NOTE:  After much “chewing” on a verse of scripture from Eve’s encounter with Satan in the Garden of Eden, I wrote a devotional that is posted on the website for this week entitled “Embellishments”.  It was a point of clarification that I didn’t want to “fall through the cracks” as we digest these chapters together. 

I’ll begin with the answer to one of Jan’s questions posted concerning this week’s assignment.  She asked about the women that Cain and Seth took as their wives.  Where did the women come from? In the Believer’s Bible Commentary written by William MacDonald, I found the following explanation for Chapter 4, verse 17 that deals with this question.  “Cain married his sister or other blood relative.  As mentioned, Genesis 4:3 allows time for a population increase, and Genesis 5:4 specifically states that Adam had sons and daughters.  Marriage of close relatives was not forbidden then (nor was it genetically risky).”

Now for a few comments regarding Chapters 7 and 8:

I want to address the ark.  Back in Chapter 6 when the dimensions of the ark were given, it seems that although we don’t know for sure the exact length of a “cubit” or perhaps these measurements are unfamiliar to us, we can use a plumb line of familiarity to understand its size.  This I thought to be interesting as I gathered the information from the Ryrie Study Bible.  “Its carrying capacity equaled that of 522 standard railroad stock cars (each of which can hold 240 sheep).  Only 188 cars would be required to hold 45,000 sheep-sized animals, leaving three trains of 104 cars each for food, Noah’s family and “range” for the animals.  Today it is estimated that there are 17,600 species of animals, making 45,000 a likely approximation of the number Noah might have taken into the ark.”

Chapter 7 begins with God calling Noah and his family to enter the ark. Some translations read in verse 1, that God directed Noah to “Go” into the ark while another reads, “Come”….like a gracious invitation.  

Then God lists of the “kinds” of animals to include on the voyage.  If you read closely the first few verses of Chapter 7, you will note that there were more clean animals included on the journey than unclean.  It appears that the clean animals might be needed for food purposes and/or sacrifices (which are exactly what happened when Noah’s family emerged from the ark) therefore, more were required.

I was amazed at verse 4 when I read, “Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights……”  Whoa!  All these animals to collect and only seven days to do accomplish the goal?  When I think of the time it must have taken to build the ark, well, let’s see.  Noah is mentioned in Genesis 5:32 as being 500 years old.  When he entered the ark, he was approximately 600 years old.  At the most it took 100 years, but that hasn’t been firmly established.  But to gather all these animals, male and female in seven days??  Okay, I’m human and I’m wondering how the goal will be accomplished on time.  HOWEVER…God has it all under control, as usual.  Did you read in verse 9 what the animals did???  “Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah.” (Emphasis mine)  What a God we serve!  God knew the timeframe….God knew the limitations of man…God fixed a potential problem….the animals walked up to the ark and I can see Noah checking them off the list!

Jan, I wish I knew the answers concerning the calendar dates.  I don’t think they were using our current calendar, but here is some information that might help with clarification.

Concerning the flood and the days of endurance aboard the ark:

1.     7 days, the time between Noah entering the ark and the beginning of the flood

2.    40 days, actual rain time

3.    150 days, from the beginning of the rain until the waters decreased and the ark rested on Mt. Ararat

4.    224 days, from the beginning of the flood to the mountains coming into view

5.    40 days, from the time the mountains were viewed until the raven was sent out (raven did not return..a scavenger, this animal would have no problem being among carnage or perching on slimy surfaces.)

6.    7 days, from the raven to the first dove being sent out (dove returned, a clean animal that will not feed on “death”)

7.    7 more days, sent dove again…this time dove returned with an olive leaf!

8.    7 additional days, dove goes out again not to return

9.    314 days from the beginning of the Flood until Noah removes the covering (possibly the door) of the ark

10.  371 days total from the beginning of the Flood until the earth was dried.  Noah and his family emerge from the ark!

In verse 15 of Chapter 8, I love what it says, “Then God said to Noah, ‘Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives.”  He further instructs them to set the animals free to “move along the ground---so they can multiply….”  What a beautiful scene from scripture.  God appears to be reaching down and extending his hand to Noah and saying (as we have with small children), “Come on out, it’s okay…I’m here!”

Noah’s first action?  He built an altar and sacrificed some of the clean animals to thank the Lord for His mercy and saving grace.  The sacrifice was pleasing to the Lord and, as a result, God made a covenant with Noah.  Scripture tells us in verse 21, “The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: ‘Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even through every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.  And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done’.”  Verse 22 refers to the fact God would provide regular seasons as long as the earth endures.  More of the details of this covenant are written in Chapter 9.

I know that I asked each of you to write about your thoughts and feelings about being aboard a floating animal farm with only seven other people for what we’ve discovered is over a year!  Jan, thanks for sharing the adventure on the rocking cruise ship.  I can only imagine what that would feel like…I’m sure the ark rocked and rolled quite a few times over the period of the initial forty days and nights. 

The word you would choose to analyze Chapter 8, once again Jan used “hope”….looking around at the earth in its newness, yet with all the devastation and loss of life would be a feeling not soon to be forgotten.  God sparing the faithful to carry on His work would direct me to use the word, “mercy”…protection from destruction through God’s compassion towards the faithful.  Mercy is being spared from judgment or harm.

Next Week’s Assignment:  Read Chapter 9 and write all you can find about the Noahic Covenant (Genesis 8:20 – 9:27).  I am going to use the next couple of weeks to discuss the covenants God has made up to this point.  There have been three covenants thus far.  The Edenic Covenant, the Adamic Covenant and now the Noahic Covenant.  You might see what you can find on these covenants, but if you have questions about any of the material covered to this point, please let me know.  We will take breaks, if needed, and reflect on the scripture we have read to this point.

Father, thank you for watching over these faithful servants as they read and study your Word.  Open their minds that they might understand the treasures within each verse of scripture.  Enlighten me with knowledge to lead them and purge anything that would hinder your voice from being heard and followed.   In Jesus’ name, Amen!

 

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Good Morning, my friends.  Let’s begin with the comments from last week’s assignment dealing with Chapters 4-6.  I'd like to remind everyone that we can slow down and only do a chapter a week and allow more time for discussion, comments and "digging"....I am summarizing key points from each chapter.  If you would like to linger or have me address more in each lesson, please let me know.  This is YOUR study!

Chapter 4:  I’m sure everyone knows the names of Adam and Eve’s first two sons.  There was another lie that surfaced after an evil, selfish action.  Cain was the firstborn son.  His job was to work with the soil.  Farming, I would assume.  Abel, second born son was a shepherd.  Now look closely at the offerings brought to God.  Verse 3, Chapter 4, “Cain brought SOME of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.  But Abel brought FAT portions from some of the FIRSTBORN of his flock.”  (Emphasis in caps is mine.) Appears Abel brought the first fruits, the best to the Lord while Cain decided from himself what to offer.  Not good.

God was favorable with Abel and not with Cain.  Each man had the opportunity to give to God his best, but one decided he’d just give “some”, not the “first”.  Next, God uses this as a teaching moment to remind Cain, you will be accepted, too, but you need to do what is right.  I love the next comment.  (Kathy, this goes back to our discussion about evil and good being within each individual.  It’s our choice to choose good.)  God tells Cain, “but if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”  NIV, verse 6, Chap. 4

Cain, a man full of evil intentions, asked his brother to go with him into the fields where Cain proceeds to eliminate the problem…so he thinks.  When God asks Cain later the whereabouts of his brother, here comes the lie, “I don’t know.”  “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  I don’t think this family is catching on they are dealing with Almighty God, Maker of Heaven and Earth!

Consequences to Cain….even though you work the land, it won’t produce for you.  You are going to be a “restless wanderer on the earth.”  Furthermore, God protects Cain from being killed.  No quick getting away from this judgment. 

When I asked to compare the genealogies and the names, I wanted you to be aware that the same names come up over and over again.  Sometimes we have a tendency to get those confused. 

Chapter 5: Did you notice the beginning of this chapter and how it reads?  Look at verse 3, “When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image, and he named him Seth.”  Almost sounds like a clean slate with another child?  And then the genealogy of Adam is given through his son, Seth.  The genealogy continues until Noah is mentioned.  Now look closely at the name of Noah’s father.  Lamech is Noah’s father and then there is a Lamech in Cain’s lineage as well.  Be careful as you compare names and genealogies!

Chapter 6:  What was going on to cause God to become so angry with mankind he decided to destroy them?  Little hints stand out in scripture to me.  “the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful and they married any of them they chose.”  Sounds like society today, doesn’t it?  Instead of asking God’s guidance and prayerfully considering a life’s mate, let’s go with who looks good.  Beauty is still a factor today that gets a lot of people in marital trouble and woes.

Another factor is the definition of the Nephilim.  There are several websites that describe who the Nephilim actually were, but it appears they could be an antediluvian race (pre-flood) which are referred to in the Bible as giants.  Other suggestions say they could be offspring of the descendents of Seth with those of Cain; or they were hybrid offspring of fallen angels with human women.  Whatever site you read for reference, a marked agreement seems to be they were declared powerful, large, mighty men that were described as “giants”.

 NOTE: The other mention of the Nephilim in scripture was during the time of Moses when the twelve spies were asked to stake out the Promised Land.  Remember the comments of ten of those spies?  They said the land couldn’t be taken because the men were as giants.  The only individuals in disagreement were Joshua and Caleb.      

Now onto Noah….descriptions?  Noah was a righteous man.  Scripture tells us he was blameless among the people of his time.  That he walked with God.  Wow.  I’d love for God to have someone pen those words about me.  How precious to be noted as a man that walked with God.  And to use the word blameless!  Not to mention righteous??   What an epitaph for a gravestone…Cookie, she walked with God!  Okay, back to the study.

Noah was quite a guy.  And he only had three sons when men of this time were having children all over the place.  Remember the length of their years?  So it appears that God is changing the span of years after Noah.  In verse 3 of Chapter 6, “My Spirit will not content with man forever, for he is mortal.  His days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

So God begins to instruct Noah in the building of an ark and the gathering of every kind of animal two by two.  What an overwhelming job for this man and his family.  However, what was Noah’s reaction?  I would have probably made some sort of comment or suggestion of how I needed a little extra help or a larger timeframe, but Noah?  Last line of Chapter 6, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”  Now that’s a man who walks with God.

Assignment for next week: February 22

Let’s read two chapters this week.  Chapters 7 and 8 

This will give a little time for catch up.  I don’t want to overload any of you and I want you to have enough time to really study and let God’s Word “sink” into your hearts and minds.

Chapter 7:  I’d like you to role play as you read this chapter.  Suppose you are the wife of one of Noah’s sons.  You follow the lead of your husband and his father and help with the building of the ark or perhaps you help with gathering the animals.  You are asked to get into the ark and the door closes.  People on the outside are beginning to realize the rain is not stopping and the ground and their homes are flooding.

You hear their cries to open the door and let them in…some are possible acquaintances, people you attend synagogue alongside.  What are you feeling?  What’s going on in your mind?  Then there is the rain and the constant being inside this ark….many of you just went through days and days of being in the house after huge snowstorms.  I heard many were going “stir-crazy” not being able to move about.  What about being in an ark with numerous animals and only seven other people?  Is there an end in sight with the rain and no windows?

Chapter 8:  What word would you use to describe this chapter?  How would you feel when you are finally out of the ark?  Describe the feeling as you stand around the altar and possibly hear the audible voice of God in verses 21 and 22?

NOTE:  As an additional answer to a question that was sent to me this morning, I have included information I found via the internet this morning on the individuals Enoch and Enosh.  Please remember there are several individuals with the same name in the Bible.  Enoch is one of those repetitive names, but only one did not see death and was "taken" by God.  I hope this more clearly sheds light on the question asked.

ENOCH
Who was this Enoch, whose name is attached to the book? Enoch is mentioned in the Scriptures, but we are told little about him. Just four verses in all--two in the Old Testament, and two in the New. That little, however, is sufficient to distinguish him as one of the outstanding men of all times. He is listed as the seventh of the ten patriarchs between Adam and Noah. He was the father of Methuselah, the man holding the world's record for longevity. Interestingly, Enoch became a believer and started "walking with God" after his son was born. Soon he became known for his exceptional piety and godliness. The most remarkable fact of all is that he did not die.
"Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him."
He is one of the only two men mentioned in the Bible who were translated to Heaven without tasting death.
 
There are three Enochs mentioned in the Bible (the highly similar name Hanoch is treated separately). The first Enoch is a son of Cain and the second Enoch is a town named after the first (Gen 4:17). The third Enoch is a son of Jared, of the line of Seth, third son of Adam and Eve. This Enoch, who famously "walked with God," is the seventh generation (where Adam is the first).

The name Enoch comes from the verb (hanak 693) meaning dedicate, begin. Fuerst reports additional meanings of imprint, pierce into, instruct, make wise. Derivatives are (hanik 693a) trained servant; (hanukka 693b), dedication. This noun reappears in Hanukkah, the still celebrated Feast Of Dedication (John 10:22).
Remarkably, the root (hnk 692) also yields the derivative (hek 692a), palate, mouth, with connotation of speech.

The name Enoch means Initiated (Jones) or Dedicated (NOBSE).

ENOS; ENOSH [ISBE]
ENOS; ENOSH - e'-nos, e'-nosh ('enosh, "mortal"; 'Enos): In the New Testament (the Revised Version (British and American) and the King James Version) and the Old Testament (the King James Version except 1 Ch 1:1), the form is Enos; in the Old Testament (the Revised Version (British and American) and 1 Ch 1:1 the King James Version), the form is Enosh. The son of Seth and grandson of Adam (Gen 4:26; 5:6 ff; 1 Ch 1:1; Lk 3:38). Enosh denotes man as frail and mortal. With Enosh a new religious development began, for "then began men to call upon the name of Yahweh" (Gen 4:26).
Enosh is the son of Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve.
Enosh is one of a few words to indicate man or mankind and it is rooted in the word ('nsh 135, 136, 137):
(anash 135) means desperate, woeful, very sick (TWOTOT , "most frequently it is used to describe a wound or pain which is incurable..." This may shed some light on the enigmatic Beast From The Sea and the fatal wound of which it was healed - Rev 13:3; if not the healing caused by the Christ - Matt 8:17/ Isa 53:4).
('nsh 136) is the root of (enosh 136a) meaning man or mankind in its frailty and weakness.
('nsh 137) is the assumed root of ('ishsha 137a), wife, woman, female.

The name Enosh means Man Frail And Miserable (Jones) or Mortal (NOBSE).
Other names that have to do with words for man are: Adam (Earthling), Gabriel (God's Guy), Methushael (Man Of God), and Zecheriah (YHWH's Male) and Ishi (My Man).


Father, Thank you for walking with us through Your Holy Word.  May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be totally pleasing and acceptable to You, our Almighty God.  In Your Son's name...our Good Shepherd, Jesus, we pray.  Amen  
 
  
 
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Hi, friends.  I hope you have enjoyed reading the first three chapters in the book of Genesis.  As I reflect on the questions from the assignment, I want you to realize that most of the information comes from digging.  My thoughts are my interpretation and those I gather from various resources.  I am not a prophet nor am I steeped in wisdom and knowledge.  I am a sinner saved by grace and I will convey the insights given by the Holy Spirit as I have studied.  With that prefaced, here we go!

The Bible is comprised of sixty-six books.  Thirty-nine of those books constitute the Old Testament while the remaining twenty-seven books are included in the New Testament.  The Old Testament primarily records God’s people of Israel and the covenant He made with them through His servant, Moses on Mt. Sinai.  In order to delve into that information we must first re-acquaint ourselves with creation and the individuals that led to Moses.

First, the author of the book of Genesis is noted to be Moses.  Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible also referred to as the Pentateuch.  As asked previously this week, Moses was guided through oral and written accounts and, most importantly, the Holy Spirit’s guidance in order to pen events that transpired before his birth.  Various translations concur with this explanation.

Chapter 1:  Amazing that God created everything in six days, isn’t it?  Of course there is a debate about the length of each day by some scholars; however, a day is a day to me.  God is mighty, powerful and the Maker of heaven and earth….if anyone can create the world and universe in six days, with each day possessing 24 hours, it would be my Heavenly Father.

I noted that in verse 27 the first mention of created humans is tucked into the chapter.  Therefore, I believe Chapter 1 offers us an overall view of the order of creation.  In Chapter 2 we return for specifics.

Chapter 2:  Now for those specifics…after God created man in His image the Bible states in verse 15 that God placed him in the Garden of Eden.  (As a note, it was pointed out to me this week that God used His voice to speak into being the creation.  God then used His hands to create man in His image.  A loving Heavenly Father used the personal “touch” to bring man into existence!  Creating man was a work of the heart, don’t you think?) 

God intended to give man some responsibility right from the start.  In verse 16, the command is given, “You may eat the fruit from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat the fruit from the tree which gives the knowledge of good and evil.  If you ever eat fruit from that tree, you will die!”

Wow, sounds pretty straight forward to me!  Being a teacher, this is exactly the approach you take when teaching a child right from wrong.  God took man to the tree…how do I know that?  There is a garden full of trees, how would man know which one God was talking about if he didn’t know specifically where the tree was located?  First step, take the individual directly to the source of the teaching.  Secondly, explain why the directive is given, “the tree which gives the knowledge of good and evil.”  Although we might think it’s a good thing to know good from evil, God has provided everything imaginable for man’s comfort and existence.  Sparing man from the pain of knowing evil would have been “paradise” as God intended it to be.  Lastly, what is the consequence of disobedience?  Death.  Of course man hadn’t a clue what death meant or the insurmountable suffering that would come to his physical, emotional and mental well-being, but the instructions have been laid out before him.

Let’s not forget that God has given man the ability to choose…freewill, if you will.  This side of heaven we all have the ability to decide if we will follow the instructions and directions of our Creator or not.  God is turning that capability over to man at this point.

Do you realize I have been using the reference to Adam as “man”?  All of a sudden, in Chapter 2, verse 20, “man” is referred to as Adam!  Another little “nugget” to ponder.

Is there significance in using Adam’s rib to create Eve?  Absolutely!  God doesn’t take any action that doesn’t bear significance.  All other parts of creation, including man, were taken out of the ground.  However, when woman was created God used a part of man binding them together as a unit.  Remember God speaking soon after the creation of woman, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife.”  Becoming as one was as God intended, man and female God created them. 

Now for Chapter 3 and Eve’s encounter with the snake and temptation.  First of all, let’s look at the person of Eve.  A beautiful woman (would God create anything less?) full of life, surrounded by the perfect diet in the ultimate paradise not even needing to go through the agony of shopping for the right size!  After teaching a session on “Calling All Vessels to the Foot of the Throne” at a women’s retreat, I surmised Eve as meticulously crafted, beautifully shaped, pleasing to the eye and reflecting the warm glow of her husband’s attention 24/7.  Eve never knew embarrassment, hormones, misunderstanding, hurt, PMS, envy, bitterness, menopause, grief or guilt…until…the serpent’s temptation and her choice to disobey.  We are not told if the serpent came to call on Eve just once or many times, but in Genesis 3, the serpent challenged what Eve had been instructed by God.  “Did God REALLY say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  Doubt planted…position needs to be defended.        

Eve quickly responded, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” but, Eve continued, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.”  Clarification has been made on the instructions from God.

The serpent returns with his defense.  “You will not surely die…for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Satan repeats the wording of God and adds his viewpoint…his twist to cause additional doubt and confusion.  Remember, Satan can quote scripture because he knows the Word.

The forbidden tree now is not only looking good for food, but it’s pleasing to the eye and, the deal closer…it is desirable for gaining wisdom.  So Eve succumbed to the invitation to eat of the forbidden fruit and the smallest bite changed the world’s design.  After her disobedience, she offered the fruit to her husband and he ate…doesn’t say that he reminded her of God’s instructions or even that he took a few minutes to think about it.  He simply took the apple and ate.  Immediately, their eyes were opened and the first thing they noticed was their nakedness.

There is probably an entire lesson or speaking engagement to be had with that one comment, but we must move on.  They made clothing out of the availability of materials and then came the big moment when God came through the Garden calling their names.  Of course, God knew what had transpired.  But He wanted to hear it from his children. 

1.      We’re hiding.  Why?

2.    We’re naked.  Who told you?

3.    Explanations and excuses begin.  Adam: “You gave this woman to me and she gave me from the tree, so I ate it.”(NCV)  I guess that inevitably it was God’s fault!  If that doesn’t work for Adam, let’s go with “this woman”, not Eve, not my wife, but “this woman”…that ought to cover Adam, right?

4.    God turns to Eve.  “How could you have done such a thing?” (NCV)

5.    Eve, “The snake tricked me, so I ate the fruit.” (NCV)  Guess it was the snake, right?

The blame game is still going strong today.  But the bottom line, we are personally responsible for the decisions we make and the lifestyle we live.  God has given us all the instructions and information we need written in the Book of Life, the Bible.  It’s plainly written for our understanding.  We need to ask God daily, through prayer, to open our eyes that we might see; open our ears that we will hear His voice; and open our hearts to ask His forgiveness for our sins.  We then need to forgive ourselves and get on with the business of loving others as God has loved us.

God ends the 3rd Chapter of Genesis by giving the judgment that will fall upon the snake, the woman and mankind.  A paradise of walking and communing daily with their Creator has now suffered a rift that only Jesus Christ will be able to repair through His broken, sinless body hung on a cross.  God, our lovingly Heavenly Father at the moment of man’s disobedience put this plan into motion.  From the NCV God speaking to the snake concerning the woman, “One of her descendants will crush your head, and you will bite his heel.”

God still loves us and provides a bridge of forgiveness and fellowship through Jesus Christ!

ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT WEEK:

As we enter the second week of study, please know that if you have questions or comments feel free to post them on this site by clicking on the word, “comment” at the top right hand corner of this blog.  I’d love to hear from you.

Secondly, I have no way of knowing if I’m requesting an assignment that is too lengthy.  If you feel the reading assignment and study load needs to be reduced, let me know.  I would rather take a longer period of time on one set of chapters than to rush through to the next assignment.

For next week, let’s read Chapters 4, 5 and 6.  We’ll continue this week with another three chapters unless I hear otherwise from you, the participants. 

Questions to spark your comprehension:

Chapter 4:   Adam and Eve begin having children.  List their first two sons, their occupations and their attitudes towards those occupations. 

Another lie surfaces.  How is this lie similar and/or different from the lie told in Chapter 2?  What consequences occur as a result of the lie?  Note the names in the genealogy of Cain.  Is there an individual who stands out in your reading?

Another son is born to Adam and Eve, please note his name.  Note the length of the life span of men during this time and the various names given to these individuals.  Mark similarities concerning the names of Seth’s sons with the sons of Cain.  Use a highlighter to mark similar names.

Using both Chapter 5 and Chapter 6:

Please describe Noah in your own words.  Include his age when he became a father and his children’s names.  How is Noah different from his descendants?  What made Noah a “stand-out” in God’s eyes?

Why did God become sorrowful that He had made man?  Research the phasing “the Nephilim” and see how it applies to what was happening at the time.

Have a wonderful week, my fellow study companions!  God bless and thank you for setting aside time in your busy schedules to study God’s Word!

Father, please watch over your children as we continue to study your Word.  Please open our minds that we would be able to understand the treasures written within each and every page of this precious instruction book.  Aid us in learning from others and in knowing your will for our lives, in Jesus' name, Amen. 
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