Genesis 9: Noah after the flood

In Genesis 8, once Noah and his family were inside the ark, God shut the door. They were secure and safe from not only the world’s destruction but from the others who had not heeded God’s word. God had shut out all others forever. Noah and his family were to bring as many as they could to salvation. When God shut the door to the ark sealing the fate of everyone who refused to listen and follow, the door of mercy was also shut. 

All men, women, children, and animals in the world that were not in the ark perished. Man was eating and drinking, ignoring God’s warnings. If only they had heeded God’s warnings and repented. God’s children are safe and can look forward without fear and dismay. Those who follow the Lord can rejoice in knowing they shall triumph. Yet, those who neglect, refuse, or ignore salvation through Christ shall perish.

Noah and those on the ark were saved from God’s judgment. Everything else on earth had been destroyed. Through his mercy, God sends the winds and seals up the waters. God didn’t destroy the sin in the world in a single day and God doesn’t deliver those on the Ark in a day. God does things gradually.

The ark finally comes to rest on Mount Ararat, where people are still searching for it today. God has his own time and place for his people to rest. God does things for our benefit rather than our desires. Only he knows what is good for us. As Noah did as God commanded when he went into the Ark, he also waited for God to show him when to leave the ark. Noah went under God’s protection by following and submitting to God’s will.

Noah and his family left the ark and went out into a desolate world. The first thing Noah did after leaving the ark was honor God in thanks and honor by offering a sacrifice. Even though Noah’s stock was most likely dwindling, he ungrudgingly served God with what little he had. Even though the world had been wiped of sin, man’s nature was still to be conceived and born in sin. Man still thinks, devises, and has wickedness in heart from birth. God declares he will never destroy man again with water. It is obvious this earth will not always remain but God promises that while the earth do remain, the seasons and the day and night will continue and not cease.

Genesis 9: Noah after the flood

1And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

When Noah and his family left the Ark, God blessed Noah and his sons for doing well. God instructs them to repopulate the earth. Man was a vegetarian before the flood but now God gave man everything upon the earth and in the sea for food. God gives man dominion over all of the beasts, fowl, and everything that moves upon the earth, and in the sea. God’s blessings are the greatest reward we can have. We are to be thankful for everything he has given us and not to forget the blessings of God’s fulfillment of his promise each and every day. God gives us the animals for food but not the authority to abuse or be cruel to them. We are not to cause them pain or take their lives needlessly.

4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.

6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

God gave us everything upon the earth and in the sea as food but he instructs us not to consume the blood. The shedding of blood is our atonement for sin. In addition, God didn’t and doesn’t want us to become numb or unfeeling to killing. It is unthinkable for man to shed another man’s blood so God also wants us to feel the same about shedding the blood of his other creatures. We are to kill only when necessary for food. We are not to unnecessarily kill or harm any of God’s creatures.

 

8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.

11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

God made a covenant with Noah when he placed the rainbow in the sky. The rainbow is God’s seal of his covenant with all living things. God promises that he will never kill with the waters of a flood or destroy the earth with them again. God made his covenant or promise with Noah and all of the living creatures that left the ark as well as all future generations. The rainbow is a reminder to not only us but also God of his promise.

18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.

19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.

20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:

21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.

Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham, Japheth, and Ham left the ark and went forth. All generations come from Noah and his sons after the flood. Noah became a husbandman and planted a vineyard. Drinking his own wine, Noah became drunk. This shows us the weakness and imperfection of everyone. Unless we depend on God and his grace, we cannot stand. When Ham found his father in his state of drunkenness and naked, he went to his brothers, Shem and Japheth, Shem and Japheth discreetly covered their father, Noah, so that they would not see his disgraced condition. Noah felt .great shame because of his sin.

24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.

25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.

29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

When Noah realized what his younger sons had done, he curses Ham’s son, Canaan that they will be a servant of servants, a most despicable servant. Mostly the descendants of Ham populate Africa. Many parts were under the dominion of the Romans, first the Saracens and now the Turks.

Then Noah blesses the Lord God of Shem and Japheth. The Jews are the descendants of Shem, who for a long time were the only God professing people in the world. The isles of the gentiles are the descendants of Japheth.

 

Genesis 7:12 – 8:22, The Story of Noah: The Flood

Because of man’s sinfulness, God decided to destroy mankind. Noah being in favor of God is given exact instructions on how to build an Ark. It is to be built out of Gopher wood and is to be at least 450 feet long by 75 feet wide and 45 feet high, over 100,000 square feet. 

God establishes his covenant with Noah. A covenant that Noah and his sons were to be like trustees, it was a covenant of grace, and that out of his seed, God would take to him a people. God makes Noah a preacher of man, savior of animals, providing shelter and sustenance to his family and the creatures in his care.

Noah is then instructed to gather male and female animals that were unclean or unfit for food and seven of all clean animals for food. This is an enormous task, unless you have God who is in control. Man was a vegetarian until the flood. The reason for God designating clean and unclean animals was disease. Animals such as vultures, rats, and pigs, were unsafe to eat. 

Once the ark was finished, God tells Noah, “Come thou and thy entire house into the ark.” This is similar to God inviting us to salvation. God is calling us to come into his house where we are safe and cared for. God is also telling Noah that he is also on board the Ark with him and his charge. God knows who are his and is pleased with them. Those that are the Lord’s will be kept safe in good and bad times. 

Even though God grants another seven days before condemning man giving anyone the chance to join Noah in salvation, no one listened to the warnings. They continued along their path of destruction without heeding God’s warning and putting off their salvation. After seven days, Noah and his family enter the ark through faith. 

The floodwaters came from “all the fountains of the great deep broken up and the windows of heaven were opened.” This implies large earthquakes and the earth’s crust splitting open. This would cause tremendous tsunamis. There is also a theory of a water vapor canopy that would have caused the heavy downpours from heaven.

When reading God’s word we need to realize that God’s calendar is different from ours. God’s calendar is based on the moon. A month is a cycle of the moon, which is 28 days. A new day begins when the moon rises or at sunset.

Genesis 7

12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;

14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.

15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.

16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.

[Once Noah and his family were inside the ark, God shut the door. They were secure and safe from not only the world’s destruction but from the others who had not heeded God’s word. God had shut out all others forever. Noah and his family were to bring as many as they could to salvation. There is adequate room in Christ for all. However, when God shut the door to the ark and sealed the fate of everyone who refused to listen and follow, the door of mercy was shut. ]

17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.

18 And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.

19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.

20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.

[The floodwaters rose and increased for forty days, fifteen cubits above the highest mountain. (15 x 18 = 270″ / 12″ = approximately 22.5 feet above the highest mountain.) There was nowhere on earth if you were not saved by God, that was out of the reach of God’s judgment.]

21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:

22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.

23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.

24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

[All men, women, children, and animals in the world that were not in the ark perished. We have seen the results of a tsumani and earthquakes. The terror of great walls of water and the fear of the earth shaking must’ve been tremendously terrifying. . The water and earthquakes in Noah’s flood were so much greater than any we have seen or experienced. Man was eating and drinking, ignoring God’s warnings. (Luke 17:26, Luke 17:27) when God’s judgment came. If only they had heeded God’s warnings and repented. God’s children are safe and can look forward without fear and dismay. Those who follow the Lord can rejoice in knowing they shall triumph. Yet, those who neglect, refuse, or ignore salvation through Christ shall perish.]

Genesis 8

1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;

2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;

3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.

[Only Noah and those on the ark were saved from God’s judgment. Everything else on earth had been destroyed. God remembers Noah and those on the ark and his mercy returns to them. Through his mercy, God sends the winds and seals up the waters. God didn’t destroy the sin in the world in a single day and God doesn’t deliver those on the Ark in a day. God does things gradually.]

4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.

6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:

7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.

8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;

9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.

10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;

11 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.

12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.

[The ark finally comes to rest on Mount Ararat, where people are still searching for it today. God has his own time and place for his people to rest. Without man’s own foresight, God provides. Noah sends out a raven that feeds on the carcasses of the world. Then Noah sends a dove out of the ark, which returns the first time without a sign. The second time the dove returns with the leaf of an olive tree. This shows Noah, the waters are receding. Every seven days, Noah sends the dove forth until it no longer returns.]

13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.

14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.

15 And God spake unto Noah, saying,

16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee.

17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.

18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him:

19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.

[God does things for our benefit rather than our desires. Only he knows what is good for us. Even though we may think something is good or needed, God knows what is good for us and what we need, when we need it. As Noah did as God commanded when he went into the Ark, he also waited for God to show him when to leave the ark. Noah went under God’s protection by following and submitting to God’s will.]

20 And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

21 And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

[Noah and his family left the ark and went out into a desolate world. The first thing Noah after leaving the ark was honor God. Noah built an alter and offered a sacrifice to God in thanks and honor. Even though Noah’s stock was most likely dwindling, he ungrudgingly served God with what little he had. Even though the world had been wiped of sin, man’s nature was still to be conceived and born in sin. Man still thinks, devises, and has wickedness in heart from birth. God declares he will never destroy man again with water. It is obvious this earth will not always remain but God promises that while the earth do remain, the seasons and the day and night will continue and not cease.]

Next: Genesis 9: Noah after the flood

        Genesis 10:1-5   Noah’s Descendents: Sons of Japheth

        Genesis 10:6-20 Noah’s Descendents: Sons of Ham

        Genesis 10:21-32 Noah’s Descendents: Sons of Shem

Genesis 6:14 – 7:11: The Story of Noah: The Flood

In Noah’s day, humanity had become very evil and disobedient. Mixed marriages between those that believe and obey in God with those that did not believe and obey God. Man was marrying only those that were pleasant to the “eye.” They took wives choosing by their corrupt affections rather than marring god-fearing women.

God is patient, but man continually resisted the Spirit. Man’s nature is carnal, sinful, and corrupt. The Spirit will strive for only so long before there is no longer any reprieve. Sin and wickedness is great when men of greatness are wicked and sinful. Their sin was great because they sinned knowingly and carelessly. They deliberately did sinful and wicked acts. The wickedness of man not only angered God it also grieved him. This made God repentant that he had created man. 

God saw favor in Noah because he was a just man. Noah was favored because he was of the promised seed, Noah wasn’t a perfect man, but Noah was sincere and therefore sinless by grace. Not only was Noah of the promised seed and sincere, Noah walked with God. He communed with God and continued to walk with God even though man’s sinfulness was exceedingly great. Noah didn’t follow the crowd, he followed God. The earth had become corrupt, filled with violence, wickedness, no conscience, without the fear of God, and universal wickedness.

God communes with Noah through a spirit of faith and wisdom. Through this communication, God instructs Noah to build an Ark because God is going to destroy humankind and everything on the earth. Since Noah was in God’s favor, Noah and his family were going to be saved from destruction to repopulate the earth.

[Text taken from the King James Version. My comments are noted in brackets, “[my comments].” My comments are my own translations. I believe each person has their own according to what God has to show him or her at the time. I have read the Bible over more than once and each time I read a passage I am shown something different. That’s because God talks to us through his word. I know there is a lot more that can be added, that is why I hope for other comments and meaning from others.]   

Genesis 6:14-6:22

14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

[God instructs Noah to build an Ark. Noah is told to build it out of Gopher wood, what is gopher wood? Some translations refer to gopher wood as cypress but there isn’t anything to say for sure. Other guesses have been pine, cedar, fir, juniper, boxwood, and slimed bulrushes. We don’t know where exactly Noah lived, it doesn’t tell us. Therefore, we cannot deduce anything about the local trees he had for wood. Then gopher wood could most likely refer to “planed” wood, “squared beams,” or “laminated wood.” I would be more likely to believe it to be squared beams. ]

15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.

[So, how big was the Ark? It would have had to be extremely humungous to hold all of the animals and Noah’s family. A cubit is the length between an adult’s elbow and the tip of the finger. This would be approximately 18 inches. Doing the math, the Ark was at least 450 feet long by 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. That would be over 100,000 square feet. That’s big! How many square feet does your house have? Divide 100,000 square feet by the square feet in your house and you will find how many times larger the Ark was than your house.]

17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die.

18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.

[Here God is establishing his covenant with Noah. A covenant that Noah and his sons were to be like trustees, it was a covenant of grace, and that out of his seed, God would take to him a people. Here God is making Noah a preacher of man, savior of animals, Noah was to provide shelter and sustenance to his family and the creatures in his care.]

19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.

20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.

[How did Noah find two of every animal and get them into the ark? In addition to the male and female animals that were unclean or unfit for food, Noah was instructed to gather seven of all clean animals for food. This is an enormous task, unless you have God who is in control. In verse 20, God tells Noah, “two of every sort shall come unto thee” which means God brought the animals to Noah.]

21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.

22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Genesis 7

King James Version (KJV)

1 And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

[“Come thou and all thy house into the ark” is similar to God inviting us to salvation. God is calling us to come into his house where we are safe and cared for. God is also telling Noah that he is also on board the Ark with him and his charge. God knows who are his and is pleased with them. Those that are the Lord’s will be kept safe in good and bad times. ]

2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.

3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

5 And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.

[God grants another seven days before condemning man. Yet, no one listened to the warnings. They continued along their path of destruction without heeding God’s warning and putting off their salvation.]

6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.

7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.

8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,

9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.

10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.

[Here, Noah enters the ark through faith. Before any signs of a flood or destruction, Noah obeyed God. God told him it would be seven days and so after seven days, Noah and his family entered the ark.]

11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

[The floodwaters came from “all the fountains of the great deep broken up and the windows of heaven were opened.” This implies large earthquakes and the earth’s crust splitting open. This would cause tremendous tsunamis. There is also a theory of a water vapor canopy that would have caused the heavy downpours from heaven.]

Next: Genesis 7:12 – 8:19, The Story of Noah: The Flood.

 

Genesis 6:1-13, The Story of Noah, Cause of the Flood

I doubt there is anyone who hasn’t heard of Noah and the flood. Stories about Noah and the flood have been told all through the ages. Movies abound about Noah and his Ark. Today people are still searching for Noah’s Ark.

Why did God see favor in Noah even though he wanted to wipe man off the face of the earth? What made Noah different? What was man doing that made God so angry that he wanted to destroy him?

Text taken from the King James Version. My comments are noted in brackets, “[my comments].” My comments are my own translations. I believe each person has their own according to what God has to show him or her at the time. I have read the Bible over more than once and each time I read a passage I am shown something different. That’s because God talks to us through his word. I know there is a lot more that can be added, that is why I hope for other comments and meaning from others.

Genesis 6 (King James Version)

[4,200 to 3,300 BCE]

1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

[Mixed marriages between those that believe and obey in God with those that do not believe and obey God. They chose by “eye” which means they only looked at their beauty and nothing else. They took wives choosing by their corrupt affections rather than marrying god-fearing women. Believers were marrying unbelievers. ]

3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

[God is patient but when man continually resists the Spirit, it will eventually stop striving to with sinners. Man is also flesh meaning his nature is carnal, sinful, and corrupt. The Spirit will strive for only so long (yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.) God’s spirit will only strive for so long before there is no longer any reprieve.]

4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

[The giants were men of greatness. Sin and wickedness is great when men of greatness are wicked and sinful. There sin was great because they sinned knowingly and carelessly. The deliberately did sinful and wicked acts.]

5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

[God was not only angered by the wickedness of his children but was also grieved by it. This made God repentant that he had created man. ]

8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

[God saw favor in Noah because he was a just man. God highly favors those who favor and obey him. God loves those who love God. Noah was favored because he was of the promised seed, Noah wasn’t a perfect man, but Noah was sincere and therefore sinless by grace. Not only was he of the promised seed and sincere, Noah walked with God. He communed with God. Noah also continued to walk with God even though man’s sinfulness was exceedingly great. Noah didn’t follow the crowd he followed God.]

10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

[In verse 11, it tells us that the earth was corrupt and filled with violence. wickedness, no conscience, without the fear of God, universal wickedness.]

13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

[God communes with Noah through a spirit of faith and wisdom. We are told in Amos that we are informed through the spirit so that we may understand.]

Coming next: Genesis 6:14 – 8:19 – The Story of Noah: The Flood

 

 

Genesis 5 – The Descendants of Adam to Noah

Genesis 5 – The Descendants of Adam

Genesis 5 is the book of the generations of Adam to Noah. In the first verse it tells us that God created man in the likeness of himself (moral likeness with God as well as a likeness in emotions and intellect).,  In verse 3, we are told that Adam has a son in ‘his own likeness, after his image’. Here Adam’s children are born in his likeness or sinful state.

Verses 4 through 24 give us the lineage from Adam to Methuselah.

Adam to Adam’s son Seth fathers Enos, Enos fathered Cainan, Cainan fathers Mahalaleel, and Mahalaleel fathers Jared. Jared fathers Enoch. Enoch fathers Methuselah.

Verses 25 through 32:  Methuselah to Noah

Methuselah fathered Lamech: and Lamech fathered Noah, and Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Enoch walked in favor of God and is the only man who didn’t die. God took Enoch to be with him before he died.

Genesis 4 – Last Part

Review of Genesis 4

Adam and Eve had many children but the two eldest are thought to be Cain and Abel. Eve believed Cain was the promised seed.  Eve then has another son. Eve, believing Cain was the promised seed, when she had another son Abel was like vanity to her. Cain tilled the ground and Abel raised sheep.

When Cain and Abel brought their offerings to God Adam, as the priest of the family, accepted the offerings but the LORD did not. We do not know how God displayed his pleasure or displeasure. The difference in the offerings was the character of the offerings. Abel had brought the “firstling” the best, of his flock as a blood sacrifice. Abel had faith where Cain didn’t. Cain only presented his offering to save face but not in faith. Cain’s anger at God for not accepting his offering shows a heart that is not humbled. Cain believes he has been wronged when in fact it was his own sin. God asks Cain why he is wroth, in other words, God is asking Cain, “why am I angry? You know why I am angry.” God also tells Cain that his non-acceptance is with Cain and is wholly his. That if Cain repents (changes his heart) and makes a suitable sacrifice, he will be accepted.

Cain already hates Abel, which is a sin similar to already having murdered. Cain’s jealousy, anger, and hatred led to him slaying Abel, his brother. Abel was a good brother and didn’t deserve his fate at the hands of his brother, Cain. Where Cain should have loved his brother, he despised him.

God asks Cain where his brother  Abel is. God wants Abel to confess showing penitence. Cain doesn’t plead guilty, rather he tells a deliberate lie. When Cain responds with “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Cain is refusing to admit to his deed and humble himself before God. God then tells Cain he knows what he has done, and that Abel’s “blood crieth unto me”. This also is saying that Abel’s blood is crying for vengeance.

God’ passes judgment on Cain.  Cain will no longer be able to bring forth from the ground. God cursed Cain with unsettlement on earth or being a fugitive and vagabond. Cain was to live with perpetual disgrace, abhorred, and abandoned by all men. He was to live with disquietude in his own self and his guilt was to haunt him forever. Like the saying goes, you have to live with yourself. God did show Cain mercy by allowing him time to repent rather than striking him down.

Cain believes his sin is unforgivable and therefore forfeits forgiveness through his despair. Cain is also showing reproach to God’s justice, in that he feels his punishment is too severe for the sin. This shows Cain refusal to a humbled heart and his concern for his own suffering rather than for his sin. Cain will also live in fear of other men because he sees himself being removed from God’s protection. Cain will live with bitterness in his soul, longing for death but having to live. God sentences Cain to living in his torment by saying that anyone who slays Cain, God’s vengeance would be seven fold. Here God declares vengeance is his and he will judge wickedness. God has reasons for letting wicked men live, they live fearfully and as a reminder of God’s justice. God’s judgment for wickedness is sometimes sentencing a life of being marked and with suffering. God also allows time for them to repent, which is his mercy. Cain went out from the presence of God, willingly renouncing the LORD. Hell is not being in the presence of the LORD.

Text taken from the King James Version. My comments are noted in brackets, “[my comments].” My comments are my own translations. I believe each person has their own according to what God has to show him or her at the time. I have read the Bible over more than once and each time I read a passage I am shown something different. That’s because God talks to us through his word. I know there is a lot more that can be added, that is why I hope for other comments and meaning from others.   

 

The Descendants of Cain

17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

[It is believed that Cain’s wife could have been his sister, niece or grandniece. The name of Enoch means  “consecration or “initiation” meaning a new beginning for Cain. .]

18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.

19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.

[This was the first violation of God’s monogamy law.]

20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.

21 And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.

22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.

23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.

24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

Seth and Enosh

[Lamech slays a man in self defense and states that if anyone tries to avenge the murder he will take care of it himself, without God’s help.]

25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

[Seth means “appointed one” and was given from God to replace Adam and Eve’s slain son, Abel.]

 

Genesis 3-5 continued….

Review of Genesis 3

In Genesis 3, we saw how Satan could be beautiful and subtle with temptation. He tempted Eve, the “innocent” and “weaker vessel,” serving his own purpose and reasons. Satan tempted Eve when she was alone, which was another subtlety of Satan’s. Satan knew if he could get Eve to sin by making her question “is it really a sin or not?” that she would then convince Adam to sin.

Rather than refuse Satan’s temptations Eve entered into a conversation with Satan allowing him to convince her that God was not good and fair because they were not allowed to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Adam and Eve’s sin was their disobedience to God and following their own will, which Satan convinced Eve was above God’s will. Satan first plants the seeds of doubt and then denial, which invalidated God’s word.

By disobeying God’s will, Adam and Eve experienced shame, great guilt, and fear for the first time. Adam and Even knew their relationship with God had been broken by their disobedience to God. Their actions “opened their eyes” causing them to be “naked.” This stripped them of their joy and deprived them of their peace and personal relationship with God. This resulted in their loss of their dignity and they were now disgraced. This left their spirits in disordered.

God cursed the serpent, which the entire animal kingdom was affected by Adam and Eve’s disobedience. Adam excused his sin by laying the blame on Eve but Adam is the one who made the choice for himself to sin, Because of their sin, Adam will now have to toil the work all of his days and Eve will feel the pain of bearing children. They shall not know the joy they knew before and their days will be shortened and return to the dust from whence they came.

God still shows his love in his judgment of Adam and Eve. He doesn’t disinherit them but still provides them with the food they grow and clothing. God’s judgment still has mercy.

The creation of the world and man, the Garden of Eden, man’s fall, and the other events in Genesis were not in written form until sometime after the Hebrews settled in Canaan. The events in Genesis are not to be regarded as actual historical events but rather legends that have been told by the Hebrew to establish continuity with their past. We have no way of knowing the extent that these stories record actual historical events although we do believe they are based on actual historical events.

Text taken from the King James Version. My comments are noted in brackets, “[my comments].” My comments are my own translations. I believe each person has their own according to what God has to show him or her at the time. I have read the Bible over more than once and each time I read a passage I am shown something different. That’s because God talks to us through his word. I know there is a lot more that can be added, that is why I hope for other comments and meaning from others.

Genesis 4

1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.

2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

[According to Genesis, 5:4 Adam and Eve had many children but the two eldest are thought to be Cain and Abel. “I have gotten a man from the LORD.” shows Eve’s joy and thankfulness, believing this was the promised seed. The name Cain means possession. Eve then has another son and names him Abel, which signifies vanity. Eve, believing Cain was the promised seed, when she had another son Abel was like vanity to her. Abel and Cain both had a calling to their profession. They were raised to labor. Cain tilled the ground and Abel raised sheep. The two should have been exchanging and trading.]

3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

[“process of time” shows either the end of the week, year, or season. It was a set time when they brought Adam, who was the priest of the family their offerings to God. It was Adam’s position as the parent to train his children in religious services so that when they were adults they were capable for themselves. Adam accepted the offerings but the LORD did not. We do not know how God displayed his pleasure or displeasure. The difference in the offerings was the character of the offerings. Cain was sinful whereas Abel was righteous. Abel was called “righteous Abel” (Mt 23:35). Abel had brought the “firstling” the best, of his flock as a blood sacrifice. Abel had faith where Cain didn’t. Cain only presented his offering to save face but not in faith. Cain’s anger at God for not accepting his offering shows a heart that is not humbled. Cain believes he has been wronged when in fact it was his own sin. Just like when Adam put the blame on Eve for tempting him, Adam willingly sinned. God asks Cain why he is wroth, in other words, God is asking Cain, “why am I angry? You know why I am angry.” God also tells Cain that his non-acceptance is with Cain and is wholly his. That if Cain repents (changes his heart) and makes a suitable sacrifice, he will be accepted.]

8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

[Cain already hates Abel, which is a sin similar to already having murdered. Cain’s jealousy, anger, and hatred led to him slaying Abel, his brother. Abel was a good brother and didn’t deserve his fate at the hands of his brother, Cain. Where Cain should have loved his brother, he despised him. ]

9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?

10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.

[Here, God asks Cain where Abel is. That is because God wants Abel to confess showing penitence. When Cain doesn’t plead guilty, rather he tells a deliberate lie. When Cain responds with “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Cain is refusing to admit to his deed and humble himself before God. God then responds in a way that says Cain makes light of the situation. God then tells Cain he knows what has done, that Abel’s “blood crieth unto me”. This also is saying that Abel’s blood is crying for vengeance. ]

11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;

12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

[This is God’s judgment on Cain. God has no mercy for Cain for what he has done. 

With Adam, God cursed the ground but with Cain God denied his sustenance out of the earth where his occupation was farming. Cain will no longer be able to bring forth from the ground. God cursed Cain with unsettlement on earth or being a fugitive and vagabond. Cain was to live with perpetual disgrace, abhorred, and abandoned by all men. He was to live with disquietude in his own self and his guilt was to haunt him forever. Like the saying goes, you have to live with yourself. God did show Cain mercy by allowing him time to repent rather than striking him down.]

13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.

14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

[Cain speaks of despair because he believes his sin is unforgivable and therefore forfeits forgiveness through his despair. Cain is also showing reproach to God’s justice, in that he feels his punishment is too severe for the sin. This shows Cain refusal to a humbled heart and his concern for his own suffering rather than for his sin. Cain will also live in fear of other men because he sees himself being removed from God’s protection. Cain will live with bitterness in his soul, longing for death but having to live. God sentences Cain to living in his torment by saying that anyone who slays Cain, God’s vengeance would be seven fold. Here God declares vengeance is his and he will judge wickedness. God has reasons for letting wicked men live, they live fearfully and as a reminder of God’s justice. God’s judgment for wickedness is sometimes sentencing a life of being marked and with suffering. God also allows time for them to repent, which is his mercy.]

16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

[Cain went out from the presence of God, willingly renouncing the LORD. Hell is not being in the presence of the LORD. ]

Genesis 4 to be continued….

 

Genesis 3 – 5

In Genesis 1 and 2 God creates the universe, populates the earth with animals, and creates man and woman. Genesis 1 and 2 teaches us that God is holy, eternal, is the creator and gives life. God wants a personal relationship with mankind. He also will judge sin. God is merciful in his judgement. Man is created in God’s image and goes his own way because he is self-willed. Man is created to be social and the basic unit in society is marriage. Genesis’ message is to obey him, believe him, trust, him and talk with him. Let God do his work because he can change even the most sinful and twisted into beauty.

This is still prehistory. The stories or legends before Abraham are part of Hebrew culture. We do not know the extent of the stories being actual events. It really isn’t important though. The stories provide an ideal of a later age that is reflected in them. The historical period began with the Exodus from Egypt.

Genesis 3 through 5 tells us about mans fall from grace, Cain and Abel, and the history from Adam to Noah. Adam and Eve felt no shame until they disobeyed God by eating from the tree of knowledge.  Adam and Eve were happy, living in holiness and in favor of God. The scene is of beauty and peace. But, everything changes when Adam and Eve disobey God bringing sin and misery to themselves and everything in the world.

Biblical text taken from the King James Version.  My comments are noted in brackets, “[my comments].” My comments are my own translations. I believe each person has their own according to what God has to show them at the time they read it. I have read the Bible over more than once and each time I read a passage I am shown something different. That’s because God talks to us through his word. I know there is a lot more that could be added, that is why I hope for other comments and meaning from others.

Genesis 3

1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

[by being “more subtle”, the serpent was beautiful  which Satan used to tempt Eve. Eve being the “innocent.”  Temptation can come in beautiful form or seem to come from above (subtle), serving his own purpose or reasons. Satan temps Eve when she is alone, another subtlety of Satan’s. He also chose to tempt the “weaker vessel” so that she would then tempt her husband. Satan still today uses the same reasoning to get us to sin by making us question, “is it really a sin or not?” ]

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

[Rather than refuse to entertain Satan’s temptation, Eve, begins a discussion with Satan.  Satan convinces Eve that God is not good and fair because they were not allowed to eat of the Tree of Knowledge. Eve was deceived and Adam knowingly ate of the fruit. Their sin was disobeying God by believing Satan’s lies. Satan convinced them that their own will was above God’s. Here the innocent (Eve) has been tempted and the tempted sins. Satan first causes us to doubt and then deny, resulting in invalidating God’s word.]

8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

[Adam and Eve had not known shame until now. They were experiencing great guilt, shame, and fear for the first time.They knew they had disobeyed God and their relationship with him had been broken. By eating the forbidden fruit, their eyes were opened to the consequences of their action or sin.Adam and Eve saw that they were “naked”. Stripped of their joy – exposed to misery, and deprived of their peace and personal relationship with God. They had lost their dignity and was now disgraced. They were no longer in God’s favor and grace leaving their spirits in disorder.]

 14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

[By telling the serpent he is now cursed above every beast shows that the entire animal kingdom was affected by Adam and Eve’s disobedience. God humiliated the serpent when telling him he shall eat the dust all of his days. ]

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

[Verses 15 and 16 need comments from readers.  Anyone venture to comment on what they believe these two verses encompass?]

17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19I n the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thouart, and unto dust shalt thou return.

20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

[Here Adam excused his sin by laying the blame on his wife Eve. God doesn’t recognize this excuse because Adam could be tempted but Eve didn’t force him to commit the sin. God shows his displeasure of Adam by cursing the ground, Adam’s work and enjoyment will be joyless, and his days will be short. God is telling Adam his earthly home will no longer be paradise. Instead he will be living on common ground where he must force what it now produces rather than having it produced spontaneously by God.  Adam will also have to labor where he didn’t before and it would not be easy labor. Food would no longer be a delicacy. From here forward, they would eat like the common beasts. His life is also shortened and shall return to the dust from whence it came.  ]

21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

[Here, God shows his caring love despite his judgement. He does not disinherit Adam and Eve but provides them with the food they grow and clothing. He still provides for his children.]

Genesis 4 and 5 to follow..

Genesis 1-2: The first in a series

My hope is to inspire honest conversations on the Bible. I will continue as long as I see there is an interest in what I post. Suggestions are also welcome.

Genesis, is the beginning. The author and time period of Genesis is unknown. Genesis covers man’s creation and fall, and the stories of Abraham, Issac, Jacob and Joseph.  Chapters 1 through 11 cover the primeval history and chapters 12 through 50 is the Patriarchal history. Genesis teaches us to obey God, believe him, trust him, and stay in communication with him. The main characters in Genesis 1 – 3 is of course God, Adam and Eve. Books of the Bible that are considered The Law are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.  I am using the King James Version, it has always been the easiest for me to understand. My comments are noted in brackets, “[my comments].” My comments are my own translations. I believe each person has their own according to what God has to show them at the time they read it. I have read the Bible over more than once and each time I read a passage I am shown something different. That’s because God talks to us through his word. I know there is a lot more that could be added, that is why I hope for other comments and meaning from others.

King James Version (KJV)

Genesis 1:1-2 (The beginning or creation)

Genesis 1

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. [This states that God is eternal]

[Verses 1:1 through 2:9 shows that God is the life-giver]

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

[verse 2 implies a “gap” in time. This gap is an indeterminate period of time, we do not know how long it took for the creation of the world and universe. “the deep” most likely means without form and empty, uninhabited. ]

Genesis 1:3-2:3 ( Days of creation)

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

[verses 1:26 through 2:25 shows us that God wants a personal relationship with his creation, mankind] 

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

[Man is created in God’s image. The reference to “our” image, after “our” likeness I believe is a reference to a moral likeness with God as well as a likeness in emotions and intellect.]

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

[God created man to dominate over all other creatures on the earth. He also intended for us to care for them.We are to share the earth with all creatures. God also gives mankind every herb bearing seed for food. Man has not been given meat to eat until after Noah and the flood.]

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Genesis 2

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Genesis 2:4-25 (God’s creation of man and woman)

4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

[Most likely somewhere in Mesopotamia because of the Tigris and Euphrates. Mesopotamia, today is Iraq.]

9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.

14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

[Here God tells Adam to cultivate (dress), protect it’s sanctity (keep it), eat any of the fruit but not from the tree of knowledge, and name the animals. The animals were to belong to Adam]

15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

[God made us to be social]

18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

[The basic unit of society is marriage. This is where God instituted marriage]

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Genesis 3:1-7 (Man’s temptation)

[Mankind is willful though and decides to go against God’s law and goes his own way.]

1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

Genesis 3:8 – 24 (Judgments)

[God is holy, cannot and will not tolerate sin. He will judge sin.al]

8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

[Even though God will judge sin he is still merciful and judges with mercy]

21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.