Chapter 4 is the story of Cain and Abel, and chapter 5 is From Adam to Noah. I actually did not realize that Cain and Abel were the direct sons of Adam and Eve. Like, I knew the story - Cain kills his brother, Abel - but I thought it was more in the middle somewhere. I had no idea it was like right after Adam and Eve. So here's another example of my complete lack of Bible knowledge. Also, I did not realize that the story of Noah and the Flood happened so soon after Adam and Eve. Again, I thought it was a little later. It's embarrassing to admit this stuff, but it just makes me glad that I've decided to follow a chronological reading plan. Knowing the order in which things happen is a huge factor in my ability to learn new things, and I truly feel like I'm understanding what's going on. I feel like I have a grip on these first 7 chapters of the Bible.
So anyway, the story of Cain and Abel...
Genesis 4
Observation: Cain and Abel were born to Eve after her and Adam were banished from the Garden of Eden. The sons were twins with Cain being born first. Abel grew to become in charge of the flocks, and Cain became the keeper of the fruits and grains and plants and whatnot. The two brothers made offerings to God: Abel offered the fatty portions of some of the firstborn of his flock, and Cain offered fruits. God showed favor to Abel, and this really irritated Cain. It irritated Cain so much that instead of offering something better to God, he took his brother out into the field and killed him. Yeah, Cain straight up murdered his twin brother, Abel.
Well God was obviously furious with Cain after this. He was so mad that He banished Cain into exile and cursed him. And Cain, the selfish jerk that he is, was worried that someone would try to kill him, but since God is good He marked Cain so that no one who would find him wandering the earth would kill him. And if anyone killed Cain, he "will suffer vengeance seven times over." (Ge 4:15)
So then Cain makes love to his wife, and they have a son. We then learn the descendants of Cain down to Lamech. And we learn that Cain's descendants were responsible for building up cities, for music, and for tool making. And then we get a little piece about Lamech who had two wives. He told his wives that he killed a man who tried to harm him and that if Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech will be avenged 77 times.
The story ends with Adam and Eve having another son whom they named Seth. "Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord." (Ge 4:26)
Interpretation: My biggest question about this story is why did God not like Cain's offering? Was it the wrong offering all together, or did Cain simply not offer with the right intentions? I'm using a reference Bible, so for these verses I looked up some corresponding verses, and Hebrews 11:4 gives me my answer that I believe to be true. Hebrews says that by faith Abel gave his offering to God, and this is why God showed favor to him - by faith. That tells me that it's not that Cain gave the wrong offering, it's that he didn't offer it out of the goodness of his heart with faith in the Lord. He, more or less, was just going through the motions. He offered it because he was supposed to, not because he wanted to. Then, when God essentially rejects him, Cain absolutely loses his mind instead recognizing his fault and correcting it. He loses his mind so much that he murders his brother.
Cain's temper got the better of him, and it led to Abel's death by Cain's hand. This story made me reflect on how I respond to things. I have a bad temper; I'll admit it. I get frustrated so easily. I get overwhelmed over the smallest things. And I'm very critical of the actions of others. The story of Cain and Abel clearly tells me that I'm responding to negative situations in the wrong way. It's not okay to lose control of my emotions. I can't control someone not letting me merge onto the interstate, but I can control how I respond to it.
My temper is one of the things that is keeping me from walking with God. It's keeping me from being righteous in His eyes. Like, Cain's awfulness is what eventually led to the Flood. Hello! I'm not trying to cause another Flood-like disaster. I need to be more like Abel - to let my faith guide what I offer.
Also, I had no idea about Seth. I didn't know about him until I read this story. WHY DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT SETH, Y'ALL?! We are all descended from Seth, and I had no idea. WHAT?! Well, I'm glad I know now. Seth and his descendants followed God in good faith, and I'm a descendent of Seth. Even though I need to learn to control my temper, I find comfort in knowing that I came from the good side of the family. There's hope for me, and there's hope for all of us. Can I get an "Amen?!"
Genesis 5
Observation: This chapter explains how we get to Noah from Adam. Noah is simply 10 generations down from Adam. Easy peasy! Oh, and everyone lived for around 900 years give or take.
Interpretation: Everyone mentioned in this chapter is introduced to us in the same way. Same sentence structure and everything. It's very much a pattern. But then we get to Enoch, the seventh generation. First of all, he lived a way shorter life than everyone else - just 365 years. It's also pointed out that Enoch walked faithfully with God. And then this: "Enoch walked faithfully with God; and then he was no more, because God took him away." (Ge 5:24) Um, Enoch didn't die?! God just kinda, took him?! Yeah. Enoch was so righteous that God spared him death. This is huge! But it's only mentioned ever so briefly here. Why don't we learn more about Enoch? Will we learn more about him later on? What did he do that God spared him death? I'm really hung up on this, and I'm hoping I get some closure on this later down the line because I need more about this guy. What did he do that was so right?
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What does the story of Cain and Abel teach you? What lessons did you learn? How do you make sure that you're giving your offerings in good faith? How do you keep yourself from just going through the motions? And what do you think about Enoch?
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