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PGA Chaplain Bible Studies

An Overview of the bible – Study 2 Genesis Chapters 4 to 11.

Genesis Chapters 1 to 11 is the first section of the bible. In our first study on Chapters 1 to 3 we looked at the major themes that the bible introduces including the existence of God, creation, the unique place of human life, the special place of the Garden where God’s blessing and presence was found, the command to obey and trust God, the failure of this and judgment that follows and the breakdown of all relationships between God, people and the world.

We noted the love and mercy of God to continue to work with his fallen creation and how the rest of the bible tells the story of God rescuing his people and restoring life and hope.

In Genesis Chapters 4 to 11 we see how life develops from its early beginnings from Adam and Eve through their children to the emergence of families and nations. This overview includes an assessment on what humanity is like in these chapters.
There are common questions from these chapters like;

• Where did Cain’s wife come? Who are the Sons of God mentioned in Genesis Ch 6?
• What about evolution? These questions are for further study another time.

Apart from passages that reflect on human behaviour, the rest of the readings in Genesis Chapters 4 to 11 concerns families and genealogies and how nations emerged.

If we were to ask people today whether human beings are basically good or evil you would get different responses. Consider these two extremes:

1. “Humanity is the spark of the absolute spirit, inherently immortal, ethically good or at least morally neutral and destined by evolution to self perfection to complete union with the divine.”
   
   
2. “Humanity is what he eats, a being unto death, a useless passion.”

What we see in Adam and Eve and how they blamed others for their own mistakes in the garden we see in their children as sin and brokenness spreads throughout their family.

In Genesis Chapter 4 we see how Cain kills his brother out of jealousy. We see similar actions in the unusual people called the sons of God in Genesis Chapter 6. We have the story of Noah and the flood and God’s grief at the violence of humanity and this section finishes with the story of the attempt of a society to build to tower up to God in Chapter 11.

There is a pattern in these stories listed below. Take some time to read these.

People               Sin                 God’s word          Punishment                     God’s mercy.
Adam, Eve        3:6-7              2:15-17                3:16-19                             3:21
Cain                    4:8                  4:9-12               4:11-14                             4:15
Sons of God     6:1-4              6:5-7                    6:7                                     6:8
World                6:11               6:12-14               6:15-7:24                          8:20-22
Babel                 11:1-4           11:5-7                 11:8-9                                 ? ? ?

Genesis Chapter 8: verses 20 to 22 sums up what human being are like in these chapters.

This is not to say we are not capable of being good and that there are not exceptions such as Noah. There may be countless good people in our eyes, but according to the truth of the bible measured by God’s standards there is none. So we need to acknowledge that our most basic tendencies are towards evil and selfishness. We continue to bear God’s image and likeness but we have no ability to find favour with God by our goodness. God’s standards are higher than ours and it is God we are accountable to.

The rest of the bible has a similar view of humanity to Genesis chapters 4 to 11. You can read of this in Psalm 14: verses1-3, Jesus’ view of humanity in John Chapter 2 verses 23 to 25 and Romans Chapter 3 verses 9 to 20.

Noah is an example of a person who followed God in spite of the world. It is only the mercy of God that gives us hope in these chapters. Humanity is evil but not a useless passion however because God has not given up on us. We are out of favour with God, destined to die with no hope because of our sin. This understanding and acceptance of what humanity is like is necessary to appreciate the meaning of Jesus’ coming, his death and rising again. Jesus is the exception that makes it possible for a new beginning. It is the great mercy and love of God for the people he created that gives hope.
Jesus came into the world to deal with our sin and give new life. New birth is possible through Jesus. You might like to finish this study with a reading of Romans Chapter 3: verses 21 to 26 in the New Testament.

In Genesis Chapter 12 the bible takes us on new direction based on certain promises that God gave to Abram, later known as Abraham. Our next study will cover Genesis Chapters 12 to 50

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