Cain and Abel: Our History and More (Not So Great) Firsts, Part 2 (Genesis 4:3-15)

Posted on May 8, 2015 by KD Manes under Bible Study

One’s attitude of heart toward this matter of approaching and knowing God actually determines his destiny in eternity. . . .” – Henry M. Morris

Adam’s first two sons, Cain and Abel, show the first great division of humanity concerning their attitude toward God. Where Adam and Eve sinned only against God, sin quickly snowballed into tragedy through their firstborn son, Cain, who sinned against both God and man.

Genesis 4:5 tells us that God rejected Cain’s offering, but accepted Abel’s. Beyond being the first shepherd, Abel is listed as the first member of the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11. (For more on faith, see Abraham Justified By Faith, Faith Factor, Growing in Faith). Abel is also recorded as the first martyr for truth (Matthew 23:35).

Although the Bible doesn’t give specifics why God rejected Cain’s offering—fruits of the soil—both brothers knew God’s expectations. Maybe Cain resented Abel’s insistence of obeying God. (Abel was deemed the first prophet, Luke 11:49-51.) Maybe Cain determined to prove his self-sufficiency with his own produce, regardless of God’s curse from sin.

Whatever the reasons, God evaluates both the quality and motives of our offerings (Prov. 21:27). Cain’s offering failed God’s standards and specific instructions.

Instead of evaluating why God disapproved of his offering, Cain reacted in hot anger.

In response to Cain’s anger, God replied: “. . . . If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it,” (Genesis 4:6-7).

(This is the first time sin is mentioned in the Bible.)

God’s reply to Cain identifies his haughtiness, pride, and probable growing resentment toward his brother. Although God graciously gave Cain a second chance to right his wrong, Cain refused.

Seeds of jealousy, envy, and anger soon blossomed into hatred and eventually cold-blooded murder of his brother, Abel (Gen. 4:8).

God is patient and merciful, but He won’t always put up with sin. Although Cain stilled his brother’s prophesying voice, God’s voice had the final say: “Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground . . . . When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth,” (Gen. 4:10-11).

(This is the first mention of blood in the Bible.)

Although God views human life as very sacred, He didn’t demand capital punishment as commanded later (Gen. 9:5). Instead, “He put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him,” (Gen. 4:15). Maybe Cain would still repent. Maybe Cain would remind others of sin’s consequence.

So What?

God deserves our best in time, talents, and money.
Satan is real and will do anything to get us to follow his deadly path. We may not think of ourselves as murderers, but as long as we live on earth: sin still “crouches at our doors”. Only through God’s Holy Spirit can we master sin.
Is there a small sin that needs to be uprooted in your life?

Our History of “Firsts”, Part 1 (Genesis 4:1-5)

Posted on May 1, 2015 by KD Manes under Bible Study

There is a time for everything, and a season for everything under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot . . .” Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

The following “first times” are recorded in the short passage of Genesis 4:1-5.

First Sexual Intercourse

Genesis 4:1 records Adam and Eve in this intimate act.

God created sex not only to populate the earth, but also for our pleasure. His design for this act is modeled between one man and one woman, within the boundary of marriage. This sacred gift seals the spiritual, physical, and social relationship between husband and wife when exercised God’s way. (See also Gen. 2:18; Jer. 29:6; Isa. 62:5; 1 Cor. 11:11-12)

First Births

Although childbearing pain entered the picture, Eve acknowledged God’s help in conceiving her firstborn son, Cain. She later gave birth to Abel. Both sons occupied honorable occupations: Cain grew to become a farmer, while Abel became a shepherd.

First Struggle in Daily Living

Abel means “vapor” or “vanity.” At this point, Adam and Eve no doubt realized the full impact of God’s curse from their sin (Rom. 8:20). Food, clothing, and shelter would no longer be provided freely as in the Garden of Eve, but wrought with much struggle against the elements.

First Recorded Offerings to God

Although Adam and Eve had been driven out of the Garden away from God’s presence, God graciously still made Himself available for counsel under certain conditions. Although the Bible doesn’t record these first conditions to Adam and Eve in approaching Him, He probably instructed them in regards to sacrifices and offerings given to Him; possibly when God provided the first clothes—coats of animal skins—for them (Gen. 3:21).

It’s likely that Abel’s sheep were to be used for sacrifice since atonement (“covering”) required shedding of blood.

“In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.” – Genesis 4:3-5

Cain and Abel may have made many offerings to God. But this was the first recorded time God rejected Cain’s offering. Why? Although we don’t know all of the reasons, my next post will explore some clues as we continue Cain and Abel’s sad saga.

I hope spring is treating you well. Thanks for dropping by!

Made In God’s Image

Posted on April 24, 2015 by KD Manes under Bible Study

Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So He created man in his own image, in the image of God He created Him; male and female He created them.” – Genesis 1:26-27

In these verses God shifts from third person, “And God said, ‘Let there be . . .” to first person, “Let us make man in our image.” Although it’s difficult to comprehend, we see the triune Godhead at work (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). One member is speaking to the other member(s).

It’s like God is holding a divine meeting on the sixth day of Creation and decides to “place the cherry (mankind) on top” of all He has created. After breathing life into them, He gives them charge over all the earth, fish, and animals.

“Man” is used here as a generic term, which includes female. (Genesis 2 details the first man, Adam, and the first woman, Eve.)

What Does “Made In God’s Image” Mean?

Although we probably can’t grasp the full significance of this truth now, we know that humans are the most complex and highly organized of all God’s earthly creatures. Besides physical bodies, other attributes that we don’t share with the animals include:

Moral consciousness
Understanding of emotion and beauty
Ability to think abstractly
The capacity to worship, fellowship, and love God. Henry M. Morris (The Genesis Record) writes, “This eternal and divine dimension of man’s being must be the essence of what is involved in the likeness of God.”

But if God is spirit (John 4:24) and omnipresent, how can we be made in His image?

Morris writes: “God designed and formed man’s body to enable it to function physically in ways in which He Himself could function, even without a body. God can see (Gen. 16:13), hear (Psalm 94:9), smell (Gen. 8:21), touch (Gen. 32:32), and speak (II Pt. 1:18), whether or not He has actual physical eyes, ears, nose, hands, mouth. Furthermore, whenever He has designed to appear visibly to men, He has done so in the form of a human body (Gen. 18:1-2).”

Christ Himself was the image of God (Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:15; II Cor. 4:4). Morris continues: “It does not seem too much to infer that God made man in the image of that body which He would Himself one day assume (Heb. 10:5; Luke.1:35; Phil. 2:7).”

Although we are marred by sin—and are not equal to God—His original, unique work of the human body manifests a part of God’s glory. When God redeems an individual, He begins to renew him/her in the original image of God. He creates a “new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). His redemption is made possible through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior from the sin that separates us from Him (Eph. 2:8-9). We are made new creations—in the likeness of God—through Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).

If—or when—you feel insignificant, remember: You are uniquely crafted by the Master Creator of the universe. He has put much thought and pleasure into designing you. Not only does He have a special purpose specifically for you, but He also declares His work “very good!”

*This article is also posted in the Gospel Blog by FEBC at http://blog.febc.org/made-in-gods-image/

A Young or Old Earth? (Genesis 1)

Posted on April 17, 2015 by KD Manes under Bible Study

From the beginning of creation, God ‘made them male and female.” Mark 10:6

The idea of God creating the earth 15 billion years before placing the first people on earth doesn’t add up. But it makes sense if He placed people on earth shortly after He created it.

When did God create our earth?

As summarized in The Foundations, by Ken Ham, the following two accounts of history are complete opposites:

Evolution/Millions of Years           Biblical Creation 
Big bang                              No big bang

Billions of years                     Thousands of years

Death has always been here            Death is an intrusion—it’s an enemy

Man and woman from ape-like creatures/Man from dust; woman from his side

No global flood                       Global flood

No purpose and meaning                Purpose and meaning

Strong Evidence for a Young Earth

Ken Ham, founder of Answers in Genesis, teaches that the Bible clearly teaches a young earth and universe.

We have the preservation of God’s eyewitness account of the earth’s history along with Jesus Christ’s repeated endorsements during His earthly ministry.
Given God’s careful chronological details of the universe’s creation in six literal days, as well as the unbroken genealogies from Adam to Jesus, Ken writes: “We have absolutely no doubt that the earth is only around six thousand years old.”
Although there are hundreds of dating methods to age-date earth things, there are problems when it comes to dating our universe. For it to work one has to: 1) know something about how it started, and 2) how it has changed over time. The problem is, we weren’t there in the beginning, or there to check over all those years. Ken Ham writes: “Of all the dating methods you can use to age-date things on the earth, 90% of them actually contradict billions of years.”

Honestly, I haven’t always given this question much thought—whether the earth is billions of years old or new (4,000 – 10,000 years old). It was never an issue for me; it certainly isn’t a salvation issue. But After viewing Ken Ham’s The Foundations DVD series and beginning Henry Morris’ book, The Genesis Record, God is challenging me to sharpen my view of this account in His Word. . . . The following is what I find most disturbing.

Destroyed Foundations

Ken cites that the foundations of God’s authoritative Word in Western culture have been destroyed, beginning with one’s interpretation of Genesis 1-11. And that the hot social issues of today—abortion, moral relativism, gay marriage—are really symptoms of not adhering to God’s absolutes found in His Word.

The millions of years/evolution is the curriculum used in most of our public schools. The church at large has changed foundation by adopting man’s word into the Bible—adding millions of years/evolution—instead of using God’s Word as the starting point.

Two thirds of our young people leave the church when they reach college age. Why? A main reason is their view of the church’s hypocrisy. They see the church compromising God’s Word with the pagan religion of the age instead of taking God’s Word literally as the recorded six 24-hour days of Creation week, (and one day of rest).

Their reasoning: If the Bible can’t be trusted here—Genesis 1-11—then the remainder of the Bible can’t be trusted either. This not only undermines the very Word of God and turns people away from it, but also undermines the history foundational to all doctrine.

Secularists see this and are seizing the opportunity to win our young people’s hearts and minds.

Ken says, “Instead of watering down the Word and increasing entertainment programs, we need to teach our children to stand on the authority of Scripture and what God said He did.”

Links for further study: Searching for the “Magic Bullet”, Creation: Where’s the Proof?, Get Answers, Two Histories of Death, The Evolutionizing of a Culture

Creation Days (Genesis 1)

Posted on April 10, 2015 by KD Manes under Bible Study

How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all.” Psalm 104:24

God took great care to show us the chronology of His creation in six literal days.

The Meaning of Day

Yom—the Hebrew word for “day” in Genesis 1—is used both in the singular and plural form 2,301 times in the Old Testament. Although yom can have different meanings, similar to our English word “day”, the context in the Old Testament outside of Genesis 1 points to the literal 24-hour interpretation. Consider the following (Ken Ham, The Foundations):

The Hebrew word for day with a number [e.g., “. . . and the evening and the morning were the first day”] occurs 410 times, and always means an ordinary day.
The phrase “evening and morning” occurs 38 times, and always means an ordinary day.
The word “evening” with “day”, or “morning” with “day”, occurs 23 times, and always means ordinary day.
The word “night” with “day” occurs 52 times, and always means an ordinary day.
We also structure our week from God’s six 24-hour day creation week and seventh day of rest.

Creation Days

(source: AnswersinGenesis.org)
“For in six days God the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.” – Exodus 20:11

Day One – Light (so there was light and darkness)
Day Two – Sky and water (waters separated)
Day Three – Land and seas (waters gathered); vegetation
Day Four – Sun, moon, and stars (to govern the day and the night and to mark seasons, days, and years)
Day Five – Fish and birds (to fill the waters and the sky
Day Six – Animals (to fill the earth), man and woman (to care for the earth and to commune with God)
Day Seven – God rested and declared all He had made to be very good

God’s Creativity and Power

God capped off His creation with Eve. (When Adam saw her, he whistled and said “Whoa! Man!”) 🙂 Instead of making her from the dust of the ground like Adam, He chose to sculpt her from Adam’s flesh and blood. This illustrates God’s intention of marriage between man and woman—beyond becoming best friends—to become one in unity and purpose. Marriage is also used to describe Christ and the church (Eph. 5:23, 32).

Of God’s other creation, Francis Chan, in Crazy Love, writes: “Why would God create more than 350,000,000 galaxies (and that is a conservative estimate) that generations of people never saw or even knew existed? Do you think maybe it was to make us say, “Wow, God is unfathomably big”? Or perhaps God wanted us to see these pictures so that our response would be, “Who do I think I am?”

Chan also reminds us of God’s detailed intricacy and diversity in His smaller creations:

A caterpillar has 228 separate and distinct muscles in its head.
The average elm tree has about 6 million leaves on it.
God made hundreds of different kinds of bananas; 3,000 different species of trees within one square mile in the Amazon jungle; and quite a variety of laughs—wheezes, snorts, silent, loud, obnoxious.

This list could go on and on. Chan has a great video called “Just Stop and Think”. When you have 15 minutes, I encourage you to see it below.