Genesis chapters 4-8

Jumping in with both feet we head strait to a number of passages that many struggle with. I'll dig into the meat after the basic study.

God's Message to me: Timing is important. The first man that didn't die lived 365 years. The father of Noah lived 777 years. The bible gives exact dates for entering and leaving the ark and tells the ages of each mans death and the years for each birth. Rule one, God has a schedule we can't rush. Rule 2 if God considers it important we should also. Rule 3 (from Cain and Able) God respects obedience, not position.

Promises: God will forgive sin if we obey Him and follow His path for forgiveness. We can't reinvent the path to suit our situation. Cain was a farmer but burning grain and fruit could not replace a blood sacrifice.
God will never again destroy all the earth for the sins of men. The curse on the ground given as a result of Adam's sin is lifted forever in spite of the evil in men's hearts.

Commands: Obey God's commands.

Timeless principles: When God told Moses he would test the people of Israel to see if they obeyed His law he did so before giving them "the law of Moses" His law was simply his command. Not all commands are for all people. Not everyone is called to be a pastor but it is sin for one who is called to refuse the calling.

How can I apply what I've learned: First, learn what God seeks to teach. If he didn't want us to learn it he wouldn't put it in the book. Second, obey Gods commandments both in the bible and in my life. God never tells us to do something wrong and he doesn't contradict himself. He would never order us to do something the bible says we shouldn't. He does call some to do more and we should obey those commands just as we should obey the 10 commandments and the other commands.


more to learn for in-depth study:

Cain and Abel both brought offerings of the first fruits. They tithed. Why was Cain's offering less acceptable?

While both offerings were proper tithes Cains was an offering of grain and fruit. Able brought a blood sacrifice which is necessary for the remission(cleansing) of sin. Abel's blood sacrifice cleared the slate and renewed his relationship with God so that his tithe could get full respect from God.

Christ became the ultimate blood sacrifice for all sin which is why Christians no longer practice the blood sacrifice that was mandated under Old Testament law. For those who see a blood sacrifice as barbaric remember that it was commanded by God under the law given to Moses and documented in Leviticus.

The story of Lamech seems to be a useless aside but it serves as a reminder of the adage "give them an inch and they'll take a mile." God protected Cain from the death penalty he earned for murdering his brother. Lamech, who didn't see his murder as wrong but justified it by saying the man hurt him, felt God should protect him 10 times as well.

Moving to the genealogy there are 2 reasons for documenting all this. The first is found in Luke chapter 3 which traces the lineage of Christ back to Adam. Matthew chapter one shows the need for this lineage by reminding us that there are 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 from David to Babylonian captivity and 14 more from the captivity to Christ, all in fulfillment of prophecy.

The second reason is a time line. Counting from creation (I'm not trying to establish the year BC yet) Adam is created at year zero, Seth was born in year 130, Enosh was born in year 235, Cainan was born in year 220, Mahalel was born in year 290,Jared was born in year 355, Enoch was born in year 517, Methuselah was born in year 582, Lamech was born in year 769, and Adam finally died in year 930. For those concerned by oral history it should be noted that Lamech, the father of Noah, had 161 years to learn history from the man who had lived it from the very beginning, Adam.

Noah was born in year 951, Seth died in year 1042, Enosh died in year 1140, Cainan died in year 1130, Mahalel died in year 1185, Jared died in year 1317, Enoch was taken by God in year 882, Lamech died in year 1546 having lived 777 years, Methuselah is the oldest man on record living 969 years until year 1551 and dying shortly before the flood, The flood occured in year 1551. While it is unclear whether Noah's sons could have known their grandfather it is quite clear that their great grandfather was around almost until the flood. Methuselah had 384 years to learn history from Adam and then could teach it to Shem, Ham and Japeth. For the Oral history concerns that is Adam teaches Methuselah who teaches the sons of Noah.

Chapter 6 discusses the nephilim, These "mighty ones" were the offspring of humans and fallen angels. The bible also calls them giants and men of renown. This implies they may be the origin of stories regarding both fantastical monsters and half human half god heroes.

FUN FACT: The ark was about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Draw a picture and you realize that it was a lot like a big barge. 15 yards high or around 4 1/2 stories, 25 yards wide is just a bit more than the length of most mobile homes. 150 yards is a football feild and a half. That's a big boat.

On the 17th day of the 2nd month in the year 1551, the rain began. The rain continued for 40 days and the water raised 22 1/2 feet above the highest mountain. The ark remained closed for 370 days until God told Noah and his family to take the animals off the ark on the 27th day of the 2nd month of the year 1552.