Friday, January 2
Genesis 3-5
PERSPECTIVE
Our reading today is Genesis 3-5 where we learn about cause. Being a realistic book, the Bible quickly moves from an account of creation to a definition of what causes chaos in our world. Simply, the answer is sin. Today’s reading traces the source of our woes back to mans initial rebellion and speaks of the Paradise lost. Also, the first murder is noted here with the resulting sorrows. Satan had now succeeded in separating man from God and man from each other. Our chapters end with the introduction of two godly men: Enoch and Noah.
ON THIS DAY
President Richard Nixon signed a bill on this day, in 1974, requiring states to limit highway speeds to a maximum of 55 miles per hour. This measure was meant to conserve energy during the crisis precipitated by the embargo imposed by the Arab oil-producing countries. A plan used by some states limited sales of gasoline on odd-numbered days for cars whose plates ended in odd numbers, and even-numbered days for even-numbered plates. Some states limited purchases to $2 to $3 per auto, and lines as long as six miles resulted in some locations. The embargo was lifted on March 13, 1974, five months after it started. The highway speed bill was necessary because mans selfish nature is such that he will not voluntarily limit his excesses. Our first parents’ sin unleashed all the selfishness and evil that now plagues our planet. It soon became apparent that laws restricting bad behavior would be necessary. Eating the forbidden fruit had far more consequences than Adam and Eve anticipated. God had emphatically told them to stay away from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but they refused to believe their loving Creator. Soon man’s sin multiplied, and Cain became the worlds first killer. The earth was plunged into a chaos that lasts to this very day. We read all about this is today’s Bible passages.
MESSAGE
Today’s reading, chapters 3-5, notes the pattern of sin and its consequences, set in the garden is replayed throughout Genesis in the accounts of Cain, the generation of the flood, and the men of Sodom. The fall means that we humans are predisposed to sin. Though God punishes sin, sin does not thwart Gods ultimate, gracious purpose for His human creation. Embedded in the curse was the gleam of a promise that the offspring of the woman would someday lead the human race to triumph. The consequences of sin became clear in the second generation when Cain, the oldest son, killed Abel his brother. Just as his parents had been expelled from the presence of God in the garden, so now Cain was expelled from human society to undertake a nomadic life in the east. However, embedded in the curse was the gleam of grace. The mark on Cain, symbolized God’s protection. Cain’s genealogy illustrates the tension between God’s blessing and spreading sin. Through the achievements of Cain’s descendants, humanity began to experience the blessing of dominion over creation. Progress in the arts and technology was, however, matched by progress in sin as illustrated in Lamech’s boastful song of murder. Meanwhile, God’s redemptive, creation mandate continued through another son of Adam and Eve—Seth. His genealogy led straight to Noah, to whom the original creation promises were reaffirmed.
LIFE LESSON
1. Sin takes foothold when we begin to question the goodness of God. Satan always tries to distort our image of God by questioning His nature (3:1-7).
LIFE LESSON
2. Sin brings shame and sorrow. Adam and Eve hide from God, the source of life and joy. Sin alienates us from God and those we love. (3:8-24).
LIFE LESSON
3. Sin is not only deadly but highly contagious infecting others. It isn’t long before Cain kills Abel bringing down more sorrow (4:1-12).
LIFE LESSON
4. Sin can be cured as we reach with determination for the warm hand of God. Enoch reached out to God and found a Friend like no other (5:21-24).