God tells Noah to enter the ark with the animals for in seven days He will send rain for 40 days and nights. Noah obeys. Noah was 600 years old when the flood happened. All the animals came to him. Then the Lord shut them in and the waters came. Everything perished. After the rain stopped, the earth remained flooded for 150 days.
13) Personal Question. My answer: God always has hope, even though He knows what will happen. He created man, knowing that one day He would destroy them. He gave man 120 years to repent, and still nothing but evil. God’s judgement is swift, it’s absolute, and you are powerless beneath it. No questions are raised for me.
14) Personal Question. My answer: God is always faithful to His word, and if we have faith in the Word, we have faith in God.
15) Personal Question. My answer: It’s an encouragement because it shows there is retribution for all the wrongs done in the world. It’s a warning that God can judge whenever He wants. It’s both for me, to follow His ways always. I know God will punish and destroy the wicked one day. I know He will judge. And I need to be as prepared as I can be for when He judges me.
16) Personal Question. My answer: It shows how every day could be your last and that you should live each life — treating others as if it is your last.
I love the story of Noah. Here’s a guy of faith who is told to build a big boat and save his entire family by God. How awesome and scary is that! Yet, he does it without fail, without question, showing us what a walk with God truly is.
God was in the ark and would be with Noah in the ark, so He called Noah to come into the ark with Him.
“Notice that the Lord did not say to Noah, ‘Go into the ark,’ but ‘Come,”
In Genesis 6:20 God said the animals would come to Noah by migration.
Noah, the animals, and his family had to wait in the ark seven days for the rain to come. They had never seen rain up to this time. This was a real test of faith – to wait a week after more than 100 years of preparation.
The heavens containing the great waters that were above the firmament (Genesis 1:7) opened up. These waters formed the huge so-called blanket of water in the upper part of the earth’s atmosphere since creation. Waters came up from under the earth, too.
Here we see the first use of the number 40 in the Bible. It has become associated with testing and purification, especially before entering into something new and significant.
Note that God shuts the door. God has the final say in judgement. God shuts people out.
God kept the door open until the last possible minute, but there came a time when the door had to shut. Jesus is He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens (Revelation 3:7).
Of the more than 200 cultures that have their own account of the flood the following aspects of the story are common:
The water from the flood is collected in oceans today.
The Bible says that only the animals that had the breath of the spirit of life. The fish did not die in the flood; only animals with the breath of life in them died, the animals on dry land.
Fun Fact: The flood is given more words in Scripture than Creation or the Fall.
Credit to enduring word for commentary
The sons of God married any daughters they chose. The Lord said His Spirit will not contend with (be with) man forever for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years. The Nephilim were the heroes of old, men of renown and were on earth during this time when the sons of God were as well.
God saw how men’s hearts had become only evil and He was filled with pain. God said he would wipe mankind from the face of the earth for He is grieved (regretted) He created them. Except for Noah who was a righteous man and walked with God. Noah had 3 sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
The earth was corrupt and the people were violent.
God tells Noah He is going to destroy the world, and he needs to build an ark. God enters a covenant with Noah. He tells Noah he will need to bring in two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive and every kind of food for him and for the animals.
Noah did everything God commanded.
God tells Noah to enter the ark with the animals for in seven days He will send rain for 40 days and nights. Noah obeys. Noah was 600 years old when the flood happened. All the animals came to him. Then the Lord shut them in and the waters came. Everything perished. After the rain stopped, the earth remained flooded for 150 days.
10) Noah did everything just as God commanded him. God told Noah exactly what to do, including the size and dimensions of the ark, so Noah knew what to do. God revealed information to Noah as needed, telling him to build the ark before telling him why.
11a) Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
b) Personal Question. My answer: We only exist by God’s grace, so when He decides to end life, there is nothing we can do about it and should be grateful for what life God has given us.
12) Personal Question. My answer: Unsure. We are about to move again. I’m homeschooling my son again. I’m working, living life the best I can. Praying as I go along.
I love the story of Noah. Here’s a guy of faith who is told to build a big boat and save his entire family by God. How awesome and scary is that! Yet, he does it without fail, without question, showing us what a walk with God truly is.
Last go around, we had a lot of other Bible passage readings with Genesis 6 & 7: Hebrews 11:7, 1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 2:4-9; 3:1-10; Jude 5-7; Matthew 24:36-42; Luke 17:26-27. Matthew and Luke talk specifically how the people were eating, drinking, and marrying up until the day of the flood. This tells us that no one had a clue what God was doing, and if they were Godless, they didn’t care. They lived their lives day-by-day, which is how we are supposed to live, expect with an eye towards Jesus.
These are the extra readings I wish BSF would still include for those of us who crave more of God.
1 Peter 3:20 is a gem, describing how God waited patiently for His people to come to Him, like he does today. Instead of millions being saved, it was only 8.
One of the saddest parts of life is how all of Creation has to suffer the consequences of our sin, including animals, plants, and our beloved pets. If you’ve been alive long enough, you’ve experienced the death of a pet. Along with the death of loved ones, it’s one of lives’ hardest moments, especially once you know that it’s all your fault.
Many have believed the sons of God were those from the line of Seth, and the daughters of men were from the line of Cain, and this describes an intermarriage between the godly and the ungodly, something God specifically prohibits (Deuteronomy 7:1-4, 2 Corinthians 6:14).
Some believe that sons of God are either demons (angels in rebellion against God) or uniquely demon-possessed men, and the daughters of men are human women.
The phrase sons of God clearly refers to angelic creatures when it is used the three other times in the Old Testament (Job 1:6, 2:1, and 38:7). The translators of the Septuagint translated sons of God as angels. Those ancient translators clearly thought sons of God referred to angelic beings, not to people descended from Seth.
Jude 6 tells us of the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own habitation. Jude goes on (Jude 7) to tell us they sinned in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh. Here in Genesis 6, as in Sodom and Gomorrah, there was an unnatural sexual union. Jude 6 also makes it clear what God did with these wicked angels. They are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day for not keeping their proper place. Their sinful pursuit of freedom has put them in bondage.
In Matthew 22:30, we see where Jesus said angels neither marry nor are given in marriage; but Jesus never said angels were sexless, and He was also speaking about faithful angelic beings (angels of God in heaven), not rebellious ones.
In sum, no one knows exactly who the sons of God and the daughters of men are referring to.
Satan could have sent his angels to intermarry in an effort to ensure the promised seed of Jesus was never born. And Satan almost succeeded. The race was so polluted that God found it necessary to start again with Noah and his sons, and to imprison the demons that did this so they could never do this again.
Take away from the flood: there is a point of sin where God will say “enough is enough.” Turn to God now because no other days are promised to us.
God said He would flood the earth 120 years before He did. Perhaps He is hoping some will turn to Him.
Giants on earth refers to the unnatural offspring of the union between the sons of God and the daughters of men, though there were people of unusual size on the earth both before and after the flood (and also afterward). These ones before the flood were unique because of the demonic element of their parentage. They were the mighty men of old, men of renown.
Jesus said, as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be (Matthew 24:37). In other words, the conditions of the world before the coming of Jesus will be like the conditions of the world before the flood:
Even though God knew He would destroy mankind, He still felt grieved.
Noah found grace; he did not earn it. Noah had the righteousness that is of faith because as soon as the floodwaters had dried up and he left the ark, he offered sacrifices (Genesis 8:20). Noah’s three sons will figure into the account in a significant way. God will use them as a foundation for the rest of the human race.
Since the fall in Genesis 3, every human being has a death sentence. The timing and method of that death are completely in the hands of God.
Instead of wiping out the entire race, God preserved a remnant.
It was not until 1858 that a boat bigger than the ark was built. The ark was certainly big enough to do the job. If the ark carried two of every family of animals, there were around 700 pairs of animals; but if the ark carried two of every species of animals, there were around 35,000 pairs of animals.
The average size of a land animal is smaller than a sheep. The ark could carry 136,560 sheep in half of its capacity, leaving plenty of room for people, food, water, and whatever other provisions were needed.
Noah was not told why he was making this ark in the beginning; just to make it.
Throughout history, many people have reported seeing the ark and/or finding the ark. The pitch worked to waterproof the wood. God told Noah to cover it with pitch inside and outside, which makes it possible that the ark was preserved for a long time. It is possible God still has a purpose for the ark, to use it to remind the world of a past judgment shortly before a future judgment.
Fun Fact: Because of this mention of pitch (a petroleum product) in what most people think is the Middle East, it is said that John D. Rockefeller looked for (and found) oil in that region based on this verse.
Despite the dramatic judgment coming, God will make a covenant with Noah, and he and his family will be saved. God will also use Noah to save a remnant of each animal so the earth could be populated with people and animals after the flood.
The Bible presents Noah as a great hero of God. He was an outstanding example of righteousness (Ezekiel 14:14), a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5), and Noah condemned the world by offering salvation in the ark that the whole world rejected (Hebrews 11:7).
Noah was a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5), yet in his 120-year ministry, it seems that no one was saved.
God was in the ark and would be with Noah in the ark, so He called Noah to come into the ark with Him.
“Notice that the Lord did not say to Noah, ‘Go into the ark,’ but ‘Come,”
In Genesis 6:20 God said the animals would come to Noah by migration.
Noah, the animals, and his family had to wait in the ark seven days for the rain to come. They had never seen rain up to this time. This was a real test of faith – to wait a week after more than 100 years of preparation.
The heavens containing the great waters that were above the firmament (Genesis 1:7) opened up. These waters formed the huge so-called blanket of water in the upper part of the earth’s atmosphere since creation. Waters came up from under the earth, too.
Here we see the first use of the number 40 in the Bible. It has become associated with testing and purification, especially before entering into something new and significant.
Note that God shuts the door. God has the final say in judgement. God shuts people out.
God kept the door open until the last possible minute, but there came a time when the door had to shut. Jesus is He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens (Revelation 3:7).
Of the more than 200 cultures that have their own account of the flood the following aspects of the story are common:
The water from the flood is collected in oceans today.
The Bible says that only the animals that had the breath of the spirit of life. The fish did not die in the flood; only animals with the breath of life in them died, the animals on dry land.
Credit to enduring word for commentary
The sons of God married any daughters they chose. The Lord said His Spirit will not contend with (be with) man forever for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years. The Nephilim were the heroes of old, men of renown and were on earth during this time when the sons of God were as well.
God saw how men’s hearts had become only evil and He was filled with pain. God said he would wipe mankind from the face of the earth for He is grieved (regretted) He created them. Except for Noah who was a righteous man and walked with God. Noah had 3 sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
The earth was corrupt and the people were violent.
God tells Noah He is going to destroy the world, and he needs to build an ark. God enters a covenant with Noah. He tells Noah he will need to bring in two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive and every kind of food for him and for the animals.
Noah did everything God commanded.
God tells Noah to enter the ark with the animals for in seven days He will send rain for 40 days and nights. Noah obeys. Noah was 600 years old when the flood happened. All the animals came to him. Then the Lord shut them in and the waters came. Everything perished. After the rain stopped, the earth remained flooded for 150 days.
7) Man’s wickedness was great, and every inclination of the thoughts of his heart were only evil. The Lord was grieved that he had made man, and his heart was filled with pain. God decides to wipe his entire creation out because He is so grieved He made them.
8 ) Noah was righteous, blameless among the people, and he walked faithfully with God.
9a) Noah obeyed every command given to him from God without question. He 100% trusted God when He spoke to him although the request probably seemed outlandish at the time.
b) Personal Question. My answer: Too many things to list! Serving God unquestionably is challenging, even in the little things, let alone the big things.
I love the story of Noah. Here’s a guy of faith who is told to build a big boat and save his entire family by God. How awesome and scary is that! Yet, he does it without fail, without question, showing us what a walk with God truly is.
Last go around in the study of Genesis, we were asked who the sons of God and the daughters of men were. Nehilim is explained HERE
We were also asked what we do to cause God grief and have we found favor in God’s eyes.
God could just have snapped His fingers, and Noah and his family could have been saved. Instead, He had Noah build an ark. God does the same thing to us. He doesn’t wave His magic wand and make our problems go away, but He does provide a way out and through that is most likely not our way.
Many have believed the sons of God were those from the line of Seth, and the daughters of men were from the line of Cain, and this describes an intermarriage between the godly and the ungodly, something God specifically prohibits (Deuteronomy 7:1-4, 2 Corinthians 6:14).
Some believe that sons of God are either demons (angels in rebellion against God) or uniquely demon-possessed men, and the daughters of men are human women.
The phrase sons of God clearly refers to angelic creatures when it is used the three other times in the Old Testament (Job 1:6, 2:1, and 38:7). The translators of the Septuagint translated sons of God as angels. Those ancient translators clearly thought sons of God referred to angelic beings, not to people descended from Seth.
Jude 6 tells us of the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own habitation. Jude goes on (Jude 7) to tell us they sinned in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh. Here in Genesis 6, as in Sodom and Gomorrah, there was an unnatural sexual union. Jude 6 also makes it clear what God did with these wicked angels. They are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day for not keeping their proper place. Their sinful pursuit of freedom has put them in bondage.
In Matthew 22:30, we see where Jesus said angels neither marry nor are given in marriage; but Jesus never said angels were sexless, and He was also speaking about faithful angelic beings (angels of God in heaven), not rebellious ones.
In sum, no one knows exactly who the sons of God and the daughters of men are referring to.
Satan could have sent his angels to intermarry in an effort to ensure the promised seed of Jesus was never born. And Satan almost succeeded. The race was so polluted that God found it necessary to start again with Noah and his sons, and to imprison the demons that did this so they could never do this again.
Take away from the flood: there is a point of sin where God will say “enough is enough.” Turn to God now because no other days are promised to us.
God said He would flood the earth 120 years before He did. Perhaps He is hoping some will turn to Him.
Giants on earth refers to the unnatural offspring of the union between the sons of God and the daughters of men, though there were people of unusual size on the earth both before and after the flood (and also afterward). These ones before the flood were unique because of the demonic element of their parentage. They were the mighty men of old, men of renown.
Jesus said, as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be (Matthew 24:37). In other words, the conditions of the world before the coming of Jesus will be like the conditions of the world before the flood:
Even though God knew He would destroy mankind, He still felt grieved.
Noah found grace; he did not earn it. Noah had the righteousness that is of faith because as soon as the floodwaters had dried up and he left the ark, he offered sacrifices (Genesis 8:20). Noah’s three sons will figure into the account in a significant way. God will use them as a foundation for the rest of the human race.
Since the fall in Genesis 3, every human being has a death sentence. The timing and method of that death are completely in the hands of God.
Instead of wiping out the entire race, God preserved a remnant.
It was not until 1858 that a boat bigger than the ark was built. The ark was certainly big enough to do the job. If the ark carried two of every family of animals, there were around 700 pairs of animals; but if the ark carried two of every species of animals, there were around 35,000 pairs of animals.
The average size of a land animal is smaller than a sheep. The ark could carry 136,560 sheep in half of its capacity, leaving plenty of room for people, food, water, and whatever other provisions were needed.
Noah was not told why he was making this ark in the beginning; just to make it.
Throughout history, many people have reported seeing the ark and/or finding the ark. The pitch worked to waterproof the wood. God told Noah to cover it with pitch inside and outside, which makes it possible that the ark was preserved for a long time. It is possible God still has a purpose for the ark, to use it to remind the world of a past judgment shortly before a future judgment.
Fun Fact: Because of this mention of pitch (a petroleum product) in what most people think is the Middle East, it is said that John D. Rockefeller looked for (and found) oil in that region based on this verse.
Despite the dramatic judgment coming, God will make a covenant with Noah, and he and his family will be saved. God will also use Noah to save a remnant of each animal so the earth could be populated with people and animals after the flood.
The Bible presents Noah as a great hero of God. He was an outstanding example of righteousness (Ezekiel 14:14), a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5), and Noah condemned the world by offering salvation in the ark that the whole world rejected (Hebrews 11:7).
Noah was a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5), yet in his 120-year ministry, it seems that no one was saved.
God was in the ark and would be with Noah in the ark, so He called Noah to come into the ark with Him.
“Notice that the Lord did not say to Noah, ‘Go into the ark,’ but ‘Come,”
In Genesis 6:20 God said the animals would come to Noah by migration.
Noah, the animals, and his family had to wait in the ark seven days for the rain to come. They had never seen rain up to this time. This was a real test of faith – to wait a week after more than 100 years of preparation.
The heavens containing the great waters that were above the firmament (Genesis 1:7) opened up. These waters formed the huge so-called blanket of water in the upper part of the earth’s atmosphere since creation. Waters came up from under the earth, too.
Here we see the first use of the number 40 in the Bible. It has become associated with testing and purification, especially before entering into something new and significant.
Note that God shuts the door. God has the final say in judgement. God shuts people out.
God kept the door open until the last possible minute, but there came a time when the door had to shut. Jesus is He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens (Revelation 3:7).
Of the more than 200 cultures that have their own account of the flood the following aspects of the story are common:
The water from the flood is collected in oceans today.
The Bible says that only the animals that had the breath of the spirit of life. The fish did not die in the flood; only animals with the breath of life in them died, the animals on dry land.
Credit to enduring word for commentary
A written account of Adam’s line. God created man (Adam) in His likeness. Then Adam had a son, Seth, in his likeness instead of God’s since Adam had ushered sin into this world. Seth had Enosh. Enosh had Kenan. Kenan had Mahalalel. Mahalalel had Jared. Jared had Enoch. Enoch had Methuselah. Methuselah had Lamech. Lamech had Noah. Noah had Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Enoch walked with God so he did not die we are told.
3) Everyone lived, had kids, and then died. This set the pattern for all of mankind.
John 3:6-8: You must be born again in the Spirit
John 8:24: If you don’t believe in Jesus, you will die in your sins
Romans 5:14: Death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses. Adam was the pattern of the one to come.
Romans 6:23: The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus
4) Enoch was the only one who didn’t die. He was just taken by God. Hebrews tells us that “without faith, it’s impossible to please God” and to be with God, he has to please him. So Enoch was a man of faith. Jude tells us he was the seventh from Adam. Because his prophesy is recorded, one could infer that Enoch was special as being of faith and many others were wicked, meaning God’s judgement (the flood) was coming soon.
5a) To follow God’s commands in the Bible; to put God first in all that you do. To walk in friendship, love, and companionship.
b) Personal Question. My answer: Faithful. Not the best, most certainly. Sometimes He’s first; other times, He’s not.
6) Personal Question. My answer: It’s normal. If you are a believer, there is nothing scary about death.
Here’s the first of the many lists of tracing Jesus’ descendents from Adam that are in the Bible. Dull reading, but super important.
Bible scholars note that this is probably the end of Adam’s account and the rest of the book of Genesis is Moses’ writings. Adam wrote down the account of Creation, presumably given to him by God. From Genesis 2:4 to here is Adam’s writings.
Mankind is the name God gave humanity. There is nothing sexist in this.
If no one was left out, this tells us that it was between 4,000 and 5,000 years from the Creation of Adam and Eve to Jesus, which varies significantly with history. Many people believe humans did live that long pre-flood due to the fact mankind was “new” with no frailities yet and that a blanket of water vapor still surrounded the earth (Genesis 1:6-8).
If Adam had a lot of kids, there very well could have been one million people on the earth by the time he died, putting billions on earth by the time of the flood.
Every person has been born in Adam’s image and likeness except Jesus.
Walking with God means walking by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7), walking in the light (1 John 1:5-7), and walking in agreement with God (Amos 3:3).
Enoch began to walk with God in a special way after the birth of Methuselah. The name Methuselah means, when he is dead, it shall come. Enoch had a special awareness from God that judgment was coming, and this was one of the things that got him closer in his walk with God.
Jude 14 also tells us Enoch was a prophet and that he could see the second coming of Jesus.
Noah was born only 14 years after the death of Seth, Adam’s son (Genesis 5:7-8). Seth died in year 1042 from creation and Noah was born in year 1056 from creation, if the genealogies are consecutive and without gaps.
Noah could have known and spoken with Adam’s grandson, Enosh, and his other grandchildren. Since Adam and Eve had sons and daughters after Cain, Abel, and Seth (Genesis 5:3-4), it is possible that Noah spoke with one of the unnamed sons or daughters of Adam and Eve.
In Genesis 5 we see that all these men died. They were all under sin and all subject to death. Some of them were great men, but none of them was the deliverer God had promised.
Credit to enduring word for commentary
Summary of passage: Cain lay with his wife and she gave birth to Enoch. Cain then built a city and named it after his son. Enoch had Lamech who married two women. These sons raised livestock, invented the harp and flute, and all kinds of tools. Lamech bragged to his wives about killing a man and how he will be avenged.
Adam and Eve had a son named Seth to replace Abel. Abel had a son named Enosh.
Questions:
12) It had to have been his sister. No other people were on Earth at the time.
13a) Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.
b) Jabal was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock
c) Tubal-Cain forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron
d) Jubal was the father of all who play the harp and flute
e) Same as d: Jubal was the father of all who play the harp and flute
14a) Lamech married two women, against God’s original plan of one woman and one man for marriage (Genesis 2:24) and he boasts of killing and retribution.
b) Same answer as a.
15a) It shows how mankind has a choice: to obey God or not and how many choose to not obey Him. This has been the same since the beginning of time. It shows the ingenuity God gave man in terms of invention and the arts as man fulfills his role of caring for the world. This is still the same today as we see new inventions since the beginning of time.
Murder is the same. Sin is the same. Pride, boasting, and polygamy are the same. The sins never change.
b) Personal Question. My answer: I don’t think I’ve ever boasted of evil especially as an adult. Not sure how I’ve defied God. It’s not like I’ve ever said, “Yeah, God. I hear you but I’m going to do it anyway.” Nope. In fact, still waiting on God’s words and I’d love to have a conversation (that’s not quite so one-sided) with Him.
I think most of us it’s the same: we pray; we ask God; we wait for an answer; we go the way we think He wants us to go. It’s not defiance if we choose wrong–not by any stretch of the imagination.
Defiance according to the Internet is “open resistance and bold disobedience.” According to Webster’s it’s “disregard and withstand.”
By these definitions, I haven’t defied God.
Conclusions: This lesson was vague to say the least. Twice I thought the question repetitive of one already asked and the last question (which is personal and I’m unsure why it’s not marked as such) is out of place in my opinion. This passage is about Cain. And he’s a murderer. I’d like to think I’m a bit better than that.
As a Christian, I like to think I obey God. I can see this question applying to non-Christians. Sometimes I think these questions are negative in connotation and make us wonder if we are bad people. It makes us doubt ourselves.
I get defensive with such questions. Defy is a very, very strong word. Most of us do not “defy” God. If we do, we probably wouldn’t be in a bible study.
I would hope we don’t go around boasting of the evil we do. I know I’m ashamed of my sins (not evil mind you) and I confess and ask for forgiveness. I definitely don’t tell my best friend about it.
Am I wrong here? What do you think? Am I just getting way too defensive? Or maybe I have defied God and just don’t know it? See….doubting here. I’d rather spend my time focusing on the good I do and not the bad.
This question just does not sit right with me. It gives me a funny, uneasy feeling that I don’t like. It seems with all the “changes” going on in BSF (of which none are official–just from what my leader has told me) I would hope questions such as this would be re-thought. For me, I’m trying to think of what it would be like to defy God and boast of evil crimes against humanity. And I don’t like thinking about that. Way too much negativity in this world as it is.
Now, I could say I have defied God in the little things. Like not loving others as I should. Not giving as much. Not honoring my father and mother at times when I was a teenager. Those type of things.
It’s hard to say because 1) We are speaking of heinous crimes such as murder and 2) the word “and” in the question could refer to only those times you have defied God AND boasted.
We all Fall. That’s a given. But defiance? Outright? That’s much more complicated.
Still, I’ve never boasted. If you have the Holy Spirit, even the little defiances should prevent you from boasting. Instead, you should feel an overwhelming guilt and repentance.
I don’t know. Interpretation of the question and speculation of its intentions. I’m just saying how this question hit me.
Just my opinion, of course.
Summary of passage: The Lord asked Cain where was his brother. Cain replied, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Hence, where our saying comes from). The Lord says his blood cries out to Him from the ground and He curses Cain, saying no crops will grow for him and he will be a restless wanderer on the earth.
Cain complains, saying his punishment is unbearable and someone will kill him. The Lord forbids anyone to kill Cain and marked him as a warning. Cain lived in Nod east of Eden out of the Lord’s presence.
Questions:
9a) Cain never once asked God for forgiveness for his crime. He never apologized or even admitted wrong-doing. He only cared about the punishment he received and then it was still all about him. I picture Cain groveling to God how horrible his life will be and how he’ll be killed. Don’t you deserve it? After committing the first murder EVER?
b) Personal Question. My answer: God took pity on Cain (out of His grace and love) and protected him even though he deserved a death sentence like Cain had given Abel. God’s love is greater than man’s evil.
10a) Cain selfishly complains. David admits he “sinned against the Lord” and even composes a song about repentance! David asks for God’s mercy and fully confesses his sins and asks for forgiveness. He asks to be made better, to create a “pure heart” and then tells God he will teach others His ways so sinners will turn to Him. He says he will praise God.
David has “a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart.” He humbles himself before the Lord. Cain is still full of pride.
b) Personal Question. My answer: I get defensive cause I’m in denial. Yet as I grow in God, I get better and better at admitting my wrong-doings, truly repenting, and asking for forgiveness as I strive to do better. Sure, I fail. But I do see humility more than pride now.
11a) We all have sin and we all sin. If we believe otherwise, we are merely deceiving ourselves and the truth (Jesus) is not in us. If we confess our sins, God will forgive us and purify us. If we claim to have Jesus in us but we still walk in the dark (commit evil willingly), then we do not have Jesus. If we walk in the light, we will have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus will purify us from all sin.
b) Accept the blood of Jesus, have faith in Him, confess our sins, and we will be righteous with God.
Conclusions: Good lesson on sin and the importance of confessing sin and making it right with the Lord. Loved reading David’s Psalm. Great, great prayer for us sinners!
As human beings, we all sin. No way of getting around that. We were born sinners. Yet what matters to God is how you handle sin. When you fall, admit it humbly to Him and ask Him for forgiveness. He will grant it. All you must do is accept Jesus’ blood and have a willing heart.
Cain’s attitude saddens me but I can see myself in him too. Gives me something to work on!
Summary of passage: The Lord confronted Cain about his feelings, asking him why he was angry and downcast. God told him if he did what was right, he’d be accepted. If you don’t do what is right, sin will prevail so you must master it.
Cain lured Abel out to the field and murdered him.
Questions:
7a) God told him if he did what was right, he would be accepted. If he didn’t do what was right, sin would win and he must master sin.
b) God understands the power of the devil and sin and is trying to encourage Cain to resist. God does what every good psychologist does: acknowledges the hurt and offers up a solution and encouragement.
8a) If you believe in me, I will accept you. If you turn from me, sin will consume you. The choice is yours.
b) 1 John 3:10-16 explains that Cain did not have God and was thus a child of evil for he did not love his brother nor did he do what is right. Cain was jealous of his brother who was righteous and thus he committed evil when he murdered him. Do not be surprised if the world hates you because you believe and have eternal life. Unbelievers are in death.
Jesus defined love when he gave his life for others. We are called to do so as well.
Conclusions: God always reaches out a hand to those who turn from Him but God cannot make us choose Him. God knew Cain would kill Abel; yet, He offered him a chance. Cain refused. Cain did not have love in his heart. He was evil.
One of the worst crimes against humanity and it’s been around since Genesis 4 (page 8 in my Bible out of 1370 pages). Disheartening to think about.
Love truly does conquer all. It never fails. 1 Corinthians 13
Summary of passage: Eve gave birth to Cain and then Abel. Abel was the shepherd and Cain was the farmer. Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to God. Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock as an offering to God. The Lord favored Abel’s offering but not Cain’s. Cain was angry and downcast because of this.
Questions:
3a) Personal Question. My answer: Because God demands the best. Cain only brought some of the fruits of the soil. Abel brought the best (fat) portions AND they were from the firstborn of his flock (think venison versus veal). Abel brought the choicest cuts. Cain only brought hamburger meat (analogy here).
The verses point to how Jesus was a perfect, unblemished sacrifice. God sets the example. He demands the best since He gave the best.
Hebrews seems to point to how Abel had more faith in God than did Cain. God knows the heart. And Cain’s heart was not right that day.
It could have been attitude as well. Abel came with a cheerful heart; Cain not so much–begrudging maybe.
b) He wants our faith in Him and we show that by giving Him the best of us. Then we shall be righteous before Him. If we have faith in God, we will be accepted.
4) Personal Question. My answer: Just based off of these verses (Genesis 4:1-5) and pretending I don’t know what happens I would answer Yes. Genesis 3:15 is God’s promise to put enmity or distrust between the devil and man and how the devil will eventually be defeated. His promise of a Savior. No man had ever been born before so why wouldn’t Cain be the deliverer in Eve’s mind?
What mother ever thinks her son is evil or will be tempted by the devil? I think Eve thought Cain would defeat the devil and could even be God’s promised Savior. Here, in this offering, for all we know Cain is just in a bad mood or it’s his first sacrifice ever and he’s not for sure what to bring. He’s learning. We don’t know. But I would say the devil does not have Cain yet here.
5a) Seriously? What’s your attitude? We have a total of 2 verses here that talk about Cain, his offering, and his reaction. Sometimes I wonder how much speculation, interpretation, and deduction BSF wants. We know nothing of Cain’s life in-between his birth and this offering. For all we know this offering made him snap.
His attitude is not good. Maybe resentful of even having to offer a sacrifice since he did not bring the first fruits. He probably grew up hearing stories from his mom and dad about how great Eden was before the Fall so he’s pining for that and resenting his parents for his toil of the land.
To Abel he obviously resents and is jealous (but we don’t know this until he kills him). He’s just been shown up by his younger brother. How would you feel? Anger and downcast we are told.
To life? Speculation: Who knows? Maybe resentful. Maybe happy. We just don’t know enough here.
b) Personal Question. My answer: He was angry because he was felt not good enough by his offering and his brother showed him up. His pride was wounded.
c) Personal Question. My answer: Constant comparison to others. It’s easy in this world where we do feel not good enough even though God says we are. It’s tough to believe sometimes.
We all like to be the best and our human pride does get wounded often, which makes us unhappy or angry. Also, if God is not our center, it’s easy to get off-kilter and be angry and unhappy. We must keep Him our focus in the midst of the daily drudges.
6) Sacrifice of praise and to do good and share with others. Try to praise God every chance I get and do good and share with others. Not sure on specifics. Have to see what God presents first.
Conclusions: Seemed to me to be a lot of speculation in this lesson. We don’t know anything about Cain’s life after his birth up until this sacrifice. We don’t know how old he is either. He could be 12, 18, 22, 32, 102, 402…
Seems unfair to me to speculate about Cain’s life based off of one sacrifice (pretending we don’t know he’s about to murder his brother since the verses today do not include that–nor God’s reprimand and warning to Cain). He could have had a great childhood, loving relationship with Abel, his parents and God, and just snapped in the moment.
It’s all speculation unless the Bible says and it doesn’t.
One could argue, “Well, he brought the crap which indicates he didn’t have faith and was resentful.” True. But it could have been a bad day or he didn’t know any better. We are not told the REASON Cain brings the crap (except in Hebrews that he lacks faith). But there are days my faith isn’t as strong as others and I’m in a bad mood.
I would like to think of the good in Cain. Yes. He failed this test miserably and God himself reprimanded him. But saying his whole life up until the sacrifice was miserable and lacked faith is something I’m just not going to say or believe.
God wants us to be happy and have a good life. And I think Cain did too.