Genesis

17
May
2021

Cain’s Legacy: The Offspring Of The Serpent

offspring of the serpent

After Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden, God predicted that mankind would fall into one of two camps. They would either be the offspring of the serpent, or the offspring of the woman:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring;” (Gen. 3:15 ESV)

This divergence began when Cain murdered his brother, thereby choosing to carry out the will of his spiritual father, the devil. The serpent’s offspring are all those who oppose God. This is why Jesus called the Pharisees the offspring of the devil.

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44 ESV)

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Genesis
10
May
2021

Sin Is Crouching At The Door

Cain’s reaction

Bible students love to contemplate the unanswered questions of the Scriptures such as why God didn’t look favorably upon Cain’s offering. The author of Genesis (Moses) doesn’t dwell upon the offering, but instead upon Cain’s reaction to God’s rejection of it. 

Cain’s reaction is what God wants us to focus on. What was Cain’s reaction? 

“So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.” (Gen. 4:5 ESV)

What the Scriptures record here is the prelude to a murderous temper tantrum. Of course, God knew what kinds of terrible things Cain’s attitude could lead to and attempted to turn this situation into a teachable moment.

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Genesis
26
Apr
2021

The Real Reason God Rejected Cain’s Offering

Cain's Offering

Why is it that God rejected Cain’s offering, but found Abel’s offering acceptable?

“3 In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.” (Gen. 4:3–5 ESV)

The answer I was taught as a child in Sunday School was that Cain’s offering was inadequate because it wasn’t an animal. The idea underlying this is that for an offering to be acceptable to God it had to be a blood sacrifice.

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Genesis, Misconceptions, Worship
19
Apr
2021

Did God Turn Humans Into Snake Food?

eat dust

Not too long ago I heard an unusual teaching. A teacher called attention to God’s curse on the serpent:

“And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:” (Gen. 3:14 KJV) 

The teacher concluded that since mankind is made of dust (Gen 2:7), this was God’s way of stating that the serpent (Satan) would always be trying to devour and destroy mankind. 

This sounded intriguing. It called to mind something said in 1 Peter:

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Pet. 5:8 ESV)

After a few minutes of reflecting on this idea a couple of problems surfaced.

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Genesis
05
Apr
2021

Wearing The Sacrifice

Wearing the Sacrifice

Have you ever noticed that our first reaction after committing sin is to cover it up? It’s a universal response to violating accepted rules of behavior. This is true for adults as well as small children. When we do something wrong, we don’t want anyone else to notice.

“Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.” (Gen. 3:7 ESV)

When we do wrong, our natural inclination is to hide or eliminate the consequences. After Adam and Eve sinned their very first recorded act was an attempt to clothe themselves. It seems they felt an instinctive need to cover their nakedness. Clearly, there was a direct connection between their sin and their attempt to cover. 

They made loincloths of fig leaves which only covered their reproductive organs. As is always the case when humans try to “fix” their sins, their coverings were inadequate. God intervened and made alternative clothing for them. 

“Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” (Gen. 3:21 NKJV)

Why didn’t God just add more leaves?

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Atonement, Genesis