Bible Study - Family Conflict - Genesis 4:1-12 - 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 not to touch it. Look, I am touching, and nothing happens. Now you touch it. See, you are still alive. GOD has deceived you.

We get into trouble when we believe something that is not true! What does GOD’S Word really tell us and not what we want GOD’S Word to tell us.

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. It was Adam’s responsibility to tell Eve, “DO NOT EAT THIS FRUIT!!!” But “NO!” Like a dummy, Adam stood there and did not open his mouth.

Do you think Adam was allowing Eve to evaluate 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!!! Satan!

¹⁴ So the Lord God said to the serpent (Satan):

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 thwarted 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. GOD plans ahead because HE made us to be free thinkers. We are not robots, but we are accountable for the decisions we make. Therefore, choose wisely.

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; however, GOD would be with Eve during childbirth. Why? Because sin altered childbirth.

They worshipped GOD.

Let’s read Genesis 4:1-2: Cain Murders Abel

4:1: 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. (I believe the propagation of the human race was altered because of sin.)

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 consequences. (Christian or non-Christian)

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 control us, which manifests itself in so many ways, we pay for its consequence.

When sin rules, terrible things happen. Keep in mind GOD was right there with Cain and Able. Yet, the murder took place.

Keep in mind this is the first family to live outside the Garden of Eden.

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. (I do not know what the mark was, however, many speculate.)

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. How do we know JESUS was 100% human? HE gave up HIS human life, fully trusting GOD to give HIM eternal life. JESUS willingly left HIS home in Heaven to be the only perfect, sinless acceptable sacrifice to GOD to atone for all sin – past, present, future for those who place their faith in JESUS.

Any person placing his/her faith in JESUS and HIS passion which includes HIS life, death, HIS bodily resurrection, and ascension into Heaven was and is the ONLY way for any person to be forgiven of his/her sin(s) and to receive the miracle of Spiritual Birth. It is a person’s born-again spirit that lives eternally in the new body fashioned by GOD for Heaven and beyond. Blessings!!!