Chapter Two/ A Faultless Man in a Twisted World

Noah grew up in a world that was rapidly going from bad to worse.  It had been bad in the days of his great-grandfather Enoch, another righteous man who walked with God.  Enoch had foretold that a day of judgment was coming upon the ungodly people of the world.  Now, in Noah's day, ungodliness was far worse.  In fact, from Jehovah's viewpoint, the earth was ruined, for it was filled with violence. (Genesis 5:22; 6:11; Jude 14, 15) What had happened to make things so much worse? 

A terrible tragedy had unfolded  among God's spirit sons, the angles. One of them had already rebelled against Jehovah, becoming Satan the Devil by slandering God and luring Adam and Eve into sin. In Noah's day, other agents began to revolt against Jehovah's just rule.  Forsaking their God-given station in heaven, they came to earth, assumed human form, and took beautiful women as their wives. Those proud, selfish rebel angels were a poisonous influence among humans. 

Further, the unnatural unions between materialized angles and human women produced hybrid  sons of extraordinary size and strength.  The Bible calls them Nephilim, which literally means "Fellers"-those who cause others to fail.  Victious bullies, the Nephilim intensified the world's brutal, ungodly spirit.  Little wonder that in view of the Creator, "the badness of man was abundant in the earth and every inclination of the heart was only bad all the time." Jehovah determined that he would wipe out that wicked society in 120 years. - Read GENESIS 6:3-5.

Imagine trying to raise a family in such a world!  Yet, Noah did so. He found a good wife. After Noah turned 500 years of age, his wife bore him three sons-Shem, Ham, and Japheth.   Together, the parents had to  protect their boys from the vile influences surrounding them.  Little boys tend to be filled with awe and admiration for  "mighty ones" and "men of fame"-and the Nephilim were just that.  Noah  and wife could hardly shield the children from every report about the exploits of those giants, but they could teach the appealing truth about Jehovah God, the one who hates all wickedness.  They had to help their boys see that Jehovah felt hurt by the violence and rebellion in the world. -  GENESIS 6:6. 

Parents today may well sympathized with Noah and his wife.  Our world is likewise poisoned by violence and rebelliousness. Cities are often dominated by gangs of wayward youths.  Even entertainment directed at  young children  may be saturated with violent themes. Wise parents do all they can to counter such influences by teaching their children about the God of peace,  Jehovah who will one day bring all violence to an end.  (Psalm 11:5; 37:10, 11)  Success is possible!  Noah and his wife succeeded. Their boys grew up to be good men, and they married wives who were likewise willing to put the true God, Jehovah first in their lives. 

Next time: Chapter Two "Make for Yourself an Ark" 

From the jw.org publications