Place holder - unedited - October 13, 2024
Bible Study – Family Conflict (1) – Genesis 4:1-12 -
October 13, 2024
GOD expects us to look after our family members.
Our focus scripture is Genesis 4:1-12.
Let’s review what is recorded in Genesis 3: The Temptation and the Fall
3 Now the serpent
(Satan) was the most cunning of all the wild animals that
the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say,
‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”
Satan is a liar and deceiver. His goal is to prevent
people from going to Heaven and to destroy them.
2 The
woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from
the trees in the garden. 3 But about the fruit of
the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or
touch it, or you will die.’”
GOD never told Adam and Eve not to touch it.
Just do not eat its fruit.
Here we speculate. A deceiver would say, “Oh!
GOD said for you to not to touch it. Look, I am touching it, and nothing
happens. Now you touch it. See, you are still alive. GOD has deceived you.
Plus, as we read on ---
4 “No!
You will certainly not die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “In
fact, God knows that when[a] you
eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and
evil.” 6 The woman saw that the tree was good for
food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom.
So, she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her
husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then
the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so, they
sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Adam was right there with Eve and never opened his mouth,
yet GOD had placed him in charge of the Garden.
Do you think Adam was allowing Eve to test what GOD had
told them? We do not know but we do know the result. All humans inherited death.
Thanks Adam and Eve.
But we rejoice that GOD had HIS redemptive plan of
salvation through faith in JESUS, HIS only SON. JESUS paid in full for all sin
for those who place their faith in HIM!
Sin’s Consequences
8 Then
the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the
garden at the time of the evening breeze,[b] and
they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 So
the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
When we sin, the first thing a person wants
to do is to cover it up.
10 And
he said, “I heard you[c] in
the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”
11 Then
he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree
that I commanded you not to eat from?”
First example of transferal of guilt:
12 The
man replied, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit
from the tree, and I ate.”
13 So
the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”
And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me,
and I ate.”
Culprit identified!!!
14 So the Lord God
said to the serpent:
Because you have done this,
you are cursed more than any livestock
and more than any wild animal.
You will move on your belly
and eat dust all the days of your life.
15 I will put hostility between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.[d]
He will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.
16 He
said to the woman:
I will intensify your labor pains;
you will bear children with painful effort.
Your desire will be for your husband,
yet he will rule over you.
17 And
he said to the man, “Because you listened to your wife and
ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’:
The ground is cursed because of you.
You will eat from it by means of painful labor[e]
all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 You will eat bread[f] by
the sweat of your brow
until you return to the ground,
since you were taken from it.
For you are dust,
and you will return to dust.”
The dynamics upon earth were radically altered. Sin had entered
the earth, even nature was impacted as we read in Romans 8: 18 For
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth
comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. 19 For
the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be
revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to
futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope 21 that
the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into
the glorious freedom of God’s children. 22 For we
know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor
pains until now. 23 Not only that, but we
ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within
ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our
bodies. 24 Now in this hope we were saved, but
hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 25 Now
if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.
20 The
man named his wife Eve[g] because
she was the mother of all the living. 21 The Lord God
made clothing from skins for the man and his wife, and he clothed them.
This is a critical verse. GOD had to kill an animal
or animals to make clothing for Adam and Eve. This was the first blood
sacrifice.
Sin always has consequences. Read on ----
22 The Lord God
said, “Since the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must
not reach out, take from the tree of life, eat, and live forever.” 23 So
the Lord God sent him away from the garden of Eden to work the ground
from which he was taken. 24 He drove the man out
and stationed the cherubim and the flaming, whirling sword east of the garden
of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life.
GOD intended eternal life for humans, but it was throated
by sin. GOD loved Adam and Eve and HE had to sacrifice an animal or animals to
make clothes for them from the skins of the animal or animals.
This set the example that a blood sacrifice was necessary
as a place holder for the forgiveness of sin, until the perfect sacrifice came
to earth, JESUS, and lived, died, buried, raised from the physically dead,
lived 40 days upon earth and then ascended into Heaven.
GOD had the ultimate redemptive plan for all humans who
will place their faith in JESUS.
Now, let’s return to the things taking place upon earth
after Adam and Eve were banned from the Garden of Eden because of their sin.
GOD was with Adam and Eve after they were banned from the
Garden of Eden. Eve would bear the pain of giving birth to children. GOD would
be her mid-wife. Why? Because since sin altered childbirth.
They worshipped GOD.
Let’s read Genesis 4:1-2: Cain Murders Abel
4 The man was intimate
with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She
said, “I have had a male child with the Lord’s help.”[a] 2 She
also gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel became a shepherd of flocks, but
Cain worked the ground.
As you recall childbirth changed after Adam
and Eve sinned as we read in verse 16 in our background scripture.
Let’s read Genesis 4:3-7:
3 In
the course of time Cain (farmer) presented some of the land’s produce as an
offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel (shepherd)
also presented an offering—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat
portions. The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but
he did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he
looked despondent.
Cain was the oldest and Able was the youngest in their
family.
6 Then
the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you furious? And why do you look
despondent? 7 If you do what is right, won’t
you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at
the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
We notice that GOD had a conversation with Cain and attempted
to urge him to make the right decision. The key is that GOD spoke to him but
left the final decision up to Cain. The same is for us today, we make our own
decisions and have to live with the consequence.
The same is true for humans today. Sin crouches at our
door and we make the decision. When we do what is right there is victory. When
we let sin, which manifests itself in so many ways, we pay the consequence.
When sin rules, terrible things happen. Keep in mind GOD
was right there with Cain and Able. Yet, the murder took place.
Let’s read Genesis 4:8-12:
8 Cain
said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”[b] And
while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then
the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”
10 Then
he said, “What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the
ground! 11 So now you are cursed, alienated from
the ground that opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood you have shed.[c] 12 If
you work the ground, it will never again give you its yield. You will be a
restless wanderer on the earth.”
13 But
Cain answered the Lord, “My punishment[d] is
too great to bear! 14 Since you are banishing me
today from the face of the earth, and I must hide from your presence and become
a restless wanderer on the earth, whoever finds me will kill me.”
15 Then
the Lord replied to him, “In that case,[e] whoever
kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” And he placed a
mark on Cain so that whoever found him would not kill him. 16 Then
Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod,[f] east
of Eden.
GOD was present with both Cain and Able, yet Cain killed
Able. GOD forewarned Cain but HE did not intervene. The still small voice of
GOD still warns people to stop and think before breaking GOD’S Law and to what
is right.
Our flesh wants revenge, but GOD tells us to forgive and
to restore.
GOD sent HIS only SON JESUS to earth to live a 100% human
life. Remain sinless for JESUS to be the perfect acceptable sacrifice to GOD
for any person to be forgiven of his/her sin(s).
Blessings!!!
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