Genesis 4 & 5
After the Fall
Cain and Abel
After Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, the Bible teaches, “Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain.” (Genesis 4:1, NIV). She responds, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” (Genesis 4:1, NIV). Eve understands the mystery and wonder of birth. I remember at the birth of my first child, the Doctor looked at me and said, “I have a suggestion for this Sunday’s sermon title.” I responded, “What do you suggest?” He replied, “the miracle of life!” It was a good suggestion. Every time a child is born, it reminds us of how miraculous life is, and only God could have created us for such a beautiful time.
In Genesis 4:2, the birth of Abel is recorded. “Later, she gave birth to his brother Abel.” There is an absence in the record of this birth. Adam is not mentioned. A Jewish scholar pointed out that he believed the author was pointing to when Messiah would be born of woman, but the father would be God. Of course, this fits perfectly with we Christians that believe Jesus was born from the Virgin Mary with God as the Father. I do, however, think that Adam was the father of Abel.
The First Worship Service
Genesis 4 records the first worship service. Cain, a farmer, brings some of his crops to the Lord. Abel, a shepherd, brought one of the firstborn of his flock to God. God accepted Abel’s offering but rejected Cain’s. I have heard a lot of speculation about why God rejected Cain’s offering and accepted Abel’s. One is that God preferred blood sacrifice. I struggle with this explanation because later, there were grain offerings to be brought to the Lord. Plus, it appears it was his attitude that was wrong, and not that Cain brought vegetables. The writer of Hebrews stated that Abel brought his offering by faith, while Cain did not (Hebrews 11:4).
There are lessons on how to worship in this account. First, bring your best to God. Second, your attitude in worship matters. Whenever you worship corporately or in private, it would be best to leave your bad mood at the door and approach God in faith, gratitude, and reverence.
The First Murder
It is hard to believe that because of the first worship service, a murder results. Cain calls Abel out to the field and kills him. God confronts Cain about his act and puts a curse on him, though he marks Cain, so others would know not to kill him. Life is important to God. Abel’s blood cried out to God from the ground (Genesis 4:10). All life is precious to God.
The Birth of Seth
In Genesis 4:25, Adam again makes love to his wife, and she gave birth to her son Seth. Eve then proclaims that God has placed another seed in her to take the place of Abel. The word seed, Hebrew word zera’, is significant because it points back to the promise of Genesis 3:15. The word seed is used in that passage. The promise is that the seed of woman would crush the head of the serpent. The word “seed,” unfortunately, is not used in many of our English translations. I believe the author intentionally uses it to remind his readers of the promise of a coming Messiah.
The Image of God
The linage of Adam is recorded in Genesis 5. It begins by recalling the creation of humanity. “When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” (Adam in the Hebrew) when they were created.” The author reminds us that humanity was created in God’s image. At the birth of Seth, the author wrote that Seth was in the image of Adam. The writer of Genesis makes sure to note that Seth is created in the image of God, just as his father, Adam. The fall did not change our image.
Because humanity is created in the image of God, it demands that every person be treated with dignity and respect. It gives us a different perspective when we look at other people, especially those we struggle with, as created in God’s image. Like the old preacher said, “God created us in His image, and God don’t create no junk.” Let’s live our lives knowing that every other person in the world and we are made in the image of God.
Linage of Adam
There are ten generations listed in Genesis 5 going to Noah. Most of them lived for over 900 years. Many have speculated on how they lived so long. Some think the numbering system may have been different. Others believe that the diseases that are common today did not exist. Others think the soil was still enriched from the Garden of Eden days, and so the food was healthier. I am not sure we can explain the longevity of their lives, but the Bible records it.
This linage list has been called the list of death. Even though they lived long lives, the author ended all of them, but one, with “and he died.” This is significant because the penalty for the fall was death. However, there was one on this list that did not die. According to Genesis 5:24, “Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more because God took him away.” Those who walk with God do not die. Adam and Eve could have continued to walk with God, but they chose to disobey. Later in Genesis, we will see that Noah walked with God and so he doesn’t die in the flood. Walking with God brings life.
Wickedness on the Earth
In Genesis 6, the world is described as a wicked place. In Genesis 6:5, humanity is described, “every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” After the fall, humanity goes wild. One of the more difficult things to explain in this passage deals with the “sons of God” being attracted to the “daughters of humans” and marrying them. Who were these “sons of God?” Some speculate that they were the “sons of Seth.” Remember, God, placed the seed in Eve for Seth to be born. Others think they were “angels.” The most common interpretation is that they were “fallen angels.” The book of Enoch, which is not considered inspired scripture, taught that they were fallen angels, and after the flood, they became demons.
The offspring of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of humans” were the Nephilim. In verse 4, they are found on earth before and after the flood. Later in the Bible, the Nephilim are giants. It was the Nephilim that scared the spies reporting about the Promised land. How did they survive the flood? One thought is that one of Noah’s daughters-in-law was a product of the Nephilim and carried that gene beyond the flood. Truthfully, no one knows for sure. What we do know is that those who do not walk with God become wicked. Remember to walk with God today.