January 2
From Cain and Abel to Noah and the Great Flood
The story begins with Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve. Abel is described as a keeper of sheep, and Cain as a worker of the ground. When God favors Abel's offering over Cain's, likely due to Cain’s attitude or the nature of his offering, Cain, consumed by jealousy, kills his brother. God asks Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” Cain responds with a lie and defiance, saying, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” God reveals that Abel’s blood cries out to Him from the ground,
As punishment, God curses Cain. The ground, which Cain worked as a farmer, will no longer yield its strength to him. Cain is sentenced to become a restless wanderer on the earth. Although God curses Cain to a life of wandering, He marks him for protection. Despite Cain’s sin, God shows mercy. He places a mark on Cain to protect him, warning others that anyone who kills Cain will suffer sevenfold vengeance. This demonstrates God’s continued care for humanity, even in the midst of judgment. Cain then leaves God’s presence and settles in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
As Cain’s descendants grow, Cain builds a city, naming it after his son, Enoch. His descendants are representative of human civilization, as they developed various professions and arts. For example, Jabal is the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock, Jubal is the father of those who play musical instruments, and Tubal-Cain is a forger of tools from bronze and iron. Lamech, also a descendant of Cain, introduces polygamy by taking two wives, Adah and Zillah. He boasts to his wives about killing a man who wounded him and declares that his vengeance will be seventy-sevenfold, far exceeding God’s warning about Cain. Adam and Eve then have another son, Seth.
Genesis 5 begins by reiterating that humanity was created in God’s image, male and female, and that God blessed them. Adam, at 130 years old, fathered Seth, who is in Adam’s likeness, continuing the godly line after Abel’s death. This chapter traces the genealogy from Adam to Noah, through Seth: Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, and others. It lists the descendants of Adam, detailing their ages, the sons they fathered, and their eventual deaths. The chapter highlights Enoch, who "walked with God" and was taken by Him without experiencing death. The genealogy concludes with Noah, who fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
By Genesis 6, as humanity multiplies, so does wickedness. God sees that human wickedness is great, and every thought of their hearts is evil continually, which grieves God deeply. In response, the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man, and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” As sin spreads, God decides to send a flood to cleanse the earth. However, Noah finds favor with God because of his righteousness. God commands Noah to build an ark to save his family and pairs of every animal, male and female, according to their kind. This chapter sets the stage for the story of the flood, highlighting both God’s judgment and His mercy in preserving Noah and the future of life on earth.
In Genesis 7, God tells Noah to enter the ark with his family because Noah is righteous in God’s sight. Noah is instructed to take seven pairs of clean animals (for sacrifice and food) and one pair of unclean animals, as well as seven pairs of birds. God announces that in seven days, He will send rain for 40 days and nights to destroy all life on the earth. Noah obeys God’s command to enter the ark with his family and pairs of animals. At God’s appointed time, the floodwaters cover the earth. Rain falls for 40 days and nights, and the waters rise, submerging even the highest mountains. Every living thing outside the ark perishes, but Noah, his family, and the animals in the ark are kept safe. The waters prevailed on the earth for 150 days.
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