Understanding Scripture Part five

The first known written record of the phrase “All good things must come to an end” comes from the medieval poet Geoffrey Chaucer, The sentiment behind this idiom is that all good things are temporary and cannot last forever.

This idiom is not true however in the case of Adam and Eve. The good things that they enjoyed were not meant to be temparary but for eternity. It was the choice made by them to believe the devil rather than God that caused their loss of all good things.

  • We are introduced to the blame game in Genesis 3:12-13.

Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of he tree, and I ate." And the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

  • Evidence that we are held responsible for our own actions is demonstrated in Genesis 3:14-19.

 

Genesis 3:14 So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.

15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."

16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."

17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.

18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.

19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return."

 

20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

  • God covered their sin and sent them out of the garden to provide for themselves.

 

22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" --

23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.

24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

 

NOTE: The way back into Eden was guarded not only by the cherubim but also by a revolving sword-like flame. This gave further assurance that man would not make his way to the tree of life. Though man's paradise was closed to him because he had become a sinner, Jehovah did not forget his creatures. He had already made provision for their triumphant return in the distant future.

 

  • In Genesis 4 we find Adam and Eve in a whole new world.

 

Genesis 4:1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have gotten a man from the LORD."

2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD.

  • A covering for sin that lacked a blood sacrifice.

 

4 Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering,

  • A covering for sin that included a blood sacrifice.

 

5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

6 So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?

7 "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."

 

8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose against Abel his brother and killed him.

  • The unbelievers response against the true worshipers of Christ.
  • The first murder is recorded in Scripture took place when there was only four people on earth.
  1. 1 John 3:15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
  2. John 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

 

9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

10 And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground.

  • Hebrews 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
  • Genesis 4:11-14 "So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. "When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth." And Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear! "Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me."
  • Cain suffered less than he deserved for his murder of Abel. God had warned Cain earlier about his attitude (4:6-7). No human witnessed and punished Cain's crime. God noted it as He does all crime. Eventually all criminals must face God's judgment no matter how well they escape human punishment.

 

15 And the LORD said to him, "Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.

16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.

17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son -- Enoch.

18 To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.

19 Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.

20 And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.

21 His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.

22 And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

23 Then Lamech said to his wives: "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; O wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, even a young man for hurting me.

24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold."

25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, "For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed."

26 And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD.

  • History according to secular definitions is limited to description of human activities and interpretation of human causes and motivations. Biblical history centers on divine motivation by focusing on promises God gives people and fulfills for them. The promise to Cain led to geographic and cultural expansion of the human race. It also led to history carried out without concern for God's presence. History thus has two types of subjects--those who move away from God and those who call on God. The interaction of the two form the basis for divine deliverance of His people.
  • ENOS (ee' nohs) or ENOSH (Enosh) Personal name meaning, "humanity"or "a man." The son of Seth and therefore the grandson of Adam (Gen. 4:26). The period following his birth is identified as the time when people began to worship Yahweh. See Genesis 5:6-11.

 

And so began the new world for mankind simply because the original parents sinned against God.

 

Genesis 5:1 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.

2 He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created.

3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.

(It is important to note that Adams offspring were born "after his own image" and therefore inherited his sin nature which has been handed down through all generations. Numbers 14:18  'The LORD is long-suffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.')

  • And Adam who was created to live for eternity lived only one hundred and thirty years after the fall of mankind.

The balance of Chapter five records the genealogy of Adam.

 

Beginning in Chapter six of Genesis we find the dreadful decline in the life of mankind. We will start there in our attempt to Understand Scripture.