Here, we begin to see the life spans of the pre-Flood world. See Day two – Gen. 1:6-8 – for an explanation of the canopy which was likely above the Earth at that time, and which accounts for the vastly different climate on the Earth.
Even more notable, of course, is that Adam had a son, but a sharp contrast is made. This stark contrast is between God’s creation – in God’s image – and Adam’s son. Because, his son, and all children since then, were born in Adam’s likeness.
This, then, further illustrates this likeness that was God’s. God’s likeness is present in the first man, because Adam was patterned after the Trinity. Just as the Trinity is an undivided three in one, one in three – Father, Son, and Spirit – so, too, was Adam composed of a body, soul, and a spirit.
However, when he died spiritually, he was separated from God. The Spirit left Adam. He could no longer commune with God whenever he wished. This also meant a marked difference in his children. They were also born with only a body and a soul, not with the Spirit connecting them with God. We, like them, need God’s grace and mercy; we need God to reach down to us, because we can’t reach up to God. It’s impossible, because we aren’t born with that Spirit.
However, praise be to God, we can have that indwelling Holy Spirit if we simply put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us from our sins. 2 Cor. 5:17 promises that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away, behold, all things are made new.” This doesn’t just mean that God comes and dwells in us through His Holy Spirit. We who are in Christ literally have that fellowship restored; we become different creatures than when we were born sons of Adam. We have that Spirit that we don’t have when we’re born.
Yes, that old Adamic nature is still present, meaning that we still sin on this earth. Our bodies are corrupted, too, by sin. So, we listen that that fleshly part that tells us to lie, to be mean, to do other things which are sinful. But, the Holy Spirit is the earnest, the promise, of our inheritance in heaven. (Eph. 1:14) It is the surest sign of what will be our complete redemption when we are taken to Heaven. Because, the Spirit is God Himself living inside us, guiding and helping us through everything, and convicting us when we go astray. It is God Himself, holding us fast, and not letting us become separated from Him, because He has the power to keep us from falling (Jude 24, etc.); He is God, after all. Nothing can separate us from His love, once we are in Christ. (Romans 8:38-39) We are truly new creatures on Earth, with his Spirit inside us, until that time when we celebrate with Him in glory, because we have been bought with a price; by the power of His own blood, with which he saved us. Hallelujah, what a Savior! Hallelujah, what a friend!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Gen. 5:2
Male and female…called their name Adam
See Gen. 1:27 for further detail. God created male and female, but He didn’t do it at the same exact time. This is just the same as saying, “I ate a sandwich and spaghetti.” I could easily have had the sandwich for lunch and spaghetti for dinner. A further explanation of specifics, then, is in Gen. 2.
The name “Adam,” here, refers to the entire human race, as well as to the fact that the two “became one flesh.” And, they did this before they ever sinned, as Adam and Eve are married by Gen. 2:25.
See Gen. 1:27 for further detail. God created male and female, but He didn’t do it at the same exact time. This is just the same as saying, “I ate a sandwich and spaghetti.” I could easily have had the sandwich for lunch and spaghetti for dinner. A further explanation of specifics, then, is in Gen. 2.
The name “Adam,” here, refers to the entire human race, as well as to the fact that the two “became one flesh.” And, they did this before they ever sinned, as Adam and Eve are married by Gen. 2:25.
Gen. 5:1
These verses provides us a good place to summarize some information given in the notes on Gen. 2:4 and other places earlier in this commentary.
The generations of
While it is, of course, possible that this marked the beginning of something which may have been written by Noah, or another rpatriarch, it is highly unlikely. As noted before, the Spirit could easily have used this as a place to divide different sections, especially since now, we focus entirely on the line of Seth. God supernaturally used human writers to write what He wanted, while still somehow allowing each to retain his individual style. Therefore, He could easily have inspired Moses to write all of this history.
In the day that God created man
In other words, we are now going to discuss the line of Seth, who came from Adam. God is, first, explaining that it started on a certain day, at a certain time when He made man.
Likeness of God
See Gen. 1:26 for a further explanation of what it means to be in the image of God. He wanted to be able to fellowship with us, to have things in common. And, He still does today, if one will just put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to cleanse them from their sin, believing that He did all that was necessary to save them when he died on the cross for them, shedding his perfect blood, and rose from the dead. One must simply receive Him as Savior; “To as many as received Him, gave he the power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. (John 1:12)
The generations of
While it is, of course, possible that this marked the beginning of something which may have been written by Noah, or another rpatriarch, it is highly unlikely. As noted before, the Spirit could easily have used this as a place to divide different sections, especially since now, we focus entirely on the line of Seth. God supernaturally used human writers to write what He wanted, while still somehow allowing each to retain his individual style. Therefore, He could easily have inspired Moses to write all of this history.
In the day that God created man
In other words, we are now going to discuss the line of Seth, who came from Adam. God is, first, explaining that it started on a certain day, at a certain time when He made man.
Likeness of God
See Gen. 1:26 for a further explanation of what it means to be in the image of God. He wanted to be able to fellowship with us, to have things in common. And, He still does today, if one will just put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to cleanse them from their sin, believing that He did all that was necessary to save them when he died on the cross for them, shedding his perfect blood, and rose from the dead. One must simply receive Him as Savior; “To as many as received Him, gave he the power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. (John 1:12)
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Gen. 4:26
Unlike the note after Cain’s son, the note after Seth has a son states that people “began to call upon the name of the Lord.”
This can have several meanings. One is that they began to pray. It’s unlikely that they only then began to pray. That nobody would pray at all for a few decades is not likely. However, for there to be a specific reason for prayer is quite probably. Several commentators have written that this may hve been the “first revival,” when his son Enos was born. That is plausible, as they realized that it wasn’t going to be just Seth redeeming them. They would be there for a long time, having children upon children, populating the planet. And yet, despite all the time it took, they saw that God was still with them. Calling upon the Lord for a specific reason is quite possible.
The possibility that this meant “call upon” to mean “profane” isn’t a really well-known notion among commentators. However, I think profaning can make sense. God may have put Genesis 4:24 after those to make a point: All these other things came after a number of generations – violence, war, ungodly music, and so on. However, what started the tragic drifting away from God was not the unGodly music, the weapons, or anything else. It was the mindset of profaning God's name. And, it started *very* early; then, in the generation right after Seth's son was born. All those things people think of as profaning His name were only byproducts, the root cause was mankind taking God off the throne of their hearts.
However, in another way, this seems like a major stretch. The word for “call,” according to Strong’s concordance, is used for calling upon, or crying out to, in most instances. In other instances, it can mean “to call oneself by the name,” but it’s never used to mean “to profane.”
However, that brings up a third possibility, that it means that people called themselves by the name of the Lord, in the same way that the early believers called themselves Christians first at Antioch. This is a very likely scenario, because as the lines of Seth and Cain drifted apart, there was a need to differentiate oneself, to say, “I am a follower of God.”
Interestingly, when one looks at it, this also can tie in the other two. While this term was never used mean “to profane,” this was the time when people truly began to ddegrade God in their hearts, which caused all the problems in the later stages of the antediluvian (pre-Flood) world, which had been mentioned a few verses earlier. Not only that, but it’s quite plausible - as people saw this drastic falling way from God - that those who chose to follow god truly realized a major problem existed. And, that they needed God’s protection and provision in a great way. Because, only the Lord can protect us and help us from all of the problems of this world.
This is what we must realize today, as well. In a world that is so filled with wickedness, it is vital that people receive Christ’s forgiveness so they can have a personal relationship with Him, so He can guide and direct them through this turbulent time.
This can have several meanings. One is that they began to pray. It’s unlikely that they only then began to pray. That nobody would pray at all for a few decades is not likely. However, for there to be a specific reason for prayer is quite probably. Several commentators have written that this may hve been the “first revival,” when his son Enos was born. That is plausible, as they realized that it wasn’t going to be just Seth redeeming them. They would be there for a long time, having children upon children, populating the planet. And yet, despite all the time it took, they saw that God was still with them. Calling upon the Lord for a specific reason is quite possible.
The possibility that this meant “call upon” to mean “profane” isn’t a really well-known notion among commentators. However, I think profaning can make sense. God may have put Genesis 4:24 after those to make a point: All these other things came after a number of generations – violence, war, ungodly music, and so on. However, what started the tragic drifting away from God was not the unGodly music, the weapons, or anything else. It was the mindset of profaning God's name. And, it started *very* early; then, in the generation right after Seth's son was born. All those things people think of as profaning His name were only byproducts, the root cause was mankind taking God off the throne of their hearts.
However, in another way, this seems like a major stretch. The word for “call,” according to Strong’s concordance, is used for calling upon, or crying out to, in most instances. In other instances, it can mean “to call oneself by the name,” but it’s never used to mean “to profane.”
However, that brings up a third possibility, that it means that people called themselves by the name of the Lord, in the same way that the early believers called themselves Christians first at Antioch. This is a very likely scenario, because as the lines of Seth and Cain drifted apart, there was a need to differentiate oneself, to say, “I am a follower of God.”
Interestingly, when one looks at it, this also can tie in the other two. While this term was never used mean “to profane,” this was the time when people truly began to ddegrade God in their hearts, which caused all the problems in the later stages of the antediluvian (pre-Flood) world, which had been mentioned a few verses earlier. Not only that, but it’s quite plausible - as people saw this drastic falling way from God - that those who chose to follow god truly realized a major problem existed. And, that they needed God’s protection and provision in a great way. Because, only the Lord can protect us and help us from all of the problems of this world.
This is what we must realize today, as well. In a world that is so filled with wickedness, it is vital that people receive Christ’s forgiveness so they can have a personal relationship with Him, so He can guide and direct them through this turbulent time.
Gen. 4:25
Here, we see that Adam and Eve produced another offspring. It has been noted that this was not just the third child they had had, but the important part is that Seth’s line replaced Abel. There could have been many children in between.
She says that God had appointed her another seed. She’d come to realize what James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Cain had boasted of himself, he felt his son was his own. However, Eve realized that Seth, like Abel, was “from the Lord.”
This shows the difference between the lines of thinking. Sure, they were sinners, too. Sin was already heavy on the world, weighing it down with pain. However, Cain and the others were focused on themselves, and their anger and violence against each other grew greatly. Seth’s line didn’t focus on the Lord with all their hearts. However, this focus on the Lord leads to the next verse, which closes out the chapter.
She says that God had appointed her another seed. She’d come to realize what James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Cain had boasted of himself, he felt his son was his own. However, Eve realized that Seth, like Abel, was “from the Lord.”
This shows the difference between the lines of thinking. Sure, they were sinners, too. Sin was already heavy on the world, weighing it down with pain. However, Cain and the others were focused on themselves, and their anger and violence against each other grew greatly. Seth’s line didn’t focus on the Lord with all their hearts. However, this focus on the Lord leads to the next verse, which closes out the chapter.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Gen. 4:24
Lamech combined his violence with a desire to put himself ahead of God. Notice that he refers back to how God would avenge Cain’s death. Who would avenge Cain if someone killed him? It was God himself, of course.
God’s justice is perfect. He takes everything into account, and knows the heart of every single person, and why they do what they do. He makes no mistakes. He will never sin – He can’t sin. He is perfect. There is such a thing as righteous anger, though some versions remove that; jesus tells His disciples that He who is angry with his brother *without a cause* is sinning. But, God has cause. He created each of us to follow Him, and to not sin. When people commit sin, He has every right to punish us, because we have fallen short of the mark of perfection.
Thankfully, God is also merciful. He doesn’t want to punish sin. He wants to show love and peace to everyone, but we must confess and forsake our sins to do so.
Lamech had no mercy. His idea of vengeance was totally based on the outward appearance, and went totally against God’s ways. His terror and intimidation is just like the devil, who wants to steal our freedom and put God’s creatures under the yoke of oppression.
In doing thins, Lamech was either placing himself above God in the delusional belief that he could cause people to avenge him like that, or he may have actually had such a large mob. If the latter, he would certainly not be the last person to have a huge group of people organized to follow his every command, and avenge any injustice. World dictators for centuries have done the same thing.
More importantly, however, Lamech continued a pattern that was seen since the dawn of time, a pattern of ignoring God in his life. However, he didn’t just disobey God, as Adam and Eve had done. He totally profaned God, by claiming the same rights as God, to determine how he was going to be avenged, and by deciding how life would be governed, ruling by oppression and not by love. Only God, who combines perfect justice with perfect love and mercy, among many other attributes, has the right to decide who lives and who dies. Even when He appoints people to do so, He is truly the one making the decision.
God’s justice is perfect. He takes everything into account, and knows the heart of every single person, and why they do what they do. He makes no mistakes. He will never sin – He can’t sin. He is perfect. There is such a thing as righteous anger, though some versions remove that; jesus tells His disciples that He who is angry with his brother *without a cause* is sinning. But, God has cause. He created each of us to follow Him, and to not sin. When people commit sin, He has every right to punish us, because we have fallen short of the mark of perfection.
Thankfully, God is also merciful. He doesn’t want to punish sin. He wants to show love and peace to everyone, but we must confess and forsake our sins to do so.
Lamech had no mercy. His idea of vengeance was totally based on the outward appearance, and went totally against God’s ways. His terror and intimidation is just like the devil, who wants to steal our freedom and put God’s creatures under the yoke of oppression.
In doing thins, Lamech was either placing himself above God in the delusional belief that he could cause people to avenge him like that, or he may have actually had such a large mob. If the latter, he would certainly not be the last person to have a huge group of people organized to follow his every command, and avenge any injustice. World dictators for centuries have done the same thing.
More importantly, however, Lamech continued a pattern that was seen since the dawn of time, a pattern of ignoring God in his life. However, he didn’t just disobey God, as Adam and Eve had done. He totally profaned God, by claiming the same rights as God, to determine how he was going to be avenged, and by deciding how life would be governed, ruling by oppression and not by love. Only God, who combines perfect justice with perfect love and mercy, among many other attributes, has the right to decide who lives and who dies. Even when He appoints people to do so, He is truly the one making the decision.
Gen. 4:23
We don’t know when Lamech made the proclamation in this verse and the next. However, the important thing is, it was a sign of his arrogance. Hedecided that he was going to be the ruler of his domain, instead of God. He was going to set all the rules.
First, he deliberately puffs himself up while putting down his wives. What manner of person goes around referring to his wife as “You wife of mine”? God intended the marital union to be one of mutual love. However, even in the most male-dominant cultures, where woman are considered very subservient, they would be addressed by their first names. And yet, Moses, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, states their names right before, perhaps to emphasize that Lamech wouldn’t even do that. He simply referred to them as “ye wives of Lamech.”
Notice, too, what Lamech is boasting about. He uses the word “hearken,” which means that they should do more than just listen. They should be extra attentive, and and act according to what he said; in other words, his desire was to strike an unhealthy fear in them. If Naamah did turn from the wicked ways of Cain, and trust in God completely for salvation by faith, one can’t help but wonder if it was the utter terror of Lamech which caused her to consider just how different and wonderful things were under the unconditional love that was Noah’s house. We who know that love must be careful to always show a great example of Jesus Christ, and to tell others about Him. We never know what kind of situation someone else lives in or has lived in – and, we never know when they might be ready to cry out to Jesus Christ for salvation, if they only know about Him.
The words that inspired such terror follow. Lamech shows himself to be a very violent man with them. He would kill just for small wounds. Jesus Christ tells us to love our enemies, and bless those who persecute us. However, this goes beyond even the “eye for an eye” justice thatGod established in the Mosaic covenant, a covenant that was supposed to show people just they couldn’t keep the whole law, and draw them to Himself. Lamech’s law was that would kill anyone who got in his way. It was a law that put all the focus on himself.
When we put all the focus on ourselves, we wind up forgetting that God is in control,a nd has placed thigns in our lives to help us. Of course, sometimes others do evil things to us, but God can turn that evil around, and use it unto good, as Joseph told his brothers, for instance. (Gen. 50:20) God wants us to keep the focus totally on Him; to be filled (that is, controlled) by the Spirit at all times. (Eph. 5:18) That is impossible in our sinful state, of course, but this is why Christ’s shed blood is so important. We must never return slights with such evil. We must instead be willing to forgive others who sin differently than we do.
First, he deliberately puffs himself up while putting down his wives. What manner of person goes around referring to his wife as “You wife of mine”? God intended the marital union to be one of mutual love. However, even in the most male-dominant cultures, where woman are considered very subservient, they would be addressed by their first names. And yet, Moses, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, states their names right before, perhaps to emphasize that Lamech wouldn’t even do that. He simply referred to them as “ye wives of Lamech.”
Notice, too, what Lamech is boasting about. He uses the word “hearken,” which means that they should do more than just listen. They should be extra attentive, and and act according to what he said; in other words, his desire was to strike an unhealthy fear in them. If Naamah did turn from the wicked ways of Cain, and trust in God completely for salvation by faith, one can’t help but wonder if it was the utter terror of Lamech which caused her to consider just how different and wonderful things were under the unconditional love that was Noah’s house. We who know that love must be careful to always show a great example of Jesus Christ, and to tell others about Him. We never know what kind of situation someone else lives in or has lived in – and, we never know when they might be ready to cry out to Jesus Christ for salvation, if they only know about Him.
The words that inspired such terror follow. Lamech shows himself to be a very violent man with them. He would kill just for small wounds. Jesus Christ tells us to love our enemies, and bless those who persecute us. However, this goes beyond even the “eye for an eye” justice thatGod established in the Mosaic covenant, a covenant that was supposed to show people just they couldn’t keep the whole law, and draw them to Himself. Lamech’s law was that would kill anyone who got in his way. It was a law that put all the focus on himself.
When we put all the focus on ourselves, we wind up forgetting that God is in control,a nd has placed thigns in our lives to help us. Of course, sometimes others do evil things to us, but God can turn that evil around, and use it unto good, as Joseph told his brothers, for instance. (Gen. 50:20) God wants us to keep the focus totally on Him; to be filled (that is, controlled) by the Spirit at all times. (Eph. 5:18) That is impossible in our sinful state, of course, but this is why Christ’s shed blood is so important. We must never return slights with such evil. We must instead be willing to forgive others who sin differently than we do.
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