as those lines are blotted out of a book which displease the author, or as the name of a citizen is blotted out of the rolls of the freemen when he is disfranchised. Both man and beast the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air - These were made for man, and therefore must be destroyed with man. It repenteth me that I have made them - For the end of their creation also was frustrated: they were made that man might serve and honour God with them and therefore were destroyed, because he had served his lusts with them, and made them subject to vanity.

6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord - This vindicates God's justice in his displeasure against the world, and shews that he had examined the character of every person in it, before he pronounced it universally corrupt; for there being one good man he smiled upon him.

7 We have in this chapter,

1. God's gracious call to Noah to come into the ark, Gen 7:1.
   and to bring the creatures that were to be preserved alive, with him, Gen 7:2-3.
   in consideration of the deluge at hand, Gen 7:4.
   
2. Noah's obedience, Gen 7:5.
   he came with his family into the ark, Gen 7:6-7.
   and brought the creatures with him, Gen 7:8-9.
   An account of which is repeated, Gen 7:13-16.
   to which is added God's tender care to shut him in.
3. The coming of the threatened deluge, Gen 7:10.
   the causes of it, Gen 7:11-12.
   the prevalency of it, Gen 7:17-20.
   
4. The dreadful desolations that were made by it, in the death of every living creature upon earth, except what were in the ark, Gen 7:21-23.
   
5. The continuance of it in full sea, before it began to ebb, 150 days, Gen 7:24.
   

7:1 Here is a gracious invitation of Noah and his family into a place of safety, now the flood of waters was coming. For thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation - Those are righteous indeed that are righteous before God; that have not only the form of godliness by which they appear righteous before men, who may easily be imposed upon; but the power of it, by which they approve themselves to God, who searcheth the heart.

7:2 Here are necessary orders given concerning the brute creatures that they were to be preserved alive with Noah in the ark. He must carefully preserve every species, that no tribe, no, not the least considerable, might entirely perish out of the creation.Observe in this:

1. God's care for man. Doth God take care for oxen? Co1 9:9, or was it not rather for man's sake that this care was taken?
2. Even the unclean beasts were preserved alive in the ark, that were least valuable. For God's tender mercies are over all his works, and not only over those that are of most use.
3. Yet more of the clean were preserved than of the unclean.
   1. Because the clean were most for the service of man; and therefore in favour to him, more of them were preserved and are still propagated. Thanks be to God there are not herds of lions as there are of oxen, nor flocks of tigers as there are of sheep.
   2. Because the clean were for sacrifice to God; and therefore, in honour to him, more of them were preserved, three couple for breed, and the odd seventh for sacrifice, Gen 8:20.

7:4 Yet seven days and I will cause it to rain - It shall be seven days yet before I do it, After the 120 years were expired, God grants them a reprieve of seven days longer, both to shew how slow he is to anger, and to give them some farther space for repentance. But all in vain; these seven days were trifled away after all the rest, they continued secure until the day that the flood came. While Noah told them of the judgment at a distance, they were tempted to put off their repentance: but now he is ordered to tell them that it is at the door; that they have but one week more to turn them in, to see if that will now at last awaken them to consider the things that belong to their peace. But it is common for those that have been careless for their souls during the years of their health, when they have looked upon death at a distance, to be as careless during the days, the seven days of their sickness, when they see it approaching, their hearts being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

8 

8:15 Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod, or of the Sadducees; two opposite extremes.

8:17 Our Lord here affirms of all the apostles, (for the question is equivalent to an affirmation,) That their hearts were hardened; that having eyes they saw not, having ears they heard not; that they did not consider, neither understand: the very same expressions that occur in the thirteenth of Matthew.And yet it is certain they were not judicially hardened.Therefore all these strong expressions do not necessarily import any thing more than the present want of spiritual understanding.

8:18 See note at Mar 8:17