This week’s class will focus on Genesis chapters four and five. Here we begin to see the effects of the “fall” and the result of sin entering the world. But, we will also see God’s plan of salvation begin to unfold from the “seed” promise in Genesis 3:15. In this class we will focus on what the Bible teaches, and then discuss how we see that play out in our world, and in humans, still today.

Defending our faith and developing a Biblical worldview based on our understanding of God’s Word takes time and practice, and must be part of a lifetime commitment we make to the LORD. It should form our purpose and identity in everyday life as we grow closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, modeling Him to our family, friends and neighbors. As Christians, it is more important than ever to know what we believe, and why we believe it, and then apply that to who we are on a consistent basis, and this can only be done if we know Jesus and what His Word teaches.

All class sessions include a time for prayer and reflection, a presentation, and a Bible study section. You will find the presentation overview and Bible study questions below with basic answers for your review and, or to use as a leader’s guide.

Watch the presentation on this week’s topic:

Foundations Bible Study, Session Six: Genesis Chapters Four and Five – The Effects of the Fall and God’s Unfolding Promise

Review and Reflection

1. Prayer Cards: Do you have anyone that you are hoping to share what you are learning with? Write that person(s) name down on your prayer card along with any other prayer request you might have, and exchange with your table group at the end of the evening.

2. Review from last week’s class: What are some things that stood out to you from Genesis chapter Three?

3. Biblically speaking, how would you answer this question: If God is good, why is there evil and suffering in the world?

Focus Verse:

“And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall [d]bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

Genesis 3:15 NASB

Bible Study

Each week, we are encouraging you to take some dedicated time and spend it in God’s Word. Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

Presentation

Foundations Bible Study

Genesis Chapters Four and Five – The Effects of the Fall and God’s Unfolding Promise

Practice Step 3 – Context for the Hermeneutical Method

Read Genesis Chapters Four and Five
Discuss the context: What does it say? (You can use your notes for each section).
Let’s go over some important concepts and questions for these chapters to help with Step 4 Interpretation: What does it mean?

Genesis Chapter Four – Step 4 Interpretation Questions

1. Compare and contrast Cain and Abel: What offerings did they bring to God and how did God respond to each of them concerning their offering? Did God give Cain a choice to consider, if so, what was it?

The sons of Adam and Eve: Cain is firstborn and he was a “Tiller of the ground” while Abel was a “Keeper of the flocks.” Note: Eve said “I’ve gotten a manchild with the help of the LORD.” Many Bible scholars say that Eve most likely believed that this was the “seed” God promised for salvation, but that seed would actually come later on in Seth whose line would ultimately lead to Jesus.
Cain brought “an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground.” Abel “brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions.”
“The LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard.” In other words, there was something about what Cain did that was not right. In the book of Genesis, we are not told what was expected in an offering at this time, but it seems, from other Scripture later on, that it was a ‘heart’ issue toward God (see #3).
God gave Cain a choice by saying “If you do well will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Cain could have given it another try, but he obviously did not have a real love for God, otherwise he would have tried again, instead he took his frustration out on his brother.

What happened between Cain and Abel after the offering; and how did Cain respond when God confronted him?

“Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against his brother and killed him.” This implies Cain told Abel what happened with God.
“Cain rose up and killed his brother” which also implies that they may have been arguing. It is also important to note that no human had died yet, and Cain may not have known that what he did in anger would result in his brother’s death.
Some scholars say it appears Cain pre-meditated the confrontation with his brother. In either case, or both, this was the first murder.
God asked Cain (like a parent would ask a child, already knowing full well the answer), “Where is Abel your brother?” Cain answered God (like a child who knows they have done something wrong) “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
God then said to Cain “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out from the ground.” God cursed Cain, and banished him saying “Now you are you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.”
Cain would no longer be able to cultivate the ground as he did before; he would be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, no longer able to see God’s face.
Cain actually had direct access to God, yet like Satan, he disregarded and dishonored God.

Discuss: Why do you think Cain’s offering was unacceptable and Abel’s was? Cross-reference by reading Hebrews 11:4 and 1 John 3:12.

“By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.” Hebrews 11:4
“For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.” 1 John 3:11-12
To summarize from these verses: Cain’s character was not one of love for his brother and his deeds were evil, (he was of the evil one/Satan), implying that his offering was with wrong motive. Abel, on the other hand, was said to be a man of “faith” and his offering was with the right motive because, as the Scripture says, “he still speaks” to us today.

Note: The “Law” had not yet been given by God to humans concerning sacrifices. This would come much later during the time of Moses, so it had to be a “heart” issue, where Cain’s was bent on evil, and not an issue of breaking the Law.

How did Cain react to God’s discipline? What happened to him and how did God continue to take care of him even though he never repented?

Through God’s mercy He took care of Cain, by “appointing a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.” God also said, “whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.”
From the rest of the story, we see that Cain was able to find a wife, have children and prosper through them.
Note: We see God’s hesed (unconditional love) towards Cain who had a choice until his own death to turn back to God and ask for forgiveness. However, it appears that he never did because we see that evil continued to grow through Cain’s family line until the time of Noah and the Flood.

Genesis Chapter Five – Step 4 Interpretation Questions

Who was Seth and what was the importance of His mention since Adam and Eve had a lot of other children?

“Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.” Genesis 4:25-26
“When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters.” Genesis 5:3-4
Seth was another son of Adam and Eve.
Eve said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.”
Seth is important because he would go on to carry the “Promised Seed” in the lineage leading to the Messiah, Jesus. (See Luke 3:23-38)

Where do you think Cain’s and Seth’s wives came from, and is there Scripture support?

Scripture tells us (5:3-4) that Adam lived over 900 years and had many other sons and daughters.
Both Cain and Seth would have either married a sister or a niece.
At this early point in human history God had not forbidden close family marriage, and this is the only way the human population would continue and grow.
We see this practice of close family marriages through most of Genesis until the time of Moses (in Exodus) where God will put in place family boundaries for marriage in the Law.
Scientifically speaking the human population, and therefore the DNA, would be very pure at this time; mutations and disease would not be a factor until much later.

Going Deeper: Contrast the line of descendants from Cain with that of Seth by making a chart, or list, of their genealogies (4:17 – 5:32), include their age of death (if listed) and anything relevant or interesting about their lives. Share some of the things you observe or have questions about.

For further research you can explore the meaning of all the following names in more depth.
Hebrew names in the Bible usually have meaning that points to the person’s life or character; sometimes names are changed in the course of their life (like Jacob to Israel), and sometimes they are related to prophecy or future events.

Adam had Seth at age 130 and he lived a total of 903 years

Cain’s line (no ages are given)	Seth’s line (Seth lived to 912)
Enoch	Enosh – 905
Irad	Kenan – 910
Mehujael	Mahalalel – 895
Methushael	Jared – 962
Lamech (took 2 wives)	Enoch – 365 (then God took him, he did not die a natural death)
From Adah: Jabal and Jubal From Zillah: Tubal-cain and Naamah (sister)	Methuselah – 969(His name can mean: “When he dies, judgment will come”) He died in the year of the Flood.
Cain’s line then disappears from the record…	Lamech – 777
	Noah – 950 (His name means: “he will give us rest or peace”)

4. Discuss: What is the importance of genealogies in the Bible? Cross-reference by reading Luke chapter 3:23-38.

The importance of genealogies in the Bible is to point to Jesus. Everything in Scripture is pointing, picturing and foreshadowing Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of the Genesis 3:15 Promise.
The Nation of Israel, up to the time of Jesus, could account for tribal identity through protected records found in the Biblical accounts.
After the time of Jesus, and the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 A.D., Jews no longer had access to these kinds of records, and today can no longer identify with a specific Jewish Tribe.
There are two genealogies in the New Testament for Jesus: One in Matthew that traces His human line from his “step-father” Joseph; and the other in Luke that traces His promised line all the way back to Adam from Mary’s line.
Note: There are some variations in interpretation of the lines in Matthew and Luke, none of which discount the royal line of Jesus and the fulfillment of the Seed Promise.

DISCUSS

Step 5 Application for chapters 4-5: How do I use what I learned? Based on the context and interpretation of chapters 4-5, we can now discuss how to apply what we have read to our lives and the culture we live in today, including our witness to others.

The Shelf: Do you have any questions from your shelf?

(Have a place in your notebook or journal to write down questions that arise. This will help avoid rabbit trails or distractions, and you can return to them later on).

HOMEWORK

Hermeneutics Step 3: Context – What does it say?

Read the “Flood” account in Genesis chapters 6-9 and summarize your readings for Context

Hermeneutics Step 4: Interpretation – What does it mean?

Answer these questions to go deeper in your study for Genesis Chapters 6-9:

Chapter 6:

What lead up to God’s decision to destroy His creation at this point in time, and what did he tell Noah to do? Discuss: What do you think is the significance of God giving such detail in the dimensions and building of the Ark, and the “kinds” of animals that he was to bring?
What did God say in verse 6:18? What is a Covenant?
Going Deeper: Biblical scholars are split on the interpretation of “the sons of God and the daughters of men” (v. 4) and the term “Nephilim.” Research and discuss your findings on this topic – What are the most common views held by Biblical scholars?

Chapter 7:

Who closed the door of the Ark after they entered? Reflect and discuss: How does this speak to God’s sovereignty and “hesed” for those who follow Him?
Based on your reading, how violent and catastrophic do you think this flood was? Consider some of the following:

Where the water came from
How long the rain fell upon the Earth, and how long the water prevailed
How high the waters rose, and what was covered up
Who specifically perished

Discuss: Is there any observable evidence we see today that could be the left-over effects of a catastrophic worldwide flood?

Chapter 8:

What does the Scripture say about how and when God stopped the flood? Going Deeper: How long was it between the start of the flood (go back to chapter 7) and when Noah left the Ark? Write out your timeline/calculations.
What did God tell Noah when they exited the Ark; what did Noah do to honor God and how did God respond?

Chapter 9:

What did God say to Noah as He blessed them? What are some things that are different as compared to before the flood?
What Covenant did God establish, what was its sign and whom did He establish it with?
Who were the sons of Noah (9:18-19)? What did Noah’s Sons did when their father got drunk (9:20-23). Discuss: Why do you think Ham’s behavior was unacceptable?

Going Deeper: What was the curse Noah gave, who was it upon (look closely), and how did Noah bless his other two sons? Research: How does the curse and blessings play out prophetically later in the Old Testament?

Write down some application notes when you finish, to complete the hermeneutical method step 5.

Jot down any questions you have for the shelf…

Please continue to join us each week for Foundations Bible Study – the book of Genesis!

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in! Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

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Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15