The contrast between Cain and Abel, as reflected in their names, did not just concern their personalities; it was also manifested in their respective occupations. While Cain was “a tiller of the ground” (Genesis 4:2, NKJV), a profession requiring physical hard work, Abel was “a keeper of sheep” (Genesis 4:2, NKJV), a profession implying sensitivity and compassion. … Continue reading –>
Read Genesis 4:1-2. What do we learn from these passages about the births of the two males? The first event recorded by the biblical author immediately after Adam’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden is a birth. In the Hebrew phrase in Genesis 4:1, the words “the LORD” (YHWH) are directly linked to the words “a man,” … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Genesis 4:1-26, Hebrews 11:4, Micah 6:7, Isaiah 1:11, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 John 3:12, Genesis 5:1-32, Genesis 6:1-5. Memory Text: “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” (Genesis 4:7, NKJV). In Genesis what … Continue reading –>
Forgiven in Prison, Part 1 By Andrew McChesney The volunteers chose slips of paper with the names of inmates who had signed up for Bible studies at a prison in Spain. But nobody took one slip of paper. “Doesn’t anyone want to meet with this man?” asked Dante Marvin Herrmann, a 36-year-old theology student at … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Consider the connection between “the tree of life” and “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” This relation is already suggested through the fact that they are both located “in the midst of the Garden” (Genesis 2:9). But there is more between the two trees than just a geographical relation. It is … Continue reading –>
Read Genesis 3:15-24. As a result of the Fall, what happened to Adam and Eve? While God’s judgment of the serpent is explicitly identified as a curse (Genesis 3:14), God’s judgment of the woman and of the man is not. The only time where the word “curse” is used again, it applies only to the “ground” (Genesis 3:17). … Continue reading –>
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15, NIV). What did the Lord say to the serpent here, and what hope is implied in these verses? God begins His judgment with the serpent because he is … Continue reading –>
Read Genesis 3:7-13. Why did Adam and Eve feel the need to hide before God? Why did God ask the question “Where are you?” How did Adam and Eve seek to justify their behavior? After they sinned, Adam and Eve felt naked because they lost their garments of glory, which reflected God’s presence (see Psalm 8:5, compare with Psalm … Continue reading –>
Read Genesis 2:16-17, and Genesis 3:1-6 (see also John 8:44). Compare the words of God’s commandment to Adam with the serpent’s words to the woman. What are the differences between the speeches, and what is the meaning of these differences? Note the parallels between God’s conversation with Adam (Genesis 2:16-17) and Eve’s conversation with the serpent. It is as if the serpent … Continue reading –>
Read Genesis 3:1, 2 Corinthians 11:3, and Revelation 12:7-9. Who is the serpent, and how does he deceive Eve? The text begins with “the serpent.” The syntax of the phrase suggests emphasis: the word “serpent” is the first word of the sentence. Also, “the serpent” has the definite article, indicating that this is a well-known figure, as if … Continue reading –>
