Genesis Lesson 3 - Wickedness of Man
Read Genesis 4 and evaluate the offering of Cain and Abel. (A) What were the difference between Cain and Abel’s offering? (B) What did God not like about Cain’s offering? (C)What did God say to Cain in Gen 4:7? a. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground: We see agriculture and the domestication of animals were practiced among the earliest humans. Adam and his descendants did not spend tens of thousands of years living as hunter-gatherer cave dwellers.
b. Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord: We can surmise that Cain brought his offering to the tree of life because cherubim guarded the tree of life (Genesis 3:24), and cherubim are always associated with the dwelling place or meeting place with God (Exodus 25:10-22). Cain and everyone else on the earth at that time probably met with God at the tree of life, where the cherubim were.
c. The Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering: Abel brought an offering of blood (the firstborn of his flock) and Cain brought an offering of vegetation (the fruit of the ground). Many assume that this was the difference between their offerings, but grain offerings were acceptable before God (Leviticus 2), though not for an atonement for sin.
i. “The word for offering, minchah, is used in its broadest sense, covering any type of gift man may bring . . .. Neither of the two sacrifices is made specifically for sin. Nothing in the account points in this direction.” (Leupold)
ii. The writer to the Hebrews makes it plain why the offering of Abel was accepted and the offering of Cain was rejected: By faith Abel offered up a more excellent sacrifice than Cain (Hebrews 11:4). Cain’s offering was the effort of dead religion, while Abel’s offering was made in faith, in a desire to worship God in spirit and in truth.
d. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat: This shows Abel’s offering was extra special. The fat of the animal was prized as its “luxury,” and was to be given to God when the animal was sacrificed (Leviticus 3:16-17; 7:23-25). The burning of fat in sacrifice before God is called a sweet aroma to the Lord (Leviticus 17:6).
i. The offering of Cain was no doubt more aesthetically pleasing; Abel’s would have been a bloody mess. But God was more concerned with faith in the heart than with artistic beauty.
ii. Here, it is one lamb for a man. Later, at the Passover, it will be one lamb for a family. Then, at the Day of Atonement, it was one lamb for the nation. Finally, with Jesus, there was one Lamb who takes away the sin of the whole world (John 1:29).
e. Respected . . . did not respect: We don’t precisely know how Can and Abel knew their sacrifices were accepted or not accepted. Seemingly, there was some outward evidence making it obvious.
i. There are Biblical examples of having an acceptable sacrifice consumed by fire from God (Judges 6:21; 1 Kings 18:38; 1 Chronicles 21:26; 2 Chronicles 7:1). Perhaps an acceptable sacrifice, brought to the cherubim at the tree of life, was consumed by fire from heaven or from the flaming swords of the cherubim (Genesis 3:24).
f. Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell: Cain’s anger was undoubtedly rooted in pride. He couldn’t bear that his brother was accepted before God and he was not. It is even possible that this was public knowledge, if God consuming the sacrifice with fire indicated acceptance.
i. The epidemic of sin is quickly becoming worse. Cain now commits the rather sophisticated sins of spiritual pride and hypocrisy.
3. (6-7) God’s warning to Cain.
So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 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.”
a. Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? God dealt with Cain in terms of loving confrontation instead of automatic affirmation. He made it clear that he would be accepted if he did well.
i. Of course, God knew the answers to those questions, but He wanted Cain to know and stop what was happening inside himself.
b. If you do not do well, sin lies at the door: God warned Cain about the destructive power of sin. Cain can resist sin and find blessing, or he can give in to sin and be devoured.
c. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it: We prevent sin from ruling over us by allowing God to master us first. Without God as our master, we will be slaves to sin.
4. (8) Cain murders Abel.
Now 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 killed him.
a. Now Cain talked with Abel his brother: The sense is that Cain planned to catch Abel by surprise, lulling him with pleasant conversation. This shows that Cain committed premeditated murder, and therefore clearly ignored God’s way of escape.
b. Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him: No human had ever died or been killed before, but Cain saw how animals were be killed for sacrifice. He extinguished Abel’s life in the same way.
i. The downward course of sin has progressed quickly. Now the hoped-for redeemer is a murderer, and the second son is the victim of murder. Sin wasn’t “nipped in the bud,” and it could not be contained.
B. God confronts Cain.
1. (9) God questions Cain.
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
a. Where is Abel your brother: God knew the answer to this question. He asked Cain because He wanted to give him the opportunity to confess his sin and start to do right after doing wrong.
i. How futile it was for Cain to lie to God! It was madness for him to think God didn’t know where Abel was, or that he could actually hide his sin from God.
b. Am I my brother’s keeper? This reply of Cain is famous. The fact of the matter is that he was supposed to be his brother’s keeper, but was instead his brother’s murderer, and he murdered him for the lowest of reasons. Able had not injured Cain in any way. Cain’s murderous rage was inspired purely by a spiritual jealousy.
i. Jude 11 warns of the way of Cain, which is unbelief, empty religion leading to jealousy, persecution of those truly godly, and murderous anger.
ii. There is no greater curse on the earth than empty, vain religion, those who have a form of godliness, but deny the power of God (2 Timothy 3:5). Many are deathly afraid of “secular humanism” or atheism, but dead religion sends more people to hell than anything else.
2. (10-12) God’s curse upon Cain.
And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”
a. The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground: The idea of blood crying out to God from the ground is repeated in the Bible. Numbers 35:29-34 describes how the blood of unpunished murderers defiles the land.
i. The blood of Abel spoke, and it spoke of judgment. The blood of Jesus also speaks, but of better things, of grace and of sin having been judged (Hebrews 12:24).
b. So now you are cursed from the earth: The curse upon Cain was that Adam’s curse would be amplified in regard to him. If bringing forth food from the earth would be hard for Adam (Genesis 3:17-18), it would be impossible for Cain (who was a farmer). If Adam were driven from Eden (Genesis 3:24), Cain would find no resting-place on all the earth (a fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth).
3. (13-15) Cain complains of the severity of God’s judgment.
And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.” And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.
a. My punishment is greater than I can bear! Cain didn’t feel bad about his sin, but only about his punishment. Many are like him.
i. “One of the clearest marks of sin is our almost innate desire to excuse ourselves and complain if we are judged in any way.” (Boice)
ii. “One of the consequences of sin is that it makes the sinner pity himself instead of causing him to turn to God. One of the first signs of new life is that the individual takes sides with God against himself.” (Barnhouse)
b. Whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold: As significant as God’s judgment against Cain was, God did not want Cain killed by others. This is possibly because the population of the earth was precariously low anyway.
c. The Lord set a mark on Cain: Therefore, God set an identifying and protective mark upon Cain. Despite the speculation of some, nobody really knows what this mark upon Cain was.
C. Cain and his descendants.
1. (16-17) Cain moves away and marries.
Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son; Enoch.
a. And Cain knew his wife: We don’t know where did Cain got his wife. Genesis 5:4 says Adam had several sons and daughters. Cain obviously married his sister. Though marrying a sister was against the law of God according to Leviticus 18:9, 18:11, 20:17, and Deuteronomy 27:22 (which even prohibits the marrying of a half-sister), this was long before God spoke that law to Moses and the world.
i. Here, necessity demanded that Adam’s sons marry his daughters. And at this point, the “gene pool” of humanity was pure enough to allow close marriage without harm of inbreeding. But as a stream can get more polluted the further it gets from the source, there came a time when God decreed there no longer be marriage between close relatives because of the danger of inbreeding.
ii. Even Abraham married his half-sister Sarah (Genesis 20:12). God did not prohibit such marriages until the time of Moses (Leviticus 18:9). Marrying a brother or sister was not forbidden until God forbade it.
b. And he built a city: Here we see the beginning of industry and of urbanization - and that it is strongly man-centered (and called the name of the city after the name of his son), not God-centered. The fall of the human race continues to pick up speed.
2. (18-22) The generations following Cain.
To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech. Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
a. To Enoch was born Irad: The picture is one of rapid advancement. Succeeding generations quickly made progress in areas such as the founding of a city (Genesis 4:17), home building, music and the arts, and metalworking.
i. The idea that mankind actually advanced very quickly goes against most modern theories, but archaeology can only evaluate on the basis of what is preserved, and thus is rather speculative.
b. Methishael begot Lamech: The name Lamech may mean, “conqueror.” He was the seventh from Adam on Cain’s side. Lamech’s arrogance (Genesis 4:23-24) is a contrast to Enoch, who was the seventh from Adam on Seth’s line (Jude 14).
c. Lamech took for himself two wives: Lamech was the first bigamist in history, going against God’s original plan for one man and one woman to become one flesh (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-8). The names of his wives and daughter show the emphasis in his heart: Adah means, “pleasure, ornament, or beauty.” Zillah means, “shade” probably referring to a luxurious covering of hair. His daughter’s name was Naamah, which means, “loveliness.” Lamech’s culture was committed to physical and outward beauty.
3. (23-24) Lamech’s chest-thumping boast.
Then Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, even a young man for hurting me. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
a. I have killed a man for wounding me: The way Lamech boasts about his murder of another, and the way he believes he can promise a greater retribution than God, shows a progressive degeneracy among humanity. Things are going downhill fast, a true devolution.
b. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold: This is all a picture of humanism. The city is Cain’s city; the focus of Lamech is his beautiful wives and his own perceived strength. But for all of Lamech’s boasting, neither he nor his descendants are ever heard of again in the Bible. He came to nothing.
4. (25-26) Seth is born to Adam and Eve.
And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.
a. And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son: Adam and Eve had many children who are not specifically named, but Seth is worthy of mention because he “replaced” Abel and was the one to whom the promise of a deliverer from the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15) would be passed.
b. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord: Even in those wicked days, the worship of God was not unknown. Some have called Genesis 4:26 “the first revival,” because it is the first indication of a spiritual resurgence after a clear decline.
2. (A) What are your thoughts about Genesis 4:6-7? (B) Do you see a connection that sin requires death and the coat of skins in Gen 3:21? (250 words or less) In spite of what God says, Cain does not do the right thing. His sulking gives way to a grudge. His grudge gives way to anger. His anger gives way to hatred and rage. His hatred and rage gives way to murder. To top it off, Cain next refuses to accept responsibility for what he has done.God punishes Cain – sets him adrift, makes him a wanderer and outlaw. But He also promises Cain protection and marks Cain with a sign of His protecting care. Cain heads east of Eden, a cursed man and a blessed man. He is rejected and banished and cast out, but he is also protected and kept and watched over.
3. (A)Define sin. (B) Define depravity. (C) Describe in your own words the difference between “totally depraved” and “total depravity” (250 words or less) Ans:A) Sin is described in the Bible as transgression of the law of God (1 John 3:4) and rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 9:7; Joshua 1:18). Sin had its beginning with Lucifer, the “shining star, the son of the morning,” the most beautiful and powerful of the angels. Not content to be all this, he desired to be the most high God and that was his downfall and the beginning of sin (Isaiah 14:12-15). Renamed Satan, he brought sin to the human race in the Garden of Eden, where he tempted Adam and Eve with the same enticement, “you shall be like God.” Genesis 3 describes their rebellion against God and against His commandments. Since that time, sin has been passed down through all the generations of mankind and we, Adam’s descendants, have inherited sin from him. Romans 5:12 tells us that through Adam, sin entered the world and so death was passed on to all men because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).Through Adam, the inherent inclination to sin entered the human race and human beings became sinners by nature. When Adam sinned, his inner nature was transformed by his sin of rebellion, bringing to him spiritual death and depravity which would be passed on to all who came after him. Humans became sinners not because they sinned, they sinned because they were sinners. This is the condition known as inherited sin. Just as we inherit physical characteristics from our parents, we inherit our sinful natures from Adam. King David lamented this condition of fallen human nature in Psalm 51:5: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.”Another type of sin is known as imputed sin. Used in both financial and legal settings, the Greek word translated imputed means to take something that belongs to someone and credit it to another’s account. Before the Law of Moses was given, sin was not imputed to man, although men were still sinners because of inherited sin. After the Law was given, sins committed in violation of the Law were imputed (accounted) to them (Romans 5:13). Even before transgressions of the law were imputed to men, the ultimate penalty for sin (death) continued to reign (Romans 5:14). All humans, from Adam to Moses, were subject to death, not because of their sinful acts against the Mosaic Law (which they did not have), but because of their own inherited sinful nature. After Moses, humans were subject to death both because of inherited sin from Adam and imputed sin from violating the laws of God.God used the principle of imputation to the benefit of mankind when He imputed the sin of believers to the account of Jesus Christ, who paid the penalty for that sin (death) on the cross. Imputing our sin to Jesus, God treated Him as if He were a sinner though He was not, and had Him die for the sins of all who would ever believe in Him. It’s important to understand that sin was imputed to Him, but he did not inherit it from Adam. He bore the penalty for sin, but He never became a sinner. His pure and perfect nature was untouched by sin. He was treated as though He was guilty of all the sins ever committed by all who would ever believe, even though He committed none. In exchange, God imputed the righteousness of Christ to believers and credited our accounts with His righteousness just as He credited our sins to His account (2 Corinthians 5:21).Personal sin is that which is committed every day by every human being. Because we have inherited a sin nature from Adam, we commit individual, personal sins – everything from seemingly innocent fibs to murder. Those who have not placed their faith in Jesus Christ must pay the penalty for these personal sins, as well as inherited and imputed sin. However, believers have been freed from the eternal penalty of sin (hell and spiritual death). Now we can choose whether or not to commit personal sins because we have the power to resist sin through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, sanctifying and convicting us of our sins when we do commit them (Romans 8:9-11). Once we confess our personal sins to God and ask forgiveness for them, we are restored to perfect fellowship and communion with Him. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).Inherited sin, imputed sin, and personal sin - all have been crucified on the cross of Jesus, and now “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
B and C) Total Depravity is a phrase or name that is used to summarize what the Bible teaches about the spiritual condition of fallen man. It is the “T” in the acronym TULIP, which is commonly used to enumerate what are known as the five points of Calvinism or the doctrines of grace. Because the name “total depravity” can cause people to have wrong ideas about what is meant, some people prefer to use terms like “Total Inability”, “Righteous Incapability”, “Radical Corruption” or even “Moral Inability”. Yet what is important is not the name assigned to the doctrine but how accurately the doctrine summarizes what the Bible teaches about the spiritual condition of fallen man. No matter which name you use to refer to “Total Depravity” the fact remains that when properly understood it is an accurate description of what the Bible does teach on this important subject. While often misunderstood, the doctrine of Total Depravity is an acknowledgement that the Bible teaches that as a result of the fall of man (Genesis 3:6) every part of man—his mind, will, emotions and flesh—have been corrupted by sin. In other words, sin affects all areas of our being including who we are and what we do. It penetrates to the very core of our being so that everything is tainted by sin and “…all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). It acknowledges that the Bible teaches that we sin because we are sinners by nature. Or as Jesus says “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.” (Matthew 7:17-18). The total depravity of man is seen throughout the Bible. Man’s heart is “deceitful and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9) and the thoughts of his heart are “continually evil” (Genesis 6:5). The Bible also teaches us that man is born dead in transgression and sin (Psalm 51:5, Psalm 58:3, Ephesians 2:1-5). The Bible teaches that because unregenerate man is “dead in transgressions” (Ephesians 2:5), he is held captive by a love for sin (John 3:19; John 8:34) so that he will not seek God (Romans 3:10-11) because he loves the darkness (John 3:19) and does not understand the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). Therefore men suppress the truth of God in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18) and continue to willfully live in sin. Because they are totally depraved this sinful lifestyle seems right to men (Proverbs 14:12) so they reject the Gospel of Christ as foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18) and their mind is “hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is unable to do so.” (Romans 8:7). The Apostle Paul really summarizes the total depravity of man in Romans 3:9-18. He begins this passage by saying that “both Jews and Greeks are all under sin.” Simply put this means that man is under the control of sin or is controlled by his sin nature (his natural tendency to sin). The fact that unregenerate people are controlled by their selfish, sinful tendencies should not come as a surprise to any parent. What parent has to teach their children to be selfish, to covet what someone else has or to lie? Those actions come naturally from the child’s sin nature. Instead the parent must devote much time to teaching the child the importance of telling the truth, of sharing instead of being selfish, of obeying instead of rebelling, etc.Then in the rest of this passage Paul quotes extensively from the Old Testament in explaining how sinful man really is. For example we see that: 1—no one is without sin, 2—no one seeks after God, 3—there is no one who is good, 4—their speech is corrupted by sin, 5—their actions are corrupted by sin, 6—and above all they have no fear of God. So when one considers even these few verses mentioned above it becomes abundantly clear the Bible does indeed teach that fallen man is “totally depraved” because sin affects all of him including his mind, will and emotions so that “There is none who does good, no not one” (Romans 3:12).There is a common misconception regarding total depravity. It does not mean that man is as wicked or sinful as he could be, nor does it mean that man is without a conscience or any sense of right or wrong. Neither does it mean that man does not or cannot do things that seem to be good when viewed from a human perspective or measured against a human standard. It does not even mean that man cannot do things that seem to conform outwardly to the Law of God. What the Bible does teach and what total depravity does recognize is that even the “good” things man does are tainted by sin because they are not done for the glory of God and out of faith in Him (Romans 14:23; Hebrews 11:6). While man looks upon the outward acts and judges them to be good, God looks upon not only the outward acts but also the inward motives that lay behind them, and because they proceed from a heart that is in rebellion against Him and they are not done for His Glory even these good deeds are like “filthy rags” in His sight. In other words, fallen man’s good deeds are motivated not by a desire to please God but by our own self interest and are thus corrupted to the point where God declares that there is “no one who does good, no not one!”Since Scripture is very clear that all of man is affected by sin and so much so that “no one seeks after God,” then how can anyone possibly become a Christian? The answer is that God must overcome man’s depravity in such a way that man is able to recognize his spiritual state and his hopeless condition apart from the grace of God. Man’s spiritually blind eyes must be open and the bondage of sin that renders him hopelessly enslaved must be broken so that he can respond in faith to the Gospel message and the atoning work of Christ on the cross. Some Christians believe that God accomplishes this through some type of universal grace whereby God brings man to a condition where he has the ability to choose or reject Him. Others believe that for a man who is “dead in trespasses and sins” to be able to understand and respond to the Gospel in faith, he must first be born again or regenerated by the Holy Spirit (John 3:3). It is only after God infuses spiritual life in a dead sinner that he can “see the kingdom of God.” Those that hold this view see this as being a sovereign act of God, whereby men are born again “not of the blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13). However even when properly understood, many people will rebel or reject the doctrine of total depravity, but that fact should not surprise us since the world generally thinks of man as being basically good. Therefore the idea that man by nature is a depraved sinner runs contrary to most modern religious, psychological and philosophical views of the basic nature of man. But the fact is that the Bible does teach the depravity of the human heart and the root cause of man’s problem is not the environment he is raised in but that by nature man has a wicked and selfish heart. Properly understood, the doctrine of total depravity will destroy the hopes of those who place their faith in any type of works-based system of salvation and recognize that God’s sovereign grace is man’s only hope. While the doctrine of total depravity destroys man’s self righteousness and any misconceptions about man’s ability to be saved through his own free will, it leaves one asking the same question the disciples asked of Jesus in Matthew 19:25-26: “Then who can be saved?” Of course the answer remains the same: “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:25-26). As the first of the five doctrines of what is called “Calvinism,” the doctrine of total depravity correctly focuses man’s attention on the rest of these “doctrines of grace” which declare the wondrous work of God in the salvation of sinners.
4. Was Cain totally depraved? Did Cain not have an awareness of God and His requirements? Did God give Cain the freedom to rebel or did God foreordain Cain’s rebellion? Are men today totally depraved (no ability to choose God)? HINT: Read Rom 1:20-21; As you answer this question review the different views of Calvinism & Arminianism. In Genesis 4:13-14, shortly after he killed his brother Abel, “Cain said to the LORD, ‘My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.’” Who exactly was Cain afraid of? The only people the book of Genesis had mentioned to this point are Adam and Eve (Cain’s parents) and Abel (who was now dead). Who would possibly be a threat to Cain?It is important to recognize that Cain and Abel were both full-grown adults at the time that Cain killed Abel. Both Cain and Abel were farmers, who tended to their own lands and flocks (Genesis 4:2-4). The Bible does not tell us how old Cain and Abel were, but they very likely could have been in their 30’s or 40’s or even hundreds of years old (Adam lived to be 970 years old). The Bible does not specifically mention Adam and Eve having any children between Abel and Seth (Genesis 4:25). However, it is highly unlikely that the two most perfect human beings in the history of the world, Adam and Eve, would not have any children over several decades. Adam and Eve had many children after Seth (Genesis 5:4), so why would they not also have had other children between Abel and Seth? The Bible does not say that Seth was Adam and Eve’s first child, or even first son, after Abel was killed. Rather, it states that Seth was born as a “replacement” for Abel. Genesis chapter 5 traces the genealogy of Seth. Prior to his death, Abel was likely the “chosen” son that would eventually produce the Messiah (Genesis 3:15). It is in this sense that Seth “replaced” Abel.So, who was Cain afraid of? Cain was afraid of his own brothers, sisters, nephews, and nieces, who were already born and would be capable of seeking revenge. The fact that Cain had a wife (Genesis 4:17) is a further evidence that Adam and Eve had other children after Cain and Abel, but before Seth.5. (A) What are your thoughts about Genesis 6:5-7? (B)Was God surprised? Did He not foreknow of their sin? (C)Did He foreordain their sin? (250 words or less) God sent the flood because of the fallen angels that left heaven and came to earth to have children with the daughters of Adam and Eve. The offspring of this union were the Nephilim or giants (Genesis 6:1-4 and Jude v6). This was an attempt by Satan to pollute the blood line of Adam and Eve which is the same blood line that Jesus Christ came from (Luke 3:23-38). The Bible says that before the Flood people became very, very sinful. There was so much evil that God was sorry that He made Man (Genesis 6:6-7). The earth had become a terrible place. People thought only about evil things all the time. Life was full of fear, terror and evil. God, in His holy wrath, planned to wipe (unrepentant) sinners from off the face of the earth.The Creator's heart was filled with pain at all the horrible wickedness. In His mercy, He ended Man's suffering in this sin-polluted world with the swift judgment of the Flood. God destroyed all the evil people and their whole sinful world. He used the Flood to bury their evil cities and all their wicked belongings. He wiped out practically every trace of them. The destruction was so great that it changed the world's environment and geography until this day. This is a reminder to everyone that God really does punish sin.
But God did remember the good people. There were only eight of them, but He saved them. God blessed Noah's family and used them to give the human race a wonderful, fresh start. Every person living today came from one of Noah's three sons--Shem, Ham and Japheth.
The day of God's great anger had arrived. God had been patient with the people of that generation for a long time, but now His patience had run out! Only His wrath remained. God had closed the door; and when God closes the door, no one can open it.
Thus, God brought the floodwaters on the earth just as He had promised. The sky began to darken; the wind began to blow. There were clouds and thunder and lightning and earthquakes. Now the children of Adam were trembling with fear. When everything was peaceful, it had been so easy for them to challenge God with insulting words and works. But now that the judgment of God had begun to descend upon them, their mouths were shut! The hour for them to face God's righteous judgment had arrived and there was no longer anywhere to hide!
A heavy rain fell, the deep springs of the earth gushed forth water, the oceans and rivers overflowed, resulting in a great flood. Torrents of water surged into every town and village. Those who were not immediately swept away fled in terror, seeking higher ground. Those who had mocked Noah and rejected the word of God, now knew that what God had said through His prophet was the truth. However, this knowledge was of no benefit to them because now the opportunity to repent was gone; the period of salvation was past. Perhaps some were calling to Noah, shouting out, "Noah! Noah! Open the door! Noah, help us! Save us! We believe you Noah! You were right! We believe! We believe!" But it was to late. God had closed the door. The day of salvation was past. The day of judgment had come. Praying, weeping, beating on the door, even knowing the truth--nothing could change the mind of God. When God closes the door of salvation, no one can open it.
Thus, the Scriptures tell us that for forty days there was a continual downpour of rain and constant flooding until even the mountains were covered. But the ark floated on top of the water.
"Every living thing that moved on the earth perished. Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark." (Gen. 7:21,23)
At the time of noah, God gave all people a chance to be saved by telling noah to spread the news of the great flood but what they did is laughed at him and thinked noah is crazy and so then, the great flood came and they all shouted for help to noah but noah can't do anything more because the ark's door was shut closed by God.. u see in this story people choose not to believe unless they are at the peak of it.. and until now same practices.. which is inevitable..
No God was not surprised because when Adam and Eve committed sin , Sin came to world,but God gave many chances for the people to obey his commands as God was very patient ,but the wickedness and sin have increased so much that he brought floods.yes God knows everything .
6. (A) What are your thoughts on Genesis 6:8? (B) Why did Noah find grace in the eyes of God? (250 words or less)
Answer for A) Noah “did according to all that the Lord commanded him”. Twice this is emphasized in the Scriptures - Gen 6:22 “Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.”; 7:5 “And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.” We learn from Hebrews that this obedience of Noah came from faith - He 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” Noah was “a preacher of righteousness” - 2 Pe 2:5 “if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;”. He not only “lived” a righteous life, but he also proclaimed the need for righteousness, even though he lived in an ungodly world. Noah certainly was an unusual man, but perhaps we see well why only he and his family “found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”
Ans for B)A. HE WAS "A JUST MAN" - Gen 6:9
1. Some translations say "righteous"
2. This likely refers to his moral relation to God (Keil &
Delitzsch)
B. HE WAS "PERFECT IN HIS GENERATIONS" - Gen 6:9
1. Other translations (NASV, NIV) use the word "blameless"
2. Not that he was sinless, but that there were no blatant faults
3. He was a man of moral integrity among the people
C. HE "WALKED WITH GOD" - Gen 6:9
1. This is how he manifested his righteousness and integrity
(Keil & Delitzsch)
2. In walking with God, he imitated the example of Enoch, his
great-grandfather - Gen 5:24
3. Walking with God in Noah's case likely involved...
a. Calling upon the name of the Lord (which began in the days
of Seth - Gen 4:26)
b. Offering sacrifices to God (which began in the days of Cain
& Abel - Gen 4:3-4)
D. HE "DID ACCORDING TO ALL THAT THE LORD COMMANDED HIM"
1. Twice this is emphasized in the Scriptures - Gen 6:22; 7:5
2. We learn from the writer of Hebrews that this obedience of
Noah came from faith - He 11:7
E. HE WAS "A PREACHER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS" - 2 Pe 2:5
1. He not only "lived" a righteous life
2. But he also "proclaimed" the need for righteousness, even though
he lived in a very ungodly world
[Noah certainly was an unusual man, but perhaps we see well why only he
and his family "found grace in the eyes of the Lord."
7. Do a word/string search on the Internet using “Biblical Typology”. Give me a brief description of Biblical typology with some examples. (250 words or less)
Answer: TYPOLOGY
A method of interpreting some parts of Scripture by seeing a pattern which an earlier statement sets up by which a later is explained. The Greek words that help us understand typology come under a verbal root that means “to beat, strike, or smite. Typology is a special kind of symbolism. (A symbol is something which represents something else.) We can define a type as a “prophetic symbol” because all types are representations of something yet future. More specifically, a type in scripture is a person or thing in the Old Testament which foreshadows a person or thing in the New Testament. For example, the flood of Noah’s day (Genesis 6-7) is used as a type of baptism in 1 Peter 3:20-21. The word for type that Peter uses is figure.When we say that someone is a type of Christ, we are saying that a person in the Old Testament behaves in a way that corresponds to Jesus’ character or actions in the New Testament. When we say that something is “typical” of Christ, we are saying that an object or event in the Old Testament can be viewed as representative of some quality of Jesus.Scripture itself identifies several Old Testament events as types of Christ’s redemption, including the tabernacle, the sacrificial system, and the Passover. The Old Testament tabernacle is identified as a type in Hebrews 9:8-9: “the first tabernacle . . . which was a figure for the time then present.” The high priest’s entrance into the holiest place once a year prefigured the mediation of Christ, our High Priest. Later, the veil of the tabernacle is said to be a type of Christ (Hebrews 10:19-20) in that His flesh was torn, (as the veil was when He was crucified) in order to provide entrance into God’s presence for those who are covered by His sacrifice.The whole sacrificial system is seen as a type in Hebrews 9:19-26. The articles of the “first testament” were dedicated with the blood of sacrifice; these articles are called “the patterns of things in the heavens” and “figures of the true” (verses 23-24). This passage teaches that the Old Testament sacrifices typify Christ’s final sacrifice for the sins of the world. The Passover is also a type of Christ, according to 1 Corinthians 5:7, “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” Discovering exactly what the events of the Passover teach us about Christ is a rich and rewarding study.We should point out the difference between an illustration and a type. A type is always identified as such in the New Testament. A Bible student finding correlations between an Old Testament story and the life of Christ is simply finding illustrations, not types. In other words, typology is determined by Scripture. The Holy Spirit inspired the use of types; illustrations and analogies are the result of man’s study. For example, many people see parallels between Joseph (Genesis 37-45) and Jesus. The humiliation and subsequent glorification of Joseph seem to correspond to the death and resurrection of Christ. However, the New Testament never uses Joseph as a model of Christ; therefore, Joseph’s story is properly called an illustration, but not a type, of Christ.8. What do you see the ark a “type” of and why? Noah’s ark is a beautiful type of Christ as the Ark of our salvation. The world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. The waves and billows of the Flood are typical of the wrath to come. Without Christ, we are lost, and the wrath of God abides on us (John 3:36). Only in Him we are safe from the waters of judgment, for Scripture tells us “there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). Christ shelters us from judgment. The waters of death have gone for good now that He has brought us into a new world, where we stand before God on wholly new ground — on resurrection ground. This is also expressed in baptism: the washing of water which speaks of death on the one hand, on the other hand, however, of new life in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:3-4; 1 Pet. 3:20-21). We were buried with Him through baptism into death, in order to reach a new position and a walk in newness of life.Something similar can be seen in the life of Moses. He was ‘buried’ in the waters of the river Nile in an ark of bulrushes and in this way he was saved through water, drawn out of the waters of death. Genesis 6 and Exodus 2 use the same Hebrew word for Noah’s ark and the ark of bulrushes in which Moses was saved. Please note the following details of the description of the ark in the book of Genesis and their typological meaning:(1) Noah’s ark was a huge wooden chest of three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high (a cubit is about half a metre). It had three decks with compartments or rooms which served as living quarters and storage rooms. It had an entrance in its side, a door which was closed by God Himself (Gen. 6:16; 7:16). It also had a window on top, which was later opened by Noah to send out the raven and the dove (Gen. 8:6-8). (2) Looking at the ark as a type of Christ, the true Ark of salvation, the wood as the fruit of the earth speaks of His true humanity (cf. Isa. 4:2; 53:2). There is one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5).(3) Noah had to cover the ark inside and outside with pitch. These two cognate words in Hebrew are rendered “(to make an) atonement” and “ransom” in the rest of the Old Testament. This coating is a picture of the value and the atoning power of Christ’s blood — which covers our sins, makes us acceptable to God, and shelters us from judgment.(4) The door in the side of the ark reminds us of Christ’s pierced side, which opened the way of salvation to sinners (John 19:34-35; 1 John 5:6-9). Christ is the door. If anyone enters by Him, he will be saved (John 10:9).(5) The rooms or cells (lit. “nests”) in the ark speak of the protection and the security which are the portion of all those who are in Christ: “And now, little children, abide in Him” (1 John 2:28). In this way He will be as a sanctuary (Isa. 8:14). We recall that Solomon’s temple also had rooms in three stories, just as in the ark (Gen. 6:16; 1 Ki. 6:4-5). In God’s house there are many mansions, for there is room for whoever believes.(6) The ark also had a window, an opening for light. In the same way Christ revealed light from above, divine light from heaven in a scene of darkness and confusion (John 1:9; 3:12,31,32). We have light in our dwellings.(7) Finally we have the preparation of the ark. The ark of Noah teaches a practical lesson to Christian parents. Just as Noah prepared an ark for the saving of his household (Heb. 11:7), so they should lead their children to Christ and bring them to the only place of safety in this world of sin.
9. What do you see the flood a “type” of and why?
Ans:Baptism as a fulfillment of the type Peter, after discussing Christ's work in preaching in the spiritual realm to spirits in prison, mentioned Noah's ark and the flood: “Into which ark a few [eight persons] were saved through water, which water [baptism] as a fulfullment of the type now saves you through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, not through removing of dirt from the body but as a pledge of a good conscience towards God” (1 Peter 3:20-21). The flood was a type of baptism because people of faith (and recipients of God's favor) experienced deliverance. Noah and his family were delivered by the ark and the water; Christians expressing in baptism genuine faith are delivered from bondage to sin.10. In 250 words or less, explain God’s covenant revelation with Noah. Was the covenant revelation only for Noah or for all mankind?Here God starts with the same command He gave to Adam. Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth - fill it again. If I'm still doing this in a year, we can talk about Genesis 1 and why I think the replenish command is used in both places instead of a command to simply plenish the earth (fill it a first time).God states that a fear of man will be on every creature. Since man had caused all of creation save plants and dwellers of the rivers and sea to be wiped out, it isn't to hard to figure out where the fear would come from. Man is now given the freedom to eat animals explicitly (whether this was true before is an unending debate). The death penalty for murder is affirmed.Then we get to the meat of God's covenant with Noah, his offspring, and all living creatures on the Earth. This covenant was first mentioned back in Genesis 6:17-18. Now we learn its details. God will not inundate the earth and wipe out His complete creation via a flood. He picked the rainbow (not the first rainbow ever made - simply what He chose to associate with His covenant with the living creatures on the Earth) to be His symbol to remind him not to let loose in this way again and to remind mankind also of His word. Fortunately His word is good.
THE LAWS OF NOAH WERE GIVEN TO ALL GENTILE NATIONS LONG BEFORE THE EXISTENCE OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE.
The Hebraic tradition attached to the Hebrew Bible has taught throughout its history the existence of a Biblical code of "Seven Laws" for all the children of Noah and the sons of Noah. They are the prohibitions of:
Idolatry
Blasphemy
Murder
Robbery...theft
Sexual Immorality...various types
Maimed animals or consumption of portions of meat severed from living animals
The requirement of justice through courts of law
b. Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord: We can surmise that Cain brought his offering to the tree of life because cherubim guarded the tree of life (Genesis 3:24), and cherubim are always associated with the dwelling place or meeting place with God (Exodus 25:10-22). Cain and everyone else on the earth at that time probably met with God at the tree of life, where the cherubim were.
c. The Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering: Abel brought an offering of blood (the firstborn of his flock) and Cain brought an offering of vegetation (the fruit of the ground). Many assume that this was the difference between their offerings, but grain offerings were acceptable before God (Leviticus 2), though not for an atonement for sin.
i. “The word for offering, minchah, is used in its broadest sense, covering any type of gift man may bring . . .. Neither of the two sacrifices is made specifically for sin. Nothing in the account points in this direction.” (Leupold)
ii. The writer to the Hebrews makes it plain why the offering of Abel was accepted and the offering of Cain was rejected: By faith Abel offered up a more excellent sacrifice than Cain (Hebrews 11:4). Cain’s offering was the effort of dead religion, while Abel’s offering was made in faith, in a desire to worship God in spirit and in truth.
d. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat: This shows Abel’s offering was extra special. The fat of the animal was prized as its “luxury,” and was to be given to God when the animal was sacrificed (Leviticus 3:16-17; 7:23-25). The burning of fat in sacrifice before God is called a sweet aroma to the Lord (Leviticus 17:6).
i. The offering of Cain was no doubt more aesthetically pleasing; Abel’s would have been a bloody mess. But God was more concerned with faith in the heart than with artistic beauty.
ii. Here, it is one lamb for a man. Later, at the Passover, it will be one lamb for a family. Then, at the Day of Atonement, it was one lamb for the nation. Finally, with Jesus, there was one Lamb who takes away the sin of the whole world (John 1:29).
e. Respected . . . did not respect: We don’t precisely know how Can and Abel knew their sacrifices were accepted or not accepted. Seemingly, there was some outward evidence making it obvious.
i. There are Biblical examples of having an acceptable sacrifice consumed by fire from God (Judges 6:21; 1 Kings 18:38; 1 Chronicles 21:26; 2 Chronicles 7:1). Perhaps an acceptable sacrifice, brought to the cherubim at the tree of life, was consumed by fire from heaven or from the flaming swords of the cherubim (Genesis 3:24).
f. Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell: Cain’s anger was undoubtedly rooted in pride. He couldn’t bear that his brother was accepted before God and he was not. It is even possible that this was public knowledge, if God consuming the sacrifice with fire indicated acceptance.
i. The epidemic of sin is quickly becoming worse. Cain now commits the rather sophisticated sins of spiritual pride and hypocrisy.
3. (6-7) God’s warning to Cain.
So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 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.”
a. Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? God dealt with Cain in terms of loving confrontation instead of automatic affirmation. He made it clear that he would be accepted if he did well.
i. Of course, God knew the answers to those questions, but He wanted Cain to know and stop what was happening inside himself.
b. If you do not do well, sin lies at the door: God warned Cain about the destructive power of sin. Cain can resist sin and find blessing, or he can give in to sin and be devoured.
c. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it: We prevent sin from ruling over us by allowing God to master us first. Without God as our master, we will be slaves to sin.
4. (8) Cain murders Abel.
Now 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 killed him.
a. Now Cain talked with Abel his brother: The sense is that Cain planned to catch Abel by surprise, lulling him with pleasant conversation. This shows that Cain committed premeditated murder, and therefore clearly ignored God’s way of escape.
b. Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him: No human had ever died or been killed before, but Cain saw how animals were be killed for sacrifice. He extinguished Abel’s life in the same way.
i. The downward course of sin has progressed quickly. Now the hoped-for redeemer is a murderer, and the second son is the victim of murder. Sin wasn’t “nipped in the bud,” and it could not be contained.
B. God confronts Cain.
1. (9) God questions Cain.
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
a. Where is Abel your brother: God knew the answer to this question. He asked Cain because He wanted to give him the opportunity to confess his sin and start to do right after doing wrong.
i. How futile it was for Cain to lie to God! It was madness for him to think God didn’t know where Abel was, or that he could actually hide his sin from God.
b. Am I my brother’s keeper? This reply of Cain is famous. The fact of the matter is that he was supposed to be his brother’s keeper, but was instead his brother’s murderer, and he murdered him for the lowest of reasons. Able had not injured Cain in any way. Cain’s murderous rage was inspired purely by a spiritual jealousy.
i. Jude 11 warns of the way of Cain, which is unbelief, empty religion leading to jealousy, persecution of those truly godly, and murderous anger.
ii. There is no greater curse on the earth than empty, vain religion, those who have a form of godliness, but deny the power of God (2 Timothy 3:5). Many are deathly afraid of “secular humanism” or atheism, but dead religion sends more people to hell than anything else.
2. (10-12) God’s curse upon Cain.
And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”
a. The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground: The idea of blood crying out to God from the ground is repeated in the Bible. Numbers 35:29-34 describes how the blood of unpunished murderers defiles the land.
i. The blood of Abel spoke, and it spoke of judgment. The blood of Jesus also speaks, but of better things, of grace and of sin having been judged (Hebrews 12:24).
b. So now you are cursed from the earth: The curse upon Cain was that Adam’s curse would be amplified in regard to him. If bringing forth food from the earth would be hard for Adam (Genesis 3:17-18), it would be impossible for Cain (who was a farmer). If Adam were driven from Eden (Genesis 3:24), Cain would find no resting-place on all the earth (a fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth).
3. (13-15) Cain complains of the severity of God’s judgment.
And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.” And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.
a. My punishment is greater than I can bear! Cain didn’t feel bad about his sin, but only about his punishment. Many are like him.
i. “One of the clearest marks of sin is our almost innate desire to excuse ourselves and complain if we are judged in any way.” (Boice)
ii. “One of the consequences of sin is that it makes the sinner pity himself instead of causing him to turn to God. One of the first signs of new life is that the individual takes sides with God against himself.” (Barnhouse)
b. Whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold: As significant as God’s judgment against Cain was, God did not want Cain killed by others. This is possibly because the population of the earth was precariously low anyway.
c. The Lord set a mark on Cain: Therefore, God set an identifying and protective mark upon Cain. Despite the speculation of some, nobody really knows what this mark upon Cain was.
C. Cain and his descendants.
1. (16-17) Cain moves away and marries.
Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son; Enoch.
a. And Cain knew his wife: We don’t know where did Cain got his wife. Genesis 5:4 says Adam had several sons and daughters. Cain obviously married his sister. Though marrying a sister was against the law of God according to Leviticus 18:9, 18:11, 20:17, and Deuteronomy 27:22 (which even prohibits the marrying of a half-sister), this was long before God spoke that law to Moses and the world.
i. Here, necessity demanded that Adam’s sons marry his daughters. And at this point, the “gene pool” of humanity was pure enough to allow close marriage without harm of inbreeding. But as a stream can get more polluted the further it gets from the source, there came a time when God decreed there no longer be marriage between close relatives because of the danger of inbreeding.
ii. Even Abraham married his half-sister Sarah (Genesis 20:12). God did not prohibit such marriages until the time of Moses (Leviticus 18:9). Marrying a brother or sister was not forbidden until God forbade it.
b. And he built a city: Here we see the beginning of industry and of urbanization - and that it is strongly man-centered (and called the name of the city after the name of his son), not God-centered. The fall of the human race continues to pick up speed.
2. (18-22) The generations following Cain.
To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech. Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
a. To Enoch was born Irad: The picture is one of rapid advancement. Succeeding generations quickly made progress in areas such as the founding of a city (Genesis 4:17), home building, music and the arts, and metalworking.
i. The idea that mankind actually advanced very quickly goes against most modern theories, but archaeology can only evaluate on the basis of what is preserved, and thus is rather speculative.
b. Methishael begot Lamech: The name Lamech may mean, “conqueror.” He was the seventh from Adam on Cain’s side. Lamech’s arrogance (Genesis 4:23-24) is a contrast to Enoch, who was the seventh from Adam on Seth’s line (Jude 14).
c. Lamech took for himself two wives: Lamech was the first bigamist in history, going against God’s original plan for one man and one woman to become one flesh (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-8). The names of his wives and daughter show the emphasis in his heart: Adah means, “pleasure, ornament, or beauty.” Zillah means, “shade” probably referring to a luxurious covering of hair. His daughter’s name was Naamah, which means, “loveliness.” Lamech’s culture was committed to physical and outward beauty.
3. (23-24) Lamech’s chest-thumping boast.
Then Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, even a young man for hurting me. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
a. I have killed a man for wounding me: The way Lamech boasts about his murder of another, and the way he believes he can promise a greater retribution than God, shows a progressive degeneracy among humanity. Things are going downhill fast, a true devolution.
b. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold: This is all a picture of humanism. The city is Cain’s city; the focus of Lamech is his beautiful wives and his own perceived strength. But for all of Lamech’s boasting, neither he nor his descendants are ever heard of again in the Bible. He came to nothing.
4. (25-26) Seth is born to Adam and Eve.
And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.
a. And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son: Adam and Eve had many children who are not specifically named, but Seth is worthy of mention because he “replaced” Abel and was the one to whom the promise of a deliverer from the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15) would be passed.
b. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord: Even in those wicked days, the worship of God was not unknown. Some have called Genesis 4:26 “the first revival,” because it is the first indication of a spiritual resurgence after a clear decline.
2. (A) What are your thoughts about Genesis 4:6-7? (B) Do you see a connection that sin requires death and the coat of skins in Gen 3:21? (250 words or less) In spite of what God says, Cain does not do the right thing. His sulking gives way to a grudge. His grudge gives way to anger. His anger gives way to hatred and rage. His hatred and rage gives way to murder. To top it off, Cain next refuses to accept responsibility for what he has done.God punishes Cain – sets him adrift, makes him a wanderer and outlaw. But He also promises Cain protection and marks Cain with a sign of His protecting care. Cain heads east of Eden, a cursed man and a blessed man. He is rejected and banished and cast out, but he is also protected and kept and watched over.
3. (A)Define sin. (B) Define depravity. (C) Describe in your own words the difference between “totally depraved” and “total depravity” (250 words or less) Ans:A) Sin is described in the Bible as transgression of the law of God (1 John 3:4) and rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 9:7; Joshua 1:18). Sin had its beginning with Lucifer, the “shining star, the son of the morning,” the most beautiful and powerful of the angels. Not content to be all this, he desired to be the most high God and that was his downfall and the beginning of sin (Isaiah 14:12-15). Renamed Satan, he brought sin to the human race in the Garden of Eden, where he tempted Adam and Eve with the same enticement, “you shall be like God.” Genesis 3 describes their rebellion against God and against His commandments. Since that time, sin has been passed down through all the generations of mankind and we, Adam’s descendants, have inherited sin from him. Romans 5:12 tells us that through Adam, sin entered the world and so death was passed on to all men because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).Through Adam, the inherent inclination to sin entered the human race and human beings became sinners by nature. When Adam sinned, his inner nature was transformed by his sin of rebellion, bringing to him spiritual death and depravity which would be passed on to all who came after him. Humans became sinners not because they sinned, they sinned because they were sinners. This is the condition known as inherited sin. Just as we inherit physical characteristics from our parents, we inherit our sinful natures from Adam. King David lamented this condition of fallen human nature in Psalm 51:5: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.”Another type of sin is known as imputed sin. Used in both financial and legal settings, the Greek word translated imputed means to take something that belongs to someone and credit it to another’s account. Before the Law of Moses was given, sin was not imputed to man, although men were still sinners because of inherited sin. After the Law was given, sins committed in violation of the Law were imputed (accounted) to them (Romans 5:13). Even before transgressions of the law were imputed to men, the ultimate penalty for sin (death) continued to reign (Romans 5:14). All humans, from Adam to Moses, were subject to death, not because of their sinful acts against the Mosaic Law (which they did not have), but because of their own inherited sinful nature. After Moses, humans were subject to death both because of inherited sin from Adam and imputed sin from violating the laws of God.God used the principle of imputation to the benefit of mankind when He imputed the sin of believers to the account of Jesus Christ, who paid the penalty for that sin (death) on the cross. Imputing our sin to Jesus, God treated Him as if He were a sinner though He was not, and had Him die for the sins of all who would ever believe in Him. It’s important to understand that sin was imputed to Him, but he did not inherit it from Adam. He bore the penalty for sin, but He never became a sinner. His pure and perfect nature was untouched by sin. He was treated as though He was guilty of all the sins ever committed by all who would ever believe, even though He committed none. In exchange, God imputed the righteousness of Christ to believers and credited our accounts with His righteousness just as He credited our sins to His account (2 Corinthians 5:21).Personal sin is that which is committed every day by every human being. Because we have inherited a sin nature from Adam, we commit individual, personal sins – everything from seemingly innocent fibs to murder. Those who have not placed their faith in Jesus Christ must pay the penalty for these personal sins, as well as inherited and imputed sin. However, believers have been freed from the eternal penalty of sin (hell and spiritual death). Now we can choose whether or not to commit personal sins because we have the power to resist sin through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, sanctifying and convicting us of our sins when we do commit them (Romans 8:9-11). Once we confess our personal sins to God and ask forgiveness for them, we are restored to perfect fellowship and communion with Him. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).Inherited sin, imputed sin, and personal sin - all have been crucified on the cross of Jesus, and now “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
B and C) Total Depravity is a phrase or name that is used to summarize what the Bible teaches about the spiritual condition of fallen man. It is the “T” in the acronym TULIP, which is commonly used to enumerate what are known as the five points of Calvinism or the doctrines of grace. Because the name “total depravity” can cause people to have wrong ideas about what is meant, some people prefer to use terms like “Total Inability”, “Righteous Incapability”, “Radical Corruption” or even “Moral Inability”. Yet what is important is not the name assigned to the doctrine but how accurately the doctrine summarizes what the Bible teaches about the spiritual condition of fallen man. No matter which name you use to refer to “Total Depravity” the fact remains that when properly understood it is an accurate description of what the Bible does teach on this important subject. While often misunderstood, the doctrine of Total Depravity is an acknowledgement that the Bible teaches that as a result of the fall of man (Genesis 3:6) every part of man—his mind, will, emotions and flesh—have been corrupted by sin. In other words, sin affects all areas of our being including who we are and what we do. It penetrates to the very core of our being so that everything is tainted by sin and “…all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). It acknowledges that the Bible teaches that we sin because we are sinners by nature. Or as Jesus says “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.” (Matthew 7:17-18). The total depravity of man is seen throughout the Bible. Man’s heart is “deceitful and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9) and the thoughts of his heart are “continually evil” (Genesis 6:5). The Bible also teaches us that man is born dead in transgression and sin (Psalm 51:5, Psalm 58:3, Ephesians 2:1-5). The Bible teaches that because unregenerate man is “dead in transgressions” (Ephesians 2:5), he is held captive by a love for sin (John 3:19; John 8:34) so that he will not seek God (Romans 3:10-11) because he loves the darkness (John 3:19) and does not understand the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). Therefore men suppress the truth of God in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18) and continue to willfully live in sin. Because they are totally depraved this sinful lifestyle seems right to men (Proverbs 14:12) so they reject the Gospel of Christ as foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18) and their mind is “hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is unable to do so.” (Romans 8:7). The Apostle Paul really summarizes the total depravity of man in Romans 3:9-18. He begins this passage by saying that “both Jews and Greeks are all under sin.” Simply put this means that man is under the control of sin or is controlled by his sin nature (his natural tendency to sin). The fact that unregenerate people are controlled by their selfish, sinful tendencies should not come as a surprise to any parent. What parent has to teach their children to be selfish, to covet what someone else has or to lie? Those actions come naturally from the child’s sin nature. Instead the parent must devote much time to teaching the child the importance of telling the truth, of sharing instead of being selfish, of obeying instead of rebelling, etc.Then in the rest of this passage Paul quotes extensively from the Old Testament in explaining how sinful man really is. For example we see that: 1—no one is without sin, 2—no one seeks after God, 3—there is no one who is good, 4—their speech is corrupted by sin, 5—their actions are corrupted by sin, 6—and above all they have no fear of God. So when one considers even these few verses mentioned above it becomes abundantly clear the Bible does indeed teach that fallen man is “totally depraved” because sin affects all of him including his mind, will and emotions so that “There is none who does good, no not one” (Romans 3:12).There is a common misconception regarding total depravity. It does not mean that man is as wicked or sinful as he could be, nor does it mean that man is without a conscience or any sense of right or wrong. Neither does it mean that man does not or cannot do things that seem to be good when viewed from a human perspective or measured against a human standard. It does not even mean that man cannot do things that seem to conform outwardly to the Law of God. What the Bible does teach and what total depravity does recognize is that even the “good” things man does are tainted by sin because they are not done for the glory of God and out of faith in Him (Romans 14:23; Hebrews 11:6). While man looks upon the outward acts and judges them to be good, God looks upon not only the outward acts but also the inward motives that lay behind them, and because they proceed from a heart that is in rebellion against Him and they are not done for His Glory even these good deeds are like “filthy rags” in His sight. In other words, fallen man’s good deeds are motivated not by a desire to please God but by our own self interest and are thus corrupted to the point where God declares that there is “no one who does good, no not one!”Since Scripture is very clear that all of man is affected by sin and so much so that “no one seeks after God,” then how can anyone possibly become a Christian? The answer is that God must overcome man’s depravity in such a way that man is able to recognize his spiritual state and his hopeless condition apart from the grace of God. Man’s spiritually blind eyes must be open and the bondage of sin that renders him hopelessly enslaved must be broken so that he can respond in faith to the Gospel message and the atoning work of Christ on the cross. Some Christians believe that God accomplishes this through some type of universal grace whereby God brings man to a condition where he has the ability to choose or reject Him. Others believe that for a man who is “dead in trespasses and sins” to be able to understand and respond to the Gospel in faith, he must first be born again or regenerated by the Holy Spirit (John 3:3). It is only after God infuses spiritual life in a dead sinner that he can “see the kingdom of God.” Those that hold this view see this as being a sovereign act of God, whereby men are born again “not of the blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13). However even when properly understood, many people will rebel or reject the doctrine of total depravity, but that fact should not surprise us since the world generally thinks of man as being basically good. Therefore the idea that man by nature is a depraved sinner runs contrary to most modern religious, psychological and philosophical views of the basic nature of man. But the fact is that the Bible does teach the depravity of the human heart and the root cause of man’s problem is not the environment he is raised in but that by nature man has a wicked and selfish heart. Properly understood, the doctrine of total depravity will destroy the hopes of those who place their faith in any type of works-based system of salvation and recognize that God’s sovereign grace is man’s only hope. While the doctrine of total depravity destroys man’s self righteousness and any misconceptions about man’s ability to be saved through his own free will, it leaves one asking the same question the disciples asked of Jesus in Matthew 19:25-26: “Then who can be saved?” Of course the answer remains the same: “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:25-26). As the first of the five doctrines of what is called “Calvinism,” the doctrine of total depravity correctly focuses man’s attention on the rest of these “doctrines of grace” which declare the wondrous work of God in the salvation of sinners.
4. Was Cain totally depraved? Did Cain not have an awareness of God and His requirements? Did God give Cain the freedom to rebel or did God foreordain Cain’s rebellion? Are men today totally depraved (no ability to choose God)? HINT: Read Rom 1:20-21; As you answer this question review the different views of Calvinism & Arminianism. In Genesis 4:13-14, shortly after he killed his brother Abel, “Cain said to the LORD, ‘My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.’” Who exactly was Cain afraid of? The only people the book of Genesis had mentioned to this point are Adam and Eve (Cain’s parents) and Abel (who was now dead). Who would possibly be a threat to Cain?It is important to recognize that Cain and Abel were both full-grown adults at the time that Cain killed Abel. Both Cain and Abel were farmers, who tended to their own lands and flocks (Genesis 4:2-4). The Bible does not tell us how old Cain and Abel were, but they very likely could have been in their 30’s or 40’s or even hundreds of years old (Adam lived to be 970 years old). The Bible does not specifically mention Adam and Eve having any children between Abel and Seth (Genesis 4:25). However, it is highly unlikely that the two most perfect human beings in the history of the world, Adam and Eve, would not have any children over several decades. Adam and Eve had many children after Seth (Genesis 5:4), so why would they not also have had other children between Abel and Seth? The Bible does not say that Seth was Adam and Eve’s first child, or even first son, after Abel was killed. Rather, it states that Seth was born as a “replacement” for Abel. Genesis chapter 5 traces the genealogy of Seth. Prior to his death, Abel was likely the “chosen” son that would eventually produce the Messiah (Genesis 3:15). It is in this sense that Seth “replaced” Abel.So, who was Cain afraid of? Cain was afraid of his own brothers, sisters, nephews, and nieces, who were already born and would be capable of seeking revenge. The fact that Cain had a wife (Genesis 4:17) is a further evidence that Adam and Eve had other children after Cain and Abel, but before Seth.5. (A) What are your thoughts about Genesis 6:5-7? (B)Was God surprised? Did He not foreknow of their sin? (C)Did He foreordain their sin? (250 words or less) God sent the flood because of the fallen angels that left heaven and came to earth to have children with the daughters of Adam and Eve. The offspring of this union were the Nephilim or giants (Genesis 6:1-4 and Jude v6). This was an attempt by Satan to pollute the blood line of Adam and Eve which is the same blood line that Jesus Christ came from (Luke 3:23-38). The Bible says that before the Flood people became very, very sinful. There was so much evil that God was sorry that He made Man (Genesis 6:6-7). The earth had become a terrible place. People thought only about evil things all the time. Life was full of fear, terror and evil. God, in His holy wrath, planned to wipe (unrepentant) sinners from off the face of the earth.The Creator's heart was filled with pain at all the horrible wickedness. In His mercy, He ended Man's suffering in this sin-polluted world with the swift judgment of the Flood. God destroyed all the evil people and their whole sinful world. He used the Flood to bury their evil cities and all their wicked belongings. He wiped out practically every trace of them. The destruction was so great that it changed the world's environment and geography until this day. This is a reminder to everyone that God really does punish sin.
But God did remember the good people. There were only eight of them, but He saved them. God blessed Noah's family and used them to give the human race a wonderful, fresh start. Every person living today came from one of Noah's three sons--Shem, Ham and Japheth.
The day of God's great anger had arrived. God had been patient with the people of that generation for a long time, but now His patience had run out! Only His wrath remained. God had closed the door; and when God closes the door, no one can open it.
Thus, God brought the floodwaters on the earth just as He had promised. The sky began to darken; the wind began to blow. There were clouds and thunder and lightning and earthquakes. Now the children of Adam were trembling with fear. When everything was peaceful, it had been so easy for them to challenge God with insulting words and works. But now that the judgment of God had begun to descend upon them, their mouths were shut! The hour for them to face God's righteous judgment had arrived and there was no longer anywhere to hide!
A heavy rain fell, the deep springs of the earth gushed forth water, the oceans and rivers overflowed, resulting in a great flood. Torrents of water surged into every town and village. Those who were not immediately swept away fled in terror, seeking higher ground. Those who had mocked Noah and rejected the word of God, now knew that what God had said through His prophet was the truth. However, this knowledge was of no benefit to them because now the opportunity to repent was gone; the period of salvation was past. Perhaps some were calling to Noah, shouting out, "Noah! Noah! Open the door! Noah, help us! Save us! We believe you Noah! You were right! We believe! We believe!" But it was to late. God had closed the door. The day of salvation was past. The day of judgment had come. Praying, weeping, beating on the door, even knowing the truth--nothing could change the mind of God. When God closes the door of salvation, no one can open it.
Thus, the Scriptures tell us that for forty days there was a continual downpour of rain and constant flooding until even the mountains were covered. But the ark floated on top of the water.
"Every living thing that moved on the earth perished. Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark." (Gen. 7:21,23)
At the time of noah, God gave all people a chance to be saved by telling noah to spread the news of the great flood but what they did is laughed at him and thinked noah is crazy and so then, the great flood came and they all shouted for help to noah but noah can't do anything more because the ark's door was shut closed by God.. u see in this story people choose not to believe unless they are at the peak of it.. and until now same practices.. which is inevitable..
No God was not surprised because when Adam and Eve committed sin , Sin came to world,but God gave many chances for the people to obey his commands as God was very patient ,but the wickedness and sin have increased so much that he brought floods.yes God knows everything .
6. (A) What are your thoughts on Genesis 6:8? (B) Why did Noah find grace in the eyes of God? (250 words or less)
Answer for A) Noah “did according to all that the Lord commanded him”. Twice this is emphasized in the Scriptures - Gen 6:22 “Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.”; 7:5 “And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.” We learn from Hebrews that this obedience of Noah came from faith - He 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” Noah was “a preacher of righteousness” - 2 Pe 2:5 “if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;”. He not only “lived” a righteous life, but he also proclaimed the need for righteousness, even though he lived in an ungodly world. Noah certainly was an unusual man, but perhaps we see well why only he and his family “found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”
Ans for B)A. HE WAS "A JUST MAN" - Gen 6:9
1. Some translations say "righteous"
2. This likely refers to his moral relation to God (Keil &
Delitzsch)
B. HE WAS "PERFECT IN HIS GENERATIONS" - Gen 6:9
1. Other translations (NASV, NIV) use the word "blameless"
2. Not that he was sinless, but that there were no blatant faults
3. He was a man of moral integrity among the people
C. HE "WALKED WITH GOD" - Gen 6:9
1. This is how he manifested his righteousness and integrity
(Keil & Delitzsch)
2. In walking with God, he imitated the example of Enoch, his
great-grandfather - Gen 5:24
3. Walking with God in Noah's case likely involved...
a. Calling upon the name of the Lord (which began in the days
of Seth - Gen 4:26)
b. Offering sacrifices to God (which began in the days of Cain
& Abel - Gen 4:3-4)
D. HE "DID ACCORDING TO ALL THAT THE LORD COMMANDED HIM"
1. Twice this is emphasized in the Scriptures - Gen 6:22; 7:5
2. We learn from the writer of Hebrews that this obedience of
Noah came from faith - He 11:7
E. HE WAS "A PREACHER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS" - 2 Pe 2:5
1. He not only "lived" a righteous life
2. But he also "proclaimed" the need for righteousness, even though
he lived in a very ungodly world
[Noah certainly was an unusual man, but perhaps we see well why only he
and his family "found grace in the eyes of the Lord."
7. Do a word/string search on the Internet using “Biblical Typology”. Give me a brief description of Biblical typology with some examples. (250 words or less)
Answer: TYPOLOGY
A method of interpreting some parts of Scripture by seeing a pattern which an earlier statement sets up by which a later is explained. The Greek words that help us understand typology come under a verbal root that means “to beat, strike, or smite. Typology is a special kind of symbolism. (A symbol is something which represents something else.) We can define a type as a “prophetic symbol” because all types are representations of something yet future. More specifically, a type in scripture is a person or thing in the Old Testament which foreshadows a person or thing in the New Testament. For example, the flood of Noah’s day (Genesis 6-7) is used as a type of baptism in 1 Peter 3:20-21. The word for type that Peter uses is figure.When we say that someone is a type of Christ, we are saying that a person in the Old Testament behaves in a way that corresponds to Jesus’ character or actions in the New Testament. When we say that something is “typical” of Christ, we are saying that an object or event in the Old Testament can be viewed as representative of some quality of Jesus.Scripture itself identifies several Old Testament events as types of Christ’s redemption, including the tabernacle, the sacrificial system, and the Passover. The Old Testament tabernacle is identified as a type in Hebrews 9:8-9: “the first tabernacle . . . which was a figure for the time then present.” The high priest’s entrance into the holiest place once a year prefigured the mediation of Christ, our High Priest. Later, the veil of the tabernacle is said to be a type of Christ (Hebrews 10:19-20) in that His flesh was torn, (as the veil was when He was crucified) in order to provide entrance into God’s presence for those who are covered by His sacrifice.The whole sacrificial system is seen as a type in Hebrews 9:19-26. The articles of the “first testament” were dedicated with the blood of sacrifice; these articles are called “the patterns of things in the heavens” and “figures of the true” (verses 23-24). This passage teaches that the Old Testament sacrifices typify Christ’s final sacrifice for the sins of the world. The Passover is also a type of Christ, according to 1 Corinthians 5:7, “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” Discovering exactly what the events of the Passover teach us about Christ is a rich and rewarding study.We should point out the difference between an illustration and a type. A type is always identified as such in the New Testament. A Bible student finding correlations between an Old Testament story and the life of Christ is simply finding illustrations, not types. In other words, typology is determined by Scripture. The Holy Spirit inspired the use of types; illustrations and analogies are the result of man’s study. For example, many people see parallels between Joseph (Genesis 37-45) and Jesus. The humiliation and subsequent glorification of Joseph seem to correspond to the death and resurrection of Christ. However, the New Testament never uses Joseph as a model of Christ; therefore, Joseph’s story is properly called an illustration, but not a type, of Christ.8. What do you see the ark a “type” of and why? Noah’s ark is a beautiful type of Christ as the Ark of our salvation. The world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. The waves and billows of the Flood are typical of the wrath to come. Without Christ, we are lost, and the wrath of God abides on us (John 3:36). Only in Him we are safe from the waters of judgment, for Scripture tells us “there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). Christ shelters us from judgment. The waters of death have gone for good now that He has brought us into a new world, where we stand before God on wholly new ground — on resurrection ground. This is also expressed in baptism: the washing of water which speaks of death on the one hand, on the other hand, however, of new life in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:3-4; 1 Pet. 3:20-21). We were buried with Him through baptism into death, in order to reach a new position and a walk in newness of life.Something similar can be seen in the life of Moses. He was ‘buried’ in the waters of the river Nile in an ark of bulrushes and in this way he was saved through water, drawn out of the waters of death. Genesis 6 and Exodus 2 use the same Hebrew word for Noah’s ark and the ark of bulrushes in which Moses was saved. Please note the following details of the description of the ark in the book of Genesis and their typological meaning:(1) Noah’s ark was a huge wooden chest of three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high (a cubit is about half a metre). It had three decks with compartments or rooms which served as living quarters and storage rooms. It had an entrance in its side, a door which was closed by God Himself (Gen. 6:16; 7:16). It also had a window on top, which was later opened by Noah to send out the raven and the dove (Gen. 8:6-8). (2) Looking at the ark as a type of Christ, the true Ark of salvation, the wood as the fruit of the earth speaks of His true humanity (cf. Isa. 4:2; 53:2). There is one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5).(3) Noah had to cover the ark inside and outside with pitch. These two cognate words in Hebrew are rendered “(to make an) atonement” and “ransom” in the rest of the Old Testament. This coating is a picture of the value and the atoning power of Christ’s blood — which covers our sins, makes us acceptable to God, and shelters us from judgment.(4) The door in the side of the ark reminds us of Christ’s pierced side, which opened the way of salvation to sinners (John 19:34-35; 1 John 5:6-9). Christ is the door. If anyone enters by Him, he will be saved (John 10:9).(5) The rooms or cells (lit. “nests”) in the ark speak of the protection and the security which are the portion of all those who are in Christ: “And now, little children, abide in Him” (1 John 2:28). In this way He will be as a sanctuary (Isa. 8:14). We recall that Solomon’s temple also had rooms in three stories, just as in the ark (Gen. 6:16; 1 Ki. 6:4-5). In God’s house there are many mansions, for there is room for whoever believes.(6) The ark also had a window, an opening for light. In the same way Christ revealed light from above, divine light from heaven in a scene of darkness and confusion (John 1:9; 3:12,31,32). We have light in our dwellings.(7) Finally we have the preparation of the ark. The ark of Noah teaches a practical lesson to Christian parents. Just as Noah prepared an ark for the saving of his household (Heb. 11:7), so they should lead their children to Christ and bring them to the only place of safety in this world of sin.
9. What do you see the flood a “type” of and why?
Ans:Baptism as a fulfillment of the type Peter, after discussing Christ's work in preaching in the spiritual realm to spirits in prison, mentioned Noah's ark and the flood: “Into which ark a few [eight persons] were saved through water, which water [baptism] as a fulfullment of the type now saves you through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, not through removing of dirt from the body but as a pledge of a good conscience towards God” (1 Peter 3:20-21). The flood was a type of baptism because people of faith (and recipients of God's favor) experienced deliverance. Noah and his family were delivered by the ark and the water; Christians expressing in baptism genuine faith are delivered from bondage to sin.10. In 250 words or less, explain God’s covenant revelation with Noah. Was the covenant revelation only for Noah or for all mankind?Here God starts with the same command He gave to Adam. Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth - fill it again. If I'm still doing this in a year, we can talk about Genesis 1 and why I think the replenish command is used in both places instead of a command to simply plenish the earth (fill it a first time).God states that a fear of man will be on every creature. Since man had caused all of creation save plants and dwellers of the rivers and sea to be wiped out, it isn't to hard to figure out where the fear would come from. Man is now given the freedom to eat animals explicitly (whether this was true before is an unending debate). The death penalty for murder is affirmed.Then we get to the meat of God's covenant with Noah, his offspring, and all living creatures on the Earth. This covenant was first mentioned back in Genesis 6:17-18. Now we learn its details. God will not inundate the earth and wipe out His complete creation via a flood. He picked the rainbow (not the first rainbow ever made - simply what He chose to associate with His covenant with the living creatures on the Earth) to be His symbol to remind him not to let loose in this way again and to remind mankind also of His word. Fortunately His word is good.
THE LAWS OF NOAH WERE GIVEN TO ALL GENTILE NATIONS LONG BEFORE THE EXISTENCE OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE.
The Hebraic tradition attached to the Hebrew Bible has taught throughout its history the existence of a Biblical code of "Seven Laws" for all the children of Noah and the sons of Noah. They are the prohibitions of:
Idolatry
Blasphemy
Murder
Robbery...theft
Sexual Immorality...various types
Maimed animals or consumption of portions of meat severed from living animals
The requirement of justice through courts of law
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