Cain got married and had sons who got married and had sons of their own. Lamech, one of the descendents of Cain, committed murder as well. Eve gave birth to another son named Seth.
BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 4, Day 5: Genesis 4:17-26
14) They lived in tents and raised livestock. They invented musical instruments, such as the harp and flute, and learned to play them. They learned to work bronze and form tools. They built cities.
15) Seems like the murder tendency runs in the family and that revenge is acceptable. Inferring from Cain’s relationship, it is probably not a close relationship and their activities make it seem more man-centered than God-centered. Lamech boasts and claims a greater retribution than God could deliver — a clear sign of self-centeredness rather than God-centeredness. From the murder, we can infer that they were okay with committing crimes.
16) Seth replaced Abel and the hope is that he will be closer to the Lord than Cain, God-fearing, and loving of God. God will answer those who call on His name.
17) Personal Question. My answer: God offers us grace no matter what we do or how much we turn from Him. Faith is what matters more than what you bring to Him. He wants your heart more than a token gift.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 4, Day 5: Genesis 4:17-26
The Bible is moving on, quickly running through many generations here so that we have a record of Adam’s line (and Jesus’s) before we move on to Noah in Genesis Chapter 5, our next lesson.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 4, Day 5: Genesis 4:17-26
Necessity demanded that Adam’s sons marry his daughters. The gene pool of humanity was pure at this point. However, as time went on, God decreed there no longer be marriage between close relatives because of the danger of inbreeding.
Other examples of sibling marriages: Abraham married his half-sister Sarah (Genesis 20:12).
Advancement of Man Amidst Spiritual Decline
We see humanity’s rapid advancement here. Cities were founded (Genesis 4:17), homes were built, music and the arts were innovated, and metalworking began.
The name Lamech may mean conqueror. He was the seventh from Adam on Cain’s side. Lamech’s arrogance (Genesis 4:23-24) is a contrast to Enoch, who was the seventh from Adam on Seth’s line (Jude 14).
Biblical first: Lamech was the first bigamist in history, going against God’s original plan for one man and one woman to become one flesh (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-8). The names of his wives and daughter show the emphasis in his heart: Adah means, “pleasure, ornament, or beauty.” Zillah means, “shade” probably referring to a luxurious covering of hair. His daughter’s name was Naamah, which means, “loveliness.” Lamech’s culture was committed to physical and outward beauty.
Lamech boasted about his murder, believing he could deliver a greater retribution than God. This shows just how far man has fallen and how far they have pulled away from God in a short amount of time.
The Devolvement of Humanity
The city was Cain’s city; the focus of Lamech was his beautiful wives and his own perceived strength. But for all of Lamech’s boasting, neither he nor his descendants are ever heard of again in the Bible. He came to nothing.
Adam and Eve had many children who were not specifically named in the Biblical record, but Seth replaced Abel in some sense and was the one to whom the promise of a deliverer from the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15) would be passed.
Some have called Genesis 4:26 the first revival, because it was the first indication of a spiritual resurgence after a clear decline.
Cain protests his punishment to God, saying he won’t be able to bear it and he’ll be killed (which, no offense, seems just retribution to me). God, once again in His infinite mercy, puts a mark upon Cain so that no one will harm him. So Cain is exiled to the land of Nod, east of Eden.
BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 4, Day 4: Genesis 4:13-16
11) He’s a victim. Everyone is against him. Life is not fair, and he’s complaining about it.
12) Personal Question. My answer: I think I accept it much better than Cain. Confess and be forgiven then you move on with life, trying to do better and be better. That’s all God asks of us as we move towards Him.
13) Personal Question. My answer: God is infinitely merciful. It’s comforting to know that no matter how sinful I am, God is there, holding me up, forgiving me, and still caring for me.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 4, Day 4: Genesis 4:13-16
I don’t feel sorry for Cain and his victim mentality. He still is being cared for by the Lord when he did deserve death as well. Wondering who these “others” are who will kill him and where they cam from. I also always thought the mark of Cain was a bad thing because of what Cain did and his sin. Turns out, the mark of Cain is God’s protection over him.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 4, Day 4: Genesis 4:13-16
Still, Cain has no remorse. He’s mad about his punishment, not that his brother is dead by his hand. This is so many people today. They hate that there are consequences for their sin; they don’t hate the sin itself.
Cain could not die; after all, there was not a lot of people on earth.
No one knows what this mark was God placed on Cain.
Future note: We’ll learn in Genesis 5:4 that Adam had other sons and daughters, which could be the “others” Cain was talking about. Remember that Adam and Eve lived hundreds of years. This means that Cain’s future relatives could kill him.
Cain lures Abel out to the fields and murders him. God knows what happened and questions Cain, who claims he has no idea where Abel is. God curses Cain to be a restless wanderer on the earth and that no food will grow for him.
BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 4, Day 3: Genesis 4:8-12
7) Cain lures Abel out to the fields.
8 ) Again, God gives humanity (in this case, Cain) a chance to confess their sins and accept responsibility for what they have done. Cain basically spits in God’s face with his denial.
9a) Because then we would have to admit that we are wrong, and for some reason, that’s exceedingly difficult to do.
b) Personal Question. My answer: A big impact. Definitely less ill will towards others and smoother relationships all around.
10) God always provides us a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13). Sin is a choice. Oftentimes, God will “speak” to us (like our conscious) in an effort to get us to not sin. Still, it’s a choice to choose God or choose sin.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 4, Day 3: Genesis 4:8-12
It amazes me how people lie outright to God even though God knows the answer. You can almost feel how sin has consumed Cain since he has no remorse for what he has done. Here’s where the saying, “I’m not my brother’s keeper” comes from.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 4, Day 3: Genesis 4:8-12
Cain Murders Abel
This was premediated murder, even worse that murder. Still Cain could have changed his mind. It was too late; evil and sin had consumed his heart.
Biblical First: Murder. Cain knew how to kill animals. And it seems man inherently knows how to kill others.
So ends Eve’s hope of Cain as the redeemer.
Cain was supposed to be his brother’s keeper. After all, he was the oldest son; he was supposed to look after his brother.
Cain killed out of jealousy alone, which shows just how poweful it truly is.
Jude 11 warns us of the way of Cain, or unbelief and empty religion that leads to sins such as persecution, murder, and revenge.
People will have a form of godliness but deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5).
God’s Punishment of Cain
We see blood crying out to God from the ground in Numbers 35:29-34 where the blood of unpunished murderers defiles the land.
The blood of Abel spoke; the blood of Jesus speaks, of grace and redemption as sin is judged (Hebrews 12:24).
Cain’s curse was worse than Adam’s. If farming was hard for Adam (Genesis 3:17-18), it would be impossible for Cain. Adam was merely driven from Eden (Genesis 3:24); Cain would find no resting place on earth (a fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth is other Bible translations).
Eve gave birth to Cain and then Abel. Cain was a farmer; Abel was a shepherd. Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to God. Abel brought his choicest fat portions from the firstborn of his flock to God. God looked more favorably upon Abel because of this. This angered Cain. God saw Cain’s heart and spoke to him about his anger, offering advice to turn away from sin.
BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 4, Day 2: Genesis 4:1-7
3) Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to God. Abel brought his choicest fat portions from the firstborn of his flock to God. Abel brought God his best, while Cain just brought God some of his crops. God wants our best always.
4) Abel brought his best to God because he loved God and had a heart for God. Cain did not. Abel had faith according to Hebrews; Cain apparently did not.
5a) Cain was angry that Abel’s gift was accepted by God and God showed Abel more favor. He was mad because Abel made him look bad. He blamed Abel and not himself. He was full of pride.
b) Personal Question. My answer: I usually get defensive at first. It takes me a minute to admit I was wrong. This is human nature. As a broken human, we want to be right and think we are right because we are proud. It is from our broken nature.
6) Personal Question. My answer: God knows our hearts. He knew Cain was thinking about wrong-doing against Abel, and in His infinite mercy, He tries to prevent Cain from following through and giving in to sin. God never gives up on us. He has hope for us up until the choice to sin has been made.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 4, Day 2: Genesis 4:1-7
No one likes leftovers, especially God. Cain it seems brought God his leftovers. We learn that God wants our best always, whether it’s tithing to the church or giving our best to others as Jesus did.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 4, Day 2: Genesis 4:1-7
Biblical First: This is the first mention of sex in the Bible. In other versions of the Bible besides NIV (BSF’s chosen version), the term know is used for this moment. “To know” is used often in the Bible in this sense (Genesis 4:17, 4:25, 38:26, Judges 11:39, 1 Samuel 1:19). It shows how sex is used to enhance the bonding between man and woman. Most likely, Adam and Eve did have sex before the Fall.
The name Cain meant, I’ve got him or Here he is. Eve probably thought that Cain was the seed that God promised, the deliverer who would come from Eve (Genesis 3:15). There is a sense in which Eve said, “I have the man from the LORD.”
The fact that Cain grew crops and Abel was a shepherd shows that man did not spend hundreds of thousands of years as hunter-gatherers. They always farmed and tended animals.
Some Bible scholars believe that Cain brought his offering to the tree of life because cherubim guarded the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24), and cherubim are always associated with the dwelling place or meeting place with God (Exodus 25:10-22). It’s possible that Cain, Abel, and later others met with God at the tree of life, where the cherubim guarded access to the tree and prevented any from eating its fruit. However, this is not proven.
While some may say that Abel’s sacrifice of animals was why he was favored due to the blood aspect, grain offerings are accepted in the Old Testament ( Leviticus 2) as well. God’s favor is a heart matter, not a physical matter.
Cain’s Sinful Heart
(Hebrews 11:4) clears up the matter. Abel had faith; Cain did not.
The fat of the animal was prized and was to be given to God when the animal was sacrificed (Leviticus 3:16-17 and 7:23-25). The burning of fat in sacrifice before God is called a sweet aroma to the LORD (Leviticus 17:6).
In the beginning, one animals was needed as atonement for each perons. Later, at the Passover, it will be one lamb for a family. Then, at the Day of Atonement, it was one lamb for the nation. Finally, with Jesus, there was one Lamb who took away the sin of the whole world (John 1:29).
Adam named Eve, and God made them garments of skin to wear. Because of Adam’s disobedience, knowledge, and sin, Adam would not be allowed to live forever. God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, stationing cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life.
BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 3, Day 5: Genesis 3:20-24
13) Because of Adam’s disobedience, knowledge, and sin, Adam would not be allowed to live forever. God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, stationing cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life.
14) Personal Question. My answer: Even in our downfall, God loves us. He personally made Adam and Eve clothes to wear before they were banished from the Garden. What other creator would do such a thing? As we know, He never abandons His creation. How amazing is that?!
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 3, Day 5: Genesis 3:20-24
Great overall lesson where we see God’s great love for us all.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 3, Day 5: Genesis 3:20-24
Eve was called a female (Genesis 1:27), a helper comparable (Genesis 2:18), a woman (Genesis 2:22, 23), and a wife (Genesis 2:24, 25; 3:8) before Adam named her. This does not mean God did not have a name for Eve, but we are told what the name is in Genesis 5:2: He called them Mankind.
The idea that the woman takes her name from the husband, and the idea that both genders are encompassed in terms like mankind, humanity, and chairman is Biblical.
Adam named Eve in faith, trusting God would bring forth a deliverer from the woman because God said He would defeat Satan through the Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15).
In order for Adam and Eve to be clothed, a sacrifice had to be made. An animal had to die. Without shedding of blood there is no remission (Hebrews 9:22). This, together with the expression of faith in God’s promise indicated in the naming of Eve (Genesis 3:20), indicates that Adam and Eve were rescued from their sinful condition.
In mercy, God protected Adam and Eve from the horrible fate of having to live forever as sinners by preventing them from eating from the tree of life.
Cherubim are always associated with the presence and glory of God (Ezekiel 10, Isaiah 6, Revelation 4). When cherubim are represented on earth (such as in the tabernacle, Exodus 25:10-22), they mark a meeting place with God. Though Adam and Eve and their descendants were prevented from eating the fruit of the tree of life (by God’s mercy), they could still come there to meet God. This was their “holy of holies.” Therefore, it was important to send cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life.
What Happened to the Garden of Eden?
This is the last historical mention of the Garden of Eden in the Bible. We can speculate that God did not destroy it, but left it to the effects of the curse so it probably deteriorated from its original condition, blending into the surrounding geography.
God punishes everyone involved in the Fall. The serpent is cursed above all and made to crawl on its belly. Enmity is put between Satan and mankind. Jesus will crush Satan. The woman will have pain during childbirth, and Adam will rule over her. Adam will toil for food all the days of his life and God cursed the ground. He will return to the earth as dust (or eventually die).
BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 3, Day 4: Genesis 3:14-19
10) Life got hard. The woman will have pain during childbirth, and Adam will rule over her. Adam will toil for food all the days of his life and God cursed the ground. He will return to the earth as dust (or eventually die).
11) Jesus will crush Satan. We are healed by Jesus’ wounds, and will be save when all have come to repentance. “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Romans 16:20)
12) We all die; those who accept Jesus as their Savior will live again.
Jesus was sent to redeem his people, bring grace, and offer justification through his death so that we may have eternal life.
We were born sinners. But Jesus can redeem us. The results and consequences for us today are we have a choice: to choose or reject Jesus. Choose Jesus=life. Reject Jesus=death.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 3, Day 4: Genesis 3:14-19
I find it interesting that God could have killed Adam and Eve right then and there and ended humanity and given up on us. But He doesn’t because He loves us. It’s interesting how God created man knowing we would sin and He created us as weak humans without the power to resist sin. Such a dichotomy to chew on.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 3, Day 4: Genesis 3:14-19
First the creature used in the temptation is cursed. From beauty to ugly in an instant. Adam and Eve were probably terrified. There is a dislike between snakes and humans and between Satan and humans.
In Jesus, we share in the victory over Satan: And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly (Romans 16:20).
Enmity has the idea of ill will, hatred, and a mutual antagonism.
The First Gospel
God announces Jesus’ final defeat of Satan.
The heel is the part within the serpent’s reach. Jesus, in taking on humanity, brought Himself near to Satan’s domain so Satan could strike Him.
This prophecy also gives the first hint of the virgin birth, declaring the Messiah – the Deliverer – would be the Seed of the Woman, but not of the man.
Genesis 3:15 has been called the proto-evangelium, the first gospel. Martin Luther said of this verse: “This text embraces and comprehends within itself everything noble and glorious that is to be found anywhere in the Scriptures” (Leupold).
“This is the first gospel sermon that was ever delivered upon the surface of this earth. It was a memorable discourse indeed, with Jehovah himself for the preacher, and the whole human race and the prince of darkness for the audience.” (Spurgeon)
Food for Thought: God’s plan wasn’t defeated when Adam and Eve sinned because God’s plan was to bring forth something greater than man in the innocence of Eden. God wanted more than innocent man; His plan is to bring forth redeemed man.
Redeemed man – this being who is greater than innocent man – is only possible because man had something to be redeemed from.
Food for Thought: Women bring forth children with more pain than just about any other creature.
Your desire shall be for your husband: This is true of women in a way that it is not true for men. Barnhouse explained: “The desire of man toward his wife alone is solely by God’s grace and not by nature.”
The word for desire is used in Genesis 4:7 of the desire of sin to master over Cain. Because of the curse, Eve would have to fight a desire to master her husband, a desire that works against God’s ordained order for the home.
Adam’s headship as a husband was established before the fall (see Genesis 2:18 and 2:22).
Because of Adam, there is a curse upon all creation.
The curse promised thorns and thistles, and we remember that Jesus was crowned with thorns (Matthew 27:29). In this way, Jesus bore the curse for us.
Adam’s work was now cursed. End of labor would be death.
Eve saw the fruit as pleasing and she wanted wisdom so she ate. She gave the fruit to Adam, who was with her, and he ate too. Their eyes were opened and they realized they were naked, so they covered themselves with fig leaves. The next time God was walking in the garden, both Adam and Eve hid from Him. God called to them, wishing to see them. Adam responded that he was naked and afraid. God knew they had eaten from the tree of knowledge, and Adam blamed Eve. Eve admits she did eat the fruit.
BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 3, Day 3: Genesis 3:6-13
7) Adam tried to blame Eve, and he blames God. Eve blames the serpent. Both knew inside they had done something terrible, so they tried to hide from God. No one hides from God.
8 ) Innocence died. Fear entered the world. They realized they were naked, and they were ashamed of their bodies. They lost the personal relationship with God, a separation called sin that is still here today.
9) Personal Question. My answer: God asks them what they have done, even though He knows, just like we do with our children. He probably wanted to see how they responded. Adam blames Eve; Eve blames the serpent. Both admit they ate of the fruit. God is probably heartbroken, but He wants to see how they will respond. Confession is all we can do after our sin and to ask for forgiveness.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 3, Day 3: Genesis 3:6-13
It’s a human reaction to not take responsibility for their actions by blaming others. This is what Adam and Eve do. They both knew they were in deep trouble. Their response overall did not matter. The sin was done; the consequences would come. Both knew this and were afraid.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 3, Day 3: Genesis 3:6-13
Eve surrendered to this temptation in exactly the way John describes in 1 John 2:16. First, she gave in to the lust of the flesh, then the lust of the eyes, then she gave in to pride.
Jesus was tempted in the same three-fold way: an appeal to the physical appetites, an appeal to covetous and emotional desires, and an appeal to pride (Matthew 4:1-11).
Paul’s statement in 1 Timothy 2:14, that Eve was deceived when she sinned. In her mind, she thought she was doing something good for herself.
God had made for Eve a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). She could have simply run from Satan and the tree, but Eve didn’t take God’s way of escape.
The Crux of the Sin
Adam sinned with his eyes wide open, in open rebellion against God.
Therefore, it is Adam, and not Eve, who bears the responsibility for the fall of the human race and for the introduction of death into the created order (Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 15:22). Eve was tricked into sinning; Adam knew exactly what he was doing (1 Timothy 2:14).
They knew they were naked, in the sense of having their shame exposed to all creation.
Both Psalm 104:2 and Matthew 17:2 suggest that light can be a garment for the righteous. Maybe Adam and Eve were previously clothed in God’s glorious light, so when they sinned, the light left them.
“It is more than probable that they were clothed in light before the fall, and when they sinned the light went out.” (Barnhouse)
We can assume this is God, in the Person of Jesus Christ, appearing to Adam and Eve before His incarnation and birth at Bethlehem, because of God the Father it is said, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18); and no man has ever seen God in the Person of the Father (1 Timothy 6:16).
God Questions Adam and Eve
Where are you?
This was not the interrogation of an angry ruler, but the heartfelt cry of an anguished father. God obviously knew where they were, but He also knew a gulf had been made between Him and man.
The question was meant to lead Adam to confess his sin.
The question was meant to express the accountability man had before God.
The way God came to Adam and Eve is a model of how He comes to lost and fallen humanity ever since.
God came to Adam and Eve patiently, waiting for the right time before darkness fell.
God came to them personally, addressing Adam and Eve directly.
God came to them with truth.
Ever since Adam, men run from God’s presence and don’t want to listen to His Word.
We are still made in God’s image, so we want to be in the presence of God and hear His voice, while at the same time, we are afraid of Him.
God knew the answer to His question. He is giving Adam a chance to confess and repent.
We all sin, but when we sin, we can still give glory to God by confessing without blaming others (Joshua 7:19-20).
Adam is Responsible for the Fall
Notice God has not addressed Eve at all. Adam, being the head, is responsible.
Not only does Adam unjustly accuse Eve, but he refuses to accept proper responsibility for his part in her sin.
By saying the woman whom You gave to be with me, Adam essentially blamed God.
When confronted by God, Eve blames the serpent. Being deceived is a sin as well.
It is sin to exchange the truth of God for the lie (Romans 1:25).
The serpent questions Eve about what God said about the Tree of Knowledge. He tells Eve she will not die like God said when she eats the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Instead, her eyes will be opened and she will be like God, knowing good and evil.
BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 3, Day 2: Genesis 3:1-5
3) The serpent twists God’s words and makes it seem like God merely mispoke and instead Eve won’t die, but she’ll have knowledge instead. Satan turns the positive phrase into a negative, confusing Eve.
4) Evil, cunning, wiley, untrustworthy, one who should not be listened to.
5) Temptations make is seem like they aren’t so bad as they truly are. For example, an affair. Having sex outside of marriage can’t be all that bad. After all, many people do it. When we are tempted, we look for ways to justify it, and we often use other people and their behaviors to justify our actions when, in reality, we need to use Jesus and God as our example who were perfect, and not look to sinners.
Our desires play a big role. We twist God’s truth in our mind to the point that we justify our sins so that we can have what we desire. We put our wants over God’s.
6a) Personal Question. My answer: Temptation is often cloaked and can seem harmless. It speaks in tongues to confuse you until you give in.
b) Currently, I face the temptation to put myself above others. Selfishness if you will. I get very protective of my time and find it hard to give to others.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 3, Day 2: Genesis 3:1-5
It’s so easy to give into temptation. This is when having the full armor of God is a must in order to stay above the fray and come on on God’s side. This is why bible studies, such as BSF, are important, as well as attending church, reading God’s word, etc is so very important in our lives.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 3, Day 2: Genesis 3:1-5
Ezekiel 28:13-19 tells us that Satan was in Eden. Many other passages associate a serpent or a snake-like creature with Satan (such as Job 26:13 and Isaiah 51:9). Revelation 12:9 and 20:2 speak of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan.
Satan as a serpent makes the idea of Moses saving Israel by lifting up a bronze serpent all the more ironic (Numbers 21:8-9), especially when Jesus identifies Himself with that very serpent (John 3:14). The serpent (a personification of sin and rebellion) is made of bronze (a metal associated with judgment, since it is made with fire). The lifting of a bronze serpent is the lifting up of sin judged, in the form of a cross.
Ezekiel 28 tells us Satan, before his fall, was an angel of the highest rank and prominence. Isaiah 14 tells us Satan’s fall had to do with his desire to be equal to or greater than God, to set his will against God’s will.
One of man’s greatest mistakes is believing he is smarter than Satan. We can’t outsmart Satan, but with the power of Jesus, we can overcome him.
Most likely the serpent in the Garden did not look like our modern day snakes. It may have had wings and probably did not crawl on its belly.
It Was God’s Plan for Satan to Attack Eve Before Adam
Satan brought his temptation against the woman because he perceived she was more vulnerable to attack. She did not receive the command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil directly from God but through Adam (Genesis 2:15-17).
Adam didn’t do an effective job of communicating to Eve what the LORD told him. This failure on Adam’s part made Eve more vulnerable to temptation.
Satan will often attack a chain at its weakest link, so he gets at Adam by tempting Eve. The stronger ones in a “chain” must expect an attack against weaker links and support them against those attacks.
MIND BLOWING: It was also in God’s plan to allow Satan to tempt Eve this way. If Adam would have sinned first, and if he had then given the fruit to Eve, she might have a partial excuse before God: “I was simply obeying the head of our home. When he gave me the fruit, I ate it.”
Eve’s Mistakes:
Talking to the serpent in the first place. We need to not let sin have a chance at all.
Ignorance. She does not seem to know the name of the tree, calling it the “tree in the middle of the garden”
She did not know Adam’s words exactly. She added in touching the fruit.
Eve doubts God. Not knowing the exact command, Eve is confused. Instead of seeking Adam for help, she makes the fateful decision to eat instead.
Eve forgets the consequences of the sin.
Adam is responsible for Eve’s ignorance on not knowing about the tree and the consequences.
Satan’s reasoning had truth in it (their eyes would be opened). Every good lie (if you can call it good) has truth in it.
Satan tempts Eve with what made him fall: You will be like God.
After God made the heavens and the earth but before plants had sprung and only streams had watered the earth, God made man from the dust of the ground and breathed life into his nostrils and man became living. He put the man in the garden of Eden. He made all kinds of trees for food and in the middle were the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. A river watered this garden.
God put man in charge of the garden to work it and take care of it. He warned the man not to eat from the tree of knowledge or he would die. He brought the animals to Adam to name. When God did so, He noticed no helper was found for man; so He created woman from Adam’s rib while he was sleeping so man would not be alone.
This is why man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife and become one flesh. They were naked and felt no shame.
BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 2, Day 5: Genesis 2:4-25
Personal Day
13) God intends for marriage to be a sacred bond between one woman and one man who work together for God’s ordained purposes of taking care of the the planet and to not be lonely.
14) God cares about our well-being — enough to give us a companion so as not to be lonely. Humanity is to work for God and for the Creation God has given man.
15) Another broad question so no wrong answer here. I see my role as taking care of my family that in turn cares for God and His family (the world).
BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 2, Day 5: Genesis 2:4-25
All personal day today, so I’m afraid my answers are less than par here. I do much better with Biblical ones.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 2, Day 5: Genesis 2:4-25
And so ends the genealogy of the heavens and the earth, a history given directly by God to either Moses or Adam, recording the history of God’s 7 day creation that no human was present to witness.
FUN FACT: This is the first use of LORD (Yahweh) in the Bible. Our English word Lord comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for bread (as does our word loaf) because ancient English men of high stature would keep a continual open house, where all could come and get bread to eat. They gained the honorable title of lords, meaning “dispensers of bread.”
Man had not yet been created to care for the vegetation of the earth, and there was no rain. The thick blanket of water vapor in the outer atmosphere created on the second day of creation (Genesis 1:6-8) made for no rain. However, a system of evaporation and condensation formed heavy dew or ground-fog.
When God created man, He made him out of the most basic elements, the dust of the ground.
When the Bible uses dust in a figurative or symbolic sense, it means something of little worth, associated with lowliness and humility (Genesis 18:27; 1 Samuel 2:8; 1 Kings 16:2).
With this Divine breath, man became a living being, like other forms of animal life (the term chay nephesh is used in Genesis 1:20-21 and here). Yet only man is a living being made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27).
The word for breath in Hebrew is ruach is the same word for Spirit, as is the case in both ancient Greek (pneuma) and Latin (spiritus). God created man by putting His breath, His Spirit, within him.
The King James Version reads: man became a living soul. So is man a soul, or does man have a soul? This passage seems to indicate that man is a soul, while passages like 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and Hebrews 4:12 seem to indicate that man has a soul. It seems that the Scripture speaks in both ways.
The Garden of Eden
Eden was a garden specifically planted by God; it was a place God made to be a perfect habitation for Adam (and later, Eve).
Genesis chapter 2 is the history of creation from Adam’s perspective, which does not contradict the account of Genesis 1:1-2:7 .
The tree of life was to grant (or to sustain) eternal life (Genesis 3:22). God still has a tree of life available to the His people (Revelation 2:7), which is in heaven (Revelation 22:2).
The whole feel of this account gives the sense that it was written by an actual eyewitness of the rivers and surroundings. Adam probably wrote this himself.
These rivers used to exist. However, the names of these rivers can’t be used to determine where the Garden of Eden was located because the flood dramatically changed the earth’s landscape and reconfigured these rivers.
God put Adam into the most spectacular paradise the world has seen, but God put Adam there to do work. Work is something good for man and was part of Adam’s perfect existence and our purpose before the fall.
If there is never a command or never something forbidden there can then never be choice. God wants our love and obedience to Him to be the love and obedience of choice.
The Creation of Eve
For the first time, God saw something that was not good – the aloneness of man.
God gives man the responsibility (and the accountability) to be the leader in the home and gives women the responsibility and the accountability to help him.
We only see “helping” as a position of inferiority when we think like the world thinks. God considers positions of service as most important in His sight (Matthew 20:25-28).
COOL FACT: Here, Adam’s intellect had not yet suffered from the fall, so he was probably the most brilliant man who ever lived.
ANOTHER COOL FACT: This is the first surgery recorded in history. God even used a proper anesthetic on Adam.
God used Adam’s own body to create Eve to forever remind him of their essential oneness. Man and woman are more alike than they are different.
We also know the Bride of Christ comes from the wound made in the side of the second Adam, Jesus Christ.
“She was taken from under his arm that he might protect her and from next to his heart that he might love her” (Barnhouse).
Note that the subordinate relationship of wives to husbands is found before the curse, not only after it.
Man and Wife Are One Flesh
A man and wife can truly come together in a one-flesh relationship, yet they must be joined. It is a spiritual fact, but the benefits of that oneness are not gained by accident or by chance.
This passage forms the foundation for the Bible’s understanding of marriage and family. Both Jesus (Matthew 19: 5) and Paul (Ephesians 5:31) quoted it in reference to marriage.
Husband and wife become one flesh under God’s blessing. In extramarital sex, the partners become “one flesh” under God’s curse.
The fullness of what God wants to do in the one flesh relationship takes time. It has to become.
Adam understood the essential oneness in his relationship with Eve. This point is so important that it is referred to several times in the New Testament, including the great marriage passage in Ephesians 5:28-29
Being naked shows being open and exposed as a person before God and man. To be naked… and not ashamed means you have no sin, nothing to be rightly ashamed of, and nothing to hide.
After God made the heavens and the earth but before plants had sprung and only streams had watered the earth, God made man from the dust of the ground and breathed life into his nostrils and man became living. He put the man in the garden of Eden. He made all kinds of trees for food and in the middle were the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. A river watered this garden.
God put man in charge of the garden to work it and take care of it. He warned the man not to eat from the tree of knowledge or he would die. He brought the animals to Adam to name. When God did so, He noticed no helper was found for man; so He created woman from Adam’s rib while he was sleeping so man would not be alone.
This is why man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife and become one flesh. They were naked and felt no shame.
BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 2, Day 4: Genesis 2:4-25
10) Personal Question. My answer: Man felt no shame; this is a consequence of sin. After all, what was to be ashamed about if you didn’t sin? God gave Adam a companion because it was for Adam’s good. God gives us companions and other things because it is for our good.
11) God put man in charge of the garden to work it and take care of it. He commanded the man not to eat from the tree of knowledge or he would die. He brought the animals to Adam to name. Man’s purpose is to care for the garden and everything in it, including the animals. He commanded man not to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge because he would die. This was for man’s own good.
12) This is a loaded question, and the answers can be anything. Mine: You can know God’s care for us as He has given us everything we need to survive. You can see God’s attention to detail, and how He has given everything a purpose and a place. You can see and feel God’s love for us in His creation. You can see His goodness, His desire for us to have everything we need, and His purpose for our lives. You can see His supremacy, and you can see why He deserves nothing less than our complete devotion. In essence, you see God when you truly see nature.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 2, Day 4: Genesis 2:4-25
I love how what we think to be human emotions, such as shame, fear, and anxiety, were never God’s intention for us. He did not give those to us; we gave those to ourselves when sin entered the picture. God never meant for us to be afraid of anything, to want for anything, and to fear Him. He meant for us to always be with Him as we will be in heaven. God and everything He has made are good.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 2, Day 4: Genesis 2:4-25
And so ends the genealogy of the heavens and the earth, a history given directly by God to either Moses or Adam, recording the history of God’s 7 day creation that no human was present to witness.
FUN FACT: This is the first use of LORD (Yahweh) in the Bible. Our English word Lord comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for bread (as does our word loaf) because ancient English men of high stature would keep a continual open house, where all could come and get bread to eat. They gained the honorable title of lords, meaning “dispensers of bread.”
Man had not yet been created to care for the vegetation of the earth, and there was no rain. The thick blanket of water vapor in the outer atmosphere created on the second day of creation (Genesis 1:6-8) made for no rain. However, a system of evaporation and condensation formed heavy dew or ground-fog.
When God created man, He made him out of the most basic elements, the dust of the ground.
When the Bible uses dust in a figurative or symbolic sense, it means something of little worth, associated with lowliness and humility (Genesis 18:27; 1 Samuel 2:8; 1 Kings 16:2).
With this Divine breath, man became a living being, like other forms of animal life (the term chay nephesh is used in Genesis 1:20-21 and here). Yet only man is a living being made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27).
The word for breath in Hebrew is ruach is the same word for Spirit, as is the case in both ancient Greek (pneuma) and Latin (spiritus). God created man by putting His breath, His Spirit, within him.
The King James Version reads: man became a living soul. So is man a soul, or does man have a soul? This passage seems to indicate that man is a soul, while passages like 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and Hebrews 4:12 seem to indicate that man has a soul. It seems that the Scripture speaks in both ways.
The Garden of Eden
Eden was a garden specifically planted by God; it was a place God made to be a perfect habitation for Adam (and later, Eve).
Genesis chapter 2 is the history of creation from Adam’s perspective, which does not contradict the account of Genesis 1:1-2:7 .
The tree of life was to grant (or to sustain) eternal life (Genesis 3:22). God still has a tree of life available to the His people (Revelation 2:7), which is in heaven (Revelation 22:2).
The whole feel of this account gives the sense that it was written by an actual eyewitness of the rivers and surroundings. Adam probably wrote this himself.
These rivers used to exist. However, the names of these rivers can’t be used to determine where the Garden of Eden was located because the flood dramatically changed the earth’s landscape and reconfigured these rivers.
God put Adam into the most spectacular paradise the world has seen, but God put Adam there to do work. Work is something good for man and was part of Adam’s perfect existence and our purpose before the fall.
If there is never a command or never something forbidden there can then never be choice. God wants our love and obedience to Him to be the love and obedience of choice.
The Creation of Eve
For the first time, God saw something that was not good – the aloneness of man.
God gives man the responsibility (and the accountability) to be the leader in the home and gives women the responsibility and the accountability to help him.
We only see “helping” as a position of inferiority when we think like the world thinks. God considers positions of service as most important in His sight (Matthew 20:25-28).
COOL FACT: Here, Adam’s intellect had not yet suffered from the fall, so he was probably the most brilliant man who ever lived.
ANOTHER COOL FACT: This is the first surgery recorded in history. God even used a proper anesthetic on Adam.
God used Adam’s own body to create Eve to forever remind him of their essential oneness. Man and woman are more alike than they are different.
We also know the Bride of Christ comes from the wound made in the side of the second Adam, Jesus Christ.
“She was taken from under his arm that he might protect her and from next to his heart that he might love her” (Barnhouse).
Note that the subordinate relationship of wives to husbands is found before the curse, not only after it.
Man and Wife Are One Flesh
A man and wife can truly come together in a one-flesh relationship, yet they must be joined. It is a spiritual fact, but the benefits of that oneness are not gained by accident or by chance.
This passage forms the foundation for the Bible’s understanding of marriage and family. Both Jesus (Matthew 19: 5) and Paul (Ephesians 5:31) quoted it in reference to marriage.
Husband and wife become one flesh under God’s blessing. In extramarital sex, the partners become “one flesh” under God’s curse.
The fullness of what God wants to do in the one flesh relationship takes time. It has to become.
Adam understood the essential oneness in his relationship with Eve. This point is so important that it is referred to several times in the New Testament, including the great marriage passage in Ephesians 5:28-29
Being naked shows being open and exposed as a person before God and man. To be naked… and not ashamed means you have no sin, nothing to be rightly ashamed of, and nothing to hide.