Genesis 6:11

Genesis 6:11 says, The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.  We can debate whether the conditions a person lives in or the way they are raised lead a person to sin, but God had created a good world and it was soon totally corrupt.  We might say that after being evicted from the garden of Eden that the world had been cursed, but I believe that this simply meant that people were going to have to work to meet their needs instead of them being provided for by God.  We certainly know that  Adam and Eve lived in a perfect environment, and still they sinned.  Verse twelve states, And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.  When God looked at the world that He had created and called good, He saw that it was totally corrupt.  Sin grows rapidly when people turn away from God.  Verse thirteen declares, And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.  God warned Noah of the coming destruction.  Noah was said to have found grace in the eyes of God, and this one righteous man kept the world from being totally destroyed.  I believe that the righteous, the followers of Christ, reaching out to the lost, keep the world from being destroyed today.  Verse fourteen says, Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.  God told Noah to make an ark, or a giant boat.  Even though Noah had found grace, he had to obey God's instructions to be saved.  In order to claim salvation today, we must obey God's instructions to accept salvation through faith in Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse fifteen states, And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. Then verse sixteen adds, A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.  This tells us how big the ark was to be, but all we really need to know was that it was big enough for God's purpose.  When we live by faith, we need to realize that God will always provide for our needs in order for us to do His will.  Verse seventeen declares, And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.  God pronounced the coming destruction of all flesh through a flood.  Then verse eighteen proclaims, But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.  God established a covenant with Noah.  God would save Noah and his family.  God establishes a covenant with each individual who accepts Christ today.  He will save us, but our family cannot be saved by our faith.  Each person must accept Christ as Savior and Lord for themselves.  Still, if we live by faith we may lead our family to that same faith.  Verse nineteen states, And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.  Noah was also tasked with saving the other animals.  We today are to work to maintain God's creation.  Verse twenty adds, Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.  Noah was to gather a pair of all living creatures to keep them from being totally destroyed.  Then verse twenty-one adds,  And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.  Noah was to take enough food for his family and all the animals.  Not only did Noah have to build the ark, but he had to gather the animals and food as well.  He could only do this by acting from faith.  If we see what seems like an impossible task we feel that God is calling us to do, remember Noah and his task.  God will not call us to do something that He does not equip us to do.  Verse twenty-seven declares, Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.  Like Noah, we do not need to question God but we need to simply do what God instructs us to do.

Genesis 6:1

Genesis 6:1 says, And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,  God had intended for people to multiply and populate the earth, and they were doing so.  This does not mean that it was happening in accordance with God's will.  Verse two states, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.  Matthew Henry says this means that those men that God had given life to, who should have been as sons to Him, were not guided by God's Spirit when they chose wives.  They simply looked for the women who looked the best.  We cannot be guided simply by physical looks when we are looking for a spouse, but must be guided by the Holy Spirit if we want the best marriage.  Verse three declares, And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.  God was displeased with mankind, but He didn't immediately destroy them.  God gave a warning that people had one hundred and twenty years to repent or they would face destruction.  God is always patient in His grace before He comes to people in judgment.  Still, we can be certain that God's judgment will come.  Verse four says, There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of renown.  Though some attempt to interpret this as some lesser god or angels having children with human wives and creating a race of giants, if we believe God, we know that there are no other gods and that angels are a different form of creation than mankind.  Though people may have looked like giants to those around them, they were still just people.  No matter how big and important people may feel today, they are still simply a part of God's creation and powerless before Him.  Verse five proclaims, And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  God saw the wickedness of people, those that were to be the very best of His creation.  As such, God had given them free will.  We today are still the ultimate of God's creation, but we can still choose to ignore or defy Him.  Verse six adds, And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.  Mankind had become so evil that God was regretting having created them, and He was grieved because of it.  If we turn away from God continually, He will be grieved at our creation, of the life that He gives us.  Verse six declares, And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.  God said that He was going to destroy not only mankind but all animals as well.  The world was created to follow the laws of God and people were to care for the other animals.  If there were no people, there was no need for the other animals. Unlike people, animals simply live life and pass from existence at death, so this wasn't a harsh sentence for them.  God was not going to act out of anger, but out of disappointment and grief over the actions of people.  Verse eight states, But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.  There was one man, Noah, who was still following God.  Noah found grace in the eyes of God.  We need to be like Noah today, living for God so that He might delay the coming destruction of the world so that others will have a chance to repent and come to God.  Verse nine adds, These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.  I don't believe that this means that Noah never sinned, but that he attempted to live by faith in God.  One person walking with God can have a great impact on the world.  Verse ten says, And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  Noah's sons would be a part of the saving of mankind.

Genesis 5:18

Genesis 5:18 says, And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:  Verse nineteen states, And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:  Verse twenty adds, And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.  Verse twenty-one states, And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:  Then verse twenty-two declares,  And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:  We are told that Enoch walked with God.  I believe that Enoch had a very close personal spiritual relationship with God, and not that he walked with God physically.  Verse twenty-three states, And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:  Then verse twenty-four proclaims, And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.  Enoch is one of only two people who thee Bible tells us never died.  When Enoch was three-hundred and sixty-five years old, God took him on to heaven.  Verse twenty-five states, And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:  Verse twenty-six adds, And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:  Then verse twenty-seven adds, And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.  The only thing of significance about Methuselah is that he lived longer than anyone else listed in the Bible.  Verse twenty-eight says, And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:  Verse twenty-nine states, And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.  We are told that Noah was to be a comfort to the people, but he became the one through whom mankind would be physically saved.  Verse thirty adds, And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:  Verse thirty-one concludes, And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.  Verse thirty two states, And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  Instead of one son, three sons of Noah are named.

Genesis 5:1

Genesis 5:1 says, This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;  We are told that this book, or chapter will give the genealogy of Adam, and are reminded that Adam was created by God in the image of God.  Verse two states, Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.  God created both men and women.  Verse three says, And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:  We are not told about the birth of Cain and Abel, but of Seth when Adam was one hundred and thirty years old, and the genealogy will be followed through Seth.  Verse four states, And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:  We are told that Adam lived for eight hundred years after Seth was born, and he had more sons and daughters, about whom we have no information.  Verse five declares, And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.  Adam and Eve had not eaten of the tree of life, so after nine hundred and thirty years he died.  Physical death and suffering were a result of disobedience to God, and everlasting life with God can only be restored through our faith in Christ.  The next several verses list Seth and his descendants.  The only thing we might note is that all the descendants were not listed.  Verse six says, And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: Verse seven adds, And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:  Verse eight concludes, And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.  Verse nine states, And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:  Verse ten adds, And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:  Verse eleven concludes,  And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died. Verse twelve states, And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:  Verse thirteen adds, And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:  Verse fourteen concludes, And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.  Verse fifteen states, And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:  Verse sixteen adds, And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:  Verse seventeen concludes, And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.

Genesis 4:18

Genesis 4:18 says, And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.  This is simply a list of the descendants of Cain, and there is nothing much to add to it.  The earth was being populated is about all that we might say.  Verse nineteen states, And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. In  this verse, we see that God's concept of marriage was already being corrupted.  What we must always remember is that marriage is an institution created by God, where a man and a woman become one flesh under the authority of God.  No man made law is ever going to change that, but unfortunately we too often leave God out of marriage.  Verse twenty says, And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.  This verse tells us of the occupation of the descendants of one of the sons of Adah, Jabal and his descendants.  The raised cattle.  Verse twenty-one adds, And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.   Adah's other son, Jubal, and his descendants were musicians.  Verse twenty-two declares, And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.  Zillah, the other wife of Lamech, had a son named Tubalcain,, and he was a metal smith, I guess would be accurate.  Zillah also had a daughter named Naamah, and we are not told what she did.  Verse twenty-three declares, And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.  Though we are not told who, we are told that Lamech called his wives to him and told them that he had killed a young man.  We are not told why or how he did this, but simply the fact that he did.  He knew that he had done wrong.  I guess confessing to his wives was a good thing, but it did not change the facts.  Confessing our sins, especially to those closest to us may be a good thing, but it does not excuse the sin.  Verse twenty-four adds, If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.  Lamech felt that his punishment would be much greater than Cain's was.  No sin is punished any greater for one person than it is for another.  All sin leads to death, to everlasting separation from God, unless we accept forgiveness through Christ.  Verse twenty-five states, And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.  I am not sure how much time passed, but at some point Adam and Eve had another son named Seth, whom Eve said was another seed because Abel had been killed.  He was not a replacement for Abel though.  I do not believe that one child can ever replace another, but can only be another blessing themself.  Verse twenty-six declares, And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.  Even though Adam and Eve had walked with God in the garden of Eden, we are told that with the birth of Enos, the son of Seth, people began to call on the name of the LORD, or the only real God.  No matter how close our parents may be or have been to God, we must call on Him individually to be saved.

Genesis 4:13

Genesis 4:13 says, And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.  Cain had killed his brother out of jealousy and anger, but he complained to God that his punishment was greater than he could stand.  Life was no longer going to be easy for Cain, but he should have been grateful that he was alive.  We too often seem to feel that our punishment is unfair when we should simply acknowledge that we should be grateful that we are alive and have the ability to repent and be restored to God, as did Cain.  I believe his attitude shows that he still had not taken responsibility for his actions.  Verse fourteen states, Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.  Though Cain would be a vagabond, he was not driven from the face of the earth.  We are not really told of anyone else knowing about what Cain had done, so we should question why everyone would want to kill Cain.  Of course, there is also the question of where everyone came from if Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel were the only people who existed.  Whoever the people were, Cain said everyone would want to kill him, possibly based on the way he treated Cain.  Cain was judging others based on his own attitude.  Verse fifteen declares, And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.  God protected Cain from being killed.  Today, if we are alive, even if we refuse to follow God's teachings or even believe in Him, we are alive because God sustains our life.  God said anyone killing Cain would be punished seven times worse, and he put a mark on Cain so that everyone would know who he was.  I don't believe that this was a mark that would pass to Cain's descendants as some claim, but was a mark unique to Cain.  His descendants, like ours, are not punished for our sins, but each individual is held accountable for his or her own.  Verse sixteen states, And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. Cain went to dwell in the land east of Eden.  Eden was not the only place in the world, and Cain was not the only one cast out, so his punishment may not have been as severe as he claimed.  We never find an account of Cain accepting responsibility for his actions and asking forgiveness, and since he evidently did not, then God's face was indeed hidden from Cain as he had stated earlier.  Sin, especially unconfessed sin that we know we are guilty of, will always stand between God and us.  Verse seventeen declares, And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.  We know that there were at least a few more people than what has been revealed, because Cain had a wife.  This does not make the account of Adam and Eve and the garden of Eden incorrect.  Cain and his wife had a son that they named Enoch and built a city named after Enoch.  Then, we begin the genealogy verses.

Genesis 4:1

Genesis 4:1 says, And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.  This is the first recorded birth, and God is credited with giving life to the baby, Cain.  We should always acknowledge God as the source of life.  Verse two states, And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  Then, we have a record of the birth of Abel, and are told both Cain and Abel's occupation, so evidently some time had passed since their birth.  Abel was a shepherd and Cain was a farmer.  Verse three declares, And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.  After some time, Cain brought sacrifice to God.  This was before the sacrificial system was set up, so we must assume that this was something that Cain decided to do on his own.  This does not say that Cain brought the best of his fruit to God.  If we are going to give something to God, we need to make sure we are doing so with His guidance and that it is the best that we have.  Verse four states, And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:  Abel brought an offering to God, and we are told that it was the first and best of his flock.  We should always give the best that we have to God.  Verse five proclaims, But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.  Some people say that Cain's offering was not accepted because it was not a blood sacrifice.  We need to remember that this was before what was to be sacrificed was spelled out and that it was a voluntary sacrifice.  I believe the reason the sacrifice of Cain was not accepted was because of his attitude.  I believe Cain made the sacrifice to bring praise to himself and not to God.  Likewise, I believe that Abel's sacrifice was accepted because his attitude was to give God the best.  We cannot give to God for any reason other than to bring glory to Him and expect Him to have to accept our sacrifice and praise us.  I believe that Cain's countenance fell because he expected praise and did not receive it.  Verse six asks, And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?  God asked Cain why he was upset.  Like Cain, we really have no reason to be upset if we offer something to God for the wrong reason and He rejects it.  Verse seven adds, If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.  God told Cain that if his attitude toward God was right, then his sacrifice would be accepted.  God did not say that if Cain brought the right sacrifice that it would be accepted.  We should always bring the best that we have to God for His glory, and when we do our sacrifice will be accepted.  Verse eight states, And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.  We are told that Cain talked with Abel.  I believe that it was not a polite conversation on the part of Cain.  Cain was not satisfied with talking, but was so angry he killed Abel, who had done nothing to Cain.  I believe that self righteousness was behind the murder.  We can never allow the successful worship of God by someone else to make us angry.  If we feel that someone is being more blessed, then we should simply praise God for their blessing.  Verse nine proclaims, And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?  God asked Cain a simple question that He already knew the answer to.  Cain did not answer, but responded with a question for God.  We are never going to outsmart God, no matter how we may attempt to deflect His questions.  Cain asked if he was his brother's keeper, as if he didn't know what had happened to Abel.  We can be certain that when God asks us a question that He already knows the answer, and if we are guilty of sin our only response should be to confess that sin and ask for forgiveness.  Verse ten asks, And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.  God told Cain that He knew that he had killed Abel.  The truth can never be hidden from God, no matter how evasive we may be.  Verse eleven states, And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;  Then verse twelve adds, When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.  Sin will never go unpunished.  Even though Christ took on the punishment of our sins Himself, they were and are still punished.