WEEK 1— Starting in Genesis

From Genesis to Revelation, 365 daily readings to help you understand your Bible

in just 7 minutes a day!

Shane W. Houle, D.Min.

Learn the Bible in A YEAR !1 © Shane Houle / Bibles For The World

WEEK 1— Starting in Genesis

Special Edition

>Lesson 1 Genesis 1:1 — In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

The book of Genesis was written by Moses, for the people of God, around 1445 BC. He began with the best explanation of who God is: the creator of the universe.

Notice first, the universe began to exist. There was a time when the universe did not exist, and this is powerful evidence for the existence of God. If anything is clear to us, it’s that something cannot come from nothing. If there was nothing more than a single grain of sand in the entire universe, it would s t i l l prove the existence of God because, out of nothing, nothing comes.

To avoid responsibility to their Maker, however, some have argued the universe is eternal. If it always existed, then it didn’t need to be created—or so it is thought. But in the last century, scientists discovered the universe is expanding and, therefore, had a beginning.

If you play the movie of an expanding universe backward, you’ll see it become smaller and smaller, until it no longer exists. And if you play the movie forward again, you’ll see the universe pop into existence at a particular point in time. An expanding universe proves the universe is not eternal—

but had a beginning—just as the Bible teaches.

Notice second, the greatness of God who exists outside time and space, and is the best explanation for both. When I was a child, I tried to imagine the beginning of time. I

traveled back to the very first moment when everything began. But then

I wondered, What was before then?

Then I traveled to the edge of space, where I could only imagine a massive brick wall. But then I

wondered, What’s on the other side of that wall? We

can’t imagine the beginning of time, or space, but we can easily

think of the God who made them both, because that’s how he designed us. Time and space find their source in God, and lead us back to him.

Notice third, nothing is impossible with God. Unbelievers scoff at biblical miracles like the virgin birth of Christ (Luke 1:35), and the resurrection of Christ (Matthew 28:1-7). This is understandable since, by their very nature, miracles are rare and hard to believe.

But if you accept the first and most spectacular miracle of the Bible—that God created everything out of nothing—then


there’s no reason to think he couldn’t part the sea (Exodus 14:21-22), make the sun stand still (Joshua 10:13), or preserve a man inside a fish (Jonah 1:17). Nothing is logically impossible for a God who creates everything out of nothing.

Genesis 1:3 God said, Let there be light, and there was light.

But God didn’t make the sun for another three days (Genesis 1:16), so we ought to think about where this light came from. The best explanation is that it came from God himself. God is light; in him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5), wrote John.

So after he made the world, God began to reveal himself. This he did progressively to Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, the prophets, and to many others. God revealed himself, more and more, until he came in the person of Jesus Christ who said, I am the light of the world (John 8:12). Isaiah didn’t say it. Neither did Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or Daniel. Only Jesus Christ could say, I am the light of the world, because only Jesus Christ is divine.

And coming to Christ is like God turning on his light in our hearts. For God, who said, Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6), wrote Paul. We live in spiritual darkness until we understand the gospel. Then, suddenly, the light comes on.

Through Jesus Christ we come to know God, not by argument or inference, but directly and personally. There’s excellent

evidence for Christianity, but we aren’t Christians primarily because of the evidence. We are Christians because Jesus Christ revealed himself to us through the gospel.

Nor is he done revealing himself. The city [of God] does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp (Revelation 21:23), wrote John.

Notice the progression: God said, Let there be light, and there was light (Genesis 1:3). Then he revealed himself, more and more, to Abraham, Moses, and the prophets. Then he came in the person of Jesus Christ who said, I am the light of the world (John 8:12). Then he made his light shine in our hearts (2 Corinthians 4:6). And, soon, we’ll live in the city where God himself is the light (Revelation 21:23), because God is light; in him there is no darkness at all (John 1:5).

Genesis 1:16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.

Moses wrote for the Israelites who, after many years, came out of Egyptian slavery. In Egypt they learned about the sun god, the moon god, and many other gods. So Moses had to teach them that those gods don’t exist. The God who just redeemed them created both the sun and the moon—and He also made the stars.

Credible estimates put the number of stars in the sky to be more than all the grains of sand on earth. To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:


Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing (Isaiah 40:25-26), wrote Isaiah.

But God was just getting started. After he made the stars, God created birds, fish, and every other creature (Genesis 1:20-25). Over a million species of life on earth has been catalogued, and that’s probably only a tenth of what exists. If the name BOB written in the sand proves intelligence at work, how much more the world, and all its amazing creatures!

Hummingbirds are a fine example of God’s intelligent design. They’re the smallest birds in the world, and some weigh less than a penny. Their wings rotate a full circle, allowing them to fly forward, backward, sideways, and even upside-down. They fly about twenty-five miles an hour, and can dive up to sixty miles an hour. Some can fly over twenty hours, without rest, and migrate over two thousand miles. They breathe over two hundred times a minute, and their hearts beat over a thousand times a minute. They visit about a thousand flowers a day, and pollinate every flower they visit. How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all (Psalm 104:24), wrote the Psalmist.

For Reflection and Review

• Why does the first miracle in the Bible make it easier to believe other miracles in the Bible?

• Why did Jesus claim to be the light of the world?

• How does creation prove the existence of God?


>Lesson 2 Genesis 1:11 — Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.

In the beginning, God created everything out of nothing (Genesis 1:1). But, since then, he normally uses the means he built into creation. He could produce a million apples a day out of nothing, but prefers to use natural means instead. So after he made the fish and the birds he said, Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth (Genesis 1:22). At first, God created animals according to their kinds (Genesis 1:25). But, since then, he uses the natural means he built into them.

God’s two ways of working can be understood as miracle and providence. Jesus healed many people miraculously, but God heals most people providentially. Small cuts normally heal through the means God built into the body. He may also use medicine (which comes from creation) and doctors who’ve learned how the body works. This kind of healing is not technically miraculous, but providential.

Likewise, Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread (Matthew 6:11), but it doesn’t normally drop out of heaven. He normally gives us jobs, to earn money, so we can buy bread from the market. When Jesus fed the

multitudes with only five loaves of bread and two fish (Matthew 14:17), he was providing miraculously. More often he uses soil, sun, rain, farmers, bakers, and merchants to provide.

When we understand that God works p r o v i d e n t i a l l y, n o t j u s t

miraculously, we’ll see his kindness in every plate of food, every healing, and every other need he meets. Miracles still occur, of course, but God is always working providentially.

Miracle and providence, we could say, are the right and

left hands of God.

Genesis 1:27 God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

This was important to the Israelites because, in Egypt, they were treated like beasts. They were Pharaoh’s slaves and their primary job was to make bricks. And if they didn’t make their quota, they were given a beating (Exodus 5:1-18). Whole generations lived and died under the hot Egyptian sun, working like beasts and considered little more.

But here we learn there is a qualitative difference between people and animals.


People are made in the image of God, animals are not. It’s not merely a matter of degree, but of kind, dignity, and worth. Without clarity on this point we’ll treat people like animals, and animals like people. There are some countries, in fact, where cattle are treated with honor while people go hungry. This is one reason theology matters.

The image of God is also that which allows us to know God personally. You can’t have a personal relationship with a turtle, because a turtle is too different from you. You can’t have a meaningful conversation with a cat, because a cat is too different from you too. But you can know God more deeply than you know your spouse, because you were made in the image of God.

This is also why the Bible allows capital punishment in the case of murder. Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind (Genesis 9:6), wrote Moses. God sees murdering others as an attack on himself because every human being bears the image of God.

This is also why it’s wrong to curse other people. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. . . . this should not be (James 3:9-10), wrote James.

Before we curse another person, or make an obscene gesture, we should remember whose image they bear. The image of God is so basic to our humanity, and to the ordering of society, that it’s found in the very first chapter of the Bible.

And the reason God created people in his image is because he planned to become one of us. When Christ came into the world, God took on our humanity, never to put it off again. For all eternity we’ll relate to God through Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully human.

Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.

God gave Adam and Eve an important job to do: fill the earth and subdue it. From this we learn that God wants people to contribute to society through work and family. Raising children, building roads, creating art, and anything else that contributes to the good of society is actually serving God. This idea is reinforced by the Apostle Paul who wrote, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord. . . . It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23-24).

Some people think the only way to serve God is through church, or some other religious means. It’s true that every child of God has an essential role to play in the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-31), but the work we do for God in the world is equally important. Adam, for example, served God by gardening. The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it (Genesis 2:15), wrote Moses. Gardening was Adam’s service to God.

The work we do for the glory of God, and the good of others, is not merely a way to make money or raise a family. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. This gives meaning


and significance to all we do, and should make our work an act of worship.

Genesis 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

God could’ve made the world an average place, but chose to make it very good. I was on my way to class, on a fall afternoon, when I passed a familiar tree. I’d seen it many times before, but this time was different. The lowering sun shone through the golden leaves and seemed to darken the branches. The tree itself was grand but, against the deep blue sky, it was art. I wanted to say to everyone, Look at that!

Before there was television, people went for long walks and called it marveling. They’d look at flowers, trees, and birds, and simply marvel at them. And, if we’re willing to take the time, we can too. Creation reflects the glory of God (Isaiah 6:3), and he wants us to see it everywhere.

Genesis 2:3 God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

After God created the world, we might imagine he was tired. But the amount of God's power he used to create the world was mathematically zero. God’s power is infinite so, no matter how much power he uses, it’s never at all diminished. God didn’t rest because he was tired, but because resting is good. It’s also good for us.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28), said Jesus. Many are surprised to learn the way to heaven is not by working, but by resting. If all we had to do was a million good deeds, we’d all be very busy. Or if all we had to do was pay a million dollars, we’d all be working overtime. But the way to heaven isn’t by working, or even by being good, but by resting in the finished work of Christ. In repentance and rest is your salvation (Isaiah 30:15), wrote Isaiah.

A little girl was hiking with her big brother when she twisted her ankle and couldn’t go on. The only way home was to climb on her brother’s back, and let him carry her. Likewise, we put all our weight on Christ, and trust him to carry us home.


• How is a miracle different from providence?

• How should the image of God affect how we treat others?

• What does the beauty of creation suggest about God?


>Lesson 3 Genesis 3:1 — Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.

This is the first mention of Satan in the Bible and, though he’s not on every page, he has a leading role. He’s called the Destroyer (Revelation 9:11), the enemy (Luke 10:19), the father of lies (John 10:44), a murderer (John 8:44), the evil one (Matthew 5:37), and many other things.

Satan is God’s enemy but, since he can’t attack God directly, he attacks those who are made in God’s image, and dearly loved by him. Satan knows his doom is sure, but he wants to take as many people down with him as he can.

Here the Bible says he’s crafty. Other translations include sneaky, clever, cunning, subtle, intelligent, and shrewd. Satan is a clever devil, who’s good at what he does. If you lived a thousand years, you could easily become an expert at something: music, math, philosophy, or any number of things. Satan has been around longer than that, and he’s refined his craft to an art form.

He’s so skillful, in fact, that he leads the whole world astray (Revelation 12:9), wrote John. We know how to split the atom and fly to the moon but, after thousands of years, there’s still no consensus on who God is, what he requires, or even if he exists. Satan is an

evil genius, and an expert at leading the world astray.

Genesis 3:1b He said to the woman, Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden?

This is the first temptation of a human being, and it’s brilliant.

If Satan can make us doubt God’s word, then he’s severed the relationship, and won the battle for our souls. That’s why more books have been written against the Bible than any

other book by far. The Bible is the most banned, burned,

and blasphemed book in the world. Satan is serious about turning

people away from God, and he starts by attacking God’s word.

Satan hates the Bible and wants us to doubt it, but Jesus loves the Bible and wants us to trust it. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished (Matthew 5:18), he said. By referring to the smallest letter and least stroke of a pen, Jesus showed that he believed the Bible right down to the spelling.


He also said your word is truth (John 17:17). He didn’t say your word is truthful, or your word contains truth, but your word is truth. In fact, All Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), wrote Paul. It’s as though God himself breathed out every syllable of the Bible.

So when Jesus was tempted by the devil he didn’t doubt the Bible—he quoted it. It is written . . . . It is also written . . . . it is written (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10), he said. The most trustworthy person in the world, believed the most trustworthy book in the world, and they bear witness to each other.

Our first parents were deceived by the devil because they doubted God’s word. Jesus triumphed over the devil because he trusted God’s word. Now the choice is ours: we can follow Jesus, or we can follow Satan.

Genesis 3:5 God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

Satan wanted Adam and Eve to doubt the goodness of God, so he focused on what God withheld. They were free to eat from every tree in the garden, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17). But if God was withholding something good from Adam and Eve, maybe he wasn’t good after all. First the devil tempted them to doubt God’s word, then he tempted them to doubt God’s goodness.

This is still effective whenever we don’t get something that we want (like someone to marry), or whenever we do get something that we don’t want. A missionary served God for

years, when his son was attacked by a swarm of bees that forced him to jump off a cliff to his death. Wouldn’t a good God have kept that from happening? Adam and Eve were the first, but certainly not the last, to question the goodness of God.

Thankfully, God has proven his goodness, once and for all, through the death and resurrection of his Son. Before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it was less clear what kind of God we were dealing with. But when God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son (John 3:16), his goodness was displayed for all to see. Only a perfectly good God would give his Son for the sins of a world that hated him.

As soon as we believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, we give up the right to question the goodness of God ever again. If the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ doesn’t persuade us that God is good, nothing ever will. Every believer must settle this matter once and for all: God is good all the time. The devil hates this fact, and wants us to doubt it. But Jesus proved this fact, and wants us to trust it.

Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

The first duty of a Christian husband is to protect his family from the devil, but Adam chose to use his wife as a guinea pig instead. If she fell over dead, he wouldn’t have eaten the fruit. But, since she survived, he thought it might be safe.


Genesis 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

This is how shame came into the world. Adam and Eve had nothing to hide before they sinned but, afterward, they wanted to cover themselves. So they gathered fig leaves and stitched them together in a desperate attempt to cover their shame. If you’ve ever dreamed of being naked in public, you know how they felt.

But even if we have no physical shame, everyone carries moral shame. If everything we’ve ever done became public information, we couldn’t leave the house. One survey showed that fifty percent of adult males carry a secret so dark that, if it were exposed, it would destroy them.

Shame is a negative emotion, but it has a positive side. It means we’re not as bad as we could be. As long as we have a sense of shame, we also have a conscience. The work of the Holy Spirit is to convict us of our sins (John 16:8), so that we can repent, and be restored to God.


• What did Satan want Adam and Eve to think about God?

• How does Jesus prove that God is perfect goodness?

• What is the best way to handle shame?


>Lesson 4 Genesis 3:8 — Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

This was a little desperate but, for all they knew, God was coming to kill them. [W]hen you eat [of the tree] you will certainly die (Genesis 2:17), he warned. God had given them life, and now he was free to take it away.

Like our first parents, we also hide from God. Some hide by putting God out of their minds. Others hide by neglecting his word. Others use religion to hide from God, instead of coming to God himself. Nothing comes more naturally to sinners than trying to hide from God.

Genesis 3:9 But the Lord God called to the man, Where are you?

This is God seeking man, not to kill him, but to restore him. The idea is so important that Jesus repeated it several times. The good shepherd searches for his one lost sheep (Luke 15:4). The distressed woman searches for her one lost coin (Luke 15:8). And the rejected Father looks down the road searching for his one lost son (Luke 15:20). For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10), said Jesus.

A little boy was separated from his father at the county fair. He was surrounded by the best stuff in the world, but couldn’t enjoy it, because he didn’t know where his father was.

But after his father found him, the little boy enjoyed both the fair, and his

father, more than ever. God is seeking lost people, not to punish them, but to restore them.

Genesis 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the

woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel.

This is God’s solution to the problem of sin, which he spoke to the devil. It’s a messianic prophecy that’s remarkable for at least three reasons:

First, the solution to sin wouldn’t be Adam or Eve, but someone else. We’d expect the first couple to pay for their own sin, but God promised to send another who’d crush [the devil’s] head. This idea is further developed throughout the Old Testament, so the Promised One wouldn’t be unexpected.

Second, the Promised One would be male. He will crush your head, not She will


crush your head. In a single pronoun God eliminated half the human race from the pool of possible candidates. And throughout the Old Testament, the pool shrinks even further.

The Promised One would be descended from Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3), from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10), born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), but minister in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2). If you put all the prophecies together, in fact, there’s only one person who fulfilled them all perfectly. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me (John 5:39), said Jesus.

Third, the conflict between the serpent and the Promised One would likely include fatalities. If you step on a serpent’s head, it will probably die. And, if it bites your heel, you could also die. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was fatal in the sense that he actually died. But, through his resurrection, he dealt a fatal blow to Satan. It was a cosmic conflict of life and death. The rest of the Bible is the unfolding of this original promise.

Genesis 3:19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.

Even though the Promised One would fix the problem of sin, there’d sti l l be consequences for Adam and Eve, and their descendants. Mankind was made to tend the garden, but now they’d become part of the garden. Now we’re all born with a terminal disease called aging, and are just at various stages.

If you get together with friends, whom you haven’t seen for years, you’ll be surprised by how much they’ve changed. Smooth skin may’ve become wrinkled. A full head of hair may’ve fallen out. And those who used to be thin may’ve put on weight. You’ll be surprised by how much they’ve changed, and they’ll be surprised by you. Then you’ll have a contest to see who can act the least surprised. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, everyone sins and die we must.

Genesis 3:21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

The only way to get skin off an animal is to kill it, so this is the first animal sacrifice. Animals were likely tame before the fall, and may’ve been something like pets. Adam and Eve were vegetarians (Genesis 1:29, 9:3) and had never seen an animal die. But, naked and ashamed, they needed the animal’s skin to cover their humiliation.

To make his point, God may’ve made them watch the slaughter of this innocent victim: throat slit, blood spilt, eyes wild, body trembling, life draining, lights out. It was a bloody object lesson to portray the wickedness of sin, and the terrible cost involved.

The Old Testament, in fact, is filled with the blood of sacrificial animals—sheep, goats, bulls, and more. But all the blood of all the animals ever sacrificed could never take away sins (Hebrews 10:11), says Hebrews. That required nothing less than the shed blood of Jesus Christ—God in human flesh.

Sin is man taking the place of God, and salvation is God taking the place of man.


Adam and Eve were clothed with the skin of a beast, but all who believe are clothed with Jesus Christ. [Y]ou who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Galatians 3:27), wrote Paul. The first animal sacrifice pointed ahead to the sacrifice of Christ.

Genesis 3:24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

The opportunity to eat from the tree of life, and live forever, was apparently gone for ever. How sad it must’ve been for Adam and Eve to leave the garden, and venture into the untamed world. There they would die, and all their offspring would also die. This remains the worst day in the history of the world.

But, thankfully, the tree of life appears again at the end of the Bible. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit (Revelation 22:2), wrote John. The tree of life first appeared in the old paradise of Eden. But after the death of Christ it appears again in the new paradise of God’s eternal kingdom.

This is helpful for understanding the Bible’s overarching storyline. It’s the record of paradise lost through sin, and regained through Jesus Christ. The cherubim mentioned above were later embroidered on the temple curtain (2 Chronicles 3:14), which kept people away from the presence of God. That curtain was torn from top to bottom when Jesus died on the cross (Matthew 27:51). This shows the way to God is now open to everyone who comes through faith in Christ.


• Why do people try to hide from God?

• How did sin change the world?

• What is the Bible’s storyline?


>Lesson 5 Genesis 4:1-2 — Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. . . . Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

Cain and Abel were the first two sons born to Adam and Eve. There weren't many career choices back then, so Cain grew up to be a farmer, and Abel kept flocks. As an offering to God, Cain brought some of his produce, and Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock (Genesis 4:4). This is how they honored God as the source of all they had.

Genesis 4:4-5 The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.

Not all offerings are equally pleasing to God. The text is not explicit, but Abel seems to have brought his best, while Cain bought something less. The real problem wasn’t what they brought, however, but the attitude of their hearts. We learn elsewhere that Abel’s heart was right with God (Hebrews 11:4), and Cain’s heart was not (1 John 3:12). It’s not enough to bring God our offerings, we must bring them with a good heart.

Genesis 4:5b So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

Cain thought his offering was perfectly fine, and God was lucky to have it. He

should’ve received God’s favor, not his disapproval. What kind of God would disapprove of an offering anyway? Cain wasn’t sure that he even liked God very much. Then the Lord said to Cain, Why are you

angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be

accepted? (Genesis 4:6-7).

Cain didn’t understand worship at all. His offering showed a measure of compliance, but he wasn’t even thankful. Giving to

God seemed like a tax to Cain, not an expression of

love. But God assured Cain that he would be accepted, if he’d only do what

was right. But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it (Genesis 4:7b), said God.

God described sin as a wild beast ready to pounce. Cain could do the right thing, and be accepted by God, or he could do as he pleased and be devoured by sin. But now it was time for Cain to choose: rule the beast, or be devoured.

Many face a similar choice at one time or another. Some choose to conquer lust, others


are devoured. Some choose to conquer drugs, others are devoured. Some choose to conquer hate, others are devoured. Sin is not a paper tiger, but a ferocious beast hungry for souls.

Genesis 4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, Let’s go out to the field.

Cain led his brother far enough away that their parents wouldn’t hear him scream. Cain probably gave some thought to the place, and how to dispose of the body. If his brother went missing, his parents would assume he was eaten by an animal, or that he was lost. So While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him (Genesis 4:8b).

Cain became the first murderer, and his brother became the first martyr. Cain wasn’t merely jealous of his brother—he hated him for loving God. Cain hated God so much that he murdered his brother for loving God. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother (1 John 3:12), wrote John.

Believers and unbelievers often get along, but when the devil gets involved we should expect the worst. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you (John 15:20), said Jesus. Abel was the first to die for his faith, but millions have followed him.

We should also notice that sin can have unintended consequences. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they hoped to elevate the human condition (Genesis 3:5). Instead, their natures were corrupted, and passed down to their children, so one killed the other. Even worse, their sinful natures

were passed down to future generations producing a world of sin, sorrow, and death. If Adam and Eve could’ve foreseen the results of their sin, they wouldn’t have sinned in the first place. Sadly, many can tell a similar story.

Genesis 4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, Where is your brother Abel? I don’t know, he replied. Am I my brother’s keeper?

Cain’s sarcastic reply showed he was completely unrepentant. He had no sorrow for sin, or any regret for what he’d done. He hardened his heart against the voice of God, and became a hardened killer. Even then, if Cain would’ve repented, God would’ve received him. [A] broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise (Psalm 51:17), wrote David. But Cain preferred his sin over the mercy of God.

Genesis 4:10 Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.

Abel’s parents didn’t hear him scream, but God heard his blood crying out from the ground. It is mine to avenge; I will repay (Deuteronomy 32:25), said God. Whoever rejects God’s mercy will have to face his justice.

As part of his punishment, Cain would become a restless wanderer (Genesis 4:12). His life would be an aimless journey, without meaning or direction, leading to the grave, and then to hell below. This sad path is chosen by many, but those who follow Christ journey to a better place. We can go with God, or we can go with the devil, but the destinations are as different as the paths we choose.


Genesis 4:25-26 Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him. Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.

Since Cain had rejected God, and his righteous brother was dead, true religion was in danger of vanishing altogether. But God gave Adam and Eve another son, and then a grandson. Having learned their family’s history, they took God seriously, and began to call on the name of the Lord.

This idea repeats throughout the Bible along with a promise of salvation. [E]veryone who calls on the name of the Lord will be

saved (Joel 2:32), wrote Joel. [E]veryone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Acts 2:21), preached Peter. And Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13), wrote Paul.

A little girl fell into a hole that was, in fact, a very deep well. Rescue teams worked unceasingly, for over two days, while others watched and prayed. In what seemed to be a miracle, the little girl was finally saved from the pit of her destruction. Our pit is also deep, and leads to hell itself, but Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).


• What kind of an offering pleases God?

• Why does God compare sin to a beast?

• What does it mean to call on the name of the Lord?


>Lesson 6 Genesis 6:5 — The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.

Things went downhill rather quickly after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Their first-born son Cain, murdered their second-born son Abel, in the first religious persecution (Genesis 4:8). Then Lamech corrupted God’s pattern for marriage by introducing polygamy (Genesis 4:19). And, before long, every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.

This is one the clearest s tatements o f human depravity in the Bible and, two chapters later, we read that every inclination of the human hear t i s ev i l f rom childhood (Genesis 8:21). We don’t have to grow up to sin; it starts when we’re kids.

I could tell of my own childhood sins, which were many and deadly, but I’ll tell on my friends instead. We lived near a lake where there were plenty of frogs and, to pass the time, we’d catch them. Not content to let them go, however, my friends invented with ways to torture the frogs for their enjoyment. I could list the ways, but it’s more disturbing than it’s worth. Even in our youth we have more in common with devil than we do with Jesus Christ.

The Bible’s main concern isn’t how to have a wonderful life, or make the world a better place. It speaks to these, and other issues, but they’re not the point. The Bible’s main concern is sin, and what God has done

to fix it through his Son Jesus Christ. Any o t h e r r e a d i n g i s a

misinterpretation.

Genesis 6:6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.

Other translations say, his heart was filled with pain

(NIRV), he was heartbroken (GW) and, it broke his heart

(NLT). This is a little surprising because we don’t expect an all-powerful

God to be emotionally involved with his creatures. Unless, of course, he’s also a heavenly Father who suffers deeply whenever his children go astray.

A friend of mine grew up in a good and godly home, and we went to the same school. He was normal in grade school, a little wild in middle school, but in high school he personified rebellion. He engaged in every form of destructive behavior until he disappeared. About a year later I saw his mother and was surprised by her appearance. She looked ten years older than the last time I


saw her. I shudder to think how many times I broke my parents’ hearts, not to mention my heavenly Father’s heart.

Genesis 6:7 So the Lord said, I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created . . . for I regret that I have made them.

The people God created turned out so badly that he had second thoughts. God is an all-powerful supreme being, complete in himself. But he’s also a rejected Father with all the attending emotions. God is a real person, with real feelings, and our behavior affects his feelings.

Genesis 6:9 Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.

The world was filled with wickedness, but Noah was an exception. He preferred to be in step with God, and out of step with the world, than to be in step with the world, and out of step with God. Noah didn’t care about the world’s approval nearly as much as God’s approval. Whether he had many friends or few, Noah would only have one best friend—the God who gave him life. So when God determined to judge the world with a flood, he commissioned Noah to build an ark in which he and his family would be saved.

Noah was also a preacher (2 Peter 2:5), so when people came to see the ark he likely gave them a sermon. We don’t have a record of his words, but he probably told the people to repent, since God isn’t wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), wrote Peter. This went on day after day, week after week, and year after year. But,

apart from his family, Noah never won a single convert. Ministry can be hard sometimes.

Genesis 6:15 The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.

Critics like to mock this story, but there are some interesting facts to support it. First, the ark was about four hundred fifty feet long, by seventy-five feet wide, by forty-five feet high. Imagine a building one and a half times the size of a football field, and four and a half stories high. It was a massive boat, but credible estimates show it was precisely the right size for the cargo.

Second, the ark was six times longer than it was wide. This is the same ratio that’s used by modern ship builders. Ships built to these proportions are extremely stable and almost impossible to capsize. And, as far as we know, the ark was the first of its kind. It was engineered by God, and the pattern is still used today.

Third, there are extra-biblical accounts supporting the idea of a catastrophic flood. The two most famous are the Atra-Hasis Epic and the Gilgamesh Epic. Both were written before the biblical account, which suggests the story was passed down orally from Noah and his family, to later generations, until it was written down by Moses around 1446 BC. There are differences between the stories, but the biblical account is the most plausible one by far.

Genesis 7:13 On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark.


By this time the ark was fully loaded, and the rain was coming down. Of all the people on earth, only eight were saved (1 Peter 3:20). This is meant to shock us because we can barely imagine God only saving eight people. What about Aunt Edna, Uncle Roy, and Cousin Pete? When it came to being saved most people missed the boat—just like today. [S]mall is the gate and narrow the road that

leads to life, and only a few find it (Matthew 7:13-14), said Jesus.

Like Noah and his family, Christians sense the approaching judgment of God and take action. As Noah and his family entered the ark, we enter into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ (John 5:24). We’re despised by many, but would rather be in the boat with Jesus, than in the world without him.


• Are people sinners by nature or by choice?

• How does God feel about the wicked?

• Why didn’t the people believe Noah?


>Lesson 7 Genesis 7:16 — Then the Lord shut him in.

As the rain was pouring down, we can imagine people changing their minds about Noah. For years they heard him preach, and watched his godly behavior. At any time they could’ve picked up a hammer, or a saw, and come over to his side. But it was easier to be part of the godless majority, than part of a godly minority.

We can a l so imagine people standing around the ark saying, We’re sorry Noah. Can you open the door? Can you please, please, open the door? But Noah couldn’t open the door because Noah didn’t close the door. The door had been closed by God.

And, as the water rose, we should imagine families on their housetops, and children asking their parents if they were going to die. We should imagine parents regretting their failure to raise their children for the Lord, and looking into their eyes with panic as they were being swept away.

This is so important, in fact, that Jesus used this story to teach about the end of the age. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;

and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:37-39), he said.

And, Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand

outside knocking and pleading, Sir, open the door for us. But

he will answer, I do not know you or where you come from (Luke 13:25). According to Jesus, there w i l l b e p e o p l e w h o planned to get in the

kingdom of God, but put it off until it was too late. Then

they’ll plead with God, but he will say, I do not know you.

A few other parallels ought to be noticed: Building the ark seemed foolish to those who’d perish, and the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Corinthians 1:18), wrote Paul. The ark was the only way to be saved, and there is no other name under heaven . . . by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12), said Peter. Those who heard Noah preach rejected the truth, and others perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved (2 Thessalonians 2:10), wrote Paul. Salvation in Noah’s day wasn’t completely different than it is today.


Genesis 8:20 Noah built an altar to the Lord [and] sacrificed burnt offerings on it. . . . a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Noah and his family were on the ark for three hundred seventy-eight days. Three hundred seventy-eight days in a floating zoo. Three hundred seventy-eight days with the same people. Three hundred seventy-eight days praying for the ark: Would it hold together? Did they use enough nails? Would it spring a leak?

Finally, the boat came to rest, the waters receded, and everyone got off. They were so happy, they probably kissed the dirt. Then they built an altar to worship God.

Hard times can make us thankful. When everything is wonderful, every single day, our appreciation begins to fade. But when God sends hardship, we learn how precious a normal day really is. Whenever the sun goes down on a normal day, we ought to thank God that we’re not in a flood. And if we are in a flood, we ought to thank God that he will get us through.

Genesis 9:3 Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

At first, God only allowed a vegetarian diet (Genesis 1:29) but, after the flood, he included meat. This is an important correction to false religious views that restrict the human diet. Whatever God has made should be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth (1 Timothy 4:3), wrote Paul.

A young lady attended a Bible study where she argued for the equal sacredness of all living things. She was a vegetarian by conviction, and even thought it was wrong to swat a mosquito. But, during the study, a bee crawled up her sleeve and, when it stung her, she killed it. And everyone saw what she did. False religions often confuse the created order. But the Bible makes sense of the world, and works in the world God created.

Genesis 9:13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

The next time Noah saw a cloud he might’ve become nervous, and the next time it rained he might’ve panicked. So God gave him the sign of a rainbow to assure him that he’d never destroy the earth with a flood again (Genesis 9:15). Whenever we see a rainbow, we should thank God for preserving the world throughout the ages.

Genesis 9:20-21 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.

This is a little surprising since Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God (Genesis 6:9), wrote Moses. Noah’s preaching (2 Peter 2:5), and his building the ark, also speak to his noble character. Noah should be seen as one of the godliest people in the history of the world. But he wasn’t perfect.

Life wasn’t easy, after the flood, and Noah sought comfort in wine. But too much wine leads to drunkenness, which may also lead to


immodesty. Noah may’ve disrobed because of the heat, or some other reason, but this story doesn’t reflect well on him.

Genesis 9:22-23 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.

Ham should’ve protected his father’s dignity by saying nothing at all. [L]ove covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8), wrote Peter. But, instead of keeping quiet, Ham broadcast his father’s indiscretion to his

brothers. They could’ve joined in the ridicule, but showed proper respect by covering their father’s shame. When Noah found out what happened, he blessed Shem and Japheth, and cursed the descendants of Ham (Genesis 9:24-27).

Other than Jesus Christ, there are no perfect people. Even righteous Noah had a moment of failure. We ought to keep this in mind when living with other sinners, and even for ourselves. Some sins need to be exposed, but most should be covered over. And, whenever we fail, we should take our sins to Jesus Christ, and be assured of his forgiveness (1 John 1:9).


• Why didn’t God save more people?

• What did Jesus think about this story?

• Are you surprised by Noah’s failure?


Documents

WEEK 1— Starting in Genesis