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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
July 22, 2007
The Spread of Sin
Genesis 4 & 5
Introduction
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Genesis. There may be some that are beginning to wonder if this series of messages is going to end up being an in-depth study of Genesis instead of the overview of the Bible. While an in depth study of Genesis is something I would like to do, I assure you that we are doing an overview of the message of the Bible. I could have spent many, many weeks on just Genesis 1 alone. The pace may seem slow at the moment only because it does take time to lay a solid foundation upon which the rest of the messages will be built. If the foundation is not firm, then whatever is built on top of it can lean or even fall.
The first foundation stone I laid was that it is completely reasonable to believe the Bible is a supernatural revelation from God to us. It claims to be so by men of proven integrity and backs up the claim with its accuracy about the physical world, history and prophecy. The Bible has never been proven wrong, but those making such claims have been proven wrong as further research uncovers more about our world and history. The prophecies are especially significant because only a supernatural being could foretell what would happen in the future with 100% accuracy. We can and should believe the Bible as our source of truth. (See sermon: Why Believe the Bible – 4/29/07)
The second foundation stone laid was the fact that God is the creator of all things and does what He says. We spent some extra time on this because the ideas of evolution have affected our society to such an extent that most people, even if they reject human evolution, still end up with erroneous ideas about God and become uncertain about whether the Bible is God’s revelation to us. (See Sermons: The Days of Creation – 6/24/07 and The Importance of Creation – 7/1/07). We also spent one week just talking about God’s nature so that we might understand Him properly and believe Him (See Sermon: The Nature of God – 5/20/07).
The third foundation stone was the fact that God created man in His own image and gave him specific responsibilities over Creation. The nature of man as being similar to and yet significantly different from the animals is directly related to this. God made man from the same material as the animals, the dust of the ground, and so there are a lot of physical similarities of design. At the same time God made man in His image (Genesis 1:26) so that man reflects God’s own abilities in being a rational, emotional and volitional being, and God’s own character in part in reflecting God’s moral attributes such as holiness, righteousness, love, goodness, kindness, justice, mercy, longsuffering, graciousness, etc.
God also gave man some specific responsibilities including not only being fruitful, multiplying and filling the earth, but also subduing the earth and ruling over the animals (Genesis 1:28). Man was to be God’s regent on earth. God would rule the earth through man. The first specific responsibility for Adam was to cultivate and keep the Garden of Eden which God had planted for him. God provided for Adam food from the fruit trees of the garden and then provided him a life companion in fashioning Eve from his side. The only restriction Adam had was to refrain from eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that was in the middle of the garden. (See Sermon: God Made Man – 7/15/07).
The fourth foundation stone was man’s failure to obey God resulting in sin and a sin nature that has plagued every human since. We talked about that last week. Satan spoke through the serpent and deceived Eve who then gave into the temptation and ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil which transgressed the command of God. She then gave to Adam who was with her and he also ate and sinned against God. The consequence was that they now did know evil by the experience of their own practice resulting in fear and shame so that they hid from God instead of welcoming His presence. Their sin also resulted in curses upon the serpent and all animals (3:14), the woman (3:16), the man and the earth (3:17-19). The serpent lost its high position and its legs so that it would crawl around in the dirt. The woman would have her pain in childbirth multiplied and her relationship with her husband was changed to one that included competition, contention and force instead of loving complimentary companionship. The earth would now grow thorns and thistles in the fields Adam was trying to grow his crops and Adam would now have to toil by the sweat of his face to have food. And finally, Adam, and all other living things would return to dust. Death entered among the living. God then drove man out of the Garden of Eden to protect man from eating of the Tree of Life and living forever in his sinful state. Adam & Eve would have to trust God to provide a way for their redemption and restoration to a proper relationship with God so that they would live with Him forever without sin. God had given them that hope in the midst of the curses, for there would be a child born of the seed of the woman that would crush the serpent’s head. A redeemer and savior would be born in the future. (See Sermon: Sin & Its Consequences – 7/8/07)
The foundation stones then are: 1) The Bible is God’s revelation. We can and should believe it to be true. 2) God is the creator and made everything just the way He said He did. 3) God made man in his image so that we would be a reflection of Him, and God gave man responsibilities to be His regent on earth in subduing it and ruling over it. 4) Man disobeyed God bringing sin and its curses upon himself so that he also does not fulfill his proper position and will physically die. Man is in desperate need of a savior. The rest of the Bible is the unfolding of God’s plan to redeem man from sin and restore him for the purpose for which he was originally created.
This morning as we study Genesis 4 & 5 we will see how desperate man is for a savior from sin and its effects which had spread so quickly. Adam and Eve do have children, but their joy and hope is turned to sorrow when Cain kills his brother Abel. Cain’s descendants, though very intelligent, follow in their father’s evil footsteps. Another son is born to Adam and Eve through whom God’s promise and hope will pass, but his descendants also display the curse of sin and death.
Cain & Abel (4:1-8)
Their Births (1-2) “Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with [the help of] the Lord.” 2 And again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.”
Now keep in mind that this was a new experience for Eve. There was no other woman around to tell her about what was going on in her body and what would happen when she gave birth. Her only indicators of that would be what she would have seen in the animals. When she did give birth her comment was that she had “gotten a man with the Lord.” The name “Cain” is a word play on that and means “gotten.” This may even indicate her hope that this child would be the fulfillment of God’s promise of a son that would “crush the serpent’s head” (3:15).
She next gave birth to Abel. His name means “breath,” “vapor” or “vanity.” Possibly by the time Abel came along she had already realized that Cain was not the promised redeemer and sin had subjected creation to vanity (Romans 8:20). Some have thought that Abel could have been a twin to Cain since there are no real time markers in the passage, however, his name would make little sense if he had been born so soon after Cain.
Abel became a keeper of flocks, a sheepherder, and Cain became a tiller of the ground, a farmer. Both would have been important skills to develop even so early in humanity. Farming was obviously important for food, and animals, though not yet used for food, would have been used for clothing. Remember that it was God that killed the first animals in order to make clothing, an atonement, for Adam and Eve out of the skins. They would have then kept that practice themselves in making clothes and possibly they had already been taught to use the animals as sacrifices in worship of God. That is certainly a reasonable speculation since we find that Abel does just that in verses 3-5.
Their Offerings (3-5) “So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. 4 And Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; 5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.”
We are not told here a specific reason that God had regard for Abel’s offering of a firstling of the flock but did not regard Cain’s offering of the fruit of the ground. We know from the instructions given to Moses that God does accept offerings of produce and in fact commands such offerings to be made for certain purposes, so the rejection of Cain’s offering was probably not because it was just fruit instead of an animal. Possibly God had already instructed Cain to make an animal sacrifice, but if that was true then it would have been sin for Cain to have offered the fruit, but God’s rebuke of him later only warns him about sin and not that he had already done so (vs. 7). What is clear is this passage is that Cain’s attitude was not right as demonstrated by his great anger when it became clear to him that God did not regard his offering. The proper response would have been contrition and seeking to correct whatever was done incorrectly. We know from Hebrews 11:4 that Abel’s sacrifice was better than Cain’s because it was offered in faith. God graciously intervenes and warns Cain in verses 6 & 7.
God’s Warning (6-7) “Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 “If you do well, will not [your countenance] be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
God did not regard Cain’s offering, but He had not rejected Cain. God’s questions to Cain here are rhetorical for God is omniscient and knew the answers. They are asked to prod Cain to think about what he was doing and why he was responding so poorly. God then encouraged him to do well, which would include changing his attitude, and then warned him about failure to do so for sin was nearby and after him. It was ready to pounce on him. He would have to master it.
This is the first use of the term “sin” and its description and remedy are significant. It is presented as an entity itself that is ready to attack because it desires to control. The remedy given is that the individual must master it and not let it control them. Recall from our discussion last week about temptation that it gives birth to sin when we are carried away by our own desires. That is true whether that be the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes or the boastful pride of life (1 John 2:15-17). We yield ourselves to sin because we are enticed by our own desires to subject ourselves to it in order to get what we want (see James 1:14-15). God tells Cain that he must protect himself from sin by mastering it which is done by doing well. In short, obedience to God protects us from sin.
It is not uncommon for people to accuse God of somehow being unfair as if He was in someway responsible for their emotions, decisions and actions. God made humans as rational, emotional and volitional creatures. We have the ability to make choices based on various factors of what we believe and how we feel. What we do or do not do is because of our own choices according to what we want. Here we find that Cain has a strong emotion of being very angry. God challenges him on his emotional response, encourages him to do well and warns him about failing because sin is seeking to control him and he must master it. What he does next is because he chooses to not do well and master sin and instead give himself over to his own desires and the sin that follows which then controlled him. When ever you sin it is because you chose to do what you desire instead of what God desires. You choose to let sin be your master because that agrees with what you want (See Romans 6).
Murder (8) “And Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”
Cain did not heed God’s instruction or warning resulting in the sin of the first murder. 1 John 2:11-12 tells us that Cain did not love his brother and was from the evil one and that he slew Abel because his deeds were evil while those of Abel were righteous. Jude 11 likens Cain to false teachers.
The initial sin of Adam & Eve in not obeying God’s command to refrain from eating of the fruit of one particular tree quickly expanded into unjustified anger, hatred and murder. There really is no such thing as a “small sin” for one sin leads to another and another which compound upon themselves and become more heinous.
Cain’s Punishment (4:9-15)
Sin cannot be hidden from God. God was aware of Abel’s murder and He confronts Cain with it in verse 9-12.
The Curse (9-12) “Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. 11 “And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 “When you cultivate the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you; you shall be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.”
Again, the question by God here is rhetorical and designed to give Cain the opportunity to confess. But Cain, like his parents before him, does not want to take the responsibility for what he had done, but unlike his parents, there was no one else around to blame, so he blatantly lies to God. Lying to God is one of the more stupid things people do, but it is commonly done because people do not really believe that God is as He says He is including being omniscient. God knows everything about everything and nothing can be hidden from Him. Cain even more foolishly goes beyond his lie and even denies any responsibility for his brother which is a challenge to God’s right to question him about it. The result was that God made a direct indictment and judgement of Cain for the murder of his brother.
Cain had been a farmer, but the ground would no longer cooperate with his efforts, so he would have to become a vagrant and wanderer. He would have find food by gathering it from where ever he could find it. He would have a meager existence.
God’s Mercy (13-15) “And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is too great to bear! 14 “Behold, Thou hast driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Thy face I shall be hidden, and I shall be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and it will come about that whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 So the Lord said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord appointed a sign for Cain, lest anyone finding him should slay him.”
Cain’s immediate response was that the punishment was too severe though the reality is that it was a merciful sentence for God could have required his life right then. Cain complains about not being able to farm and having to be a vagrant and wanderer. He also complains that God’s face would be hidden from him, and he worries that someone might kill him. God does not diminish the punishment, but He does address Cain’s concern and fear. As a vagrant and wanderer Cain would become a living example of the consequences of sin, as would his descendants.
Cain’s life was not taken from him allowing the possibility of a future repentance, though nothing indicates that he ever did. It would not be God that would hide from Cain, but Cain would hide from God. Even at present it is not God that hides from man, but man that refuses to seek Him. God invites, but man refuses the invitation. Hebrews 11:6 states, “And without faith it is impossible to please [Him], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Jesus gives many invitations to all come to him (Matthew 11:28; John 7:37; etc.), but the only ones that will come are those that the Father draws (John 6:44). The problem is not in the invitation nor in man’s volition, but rather it is in man’s selfish and sinful desires so that he absolutely will not come to God on his own. Romans 3:10-12 puts it succinctly, “There is none righteous, not even one; 11 There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; 12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”
God also addressed Cain’s final fear and placed on him some means by which he would be identified as under divine protection. The mark, whatever it was, would also be a sign of his shame. Who could have killed him? At that specific time, only Adam or Eve, but as time went forward there would be other brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews who may have sought revenge upon him for murdering Abel. To attack Cain would risk the sevenfold vengeance of God. That would not have been death, for you can only kill a person once, but some curse or curses that would have been seven times worse than what Cain was suffering.
Cain’s Descendants (4:16-24)
The First City (16-18) “Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 17 And Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son. 18 Now to Enoch was born Irad; and Irad became the father of Mehujael; and Mehujael became the father of Methushael; and Methushael became the father of Lamech.”
Cain immediately left and began his wandering in the land of Nod, which means “wandering,” but there is no time marker at what point he married and eventually established a city which he named after his first son, Enoch.
This brings up a couple of questions that often asked that I want to briefly answer. First, where did Cain get his wife? Genesis 5:4 tells us that Adam & Eve had other sons and daughters, so it would have been a sister or niece. Those are the only possibilities. Every woman on the planet during his life time would have been a sister or a descendant of a sister except for Eve, his mother.
Second, wouldn’t it have been wrong to marry so close a relative? No, for three reasons. First, there was no other possibility. Second, God gave no commands against it until the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 17). Third, there would have been no genetic defects in those first humans and therefore no genetic load of mutated chromosomes which are what cause the physical problems of closely interbred families.
Third, if Cain was a wanderer, how could he build a city? Understand first that the city was something Cain started but not something he built immediately or even continued to stay in. The city would have grown over time as his family expanded with increasing numbers of descendants, six generations of which are mentioned in rest of the chapter. The ground would not have been cursed for them nor were they cursed to be wanderers. They began the first recorded civilization, which advanced in technology, but continued to descend in sin. Understand as well though that forming a city would have been contrary to the command to “fill the earth” (1:28). They were remaining where they were in disobedience to that command.
Lamech (19-24)
Intelligent Sons (19-22) “And Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah. 20 And Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and [have] livestock. 21 And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.”
In these few verses we have a brief description of an expanded economy and technology. Jabal and his descendants became the keepers of livestock, the nomadic ranchers that would have supplied the necessary animal products to the city. That would have included skins for clothing and providing beasts of burden. Whether they had also disobeyed God’s instruction concerning their food source and were now also eating meat is unknown. His brother Jubal started the musical arts. The diversification of jobs within a city allowed him to developed musical instruments, which would have been hard to do if he was working in the fields all day. Their half-brother, Tubal-Cain, figured out metallurgy and started the metal tool industry. Notice that bronze and iron tools were invented simultaneously. These few verses also demonstrate that ancient man was extremely intelligent and probably more so than man at present as I have pointed out previously. But despite the increasing technology, the line of Cain continued to descend in sin as seen in Lamech’s actions and attitude.
Murder (23-24) “And Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, Listen to my voice, You wives of Lamech, Give heed to my speech, For I have killed a man for wounding me; And a boy for striking me; 24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
To begin with, Lamech was the first polygamist. He ignored the pattern God had set in Genesis 2 and had taken two wives. His motivation could have been his own physical lust (The names of his wives mean “ornament” and “shade”). It also could have been the desire for a large number of children which would have increased his wealth and power, or a combination of the two.
Second, Lamech was a killer and not adverse to murder. It is a little unclear in the text whether he had been wounded by a man and killed him in self defense and then also killed a young man or boy for hitting him, or if the references are to the same person. If so, then he killed a young man for bruising him. It could also be the boast of what he would do in the future if anyone tried to hurt him.
That brings up the third aspect of Lamech’s sins. He was an arrogant man who boasted he would exact his own revenge 11 times worse than what God would have done for Cain. He is making himself out to be more powerful than God. The line of Cain continued to descend into greater evil.
Seth (4:25-26)
Chapter 4 ends with hope for it goes back to Adam & Eve and the birth of another son which would be the godly line.
“And Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, [she said,] “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel; for Cain killed him.” 26 And to Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then [men] began to call upon the name of the Lord.”
Seth is the replacement of Cain and Abel in the line of inheritance and will be the line through whom the promised deliverer will come. This is emphasized by the fact that by the time Enosh is born this line is calling on the name of the Lord. They were appealing to God for mercy and grace.
The Descendants of Adam (5:1-32)
Chapter 5 is the genealogical record from Adam to Noah tracing the line of promise. It opens with a summary statement about the creation of man by God and then quickly flows into a pattern. The name of the father, how long he lived before the birth of the son through whom this line is traced (not necessarily the first born son – Seth is the third), how long he lived after that birth, that he had other sons and daughters, and the total length of his life. This information is condensed in the following charts.
Father Verses Son Birth After Total
Adam (1-5) Seth 130 800 930
Seth (6-8) Enosh 105 807 912
Enosh (9-11) Kenan 90 815 905
Kenan (12-14) Mahalalel 70 840 910
Mahalalel (15-17) Jared 65 830 895
Jared (18-20) Enoch 160 800 962
Enoch (21-24) Methuselah 65 300 365
Methuselah (25-27) Lamech 187 782 969
Lamech (28-31) Noah 182 595 777
Enoch __________ with God
The only other information added to this genealogy are two special notes. Once concerning Enoch and the other concerning Noah.
In verse 21-23 says of Enoch, “And Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. 22 Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had [other] sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”
Enoch is only one of two historical men that did not die. The other is Elijah. His life was marked by such a close relationship with God that our text says he “walked with God.” Jude quotes him as a prophet of future judgement saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” Our text also says that “he was not, for God took him.” Hebrews 11:5 explains this saying, “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.”
The only other person described as walking with God was Noah. Verse 29 says that his father named him Noah, which means “rest,” saying, “This one shall give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands [arising] from the ground which the Lord has cursed” (vs. 29). This was the hope the godly line clung to. Noah himself would not be the one that would give that rest, but there would be a descendant of his that would – Jesus.
One other thing about this genealogy that I did not point earlier is that every single section, with the exception of Enoch, ends with the same phrase, “and he died.” These men lived what we consider incredibly long lives and were links in the line of promise, but each one of them also bore the curse of sin and died. Sin spread through both the ungodly and the godly lines.
This genealogy of precedes God’s judgement through the flood which we will talk about next week. The descent into sin gets much worse. God is just and true to His word. Sin brings death, and yet even in the midst of utter wickedness, God preserves a remnant through which the hope of redemption will be fulfilled. Our only hope is in God Himself.
One final detail of this genealogy shows both of those characteristics. It is thought that Methuselah’s name means, “when he dies, it shall be sent.” If this genealogy is charted we find that indeed, the year that Methuselah dies, the judgement of God is sent as seen below, yet God’s grace is poured out on Noah who becomes the connections between the pre-flood world and the post-flood world we live in today.
Sermon Notes – July 15, 2007
Sin & Its Consequences – Genesis 3
Introduction
1) It is ___________________ to believe the Bible as the source of truth
2) God is the creator of all things and does ____________________
3) God created man in His own image, so man is also rational, emotional and ________________
4) Man ______________ God resulting in ________________________
Cain & Abel (4:1-8)
Their Births (1-2)
Cain means __________________ Abel means __________________
Their Offerings (3-5)
Abel offered ________________ Cain offered _________________
God’s Warning (6-7)
Sin desires to _____________ You must __________ it
We sin because we __________ instead of what God _____________.
We choose to sin because it agrees with our _____________________
Murder (8)
Cain’s Punishment (4:9-15)
The Curse (9-12)
Cain because beyond a direct lie and denies ____________________
God’s Mercy (13-15)
God spares Cain’s life which gives him a future chance to __________________
God invites (Heb. 11:6; Matt. _______; John 7:37, but man _________________ Romans 3:10-12
Cain’s Descendants (4:16-24)
The First City (26-18)
Cain’s wife is either a ____________ or a _____________. There was no other possibility
There was no ________________ against it. There were no genetic _____________ to make it harmful
Lamech (19-24)
Intelligent Sons (19-22)
Jubal invented ______________________________
Tubal-Cain invented _________________________
Murder
Among Lamech’s evils are ________________, murder and _______________
Seth (4:25-26)
Men call on the Lord because they need His _______________________________
The Descendants of Adam (5:1-32)
Father Verses Son Birth After Total
Adam (1-5) Seth 130 800 930 and he __________
Seth (6-8) Enosh 105 807 912 and he __________
Enosh (9-11) Kenan 90 815 905 and he __________
Kenan (12-14) Mahalalel 70 840 910 and he __________
Mahalalel (15-17) Jared 65 830 895 and he __________
Jared (18-20) Enoch 160 800 962 and he __________
Enoch (21-24) Methuselah 65 300 365 and he ______ for God __________
Methuselah (25-27) Lamech 187 782 969 and he __________
Lamech (28-31) Noah 182 595 777 and he __________
Enoch __________ with God
Noah means “___________” One of descendants would fulfill the prophecy
Methuselah mean s ___________________. He died the same year as ___________________
KIDS CORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help.
Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up later. 2) Count how many times “sin “is mentioned in the sermon. Talk with your parents how you can learn to “master” sin.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. What is the importance of believing each of the following: A) The Bible is God’s revelation to man and is true. B) God is the creator of all things and does what He says. C) God created man in God’s image and gave him responsibilities. D) Adam & Eve disobeyed God and brought all mankind into sin. What responsibilities did God give to Adam? What was Eve’s hope when Cain was born? Why was it important to be a keeper of animals if all your food came from plants? What was the difference between Abel’s offering and Cain’s offering? What are some of the possible reasons God did not regard Cain’s offering? How did God deal with Cain’s anger? Why didn’t Cain heed God’s warning? Why don’t you always heed God’s warnings? Why did Cain kill Abel? Why did Cain lie to God and deny responsibility? Why do people sin? Explain. Was Cain’s punishment too severe? Why or why not? How did God show mercy to Cain? What were the benefits in establishing a city? Why was it wrong? How does ancient man compare in intelligence with modern man? Explain. What were Lamech’s evils? What is the importance of Seth’s line of descendants? Both Lamech (Cain’s line) and Enoch (Seth’s line) were seven generations from Adam. Compare their characters. What are some possible reasons that man lived so long prior to the flood (Average life span was 912 years)? What happened to Enoch? What does the rest of the Bible say about him? Who fulfilled the prophecy in Genesis 5:29? What is significant about the possible meaning of Methuselah’s name? Plot out a time chart of Genesis 5. What does this reveal to you? `What does Genesis 4 & 5 tell you about mankind’s need for a savior.
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