Genesis 4 begins with the account of Cain and Abel. I can only speculate as to why God wouldn’t respect Cain’s offering. My speculation, though, is that Cain worked hard to till the ground, everything was by his own hands. While Abel, just tending to the sheep, didn’t really put any effort into it from Cain’s point of view. In verse 7, God does tell Cain “if you do well, you will be accepted, and if you do not do well, sin lies at your door.” Whatever the reason, Cain’s pride was hurt and he was angry. How many times have I experienced hurt to my own pride and felt anger as a result? When that happens, I should do right and give that hurt and pride over to God so that it doesn’t turn into anger, rage, jealousy, or any other sinful attitude of the flesh.
Unfortunately, Cain did none of these things, and took his brother into the field to kill him. Like his parents before him, God came to Cain asking him the question that God already knew the answer to. Cain’s answer was “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” There is almost a hint of sarcasm that I see in the response, and not a hint of repentence. As a result, the penalty of Cain’s sin further added to the curse on the earth. This shows me that our sins not only affect ourselves, but looking at his sin and the sin of Adam and Eve, we can see the effects of the curse even to this day.
Despite the additional curse and penatly for Cain’s sin, which was causing him to become a wanderer in the land, we still see God’s protection over him. Cain was worried that if someone saw him, they would kill him as well, which would be just and fair, as he did kill his brother. Instead God gives Cain a mark, a seal of protection, saying that if anyone took revenge on him, the vengeance would be returned on that person sevenfold. This shows me that God still looks out for us, even when we walk away from Him. Reading the rest of chapter 4, though, doesn’t give much hope in Cain returning back to God. In fact, his children seem to stray farther and farther from God until we read in verses 23 and 24 where Cain’s decendant Lamech killed a young man simply for wounding him.
Walking away from God is a dangerous thing. Focusing daily on Him, and putting our pain and our hurts at our feet gives us the strength that we need to carry on. By relying on God’s strength, we can avoid the pitfalls of sin that will not only affect us, but affect those around us, and even our decendents for years to come. Lord help me to always put You first, to put my hurts and my pride at Your feet, and help me to repent and keep my focus on You.
Chapter 5 is a geneology of Adam through Noah and his sons. What is interesting to note here is that all the decendents listed here, except for Enoch, were 700 or more years. There was one time I did the math as well, and determined that every single one of them had died before the time of the flood. Enoch was a special case for we are told that he walked with God and then was “no more.” He was probably a prophet for God, like Elijah in the time of the Kings of Israel, and, like Elijah, he was probably taken directly up to heaven by God, having never died in the physical body. What is important to note is that he walked with God while he was on the earth. Walking with God is a daily choice to follow His commands and obey His teachings. It is a life of no compromise and full dedication to God. It is something so few of us ever measure up to, and I know I fall incredibly short. So many other things in life drag my attention away, making me think it is more important, when there is nothing more important than God.
In Chapter 6, we read how corrupt the earth had become. With the long lifespans of the decendents of Adam, it is easy to believe that the earth probably numbered in the millions of people, maybe even into the billions. Unfortunately, these people turned their backs on God. Each one only had wickedness in their hearts. No one had their focus on God, which grieved Him. All, except for one man and his family, Noah and his sons; Ham, Shem and Japheth. We are told that Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. In many ways our own world is in much the same state as it was in Noah’s time. Violence is everywhere. You can’t turn on the news without hearing something about the war in the Middle East, or violence in the streets. Divorce is common, not only in the world, but in the church as well. Marriage is under attack, even to the point of trying to redefine it so that it is in complete defiance of God’s plan of one-man and one-woman. Sexual immorality, homosexuality, cults, crime, the list goes on. Even more, true Christianity is often painted as the one in the wrong because it isn’t tolerant of the actions spoken of as sin in the Bible.
With all this around me, would I find grace in Noah’s eyes? Would I stand up for the Lord against the tide of sin that is overcoming the world? Or would I follow the path of so many “Christians” who believe the lies of Satan who says “Did God really say….?” Lord, help me to stand on Your Word, without compromise, so that I might be found in your grace.
Because God’s grace is far beyond anything we can imagine, God spared the earth through Noah. In the rest of chapter 6 into chapter 7, He commanded Noah to build an ark and to bring aboard animals to preserve the species when the earth is being flooded. It is hard to imagine how Noah must have felt given this task. For one, it had never rained before on the earth, so Noah, and those around him, didn’t know what rain was. Secondly, the ark was a massive structure that he built according to God’s plans. Based on the age given in Genesis 5:32 (Noah was 500), and the age given in Genesis 7:11 (Noah was 600), it is conceivable that it took Noah 100 years to build the ark. I can only imagine the ridicule that Noah must have faced. Despite that, Noah obeyed and through his obedience, God’s grace was demonstrated. God shut the door to the ark personally and destroyed the earth with a flood, but Noah, his family, and all the things that walked on the earth and flew in the air, were saved. The ark was the only way of salvation for Noah and his family. Anyone who tried to save themselves through their own works, whatever they may have been, had perished in the floods.
Noah did the works commanded of Him by God because He believed God. It was His faith in God’s Word that pushed him to do the work, despite any criticism the world may have given to him. Once the work was completed, though, there was nothing his works could do to save him. His salvation rested solely on God’s Word and God’s grace. Noah trusted that the arc would save him, as God told him. Noah entered the arc, not knowing but trusting. It was God who closed the door behind him. It was God’s grace that protected him, his family, and the animals aboard the ark. Do I put enough faith in God’s Word to do what the Word tells me to do? While I don’t do the works to be saved, I do them out of faith and trust in God’s Word, and my love for Him. How important is God’s Word in my life? Am I willing to stand up to the criticism so that I can stand by what God’s Word says?
This day I see a theme of “no compromise” when it comes to God and His Word. There are many times that I compromise, sometimes in small ways, but even a small compromise is still a compromise. Lord, help me to stand wholly and completely for you, without compromise, so that I might stand in Your Grace, now and forever.