Jan. 2 - Genesis 3 - 6

In these 3 chapters, you see several incredible things!

There are several "firsts" that take place:
- The first children are born - Cain and Abel
- The first signs of worship - Abel brings animal sacrifice ; Cain brings fruit sacrifice
- The first murder - Cain kills his brother Abel
- The first cities are being built - Cain builds a city
- The first founders of livestock raising, musical instruments, and metal workers
- The first signs of people living extremely long lives due to atmospheric conditions.

Power Points:

- Blood atonement is the only way to make peace with God!
How did Abel know to bring the "fat portions" of animals to God in worship? Why did God
remind Cain that was he was doing was not "right?" Obviously, Adam and his family were
instructed to worship God. And, they were instructed to worship Him according to one specific
way - a blood atonement through animal sacrifice! Cain problem was that he wanted to
worship God in his own way. So what did God do? He withdrew His favor or blessing from
Cain. Cain was angry that Abel was favored by God and the God seemingly forgot to bless
him.

- God is so lovingly merciful when we sin! Notice how gently God reasons with Cain! God asks, "Why are you angry? Why is your ace downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be
accepted?" He also spares Cain's life with a mark of protection upon him. No one knows for
sure what that sign was, but others knew about it - note what Lamech says!

- Children can be so different from one another! According to Jesus in Matthew 23, Abel was a "righteous" person. In fact, in Luke 11, he refers to him as a "prophet." But Cain is obviously different. Cain is rebellious toward the things of the Lord. From Cain's lineage comes the building of the Tower Of Babel which, in turn, forces God to distribute different languages upon mankind - which leads to a dispersing of people throughout the world.

- God explains "sin" to Cain (and ultimately to us):
1) It is the desire to do wrong.
2) It wants to have you!
3) You must master it!

- Atmospheric conditions allowed for longevity of life! There's no doubt that the antideluvian world was substantially different than ours. Much of the earth's waters were stored "above the firmament" (according to the Genesis 1 account) which allowed for a marvelous "greenhouse effect." Genesis teaches us that water seeped up from the ground, thus there was NO NEED for rain. Therefore, lush, green vegetation was abundant. This congenial, warm climate with no rain, limited aging effects of the sun's rays, little to no wind, would allow mankind to live MUCH longer - thus accounting for the longevity of life. But, after the flood of Noah (when the waters above the firmament were let go) all of the features that age men and the elements of the earth shortened mankind's lifespan.

- Adam probably discussed "the creation story" with Noah's dad! With Adam living 930 years, this would give him ample opportunity to provide a "first-hand" account of the creation of all things. Wouldn't that have been an awesome thing?

Thank you for reading today's blog! Please feel free to add your thoughts!