A Bible Study
Contents:
| Introduction | |
| In the Beginning God ... | 11 |
| The 6 'Days of Creation | 11-28 24-7 |
| 7th Day of Celebration | 21-3 |
| The Theory of Evolution | |
| Eden and Eve | 28-25 |
| The Judgement of Sin | 31-24 |
| Abel Assured; but Cain Kills | 41-16 |
| Adam to Noah | 420 - 532 |
Genesis is foundational to all the Word of God.
Many of the great themes that flow throughout scripture find their source
here.
e.g. Creation, the fall and the God's rescue plan, God's justice and mercy,
God's choice, God's laws, the inclination of men to sin ...
It reveals God's foundations, and his plans for his world and his people.
It reveals what was, what might have been, what is and what will be.
3 Rules for the Word of God:
Take nothing from it; Add nothing to it; Alter nothing
in it.
In Genesis God tells us of our origin on earth,
In Revelation he shows us the end.
The Bible is the only accurate book about the origin of man and his destiny.
Satan hates both books as they reveal his part in the fall and his own defeat.
It is the Counsellor, the Spirit of truth, who reveals what God wants us
to know.
Concerning creation, some mysteries will remain,
but he reveals much truth to all with a humble heart
and a desire to know.
If God reveals the truth of Creation, the believer will find lasting sustenance.
Men will resist and finally scoff at the truth of God being Creator. 2
Pe 33-7
This is now the case as never before.
In every age men have hated being subservient to
anyone, especially to God.
The Scriptures are not some old fashioned fantasy, but the testimony of God.
One young undergraduate complained to her professor that he too old fashioned.
He replied, "Young lady, you entered this world in
an old-fashioned way,
and you will surely
also leave it by an old-fashioned way." Ecc 320
Look at stars, and you will ask, "How come?" Ps 83,4 God's
answer is in Gen 1,2
Today we are involved in the battle of evolution .v. creation.
Evolution is taught as truth in all UK education
curriculum; but it is a lie.
The scriptures alone reveal the truth that God created
everything that is.
Materialism asks how do you explain the existence of God?
but the real question is how does God explain the
existence of everything else?
Mysticism says only the spiritual is real. But God says the physical is real
too.
Animism and New Age think that God is in all things.
They worship the things + 'Mother Earth' instead
of the Creator of all things.
Superstitious (7/10 people in UK) read horoscopes.
They claim the star of Bethlehem proves astrology.
Yet it was not the stars that determined the baby,
but the baby who determined
the position of the star!
Polytheism is a lie! There is no god called Allah, Buddha ... they are all
images.
Just the imagination of deceived men, who prefer
darkness to light.
Genesis 1 declares that there is only one God.
Deism - most subtle - and includes many church-goers.
They say there is one god who created the world,
but he no longer controls it.
The world is only controlled by men and the physical
laws. No miracles.
Each of these are now being readily promulgated on TV.
And each deny that the Lord Almighty is the one Creator
and Preserver.
If men then also deny God's Judgement, e.g. flood in Noah's day, Sodom ...
then it is quite safe to ignore God. There is no
need to fear him!
But what does God himself proclaim? What are the very first words in
the Bible?
In the beginning God ...
These first four words of Scripture make a clear definitive statement:
That before anything was created, God was.
He existed before time began.
Indeed, he made time - and all the other physical
dimensions.
It is said that the first and last sentences of a book are the most vital.
The last words are: The grace of the Lord Jesus
be with God's people. Amen.
Such is the profound wisdom of God.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the
earth. Gen 11 Heb 110
The words heavens and earth are both elastic.
Heavens = earth's atmosphere and also further solar
and galactic space.
Earth = handful of soil and also all planet earth
(rock, sea animals - the lot!).
Both reveal God. Ps 191 Is 4026
Jer 1011,12
God desired to tell men what happened in the beginning. How would he do it?
This required decisions as to style, words, detail,
view point,
the order of events,
and also his purpose in creation.
God chose to make it simple for us. He chose prose, not poetry - except
127
It had to be clear for all men of every age.
It is told as from man's perspective.
God has to stoop to view the heavens and the earth.
Ps 1136
He speaks about sunrise and sunset; knowing the earth orbits the sun. Ps
1133
He talks about the ends of the earth (x46), knowing the earth to be
a sphere.
He will gather his elect ... from the ends of
the earth. Mk 1327 Is 419 Ps 728
The sentences are short; but each starts with Hebrew 'wah' = and, then, but.
In Hebrew Gen 1 is one long sentence.
He wants men to understand the fact of his creation, not the detailed science.
This fantastic earth is not the result of random chance, but planned design.
Initially God created the earth formless and empty, darkness was over
the surface of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
This was the starting place of the narrative.
He then gives us a framework of 6 days - 2 units of 3 days. (Details later)
Day 1 - 3
God makes the earth inhabitable.
He gives it orbit, rotation, tilt, shape, heat, light, ionosphere, magnetism.
Separates light and darkness (not sun or day/night)
Separates thick 'mist' into water and sky
(clouds and atmosphere)
Separates water (sea) from dry land (water over and
under land)
He creates vegetation; seed-bearing plants and trees (CO2
to O2)
Day 4 - 6
God then populates the uninhabited.
He makes the sun and moon (already created) visible
from earth.
He first populates the sea with fish and the sky
with birds.
Then he populates the land with animals (and insects,
microbes).
Finally he creates man in his own image.
God blessed man and
gave him seeds for food and responsibility for it all.
Thus there was order, simplicity, balance, beauty, skill and blessing.
Though scientifically highly complex; it's form was
simple to appreciate.
There is one subject in every sentence - God (Heb. Elohiym - plural). (x2075)
7 verbs: created, made, fed, saw, blessed, give, produce - always singular.
It tells of a progressive creation, not 6 x 24 hours.
Day (Hebrew 'Yom') = Daylight (c.f. night), 24 hours (sunset to sunset).
15
'Yom' also a period of time. e.g.
In the day (6
days) that the Lord made the earth and the heavens. 24
Then you lived in
the desert for a long time (day). (a 'yom') Josh 247 (x64)
The day (reign)
of the Lord. Mal 41,5 Is 136,9 (x14)
The chronicles
('yom') of the kings of Israel. 1 Kgs 1419
The ancient Hebrews had no clocks and so had a very different concept of
time.
'Yom' or day was a specific duration which may or
may not be 24 hours.
The day of the Lord could be the hour of his
coming
or the age of his rule
- which is all eternity!
The 6 'Days' of Creation
11-28
Day 1 Gen 11-5
God creates the heavens and the earth; and water - lots of it.
Sun, solar system and galaxies are not mentioned.
His Spirit hovers or 'broods' over the waters.
God creates light and then separates it from darkness. Sun not yet visible.
'Evening and morning'. This 'day' was first darkness ('evening').
11,2
Then light ('morning'). 13-5 But not yet
the day / night of earth's rotation.
The Jewish day always starts with darkness followed
by light of day.
Day 2 Gen 16-8
God creates an atmosphere on earth that men and animals could safely live.
Water and sky (clouds), also weather and the water cycle.
No mention of ozone layer or earth's magnetism to
deflect solar wind etc.
Nor of balance of O2 CO2 N
etc in atmosphere, needed for plants, fish, man.
Day 3 Gen 19-13
The land (continents) appeared up out of the ocean. Science agrees.
God commanded the land to produce vegetation in all it's varied 'kinds'.
111
They produce the oxygen in sea and air required for
the fish and animals.
No mention of carbon cycle or plankton or fungi.
The plants bore fruit with seed. 111,12
God made the plant 'kinds' stable. Species could not and cannot inter-fertilise.
Day 4 Gen 114-19
God clears the sky of total cloud and reveals the sun, moon and stars.
At the beginning there was light before the sun appeared,
and at the end there will be light after the sun
has gone. Rev 2123
The sun and moon were made to serve or regulate the earth.
Unlike the winter solstice when pagans worship the
birth of the sun.
(And Sunday that Constantine named to worship the
Sun god.)
They illuminate the day (and night) and regulate the seasons and tides.
The stars do not regulate planet earth. (Astrology
is demonic rubbish.)
Man alone was told to operate on the week because he alone is like God.
Day 5 Gen 120-23
A new animate life is created - fish and birds, that have a living, breathing
body.
Like the plants, it was each according to their kinds.
They increased till the waters teemed with life. The birds also increased.
This natural multiplication obviously took more than
24 hours.
Day 6 Gen 124-31
God ordered the land to produce the animals each according to their
kinds.
And God made ... all the living creatures.
Finally God created man. He did not develop out of a monkey.
1. 'The' 6th day, not a 6th day.
2. God's last creative act, the very pinnacle of all his creation -
All God's earlier creation
was good; man was very good.
3. Let us make man in our own image. 'Us' = the Trinity of God.
4. The special Hebrew word 'Bara' is used for create.
5. God moves into poetry in 127 He feels it, he is really
excited about it.
6. Created in our image. What does this mean? Man is very special.
Man is unique and far above animals.
Worship, beauty, music, imagination, kindness,
intellect.
But also greed, war, pride, cruelty, revenge,
evil.
God says let man be like us. Able to fellowship
together c.f. animals. 220b
Sadly some people are closer to their cat or
canary than to other people.
7. Man is unique. He has a soul. Man created is emphasised (x3)
in 117
8. Created male and female. Sex in man is quite different than
in animals.
It reflects deep love
and affection; not just lust.
Children need both
a mother and a father.
9. Man is told to rule the earth. God's rule is kind, just and organised.
Note that dominion
is given to all men and women, not one man.
10. Man is told to eat different food from animals (seeds, not leaves).
11. Man is told to operate on the basis of a week, especially a different
7th day.
Animals can work 7 days/week; but man is much
more efficient on a 6 day week.
12. God formed man from the dust of the ground
and breathed life into him - the life of God.
27 Ezek 379,10
Greeks restrict the resurrection to the soul, the spirit of man.
Hebrews think of the resurrection of the body as
well as the soul.
Jesus fried and ate breakfast.
Lord Soper was asked, "What shape is the soul?"
"Oblong," he immediately replied. (A man's body is
roughly oblong)
He was then asked, "Where is the soul in the body?"
"Where the music is in the organ," Soper replied.
SOS = Save our souls (not save our body)
7th Day of
Celebration 21-3
The creation is not a chance accident, it was a brilliant, planned design.
No evening and morning on the 7th day.
God continued to enjoy his marvellous creation.
Sabbath commemorates God's creation and is thus on the 7th day, not the first.
When did Sunday replace the Sabbath? Jn 2019
Act 207 1 Co 162 Rev 110
There are10 commandments in Gen 1
Each of them was instantly obeyed! And it was so.
13 Let there be light.
16 Let there be an expanse between the waters
to separate water from water.
19 Let the water under the sky be gathered
to one place, and let dry ground appear.
111 Let the land produce vegetation; seed-bearing plants
and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their
kinds.
114 Let there be lights in the sky to separate the day
from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark the seasons and days
and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light
on the earth.
120 Let the water teem with living creatures, and let
birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.
122 Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water
in the seas, and let the birds increase on earth.
124 Let the land produce living creatures according to
their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals,
each according to its kind.
126 Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and
let them rule over the fish of the seas and the birds of the air, over livestock,
over the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.
128 Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth
and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and
over every living creature that moves on the ground.
3 blessings. 122 128 23
3 separations. 13 17 19
3 creations. 11 121 127
It remains an unproved theory; but is taught as truth.
Began with Aristotle. Darwin wrote 'The Origin of Species'
in 1859.
Proud humanists, rejoicing in industrial revolution,
welcomed it.
10 years later he added man to evolutionary chain
with 'The Descent of Man'.
Theory claims:
All species developed from another in steps by genetic
mutation.
Simple life came about by the chance combination
of molecules.
But:
Based on observation of similarities of species.
Genetic mutation always degrades rather than advances a species.
The human cell has 46 chromosomes each with a single
DNA molecule.
Though the cell nucleus is only 1/150 mm yet it contains
1.8 metres of DNA!
It is a very precisely intricately packaged structure
- double helix -
that makes adding
chromosomes impossible.
Mutations cannot make
a new, more advanced species.
Even within a species, grafting in another persons
organ requires matching
and lifelong anti-rejection
drug treatment.
Consider something as simple as a mechanical watch; if all the separate parts
were put in a box and shaken, they could never by chance
come together
each in the correct place and then wind up the spring
to start it!
Each cell reproduces an exact copy of itself by absorbing free molecules.
It must absorb exactly the right molecules over a
million x million of them!
Each is attached to a catalytic molecule that organises
the building.
Only when the cell
has doubled in size does it divide.
Catalytic molecules use 20 different enzymes to form
amino acid proteins.
Each cell is in constant communication with its neighbours.
They cooperate to form living tissue, each of precisely
the right form.
The tissue then forms
organs, veins, bone, skin, nerves, brain, blood etc.
They receive nutrients and 'process' waste and exchange
energy.
The most advanced chemistry cannot inject this organic life.
Even the simplest cells cannot be made; they have
to reproduce themselves.
And they never produce something else.
Gender change is likewise impossible. No amount of surgery or hormone
treatment can change the gender pair of chromosomes
in any cell
from the male XY to the female XX or the reverse,
let alone in every cell.
Each adult human being has about 75,000 billion cells.
No fossils of 'mixed' species have ever been found.
Complex species existed from the start.
Some have died out, but none have been created since the beginning.
No brontisaurus today, but there have always been mice and
spiders.
However there is clearly limited development within all species,
but a mouse remains a mouse and cannot become a cat!
Cows are bred for higher milk yields or better beef,
but don't become lions.
Wheat is bred for shorter straw or for bread flour,
but never becomes maize.
Only in recent years have men begun to discover how wonderful God's design
is;
and we are only just 'scratching the surface'.
The fusing of a female egg and a male sperm to form a single cell is fantastic.
That cell then has to multiply billions of times
to form a child,
and then even
more times to form an intelligent adult.
Only with extreme difficulty and danger can men clone
a human cell.
And they know it is
absolutely impossible to clone an inter-species cell.
God has given us an account of how he created all material and living things.
Men who hate God will always try to deny what God
has done.
God's account is accurate.
The universe is the result of God's choice, not of
random chance.
God also preserves and guards what he has created. Heb 13
1 Ch 2911 Col 116,17
He made man the responsible tenant, but not the Landlord.
Our best life is under his laws and commands.
Proud man wants to be free to do whatever he desires.
God offers salvation to weak, wicked, 'fallen' man, who deny he has any need.
Darwin developed his theory because he was 'on the run from God'.
Modern man endorses it for the same reason.
He thinks it gets him off the hook. - to be free
from a guilty conscience.
Man is a most extraordinary creature. He craves safety, but demands freedom.
"Man is the glory, the jest and the riddle of the world." Alexander Pope
Accepting evolution theory as fact has some major results:
1. God is side-lined; he has no significance for modern man.
He can safely be ignored
- and so can all his restrictive laws.
2. Believing such a major lie reveals how easily wicked men can be deceived.
3. Men worship 'Mother Nature' instead of God, who designed and created
it all.
Hindus and New Age
claim God is in everything and everyone.
4. Man becomes even more arrogant and proud of his achievements.
Thinks it is by his
innate ability that he is so much superior to monkeys.
5. "Survival of the fittest" when applied to humans leads to genocide
and war.
Basis of Nazi killing
of Jews, gypsies and coloureds.
Eden and Eve
28-25
Having revealed to men the wonder of his creation,
God centers our attention on his purpose - man and
woman living in Eden.
To live in freedom and fulfilment and in fellowship
with their Creator.
The garden is described.
Many varieties of beautiful trees, each with fruit
to eat.
Also the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil. 29
A river watering the garden flowed from Eden.
210
Note that it flowed
out of Eden, not into Eden.
There was also gold, aromatic resin and jewels.
The tree of life was a single and real tree.
It will appear again in the new heaven and earth.
Rev 222,14
God placed Adam in the garden to work it and care for it -
not to put his feet up all day and do nothing.
This was true before the fall, and will be true in
the new heaven and earth.
God gave him total freedom and just one command:
He must not eat from the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil. 217
It was not an unreasoned command - "because I say
so."
But a profound warning
for when you eat of it you will surely die. 217
God who made time knew
that Adam would chose to ignore this command.
So
he said 'when' you eat of the tree, not 'if' you eat ...
Man was created with the knowledge of good, but not
of evil.
In the kingdom of God
the knowledge of evil with be taken away. Is 35
It was never God's plan for Adam to live by himself, alone. 218
Here he tells us more about the 6th day
creation.
It is not good for the man to be alone.
218
The creation of Eve
must be before the conclusion, and it was very good. 131
God delighted in man whom he made in his own image:
thus he knew Adam would
delight in one made like him.
So God said I will make a helper suitable for
him.
And then reveals that
he did so.
God knew that Adam felt his need for companionship.
So he brought each of the animals and birds to him
- like he did for Noah. 78,9
Adam named them all, but none was a suitable mate.
God made man unique.
In a perfect operation under deep anaesthetic, God extracted a rib from Adam
(It is a fallacy to
say that men today have one less rib than women)
"God did not take it from his head for her to lord
it over him,
nor from his feet to
be trampled by him,
but from under his
arm to be protected by him
and near his heart
to be loved by him."
From the rib God created Eve. Different from Adam. Female.
Adam's Y chromosome in his XY pair was replaced with X, to make the female
XX.
When Adam saw Eve, he said, "Wow!!" God had done another wonderful job.
Scripture records Adam's response in a short poem.
223
God then introduces a vital principle:
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother
and be united to his wife, and they will become
one flesh. 224
This is true for both man and woman - as per US marriage ceremony.
This leaving does not absolve our responsibility to honour
our parents. Exd 2012
Permanent marriage was, and continues to be God's design and desire.
Their shameless innocence and joyful union could only be spoiled from outside.
And it soon was.
The Judgement of Sin
31-24
Gen 1 is the stage, Gen 2 is the cast, Gen 3 is the drama.
Satan appears as a handsome serpent - with none of today's dark connotations.
Eve had no idea that he was crafty, evil and determined to make her sin.
That first degree murder was his goal.
First, Satan puts a question that promotes doubt about what God said. Rev
129
Also Did God really say ... c.f. Did God say
... implies criticism of God.
The emphasis is more apparent in the tone of voice
than when written.
Secondly, Satan purposely misquotes what he knew God said.
'... You must not eat of any tree in the
garden.' c.f. the unbiased question,
Did God say there was a tree in the garden
you should not eat from?
It was not only what was said, but the way it was
said.
What was his motive for asking the question when
he clearly knew the answer?
Eve replies correctly; but in her innocence, without any idea of the Satan's
trap.
Satan is now ready to proclaim a bold-faced lie.
You will not surely die. ["You won't die",
the serpent hissed. NLT]
Like Arafat proclaiming in Bethlehem "Jesus was a
Palestinian!"
Before 1964 there never were a Palestinian people,
only Jews and Arabs
living in an area named
Palestine (Philistine) by the Romans in 135 AD
Lying is one of Satan's chief characteristics. Jn
844
Satan then tells Eve of a false motive for God's warning.
When you eat of it your eyes will be opened.
i.e. God is restrictive spoil-sport
And you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
Satan's desire was to become like God - and to become
even greater.
In his lie he implanted
this evil desire to be like God in Eve.
Righteous people desire to be like Jesus in character,
but they never wish
to usurp his position or power.
Before Adam and Eve disobeyed God they knew good, but only knew about evil;
afterwards they knew evil but only knew about good.
She did not see that
Satan's offer was only
to give her the knowledge of evil!!
But Eve did not see it like that. Completely hood-winked, she only saw it
was:
Good for food. Was it really any better than
all the other fruit?
Pleasing to the eye. Much beauty, but appearances
can be deceptive.
Desirable for gaining knowledge. And pride!
She entirely forgot God's clear death-sentence warning.
217b
For everything in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of
his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from the Father
but from the world. 1 Jn 216
Satan had directly targeted the only test that God gave Adam and Eve.
You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil. 217a
God had clearly warned them for when you eat of it you will surely die.
Note that God did not say 'If you eat of it', but
'when'.
He was not surprised at the fall; he had already
made his rescue plan.
Jesus would have to
die in my place and bear the punishment I deserve.
My death would then
become his death, and his life would become mine.
She took some and ate it.
And thus brought misery upon herself and the whole
world.
She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
36b
Adam was with her and thus probably heard the whole
enticing conversation.
He did nothing to protect Eve; he knowingly and willingly
ate it too.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised they were
naked.
What was their reaction?
They sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
37
How pathetic. They soon withered. Fig leaves a poor
choice (see photo).
It totally failed to deal with the cause. They had
died.
Though physically alive,
their relationship with God was broken - dead.
Only Jesus would be
able to bring them life again.
They were frightened and tried to hide from Lord God. How foolish.
They failed.
Did they think they could escape death?
Previously they had so enjoyed his company.
No doubt Satan was delighted. Horrible beast!
What was God's reaction?
He called to the man, "where are you?" As if the Lord Almighty did
not know!
Adam replies, "I was afraid because I was naked;
so I hid."
He was afraid because he had been disobedient, not
because he was naked.
God asks, "who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree
..."
Adam again makes excuse, "The woman you put here
with me - she gave me
some fruit from
the tree and I ate it."
First he blames God. What audacity. Then he blames
Eve. How unfair.
God had twice given him opportunity to confess his
sin. Adam failed both.
And Eve was no better. The serpent deceived me, and I ate.
God does not question the serpent; he proceeds straight to judgement:
Serpent:
Cursed.
Crawl on your belly
and eat dust. (Serpent = snake)
Enmity with all men.
He (Jesus, the Son of Man) will crush your head.
Woman:
Pain in childbearing.
Your husband will rule
over you
Adam:
Ground cursed and it
will naturally produce thorns and weeds.
You will have to sweat
to provide food - instead of just picking it.
To dust you will return.
He would also physically die, and so would Eve.
But God also made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed
them.
Their clothes would constantly remind them of sacrifice.
Did they understand
the significance of God's gift? No evidence given.
God in his mercy also banished him from the Garden of Eden.
And he placed an angelic guard lest they eat of the
tree of life. Exd 2518-22
Two trees, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and Tree of Life.
These real trees also have a profound spiritual effect - like the bread and
wine.
One of these trees would shorten life and the other
lengthened it.
They were not allowed to eat of the tree that shortened
life.
And they were prevented from eating of the tree that
would keep them
in a permanent state
of wickedness.
Their innocence was lost and could never be regained in this life.
They were sentenced to death. And so were all
their offspring.
This just judgement of God explains much concerning the present plight of
man.
His natural inclination to sin and his separation
from God.
Any man denying this bypasses his need to confess his helplessness and repent.
Why reject God's true generous and eternal offer
just for a few days
of indulgence and pride? It seems so crazy.
The death sentence did not stop with Adam and Eve;
it was passed on to all succeeding generations. Ro
515-19 1 Co 1522
Nowhere does Scripture say it was an apple tree.
(Just as it is also silent as to the number of Magi
- often assumed to be 3)
The conversation of Satan and Eve is given in full -
and must have been relayed by Eve herself (and Adam
who was with her. 36b)
It greatly enhances our understanding of how Satan
tempts us.
Abel Assured; but Cain Kills
41-16
Eve became pregnant and gave birth to Cain.
She was amazed and acknowledged it was only with
the help of the Lord. 41
Who taught Adam midwifery?
There is a book with a fascinating title "Did Adam Have a Belly-Button?"
The answer is No. Neither did Eve. God had created
both, but Cain was born.
It is akin to the question, "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"
Again the answer is simple - the created chicken.
Abel became a shepherd; Cain was an arable farmer. 42
Both brought their offerings to the Lord. 43,4 No record of Adam
doing so.
What they brought reveals their heart.
Cain casually offered 'some' grain. Nothing special;
but certainly not the best.
Abel brought the best portions of the firstborn of
his flock. Couldn't be better.
Why the difference?
Abel was grateful to
the Lord God; Cain wasn't.
Abel gave his best
because God had assured him he was forgiven.
He
was commended by God as a righteous man. Heb 114
Even
though it was his best, he knew his offering wasn't good enough.
Like
Abraham, he knew God would provide the sufficient sacrifice.
228,14
Like
the forgiven ex-prostitute who anointed Jesus. Lu 736-50
Cain was jealous of Abel's God-given relief and joy.
Cain was angry.
So God warned him that sin was crouching at the
door.
Cain ignored the word of God. He plotted murder!
He killed Abel out in the field - away from home,
where no one saw him.
But God had seen him.
Asking Cain where his brother was, he gave him the
opportunity to confess.
Just as he had given
Adam and Eve the same opportunity.
But Cain lied, "I don't know. Am I my brother's
keeper." 49
God presents the 'blood' evidence, and then the
judgement.
Cain's ground would
no longer yield its crops.
Cain would become a
restless wanderer on the earth. 412
Such is the cost of pride and man's stubborn refusal
to repent before the Lord.
Cain was afraid that others would kill him,
but God graciously marked Cain and assured him that
they wouldn't.
However, by his own choice, Cain went out from the Lord's presence.
Down through the world's troubled history,
proud man has mostly chosen to follow Cain's example
- and paid the price.
Our gracious God continues to offer his rescue plan;
he pleads with men to come, to return.
The door is low, the way narrow and the cost is high
- especially to Jesus.
The rest of the Bible tells the story of how God always keeps his word.
Both the good and the bad,
both the undeserved
promises and the deserved,
both
mercy and judgement.
Adam to Noah
420 - 532
From that time men began to call o the name of the Lord.
420
This verse suggests that 'the fall' was immediate and total.
Up to this moment only Abel had sought and found
the Lord.
In these years of rapid population growth there is no evidence of revival.
Enoch walked with God 300 years. 522
Did anyone else?
Why did Enoch walk with God? It was after the
birth of Methuselah.
He was so amazed at
God's handiwork.
Today in UK 170,000
mothers each year choose to destroy their babies.
This reveals the rampant
advance of wickedness here.
How was Enoch able to walk with God?
Not told specifically,
but no man can even see the kingdom of God
without
being born again. Jn 33
As always, God satisfied
his yearning, thirsty soul.
Pray earnestly that
we will never lose our hunger for God,
nor
the thrill of walking with him.
Come, all you who
are thirst, come to the waters; Is 551
God's
gracious invitation remains open.
Then suddenly one day Enoch was no more, because God took him away.
524
But his son Methuselah remained to testify to the
purpose of God.
Methuselah = "In the
day that I die it shall happen."
Years of Methuselah
= 969 = 187+782 Gen 525-27
Lamech born in
187th year of Methuselah
Noah
born in 182nd year of Lamech
Flood
came in 600th year of Noah. 187 + 182 + 600 = 969
He died just before
the flood. See 'Adam to Jacob' chart (next page)
Jesus said the end would be like in the days of Noah. Few, if any, expected
it.
But Noah made no secret of his boat building or the
reason for it.
It was plain for all
to see. The signs of the end will also be plain to see.
God has told us clearly
of the order of events in Rev 6-19.
We will not know the
precise day,
but the immanent return
of Jesus will be very obvious to all who seek him.
In Noah's day they ridiculed him - until it was too
late. Likewise at the end.
Methuselah still stands as a stark warning.
God took up Enoch and then later Methuselah. He will take us up too.
What a day!
Be sure to see and rely solely upon the atoning 'pitch'
as Noah did. Gen 614
"Jesus, thy blood and righteousness my beauty
are, my glorious dress,
Midst flaming worlds in these arrayed,
with joy shall I lift up my head."
In every generation God has his witness.
They shine like a penetrating beam of light in the
darkness.
May God enable us to shine brightly.
May his word inspire, quicken and assure us in difficult
days.
May we be earnest in living a holy life and eager
to share God's rescue plan.
Let us both challenge and encourage each other in
truth and righteousness.
Let us continually thank the Sovereign Lord
who planned the means
of our salvation and paid the price.
And so at the end, by the grace of God, may we each
hear his welcome,
"Well done, my good
and faithful servant."