The pre-flood world

• 1^st – Two sons… vs. 1-2
  • 1^st – Adam knew his wife Eve and she gave birth to a son… vs. 1
    • Cain – I have gotten – acquired – a man from the Lord…
    • The first child ever to be born – the first child of Adam and Eve…
    • His names suggest that Adam and Eve thought that this was the promised SEED…
    • The ONE who would bruise the head of the serpent…
    • The one who would bring redemption – but the messiah was still 4000 years away!
    • God rarely does things in the time frame that we expect…
    • We pray and want an answer now – not buas – subong!
    • God knows what is best for us – and brings things to pass in His perfect timing!
  • 2^nd – Eve gave birth to a second son – Abel – vapor or vanity… vs. 2
    • His name suggests that Adam and Eve finally grasped the effects of sin…
    • Perhaps it was the pain of birth or the sweat of working for a living…
    • It had become VERY obvious they were no longer in paradise!
    • When we sin – there is forgiveness – but that does not mean no consequences
    • If we choose to sin – there is always a price to be paid – not because God is vengeful…
    • He loves us too much to let us get away with sin – so He teaches us to live a pure and holy life!
    • Hebrews 12:5-8 – “You have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD… For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and punishes every son whom He receives…’”
  • 3^rd – Two very different sons… vs. 2
    • Abel was a shepherd (keeper of the sheep or goats) …
      • Interesting that he was born second but listed first in his profession…
      • They would not have eaten meat – men only ate vegetables before the flood – Genesis 9:3
      • It would seem they would use the wool to make their clothes…
      • They also might have followed the example of the sacrifice to cover for sin…
      • Just as God had sacrificed a lamb to cloth Adam and Eve – Genesis 3:21
      • A picture that was ultimately fulfilled by Jesus – the lamb of God – John 1:29
    • Cain was a farmer (tiller of the ground) …
      • The food grown by Cain would have been used for food…
      • It was the profession God had given to his father before the fall – Genesis 2:15…
      • And it was the work God told Adam to do even after the curse – Genesis 3:17
      • There was nothing wrong with being a farmer – but something was wrong with Cain!
      • It is just conjecture – but it would appear Adam and Eve though Cain might be the savior…
      • And as it turned out his was just a sinner – so they might have been disappointed in him!
      • As parents we need to be careful with our expectations of our children…
      • We may have OUR ideas as to what and who they should be when they grow up…
      • But it is NOT our responsibility to dictate to them WHO they should be…
      • We might try and press them into a mold they were never meant to fill!
      • Our responsibility is to simply teach them about Jesus – Proverbs 22:6 / Ephesians 6:4
      • God will define them – make them into the man / woman HE wants them to be!

• 2^nd – Two offerings… vs.3-7
  • 1^st – In the process (end) of time… vs. 3
    • The end of days – likely referring to the two boys being grown up (they were adults) …
      • They both brought an offering / GIFT – to the Lord – first used here…
      • The idea of giving to the Lord a TITHE – was not given until the law some 2600 years later!
      • The word TITHE is the Hebrew word for a tenth – we would say 10%
      • But according to the Law there were 3 different TITHES people were required to give!

• Numbers 18:21-24 – the Levitical tithe to provide for those who served the Lord…
• Deuteronomy 14:22-26 – the feast tithe – 10% of the harvest eaten before the Lord…
• Deuteronomy 14:28-29 – the poor tithe – which was only once every 3 years…
• So – in all the people were required to TITHE about 23% of their income each year!
• And that did not include offerings – which were free will gifts above the TITHE!
• I am always amused by those who teach giving 10% to the church (should be 23%) …
• They take this one Law from the OT and teach it like it belongs in the NT…
• The Law is not a buffet line – you cannot pick and choose what laws you like…
• Those who teach giving 10% to the church – must also teach the rest of the Law!
• The New Covenant command is to give because we want to – II Corinthians 9:7…
  • Often today people give out of a sense of obligation – they give but do not want to!
  • But God says to give whatever we want – as little or as much as is on our heart…
  • But whatever we give – we are to do it with a hilarious heart – a cheerful giver…
  • If we give out of obligation – it counts for nothing – God does not want it!

• 2^nd – A better gift… vs. 3-5
  • Cain brought fruits of the ground – Abel brought the firstborn of the flock…
    • The Lord respected the offering of Abel – but he did NOT respect the offering of Cain…
    • There are those who say this is because of WHAT they two brothers offered…
    • God ONLY accepted an offering of an animal (blood) – not of the fruit of the soil (cursed)…
    • But both kinds of offering are included in the Law of Moses – Leviticus 1:3-9 / 2:1-3
  • The problem was WHO gave the offering…
    • Hebrews 11:4 – “By FAITH Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.”
    • This was likely NOT the first time that they bought an offering to God…
    • The offering of Cain had been accepted in the past – but not this time…
    • It was not a matter of what he brought to the Lord – it was about the HEART!
    • Most people give – out of their excess – out of obligation – or for recognition…
    • Giving is not about the quantity – giving a lot means nothing if it costs us nothing…
    • Mark 12:42-44 – A poor widow who only put in 2 mites – about 50 centavos…
    • Jesus called the disciples and told them – she gave more than all the rich put together!
    • Giving is not about obligation – God has need of nothing – Psalm 50:9-12
    • And it should not be for recognition – to be seen by men – Matthew 6:2
    • It is about sacrifice – it is about FAITH – showing our Love for God!
• 3^rd – The wrong response… vs. 5-7
  • Cain became VERY angry – he did not understand what was wrong…
    • His countenance (face) fell as a result of his offering not being accepted…
    • Cain came thinking he was giving his best to God – but he missed the point…
    • God did not want his best – He wanted his heart!
  • God asked Cain – why are you angry – why has your countenance fallen…
    • It was not that God did not know what was going on in the heart of Cain…
    • God wanted Cain to look at his heart so that He could see the problem!
    • II Corinthians 13:5 – “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith…”
  • God encouraged Cain – if you do WELL – you will be accepted…
    • WELL – [יָטַב] – used 107x in OT – is also translated content / wise / good…
    • What does it mean to do WELL – live a GOOD life – so that we will be ACCEPTED…
    • Live a life that is dedicated to the Lord – loving others – and humbly depending on Him!
    • Micah 6:8 – “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you. But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
  • If you do NOT do WELL – sin lies at your door (first use of the word sin in the Bible) …
    • The idea of lying at the door means that it is right outside – waiting for us…
    • And its desire [same word Genesis 3:16] is for you – it wants to control you!
    • But we are to instead RULE – to have control over – our sin!
    • John 8:34 – “I say unto you he that commits sin is the slave of sin…”
    • Sin is like a drug – the most addictive kind of drug – and it will take over our life…
    • The same way a drug dealer gets a new client – giving them a free sample…
    • Sin can seem to be enjoyable – but it sucks us in – and we are trapped!
    • In the end we find we are in bondage to sin – morally and spiritually bankrupt!
    • The man who chooses to sin – gives up his freedom to choose!
    • Romans 6:16 – “You become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God…”

• 3^rd – Murder… vs. 8-16
  • 1^st – The death of Abel… vs. 8
    • Rather than change – rather than humble himself – Cain hardened his heart to God…
    • Abel was a righteous man and was likely trying to encourage Cain to change – repent…
    • Cain went into the field with his brother (where he thought no one would see) …
    • There – perhaps with premeditated intent (to silence his brother) – he murdered him!
    • I John 3:12 – “Not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.”
    • When we harder our heart to God – we also do not want to be around other Christians…
    • We are reminded of the fact that we are in sin – so we do what we can to get away…
    • Not only do we not want to be in fellowship – but we also tend to get into MORE sin…
    • The path of sin is a SLIPPERY slope that has NO bottom!
  • 2^nd– God came looking for Cain… vs. 9
    • God asks Cain about his brother – again not because He did not know…
    • It was an opportunity for him to repent – confess what he had done…
    • When we sin He wants nothing more than to see us repent so that we can be forgiven!
    • I John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness…”
  • 3^rd – Refusing to REPENT… vs. 10-11
    • Rather than repent – Cain pretended to know nothing – am I my brothers keeper…
      • Sad that here we FINALLY see the heart of Cain – indifferent even in light of murder…
      • There was NO sign of remorse of repentance for what he had done!
    • God replied – the voice of your brothers blood cries out to Me…
      • Hebrews 4:13 – “There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
      • We may think that we got away with some sin in our life – that no one knows…
      • We may even convince ourselves that because God has done nothing – its OK…
      • But God knows everything we do – every thought we have…
      • We should not take his Grace and longsuffering to mean He is OK with sin…
      • He just gives us time so that we can CHOOSE to REPENT – turn back to Him!
  • 4^th – The consequences of sin… vs. 12-15
    • You are CURSED from the earth…
      • The same ground that opened its mouth to receive the blood of Abel…
      • Would no longer yield its strength to Cain – his days of being a farmer were over!
      • He would be a fugitive – to shake and run for his life / vagabond – wander aimlessly!
    • At THAT Cain cried – my punishment is greater than I can bear…
      • He knew the WORD of the Lord would be true – he would be a fugitive and vagabond…
      • And anyone who found him would try and KILL him for what he did to Abel!
      • So – the Lord put a MARK on Cain – to curse anyone who killed him seven fold!
      • But there was still NO remorse at the death of Abel – ONLY at his own punishment!
      • Cain was NOT sorry for what he had done – he was only sorry that he got CAUGHT!
      • II Corinthians 7:10 – “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
      • Being sorry about the consequences for our sin – is not true repentance
      • It does not mean we are sorry that we sinned – there is no change of heart!
  • 5^th – Cain went out from the presence of the Lord… vs. 16
    • He dwelt (to sit down) in the Land of NOD [from vagabond] – only here in OT…
    • A sad commentary on the life that Cain had chosen – he left the presence of God!
    • There is not good side to choosing to live in sin…
    • It hardens our heart to the Lord – causes us to walk away from fellowship…
    • Leads us into more and more sin – and if we still do not repent…
    • We end up walking away from the presence of the Lord!

• 4^th – The generations of Cain… vs. 17-24
  • 1^st – Cain got married and had children… vs. 17
    • One of the common questions that comes up is where did Cain get his wife…
      • We only read about Adam and Eve – so where did his wife come from…
      • The answer is easy – it was one of his sisters – it is the only option!
    • We know that Adam and Eve had many children – both boys and girls – Genesis 5:4
      • God commanded Moses you could not marry within your family – Leviticus 18:9
      • But that command did not exist at first – nor was it necessary…
      • If there is a flaw in the genetic code – brothers and sisters likely share the flaw…
      • When they have children – the child stands a high probability of birth defects…
      • But in the beginning it was not so – there were no mutations in the genetic code!
  • 2^nd – Lost generation… vs. 18-19
    • We are given a short list of the sons and grandchildren of Cain…
      • We do not follow the genealogy very far because none of them survive the flood…
      • Enoch built a city – the first time this is mentioned in the Bible…
      • And it was built by men who had walked away from the presence of the Lord!
      • Psalm 19:1 – “The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his… craftsmanship.”
      • Cities where men gather so they can and validate their own ideas about life…
      • Where all of the trees are manicured – and lights wash out the beauty of creation at night… 
      • And where many of the most heinous crimes take place – because God has been forgotten!
    • The message in the names of the men in the line of Cain…
      • Enoch – dedicated / Lyrad – donkey (stubborn) / Mehujael – blotted out by God…
      • Methusalel – who is God / Lamech – despairing
      • The line of Cain was DEDICATED to sin and STUBBORN…
      • They were BLOTTED OUT by GOD – no long knew WHO GOD was leaving them to DESPAIR!
      • The decedents of Cain followed his example – they also rejected God!
      • An encouragement – or warning – to be a good example to our family…
      • If we do not like what we see in our children – look in the mirror…
      • Our kids are a reflection of us – they follow in our footsteps!
      • They are going to grow up to be just like – for good or for bad – Ephesians. 6:4
  • 3^rd – Moral decline… vs. 19-22
    • Lamech took two wives – Adah (ornament) and Zillah (shadow)…
      • Having walked away from God – man began to reject the plan of God for marriage…
      • The consequences are hinted at in the names of the wives – one was just a shadow…
      • Judges 21:25 – “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
      • As a society rejects the creator – the very definition of marriage gets challenged…
      • Can you marry more than one person – can you marry the same gender…
      • We are pressured today to accept homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle…
      • We see people today questioning the design of the creator – there is no non-binary!
      • Genesis 1:27 – “God created man in His own image… male and female He created them.”
    • As a side not we see how quickly man advanced in science and arts in the sons of Lamech…
      • It was only a few generations after Adam that we see:
      • Nomads – Jabal was the father of those who dwell in tents and took care of flocks…
      • Musicians – Jubal was the father of those who played the flute and harp…
      • Metallurgy – Tubal-Cain was an instructor of those who worked with bronze and iron!
  • 4^th – Moral bankruptcy… vs. 23-24
    • Lamech killed a young man for wounding him… 
    • Wounding – to bruise / hurting – to punch so he killed a man for punching him!
    • He told his wives – if Cain would be avenged seven fold – then he would be 70×7…
    • Jesus said forgive 70×7 – Matthew 18:22 – Lamech wanted revenge 70×7!
    • Here only 5 generations from Cain (6 from Adam) and we see the decline of morality…
    • The world quickly filled with wickedness – sin had spread like a cancer….
    • So much so that the only answer would be for God to destroy the world with a flood!

• 5^th – The Generations of Adam… vs. 4:25 – 5:32
  • 1^st – Adam and Eve had another son – Seth – appointed… vs. 25-26
    • Likely this was not the next son born to Adam and Eve…
      • But he was the son through whom God would fulfill his promise of salvation…
      • It was through Seth that the Jesus would eventually come – Luke 3:38…
    • Seth had a son named Enosh – and men started to call on the names of the Lord…
      • Jewish tradition says the origin of idolatry came from the days of Enosh…
      • The majority of men had walked away from the Lord – only a remnant remained…
      • Most choose to go with the flow conform to the sinful world around them!
      • Do we choose to blend in – or do we stand up for Jesus…
      • It is far easier to just look like everyone else – blend in with the crowd…
      • But God is looking for those who are willing to stand up for Him!
  • 2^nd – This is the BOOK of the genealogy of Adam… vs. 1-32
    • In a short review of chapter 1 – we reiterate man was created in the likeness of God…
      • And God made them male and female – and He blessed them and called them man (adam)!
      • We are then given a list of 10 names – from Adam to Noah…
    • These are NOT the ONLY children born – this is the GENEOLOGY of Jesus – Luke 3:36-38
      • Adam lived – 930 years / Seth – lived 912 years / Enosh lived 905 years…
      • Kenan – lived 910 years / Mahalalel Lived 905 years / Jared – Lived 962 years…
      • Enoch – lived 365 years / Methuselah lived 969 / Lamech lived 777 years…
      • Noah was 500 years old when the Lord came to warn him about the flood…
      • Only Noah (and his 3 sons) would live through the coming judgment – the Flood…
      • But there are two of the names in the list that we want to look more at!
  • 3^rd – Enoch – teaching… vs. 21-24
    • Enoch lived 365 years – he walked with God and he was not – because God took him…
      • Enoch was the first Prophet in the Bible…
      • Jude 1:14-15 – “Now Enoch… prophesied… ‘Look, the Lord is coming with thousands of his holy ones.  He will bring the people of the world to judgment. He will convict the ungodly of all the evil things they have done in rebellion and of all the insults that godless sinners have spoken against him.’
      • It would even seem – Enoch received the prophecy of WHEN the judgement would occur…
      • He was told that as long as his son was alive the judgment would be withheld…
      • The year his son Methuselah died – just as God prophesied – the flood came!
    • Enoch is one of only two men in the Bible (Elijah) whom God took alive to heaven..
      • Hebrew 11:5 – “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”
      • Enoch KNEW that the judgment of God was coming…
      • The world around him was full of sin and immorality – but he WALKED with God…
      • Rather than going through the Great flood – God took him to heaven BEFOREHAND!
      • God RAPTURED him BEFORE the tribulation – before the judgment of the flood!
      • In this way Enoch is a great EXAMPLE to us the Church!
      • We also live in immoral and evil days – the hearts of men are far from God…
      • There is a Great Judgment coming on the earth – Great Tribulation…
      • As we WALK with God – live our lives for the Lord…
      • We have the PROMISE God will rapture us before the coming judgment!
      • I Thessalonians 4:17 – “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…”
  • 4^th – Methuselah – His death shall bring… vs. 25-27
    • Methuselah Lived 969 years – the oldest man in the Bible…
    • The prophecy of Enoch stated when Methuselah died the Flood would come…
    • God let Methuselah live to be the oldest man in the Bible…
    • God was giving as much time as possible for people to repent and be saved!
    • Just because God does not punish us immediately for our sins…
    • Does not mean that there will not be consequences…
    • God is slow to deal punishment because He wants us to repent and be saved!
    • II Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent.”
  • 5^th – We often tend to quickly read over the genealogies of the Bible…
    • When we read the names in Hebrew – they have little meaning to us…
    • But if we read them translated things get a lot more interesting…
    • (Adam) Man – (Seth) appointed – (Enosh) mortal – (Cainan) sorrow – (Mahalalel) the blessed God – (Jared) shall come down – (Enoch) teaching – (Methuselah) His death shall bring – (Lamech) the despairing – (Noah) REST!
    • The Gospel in Genesis 5 – hidden in plain sight in the Genealogy from Adam to Noah!
    • From the very beginning God planned on giving his life to save ours!
    • Before God judged the world through the flood – He gave the promise of salvation…
    • He gives the same message and promise today….
    • To any and all who would believe in the message of the cross of Christ!