Walked With God

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

WALKED WITH GOD

Gen 5:1-32

5:1 This is the written account of Adam's line.

When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them "man."

3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5 Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died. 6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. 7 And after he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Altogether, Seth lived 912 years, and then he died. 9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 10 And after he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 Altogether, Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died. 12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13, And after he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 Altogether, Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died. 15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 16 And after he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17 Altogether, Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died. 18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 19 And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died. 21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. 25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26 And after he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 Altogether, Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died. 28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29 He named him Noah and said, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed." 30 After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 Altogether, Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died. 32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

NIV

We have the genealogy from Adam to Noah, and if we add up the ages of each father when their son was born, in that line, the total is 1,056 years. There are a few interesting facts. Many of the sons in that line were born early in their fathers' lives. We also have Noah's grandfather, Methuselah, who is the longest-lived man on record at 969 years. This would have meant that he met his death in the flood, as he would have been alive the whole time Noah was building the Ark. However, the most interesting event within this lineage from Adam to Noah is in the life of Enoch, the father of Methuselah. We know from the next chapters in the life of man that God was not pleased or grieved that he had made man because every inclination of their hearts was bent toward evil all the time. Yet, during the life of Enoch, we are told he walked with God. The result of walking with God did shorten his life span, but in the most glorious way, as God took him away. How wonderful that must have been to just resurrect up into heaven to be with God, right in the prime of life, as he was only 365 years old, especially when his son was the longest living man to ever live. Here, we are given a clue to God's mind and to how we should respond to his thoughts. Every person has a personal choice to make: either to let the thoughts of their heart be bent toward evil all the time or to walk with God. We know what happened in the world after Noah was instructed by God to build the Ark, and all the rest of mankind perished. Another perishing is going to happen, but not to those who are like Enoch and walk with God. The question that is before us is, what does it mean to walk with God? We sing those words, He walks with me, talks with me, and calls tells me that I am his own. Yet that does seem in reverse order, saying that God walks with me,  when instead we should be walking with him, because that means he is the one leading the way. When we walk with God, someday he will take us away. 

By Divine Plan

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

THE DIVINE PLAN

Gen 4:19-26

19 Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute. 22 Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah. 23 Lamech said to his wives,

"Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. 24 If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times."

25 Adam lay with 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." 26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.

NIV

This is a strange poem of sorts that Lamach tells his two wives. This is also the first record of polygamy, a practice against the natural order of God. In Fact, unless one man and one woman live in holy matrimony, any other arrangement or living condition is outside the natural order of God. This brings to mind that those called to serve as overseers must be the husband of one wife, which may preclude single men from being called to that position. However, back to the point. Lamech was the fourth generation from Cain, and because Cain was protected by the mark of God against being killed, Lamech wanted his wives to be assured they had nothing to fear from revenge against the descendants of Cain. But the important part of this narrative goes back to Adam and Eve and the birth of Seth, and at that time, men began to call on the name of the LORD. We know that Seth was to be Adam's son by divine design. Seth fathered Enosh, who became the father of Kenan, who became the father of Mahalalee, who became the father of Jared, who became the father of Enoch, who became the father of Methuselah, who became the father of Lamech (the second), who became the father of Noah. All this is by divine order: Noah was in the line of Seth, the only line that survived the flood, meaning God knew from the beginning that Jesus would come through that line. We come right back to God's perfect plan. This should give us cause to put our complete uninhibited trust in the plan of God for our lives, as we continue to call upon the name of the Lord.

 

In or Out

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

IN OR OUT

Gen 4:17-22

17 Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech. 19 Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute. 22 Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah.

NIV

Now the back story about Adam and Eve is coming to light. It is clear that all the people who lived in Nod, where Cain went after he was cast out of the presence of God, were in his family. That is not to say they were all his brothers or sisters, as we know Adam was one hundred and thirty when Seth was born, but how many children had they had before Cain was born, and how many years difference were there between Cain and Abel, and how many children were born between them. Some of them were adults, left home, obviously mated, had children that could have grown up to mate and have children, and so on, so that there could have been hundreds, if not more, by the time Cain arrived in Nod. Again, as we check with our scholars of old, there are as many opinions as there are scholars, for that is all we are left with: an opinion. Nevertheless, we see the beginning of the line of Cain. We have to remember that none of the descendants of Cain live on due to the destruction of all mankind, with the exception of Noah, his wife, Ham, Shem, and Japheth, and their wives. Ham became the forefather of the Canaanites and other nations. But the point is that Cain found a wife and began a family, with a son named Enoch, who, although he is not recorded until the next chapter, was the father of Methuselah, the grandfather of Noah. What we know from this account is that this group of people lived outside the presence of God, or at least God hid his presence from Cain, and so all the rest who lived in Nod did not know the presence of God and became the evil-filled people that God grieved that he had made man on earth. These were all those who died in the flood. We learn it is always good to live in the presence of the LORD. He will not hide himself again, but people can attempt to hide from him, or at least refuse his presence in their lives, trying to live according to their own pleasures, or in a sense, their own will. We, believers, have left our will at the foot of Jesus, submitting it to the Lord, for we know the only way to life is in Jesus according to the will of God. Cain represents mankind who lives outside the will of God; all believers represent those who live within the will of God, or at least should be living within his will.  Those who live outside his will eventually will be cast out, while those who live within his will eventually will be ushered into his rest. It comes down to being in or out. 

His Presence

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

HIS PRESENCE

Gen 4:13-16

13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." 15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

NIV

No one has any idea what this mark was that the LORD put on him, although, as many theologians of old there are, there are just as many different ideas. However, there is something else here which strikes a chord with us. We notice that Cain was concerned because he was going to be driven from his homeland, and hiden from the presence of the LORD, that is, he would no longer be part of his family, or his family's worship of the LORD. Of course, he already disobeyed the LORD by killing his brother Abel. Nevertheless, now to be banished from his family was more than he could bear. Interestingly, the verbiage is very similar to what Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica about those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power. This was the judgment of Cain: to be shut out, hidden from the presence of the LORD. Yet the Psalmist asked, "Where can I flee from the Lord's presence?" If he went up to heaven, God is there; if he went to the depths, God is there; nothing would hide him from the presence of the LORD. Yet Cain was shut out, banished from the presence of God.  We are and will for the rest of this life be grateful that for Jesus, and that we have been accepted, adopted as a child of God. We are assured we will always be in his presence. Just as the LORD put some kind of mark on Cain, he has marked us with the Holy Spirit. Just as no one would be able to kill Cain because of that mark, no one can kill us because of the Spirit. Yes, our bodies may be destroyed somehow, killed, or simply die in some manner, but we will never die, because we have the Spirit of God dwelling within, and Jesus promised that although we die, we will live. Cain went to the land of Nod and found a wife, whom we will get to next, and there again, much has been said about who those people in Nod were. But for now, let us live in the wonderful presence of our Lord, giving him all the praise and honor he is due for his great love and compassion toward us in the person of Jesus Christ, who paid the price for us, and brought us back from the land of banishment, the land of darkness, into his wonderful light and his presence. 

Anger's Answer

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

ANGER'S ANSWER

Gen 4:8-12

8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?" 10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."

NIV

Just as a side note, we have discovered that this request of Cain, "let's go out to the field," does not appear in the original text; rather, it says, "Cain talked to his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and slew him. Not that it is important to the truth in this narrative, just interesting. The fact still remains that the attitude of anger became action. Cain was so upset and angry,  first at God because his offering was not respected as Abel's was, then his anger turned toward his own flesh and blood, his brother. Although Cain did not have the teachings of Jesus, as we do, when he quoted one of the Ten Commandments, "Do not murder," but then went on to teach that anyone who is angry with his brother is subject to the same judgement as a murderer. After this horrible act by Cain, God asks a similar question that he asked Adam and Eve after hiding. "Where is your brother, Abel?" God knew exactly where Abel was, but he was giving Cain the opportunity to confess his sin and seek forgiveness. But just like Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent, Cain's answer was evasive, actually a lie, "I don't know". But then made matters worse with what appears to be a question: "Am I my brother's keeper?" Why always some excuse, which caused him to be judged and to be under a curse, being driven from his home. His chosen field of endeavor, farming, was taken from him, as the ground would no longer yield its crops for Cain. It would have been far better for Cain, first, not to allow anger to master him, second, not to allow his anger to become action,  but even then, he could have repented, although he did not, so we do not know how God would have dealt with his repenting heart. We should note that we are never allowed to adopt an angry attitude or become angry because we think someone offended us. Just because we are believers and under the grace of God does not mean we are free to disregard the teachings of Jesus, that anger is under the same judgment as murder. If we follow Jesus, we would learn from him and be people who are gentle and humble of heart, which would preclude ever becoming angry, and instead listen to anger's answer. 

The Path Outward

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

THE PATH OUTWARD 

Gen 4:1-7

:1 Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man." 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

NIV

This was a time of joy, for now Adam and Eve had become parents. Their firstborn was a son, and not long after, a second son. This should have been a great time in the lives of that first family, but that joy would soon be turned to sorrow, as we know what happened. But that is next; for now, let us consider what was going on in the mind of Cain. The reason for this look into the mind of Cain is that we are told the Lord did not look with favor on his offering of some of the fruits of the soil. However, the LORD did look with favor on Abel because his offering was from the firstborn of his flock. Cain did not bring the first fruits, just some fruit, and we believe that was the major problem with his offering. Can we say that God was not interested in some of, but wanted the first of? However, because Cain did not receive favor from God, or the respect of his offering, his countenance fell, he became downcast, angry, most likely at God first, but then his anger turned toward his brother Abel. This is why God asked Cain about his anger. If he had brought what was right, the first fruits of the land all would have been right. This anger was sin crouching at the door of his heart. He could have turned that rebuke, or correction of the LORD, into doing what was right, but he refused correction, and as we know what happened next, he did not make an effort to master his anger, but allowed it to master him. Perhaps that is our lesson from this narrative. What sinful attitude or behavior do we allow to master us? Is there an attitude that we enjoy too much to even try to master it? Is there a behavior we enjoy too much, even if it is not pleasing to the Lord, that we do not want to even make an effort to master? However, even if we try to look good, keep that façade in place, so others think we are a "Good Christian", we might harbor an attitude that we enjoy too much to take any correction, rebuke, or teaching from the Lord about it. Could we be guilty of thinking, "My will" instead of "His will"? That could have been Cain's problem, as he was more concerned about himself and what he wanted to give, rather than asking the LORD what he should give. Although we know that we have Jesus and a way back in, Cain allowed his anger to lead him down the path outward. 

 

A Way Back In

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

A WAY BACK IN

Gen 3:20-24

20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 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.

NIV

Well, well, they got kicked out of the paradise of God because they did not listen, pay attention, believe, or obey the word of God about that tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The word used is banished, as the Hebrew word means sent away, or the man was kicked out of the garden of Edon. He was sent out to work the ground from which he was taken. Now Adam had to labor for his food, which was once just there for the taking. And if being sent out, kicked out, or driven out, God placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim, some kind of angelic being, together with a flaming, flashing sword going back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. Therefore, Adam and Eve no longer had the option of eternal life; they were going to die because of their sin. This case of Adam and Eve was sad, but at the same time, it gives the rest of mankind an example of God's justice: that he is always faithful to his word. He told them that if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would die, and that is exactly what happened to them. Knowing what happened, we should make sure that we listen, pay attention, believe, and obey the word of the Lord. God's justice will always prevail; His will is always going to be accomplished. However, he has also provided a way back into his paradise. It may not be the exact same Garden of Eden; in fact, it won't be, but Jesus has prepared a new paradise, and by his coming to earth to pay the penalty for our sins, or our not paying attention, not obeying the word of God. In a sense, we have a way back into the Garden of Eden, and it is not through some effort or payment of ours, for Jesus made the effort and the payment so that we can now eat from the tree of life. Jesus made so many references to him being the life. He is the vine, and we are the branches. The only way for the branch to live and bear fruit is when it is connected to or lives in the vine. He is the only way, the only truth, and the only way to life. We are told in the letter to the church that he or whoever overcomes will be given the right to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. We are also told in that same revelation that was given to John that running down the center of the great new city of God is a river with on each side is the tree of life bearing twelve crops of fruit every month and that those who are blessed are those who washed their robes, that they may have the right from

            

the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. We have been washed in the blood of the Lamb, and so we may enter into the paradise of God and eat from the tree of life, for Jesus made a way back in.