Genesis, "the book of beginnings." One
of the biggest controversies between religious scholars, scientist
and archaeologist, is how the earth was formed and how old it is.
Many religious scholars believe that the earth was created 6,000
years ago, contradicting proof of a dinosaur or Stone Age millions
of years old. On the other hand many scientist and archaeologist
believe in millions of years of evolution forming the world on it's
own, leaving out the possibility of creation
Genesis 1
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and
the earth. God created the
heaven and the earth. "Period." There is a big gap in time between
verse one and verse two of Genesis. This is speaking of when God
laid the foundation of the world. (Romans
1:20, Hebrews
1:10), "Themelios" in the Greek.
It is said through studies of the
original transcripts, that God destroyed this first earth age or
dispensation of time. This destruction was because of Satan's
rebellion. (Katabole in the Greek language). This was when Satan was
one of the anointed cherub that guarded the mercy seat of God. (Ezekiel
28:14-15), Satan didn't want to serve God, he wanted to be like
God. (Isaiah
14:12-14). Satan drew one third of the angels of God to follow
him, so God destroyed the first earth age. How do we know it was one
third of the angels? The book of Revelation tells us of a time in
the end when there will be a war in heaven and Satan and his angels
will be cast down to earth. (Revelation
12:3-9). The earth becomes void: And
the earth was without form, and void; and the darkness was upon the
face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the
waters. (Genesis
1:2) In
the Hebrew manuscripts it is stated in (Genesis
1:2), that the earth was not created void, but became void.
(Tohu va bohu), in the Hebrew language, meaning void and desolate.
For
this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the
heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in
the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with
water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by
the same Word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day
of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (II
Peter 3:5-7) This is not talking of Noah's
flood (a territorial flood), but of the firmament flood that by the
hand of God destroyed the first earth age or dispensation of time. For
my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish
children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do
evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. (Jeremiah
4:22), The children are a
little stupid and wise to do evil. I
beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the
heavens, and they had no light. (Jeremiah
4:23), Again, became
void,
Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Again, the earth was not created void, it became void by the hand of God when He destroyed the "first earth age" (or dispensation of time). Keep in mind that the earth was millions of years old at this time. (Giving us a large gap of time between verse one and verse two of Genesis).
Gen 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. This would be the beginning of the "second earth age" (or dispensation of time), that we live in now. That same earth age mentioned in (II Peter 3:7), that is kept in store for judgment day. (Read our newsletter study topic titled "Three Earth Ages" and appendix #146 "The foundation of the world" for a better understanding). Not only the shinning light of earth was upon us, but the spiritual light of Christ and the Holy Spirit would be upon us. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6), We are the children of that light to bring the truth to others. (1 Peter 2:9, Ephesians 5:8).
Gen 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. God saw that the light was good and separated it from the darkness. The light is sweet to enjoy the good times. (Christ is our Spiritual light that keeps us going). We are children of the light. (1 Thessalonians 5:5).
Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. The word "day" may refer to a prolonged period of time when used without any qualifying words. (2 Peter 3:8), A day to the Lord is like a thousand years to man.
Gen 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. This word "firmament" is "raqiya" Strong's H7549, meaning visible arch of the sky; we could call it the atmosphere.
Gen 1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. The firmament separates the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. (Proverbs 8:28-29).
Gen 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. God called this firmament space Heaven "shamayim shameh" Strong's H8064 meaning to be lofty or the sky. (It was the second day in time). Again, a day to the Lord is like a thousand years to man.
Gen 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. Separating the waters from the land. (Psalm 95:5).
Gen 1:10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. God called the dry ground land or earth and the waters the sea.
Gen 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. God created the grass, every seed bearing herb, and the trees that grow seed bearing fruit to sprout with vegetation upon the land.
Gen 1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. The land produced vegetation of all sorts of seed bearing plants and trees bearing fruit. The seeds produced plants, herbs and trees of the same kind, and God saw that it was good. (All good, not just what man thinks is good).
Gen 1:13 And the evening and the morning were the third day. The evening passed and the morning came, making it the third day.
Gen 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: God created the lights in the sky (sun, moon, and stars), to separate day and night, and the seasons of the year. What about for signs of things to come? (Jeremiah 10:2), the heathen are afraid of the signs, but the wise believer takes them to heart. God does not tell us exactly when the end times will come (no one knows this), but He does give us signs of the times. (Ezekiel 32:7-8, Joel 2:10, 2:30-31, Amos 8:9, Matthew 2:2, 24:29, Luke 21:25-26, Acts 2:19-20, Revelation 6:12, 8:12).
Gen 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. The lights in the sky were created to shine down on the earth. (Just as Christ is our light that shines down upon us through the Holy Spirit).
Gen 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. God made two great lights, the sun to govern the day, and the moon to govern the night. He also made the stars. (1 Corinthians 15:41), The sun, the moon, and the stars are all different from each other, just as we are. (You are unique in your own way, even though we have the same terrestrial bodies). There will be a time when the sun and moon will not be needed. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. (Revelation 21:23), "The Shekinah Glory." Jesus would say... "I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD." (John 12:46).
Gen 1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, God set the lights in the sky to light the earth. Just as we are to be the light of the world to the unbeliever. (Isaiah 49:6, Matthew 5:14-16, Acts 13:47).
Gen 1:18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. To govern and separate the light from darkness. We can also say that Christ can govern and rule over us through the Holy Spirit, separating the light (our happiness), from the darkness (misery, death and ignorance), in our lives.
Gen 1:19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. The evening passed and the morning came, making it the fourth day.
Gen 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. Let the waters swarm with fish and other life; and let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.
Gen 1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. He created the whales and great sea creatures of every kind, along with every sort of sea-bird producing offspring of the same kind.
Gen 1:22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. God blessed all these creatures saying; "Be fruitful and multiply on the earth."
Gen 1:23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. The evening passed and the morning came, making it the fifth day.
Gen 1:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. Cattle, denotes domestic animals living on vegetables; - Beasts of the earth, wild animals; especially such as live on flesh; and - Creeping things, reptiles; or all the different genera of serpents, worms, and such animals as have no feet.
Gen 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, small animals, and creeping things to produce offspring of the same kind. (It was all good). "No work of evolution here." Back in 1831, Charles Darwin (a 22 year old British naturalist), suggest that life was produced from chance random mutations. But the more science advances, the more difficult it becomes to hold these theories. (A monkey is still a monkey, a dog is still a dog, a frog is still a frog). Science of today points to intelligent design; "It points to a Designer."
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. "lets stop right here for moment." Take the word "man" Hebrew Strong's H120 "adam" (no article here), human being or the species mankind. (The name here is intended to designate the species mankind). Take the word "image" Hebrew Strong's H6754 "tselem" meaning resemblance. (In the likeness "dmuth" H1823 model, shape or fashion, of God and the angels, or the Triune God (1 John 5:7), the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit). Now lets read this verse again as translated: "Let us make mankind (human beings), in Our image to be like Us." (Genesis 9:6, Acts 17:28, Colossians 1:15). God created mankind (all the races), to reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals, the domestic animals, and small animals that scurry along the ground. (Genesis 9:2-3).
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. God created mankind (human beings of all races) in His own image; He created both male and female. (Isaiah 43:7, Matthew 19:4, Mark 10:6). The schools want to teach that all mankind and races came from Adam and Eve (which is physically impossible), but even worse, they want you to believe that we are descended from apes. (An ape still looks like an ape since the beginning of time). The bible tells us that we are made in God's image. So, forget the evolution nonsense and treat people as God's creation, don't treat them like animals.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. God blessed them (all the races that He created), and told them to be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern over it. (Take care of the earth). "We are not doing very well with this today."
Gen 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. God gave mankind every seed-bearing plant, herb, and fruit tree for food. (Psalm 136:25, Acts 14:17), However, "No flesh to eat till after Noah's flood." (Genesis 9:3).
Gen 1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. God gave the the animals and birds etc., every green plant for food. (Psalm 104:14, 147:9).
Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. God looked over all He had made and saw that it was good! The evening passed and the morning came, making it the sixth day. (Unlike the other five days of creation, six is the number of man), (See appendix 10). So, there we have it. "God created mankind and all the races on the sixth day." (Not your everyday Sunday school teaching). Do not be deceived! Listen to God's Word, not tradition of men.
Genesis 2
Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. The heavens and the earth: "Which are now." (2 Peter 3:7).
Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. God finished His work of creation and rested from all His work. Ended His work on the seventh day and rested from all His work. (God rested from achievement, man rests from fatigue).
Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy. "The Sabbath day." (Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy 5:12-15), the Sabbath was specifically for the nation (children) of Israel. (Exodus 31:12-17). The Gentile church adopted Sunday as their day of worship (1 Corinthians 16:2), in honor of the resurrection of Christ. However, in (1 Corinthians 5:6-8), Christ became our Passover "The High Sabbath." Christ said it best in the book of Mark. And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: (Mark 2:27), The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. (Sabbath simple means rest). Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. (Mark 2:28), Christ is Lord of the Sabbath (rest). He is our true rest. (i.e. worship on the day you wish; we worship every day at the Good News Ministry).
Gen 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, Generations here is "family history." We make a transition from one section to the next in association to the main character. (God = elohiym, to Lord God = yhovah). The history from the overthrow to this earth age. (Refer to: Study topic "Three Earth Ages").
Gen 2:5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. Neither wild plants or grains were growing on the earth at this time, because the Lord God had not yet sent the rain to water the earth. God made the hunter in (Genesis 1:26-28), but He did not make the farmer yet. (He realized that there was no man to till the ground). As stated in Genesis 2:6, there was a mist that came up from the earth to water the face of the ground. Now we have mankind when God created all the races. The hunters and fishers who had dominion over the animals of the earth. (Genesis 1:27-28) We will find that God formed thee man Adam (Eth-Ha-Adam), from the dust of the ground to till the ground.
Gen 2:6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. The vegetation was watered by a mist that came up from the ground that watered the land. (No rain, no farmer, to till the ground).
Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. (Isaiah 64:8), as a potter. Man here in the Hebrew is 'eth-'ha'adham, with article "thee man Adam." (See appendix 14). Breath = Hebrew for "neshamah" breath of life. (See appendix 16, 17). "Nephesh" = soul. (See appendix 13). 'Eth-Ha'Adham is part of the eighth day creation or formation if you will." We will see this is the Adam (Eth-Ha-Adham), from the garden of Eden, whom Eve would come and be the mother of all living, in that Christ (the second Adam) would come through her. Believing in Christ is what makes us all part of the same family as Christians. Not that we all come from Adam and Eve. (That would be genetically impossible). Not to mention that it doesn’t make sense. When it doesn’t make sense, it usually isn’t true. Remember that God created all the races on the sixth day. Adam and Eve were part of the eighth day formation. (God created one set of people and formed the next). Read our newsletter study topic titled: "This man Adam."
Gen 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. The Lord God planted the garden of Eden, and this is where He placed the man He created. This man was Adam (eth-ha-adham). "Thee man Adam."
Gen 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The Lord God created all the beautiful trees that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden He placed the "Tree of Life" or "Bread of Life (Genesis 3:22, Proverbs 11:30, John 6:48,51, 53, Revelation 2:7, 22:2, 22:14), and the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2:17, 3:3).
Gen 2:10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. Eden denotes pleasure or delight; but was certainly the name of a place, and was, most probably, situated in Armenia, near the sources of the great rivers Euphrates, Tigris, Phasis, and Araxes. (Psalm 46:4, Revelation 22:1).
Gen 2:11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; Pison = the river west of the Euphrates. Havilah = the region of sand (1 Samuel 15:7).
Gen 2:12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. Bdellium is a transparent aromatic gum. (Numbers 11:7). The onyx is a precious stone, so called from a Greek word signifying a man's nail, to the color of which it nearly approaches. (Ezekiel 28:13).
Gen 2:13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. Gihon: The Araxes, which runs into the Caspian sea. Ethiopia: Heb. Cush, The country of the ancient Cussaei.
Gen 2:14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. Hiddekel (Accadian for Tigres). Assyria, Hebrew (Hashshur), a city of Assur, the capital of Assyria. Euphrates (Hebrew "phnath" the great river).
Gen 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Again, This man was Adam (eth-ha-adham). "Thee man Adam." (Genesis 2:8).
Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: "The Lord God warned Adam that he could freely eat of every tree in the garden:
Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you do, you are sure to die."
Gen 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. God realized that it was not good for man to be alone in the garden, so He decided to make a helper for him. "As his counterpart." (Proverbs 18:22, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, 1 Corinthians 11:8-9, 1 Timothy 2:11-13, 1 Peter 3:7). Everything up to this point that God created was good. "The first thing that would not be good, was for man to be alone."
Gen 2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. The Lord God brought all the animals and birds of the sky to the man to see what he would call them.
Gen 2:20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. Adam named all the livestock, the birds, and all the wild animals. However, there was still no helper just right for him.
Gen 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; From this one man Adam would Eve be formed, the mother of all living. (Not the mother of all races). Why is Eve called the mother of all living? Because Christ would come through Eve, generation after generation. (The story of one mans history).
Gen 2:22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. But how was Eve formed? Lets take the word “rib” back to the original Hebrew manuscripts. The Hebrew word for rib is (“tsalah” Strong’s #6763, 6760 meaning “to curve”), speaking of the “DNA or helix curve.” (Deoxyribonucleic is the scientific name for the DNA double curve). Helix DNA is made up of the X&Y chromosomes that determine gender in a person. God took the feminine DNA from Adam and produced woman as his wife.
Gen 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Called woman (Hebrew "ishah" feminine of "ish"), because she was formed from the DNA of man. (I Corinthians 11:8).
Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. Two become one flesh in marriage. (1 Corinthians 7:2-4, Ephesians 5:31). "It takes both DNA to have a child."
Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. The man and woman were both naked but felt no shame. (They were innocent from sin at this time).
Genesis 3
Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? The serpent: "nachash" H5175, from Hebrew Strong's H5172, divine enchanter. Transforms himself: And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14), Don’t be surprised about Satan who disguises himself as an angel of light; "a glorious angel." (Revelation 12:9, 13:11, II Thessalonians 2:3-4). Connected with the anointed "cherub" (Ezekiel 28:13-15). "He was the full package and perfect in every way." Subtil: "arum" Strong's H6175, passive particle of H6191 "aram" cunning, smooth, crafty, prudent, (smoothness to be cunning and wise). Now, here comes the con; "first lie from the serpent" (Satan transformed into an angel of light, a real good looker if you will). He said to the woman, "did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?" God didn't say that. (Satan will always try to change scripture just a little bit to throw you off and tempt you). Satan's first utterance in scripture and it was a lie. Satan was the first liar! "pseustes" Strong's G5583 "a falsifier" a liar, the father of lies. (John 8:44).
Gen 3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: The woman replied, "of course we can eat fruit from the trees in the garden." Misquoted from Genesis 2:16, omitting the emphasis word "freely."
Gen 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. They were not to "eat" or "touch" the tree in the center of the garden or they would surely die. Lets take the word "eat" first. (Strong's Hebrew dictionary H398 "akal" a primitive root; to eat, burn up, consume, devour, dine, eat). Lets say Eve was not to eat of the tree in the midst of the garden when in the form of a tree. (By the way, it wasn't an apple tree, it would have been a fig tree). I am sure she was a little curious about the tree, but being just a fig tree, probably would not have eaten from it and obeyed what God had told her. But, Lets not forget that Satan was able to transform himself just as he was transformed as "an angel of light." (II Corinthians 11:14). Lets not also forget that he appeared to Christ as the tempter. (Matthew 4:1-10). So, what did Satan do to deceive Eve? He appeared to her as the tempter and lured her in. Whether he appeared to her in human form or celestial form, Satan was very appealing to her. (He was pleasant to the eyes, a real hunk in modern day terms). With that being said, lets take the word "touch" back to the Hebrew language. (Strong's Concordance #H5060 "naga" A primitive root; properly to touch, that is, lay the hand upon, for the purpose, euphemistically, to lie with a woman). So we see that the warning to Adam and Eve was to stay away from Satan. (The "serpent" and the "tree of good and evil"). The fruit of that tree was not to be taken; and we know that the "fruit" as the results of a sexual relationship between any man and woman is a child. God's command to Eve was not to "touch" (lay with Satan). But, the woman didn't listen and she had a sexual relationship with Satan. Again, She was "beguiled" (holy seduced) by Satan. (II Corinthians 11:2-3). She was the one "deceived" by Satan. (I Timothy 2:14). So, we see that the order by God is that "the woman" not have a sexual union with Satan. Lest ye die: Misquoted from Genesis 2:17, by not repeating the emphasis word "surely." (you are sure to die).
Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: Ye shall not surely die: Satan's second utterance, and contradiction to God's Word in Genesis 2:17, which has become the foundation of Spiritual and traditional belief as to death.
Gen 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. God tells Eve, "God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat (not only eat, but partake of me), and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil." The foundation of Satan's second lie: "The immanence of God in man."
Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. The woman was convinced by Satan and he was beautiful in her eyes. The lust of the flesh gave her the desire for wisdom, and she gave into Satan. "Eve had a sexual relation with Satan." (2 Corinthians 11:3). Then Adam partook. (1 John 2:16). Yes Adam had a sexual relationship with Satan also. (Is that so hard to believe)? But, it could have been that Satan "transformed himself" into a woman, and Adam had sex with her. "You decide." (Either way, Adam did partake and was seduced by the serpent just as Eve was). Eve was deceived and Adam followed along and sinned. (1 Timothy 2:14), sometimes men think with the wrong head. (Romans 5:12-19), Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. (Romans 5:12), When Adam sinned, sin first entered the world. His sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Genesis 2:17), God warned Adam what would happen if he did not listen. (To this day we are warned what happens when we do not listen to God, but of course man always wants to work it out his own way). For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. (Romans 5:13), People sinned even before the law was given, but it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. (Genesis 4:7-11), Cain was the first murderer when he killed Abel even though the sixth commandment "thou shalt not kill" was not in effect yet.
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. (Romans 5:14), Still everyone died from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even those who did not disobey any explicit commandment of God as Adam did. Adam being a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. In what way? Adam as the root of sin and death to all, and Christ being the root of holiness and life. "In other words, Adam did one act that affected us all, and Christ did one act that affected us all." But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. (Romans 5:15), Here is the difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. The sin of Adam brought death to many, but God's wonderful grace and His gift of forgiveness was brought forth to many through another Man, Jesus Christ. (John 3:16). And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. (Romans 5:16), The result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of Adams sin. How? Adams sin brought judgment and resulted in our condemnation. The free gift of Jesus Christ came because of our many offenses. Jesus had to die for us because we deserved death. Because of God's grace, He didn't want us to pay for our sins. So, the free gift of Jesus resulted in our justification, being declared righteous. (Acts 13:38-39). For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17), As the sin of this one man Adam, caused death to rule over many. Greater is God's wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who will receive it will live and triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 15:21-22).
Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. (Romans 5:18), As Adams one sin brings condemnation for everyone, Christ's one act of righteousness brings a good relationship with God and "new life" to everyone. This shows how Adam is a "type" of Christ. "It was one act of Adam that affected all of mankind, and one act of Christ that affected all of mankind." For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Romans 5:19), Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. However, because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. "That person would be Jesus Christ." (II Corinthians 5:21), Christ knew no sin, but He was the offering for our sins. So that we could be made right with God through Christ. "Now lets continue in Genesis."
Gen 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. After their sexual relationship with Satan, at that moment their eyes were opened to sin and they suddenly felt the shame in their nakedness. So, they sewed "fig leaves" together to cover their private parts. Yes, it was a fig tree. (Nothing to do with an apple tree). Back in chapter 2, they were both naked and not ashamed. Now they both experienced guilt and needed to cover their nakedness. "It seems like man always tries to cover his guilt with his own creation." But it is usually works of iniquity. (Isaiah 59:6).
Gen 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. At first they were enjoying close fellowship with God, but now Adam and his wife are trying to hide from God. This is what sin does, "it separates us from God." But, we can never hide from God. (Job 34:22, Psalm 139:1-12, Proverbs 15:3, Jeremiah 23:24). However, through acknowledgement and repentance of our sins, we find forgiveness and help from God.
Gen 3:9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? The Lord God called to Adam, "Where are you?" God knew where Adam was hiding, but He wanted Adam to realize that he was busted and wanted him to come clean.
Gen 3:10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. Adam replies to God that he was hiding because he was ashamed and afraid. Afraid of what might happen to him for what he had done. (Psalm 119:120, 1 John 3:20). Christ lets us know that those who follow Him and await His coming (in the end times), will not need to walk naked and ashamed. The garments that we will be wearing is the robe woven together by our righteous acts. (Revelation 16:15).
Gen 3:11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? Who told you this? The Lord God asked Adam. Did you disobey My command?
Gen 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. Adam (Ha 'adham), replied and blamed not only the woman, but God as well. (You gave her to me). Characteristics of fallen man (Job 31:33, hence Deuteronomy 13:6).
Gen 3:13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. The Lord God asked the woman; "What have you done?" She cops a plea and says; "The serpent (the devil), deceived me, that is why I gave in to him. (2 Corinthians 11:3, 14, 1 Timothy 2:14). Yes, woman may be beautiful little angels at time, but they mess up too. (Eve got sucked in by Satan)! You have a lot of guys out there today that suck in women with their smoothness and take advantage of them. You also have a lot of women out there who do the same to men. Wake up... Don't be deceived! Find a mate that you can love and trust, if you do, it is the most precious thing you can find next to the love of our Heavenly Father.
Gen 3:14 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: God did not ask the serpent what he had done; God cursed him and sentenced was pronounced. Upon thy belly: A figure of speech. The words imply the utmost humiliation, as in (Psalm 44:25). And the dust thou eat: Figure of speech for utter defeat, as in (Psalm 72:9). See appendix 19. (All sin has consequences).
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. I, The Lord God, will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her Offspring. He will strike you head, and you will strike His heel. (The first great promise and prophecy). This had nothing to do with picking up or stomping on snakes. "This is about a bigger battle between Christ and Satan, Good and evil." This is about a battle between the woman's offspring, and the snake's (Satan's) offspring, (the kenites). They denote the temporary sufferings of the Seed, and the complete destruction of Satan and his works. (Hebrews 2:14, 1 John 3:8). When Jesus was on the cross, Satan bruised His heel. But when Jesus died on the cross, He bruised the head of Satan. Read our newsletter study topic titled: Sons of Cain, for a better understanding of who the kenites are. Note: This isn't between the man's offspring and the snakes offspring - but the woman. Jesus had an earthly mother, but not an earthly father. We will also find that Cain had an earthly mother, but not an earthly father. (Cain was the first murderer). "He was the son of the devil." (John 8:44).
Gen 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. Now the Lord God said to the woman, "I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy and when you give birth. (Childbirth was not brought into this by eating an apple)! It is the price woman pays for the woman's disobedience to God. Oh, and you ladies that think you will escape part of the curse by not having children. Wait till you have your first "hot flash." Now, according to God, "You will also desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you." (Ephesians 5:22-25, Colossians 3:18). Part of the curse has man ruling over his wife. I know that no woman wants to hear this and this may be difficult to accept, but Peter teaches it is submission that teaches man and woman to follow God. (1 Peter 3:1-22). Today it appears that this does not apply. Now we have men acting like women, and women like men. Every man and women should act their part as it was from the beginning. (i.e. Let the men be men, and the women be women). Listen guys; the secret to a happy marriage is to "treat her like a lady." I'll take it even a step further; treat her like a princess and queen, and ladies, treat your man like a prince and king. Love, compliment, and trust each other and their will be no problem with who is in control. (Two heads are better than one, two like souls are hard to separate).
Gen 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; The Lord God said to the man, "Since you listened to your wife and partook of this act and disobeyed Me also, the ground is cursed because of you. "All your life you will struggle to scratch a living form it." Don't like hard work? Well, I guess you can blame Adam for this one.
Gen 3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; The earth will bring forth thistles and thorns (along with weeds and insects), to make things even harder. Note: It was a crown of "thorns" that drew the first blood from the Lord. (Not the fruit of Paradise).
Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. You will work hard and sweat to have food to eat until you return to the ground that you were made from. (Genesis 2:7)
Gen 3:20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. Adam named his wife Eve, ("chavvah" H2332 "life giver"), the mother of all living. Again, why is Eve called the mother of all living? Because Christ would come through Eve, generation after generation. (The story of one mans history).
Gen 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. The Lord God made them clothing from animal skins to cover them. (The covering for man's sin).
Gen 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: The Lord God said; "the human beings have become like Us, knowing both good and evil." Kind of like what Satan had said in (Genesis 3:5). However, here is the twist. God knows evil because He has seen it all; and has known evil from when Satan rebelled in the first earth age. "Man knows evil because he has done evil." Now God continues to say; "Now what if they reach our and take form the tree of life?" Then they will live forever. We will have our chance for eternal life, but not in this earth age. (John 6:48-58).
Gen 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So, the Lord God banished them from the garden of Eden, and sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made.
Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. After God sent them out, He stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden, with a flaming sword to protect the way to the tree of life. This was so that man would not live forever in his fallen condition, but only in Christ. (1 John 5:11-12), "The Tree of Life." Christ died on the cross to pay the price of sin for all mankind. (From the beginning till now and to the end). Then we will live forever with God, without sin.
Genesis 4
It is important to note that the posterity of Cain comes in the generations of the heavens and the earth; and not in the book of the generations of Adam. (Genesis 2:4). The posterity of Seth commences with the generations of Adam. (Genesis 5:1-8), Showing that the two accounts are distinct, and deal with different subjects. (Note: Cain's genealogy is in Genesis 4, Adams genealogy is in Genesis 5). See appendix 20, for a better understanding.
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. She thought. "But wait." And she again bare his brother Abel. (Genesis 4:1) And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. (Genesis 4:2), Cain and Abel were twins; (fraternal twins), not identical twins. Cain was of the seed of Satan; and Abel was of the Lord. Reference: Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. (I John 3:12), Cain became the first murderer. So, we have "Cain" who was of the seed of Satan (remember when Eve gave into the serpent), and Cain would be cursed with tilling the ground. Then we have "Abel" as Eve continued in child birth (the blessing from the Lord), and Abel would become a shepherd. "The twins that would represent good and evil." (One of God and one of Satan). Read our newsletter study topic titled: "The Son's of Cain" (uncovering the kenites), and Appendix 20 (The Posterity of Cain), for a better understanding.
Gen 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. When harvest time came (either the end of the week or year, i.e. on the Sabbath), Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord.
Gen 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: Abel then brought "by faith" (Hebrews 11:4), a gift of his best firstborn lambs from his flock to the Lord, and the Lord accepted his gift. "By hearing the word of God." (Romans 10:17).
Gen 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. However, Cain's offering was not respected by the Lord, Cain's feelings were hurt, and he became very angry. Why didn't God accept Cain's offering. Perhaps it was because his offering was not brought "by faith," (Hebrews 11:6), or it could have been because God knew that Cain was the "son of the devil" and only bad things were going to happen through him.
Gen 4:6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? The Lord asked Cain, Why are you so angry and your feelings so hurt? "It would appear that Abel's works were righteous and Cain's works were evil." (1 John 3:10-13). Let's take a look at what John says; In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. (1 John 3:10), This is how you tell who is a child of God and who is a child of the devil. By what they do. Again, the children of the devil came about from the beginning. (Genesis 3:15-16). For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. (1 John 3:11), We need to try our best to love our fellow Christian brother. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. (1 John 3:12), We are not to be as Cain, who was of the wicked one. Cain was the first murderer and was of the seed of Satan from which the kenites came. Christ taught this in the book of Matthew, after the parable of the sower. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. (Matthew 13:35-39), Remember, Paul also taught that Eve was beguiled (Wholly seduced). (II Corinthians 11:1-3, Just as in Genesis 3:15-16). Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. (1 John 3:13), Don't be surprised if the world hates you for teaching the truth, or because you're a good person like Abel. They hated Christ because they could not take the truth, just as so many today. Popular doctrine and traditions of men don't make it in God's world. "Only the truth will set you free."
Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. God lays it on the line to Cain! If you do "well" (change your ways to do good), repent and turn around. But, if you do not, sin will control you. "You must subdue it and be it's master." Temptation is all about choice! (Ephesians 4:26-27), Don't let the sun go down when you are angry. When you remain angry, you give a mighty foothold to the devil. It leaves an opening for him to enter. (Cain was angry, and he was part of the devil)! God knew this and was giving him a chance to repent. Paul tells us about this choice. (Romans 6:16), It is your choice, either you can become a slave to sin which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. What's your choice?
Gen 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. One day Cain suggested to Abel, "Let's take a walk in the fields and have a talk." (Psalm 55:21, Proverbs 26:24-26). While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, and killed him in a jealous rage. (1 John 3:12), jealous because Abel's works were righteous, and his works were evil before God. (Hebrews 11:4).
Gen 4:9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? Later, The Lord asked Cain where his brother was. Cain was a little testy, and said to the Lord, "I don't know," "Am I my brothers keeper?" God did not ask Cain because He did not know what happened. He wanted Cain to take responsibility and confess what he had done. (Proverbs 28:13). "Cain didn't fess-up, he lied."
Gen 4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. The Lord says to Cain; "What have you done?" Your brothers blood cries out to Me from the earth! (Job 16:18, Psalm 9:12, Matthew 23:35). You can't hide things from God. You own sin will give you up. (Numbers 32:23).
Gen 4:11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; "Banished from the ground which swallowed your brothers blood."
Gen 4:12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. Remember, Cain is a farmer, and part of the curse is that no matter how hard he works, the ground will never yield good crops for him. (Some people just don't have a green thumb). The other part of the curse is that he will be a homeless wanderer on the earth. A fugitive and beggar for all his days. (Psalm 109:10).
Gen 4:13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. My punishment is too great for me to bear; or was he asking the question, "Is my sin to great to be forgiven?" (See appendix 44), for different types of sin.
Gen 4:14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. Because you have driven me out of the land and your presence; being a homeless wonderer and fugitive, people will try to kill me. (Job 15:20-24).
Gen 4:15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. The Lord tells Cain; "I will give a sevenfold punishment to anyone who kills you. The Lord put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. Not an actual mark, but set a sign or token for Cain. (i.e. gave him a pledge). However, we do have a mark to consider today that Christ warned us about. It's called the "The Beast Mark, or Mark of deception."
Gen 4:16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. Cain left the Lord's presence and settled in the land of Nod. Hebrew H5113 "nod" meaning "vagrancy" (The land of Nomads, or the land of Cain).
Gen 4:17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. Cain had sex with his wife and she gave birth to Enoch. He build a city in the land of Nod and named it Enoch, after his son. (This seed was begotten after the slaying of Abel). A city has been discovered beneath the brick platform on which Nipur, in South Babylonia, was built. (This verse shows that there were people on earth other than Adam's children, or that Cain married his full sister). Again, It is important to note that the posterity of Cain comes in the generations of the heavens and the earth; and not in the book of the generations of Adam. (Genesis 2:4). The posterity of Seth commences with the generations of Adam. (Genesis 5:1-8), Showing that the two accounts are distinct, and deal with different subjects. (Note: Cain's genealogy is in Genesis 4, Adams genealogy is in Genesis 5). See appendix 20, for a better understanding.
Gen 4:18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. Irad = "city of witness." Lamech = powerful. (7th from Adam in Cain's line).
Gen 4:19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. Lamech was the first polygamist.
Gen 4:20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. The first tent dwellers who raised livestock.
Gen 4:21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. Jubal was the first musician.
Gen 4:22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. Tubal-Cain (flowing from Cain), became an expert in forging tools of bronze and iron.
Gen 4:23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. Lamech not only had two wives, but he was also a killer.
Gen 4:24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. Seems like Lamech is making up his own rules. He figures that if God was merciful to Cain, that He would be even more merciful to him.
Gen 4:25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. Adam had sex with his wife again, and she gave birth to another son and named him Seth. (Meaning "substituted").
Gen 4:26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh - meaning trial, incurable. Then began to call upon the name of the Lord. (This word "began" here is "chalal" Hebrew H2490 "to profane" or "defile"). This should read: "Then began men "profanely" to call upon the name of the Lord." (Not began to worship). For Abel worshipped, and others, doubtless, long before. But here: "began to call upon (their gods) by the name of Jehovah," or "began profanely to call upon the name of the Lord." Enos, though the son of Seth, is included here because he went in "the way of Cain." (See appendix 21).
Genesis 5
Gen 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. The written account of the descendants of Adam. (Speaking of the descendants of 'eth-'ha'adham, "thee man Adam." (Genesis 2:7). In the day that God created man (mankind), in the likeness of God made he him; When God created mankind in the likeness of God. (Genesis 1:27).
Gen 5:2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. He created them male and female, blessed them and called them "human." (Genesis 1:27). Now we switch back to the generations of Adam 'eth-'ha'adham, "thee man Adam," and his wife Eve. (Genesis 2:7, 2:21).
Gen 5:3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: Adam was created in God's likeness. All his descendants begotten in Adam's likeness, after his fall. (Psalm 51:5, Romans 5:12-19). Implication that sin is now being passed on from generation to generation. Seth: Refers back to (Genesis 4:25), and develops his line.
Gen 5:4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: After Seth, Adam was 800 years old and had other sons and daughters. Note: None of these particulars are given of Cain's line. (Not even their deaths).
Gen 5:5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. Adam lived 930 years, before he died. I know what your thinking; "how did Adam live so long?" The average age of these men up through Noah was around 910 years of age. Noah lived to be around 950 years of age, and was the last one to live that long. After Noah's flood, the life span of men began to dramatically decrease. From Shem, who lived to be around 600 years old, down to Joseph who only lived to be 110 years old. Could it be that when the floods came, it changed things? Some Creationists believe that the pre-flood vapor canopy (the firmament in (Genesis 1:6-7), would filter out radiation, and hold in incoming solar heat making the earth a warmer place to live. This "expanse" separated the "waters above" from the "waters below" in the Creation week. It may be that the firmament collapsed at the time of the flood. As a result harmful radiation can enter the earth more easily than before, bringing with it all kinds of damaging effects. Before the flood: No radiation, no pollution, no pesticides, no global warming etc. After the flood: Well, it appears it was downhill form there.
Gen 5:6 And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: When Seth was 105 years old, he became the father of Enosh. Now lets skip down to verse 22.
Gen 5:7 And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
Gen 5:9 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:
Gen 5:10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
Gen 5:12 And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:
Gen 5:13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
Gen 5:15 And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:
Gen 5:16 And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
Gen 5:18 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:
Gen 5:19 And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
Gen 5:21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
Gen 5:22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: Enoch lived in close fellowship with God. "Not literally walked with God as Adam before the fall." (Genesis 2:19, 3:8-9).
Gen 5:23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
Gen 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. Enoch being in close fellowship with God, did not die. God took him! (Hebrews 11:5), Enoch (who prophesied by faith), pleased God and was taken up by God to heaven without dying. As Elijah was (2 Kings 2:9-11). Enoch was "the seventh from Adam." (Jude 1:14).
Gen 5:25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:
Gen 5:26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. Methuselah (man of the dart), live to be the oldest man in history at the age of 969 years before he died.
Gen 5:28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:
Gen 5:29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed. Noah (meaning rest, comfort), rest from works, "work and toil from the curse of the ground." (Genesis 8:21).
Gen 5:30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.
Gen 5:32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Named in inverted order: Japheth was the elder, Shem the youngest. (Genesis 10:21).
Genesis 6
Gen 6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, The men began to multiply on earth, and daughters were born to them. (The Chronology bringing us up to Noah's day; the history takes us back, not forward). Men used here is singular, with the article "the man Adam." See appendix 14. Daughters born unto them: i.e. to Adam and Eve.
Gen 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. The sons of God "angels" (beings from the spirit world "Nephilim" the fallen angels). These angelic beings, looked upon the beautiful woman and took any they desired to be their wives. (See appendix 23, 25, 26).
Gen 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. Spirit here is "ruach" see appendix 9. Again, man with article "the man Adam." (i.e. Adam also as well as others). i.e. Adam (also flesh), has become as others. Yet his days (Adams days), will be 120 years.
Gen 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. In those days, when the fallen angels (Nephilim) were sexually involved with human women, their children became giants, (Gibbor in the Hebrew language) of whom so many legends are told. (Read our newsletter study topic titled: "The Fallen Angels").
Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. God observed the wickedness of mankind and knew it was only evil.
Gen 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. When God seen the perversion among the nephilim and among men, he was sorry he had made them.
Gen 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. God would destroy man along with the gibbor, in order to preserve the human race that the fallen angels tried to pollute. Reference: For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly. (II Peter 2:4,5). And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. (Jude 1:6), God bound the Nephilim in darkness until judgment day and Noah's "perfect" family, (pure of this perversion), would carry on the seed line from Adam.
Gen 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. But Noah found "favor" with the Lord. In the eyes of the Lord, "Noah" was quite a guy. (Noah loved and obeyed the Lord, and the Lord loved Noah).
Gen 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. This is an account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, and didn't live like the other people in the world. All other flesh was corrupted, but Noah's family. His family was perfect, "tamiym" Hebrew H8549, "without blemish," "complete," "perfect," as to breed or pedigree. (See appendix 26).
Gen 6:10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Again, named in inverted order: Japheth was the elder, Shem the youngest. (Genesis 10:21).
Gen 6:11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. The earth had become corrupt and filled with violence. Sound familiar? Christ tells us that at His return in the second advent, that it would be like in the days of Noah. (Matthew 24:36-39, Luke 17:27). What were they doing in those days before the floods came? They were partying, and giving in marriage to the Nephilim, (the fallen angels), under the influence of Satan. (Genesis 6:2-4). It is going to happen again when Satan and his band of fallen angels are kicked out of heaven down to earth by Michael the arch angel. (Revelation 12:7-9). That is why a woman should have power over her head (meaning Christ) as stated in (I Corinthians 11:10). Not the power of her husband. Christ should be her spiritual husband. Only Christ and knowledge of God's Word will protect us in the end times. You may ask, "has the earth really become that corrupt today?" I say even more. We have moral corruption: Thoughts of evil, perversion, homosexuality, pornography, child molestation (even in some churches). Worldly corruption: Corruption in business, the government, military, police and the courts. Spiritual corruption: False prophets, priests, teachers and pastors in our churches. We have plenty of violence: Rape, robberies, and killing go on every day in our society. (It's a jungle out there). "Do you think we are getting close to the end?"
Gen 6:12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. All flesh at the time had become corrupt (Noah's family the only exception).
Gen 6:13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Again, God would destroy man along with the gibbor, in order to preserve the human race that the fallen angels (Nephilim), tried to pollute. (Genesis 6:4).
Gen 6:14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. Build a large ark ("tebah" a box), of ("gopher" cypress wood), with decks and stalls inside. Waterproof it with pitch ("kopher" resin, bitumen or tar), inside and out.
Gen 6:15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. The ark would be about 547 feet long, 91 feet wide, and 54 feet high. (Very sea worthy).
Gen 6:16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. Three decks to the ark with a window and large door on the side. (To let in light and air, there was probably an 18" or so opening just below the roof all the way around the ark).
Gen 6:17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. I am about to destroy all flesh. (Every kind of being). Especially the fallen angels, "the Nephilim and their offspring the Gibbor." (Genesis 6:7).
Gen 6:18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. But, I the Lord God will confirm My covenant with you. "Noah and his family would be the only pure family that would survive the flood." (Genesis 6:8-9).
Gen 6:19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Noah was to bring two of all flesh ("basar" Hebrew H1320 "flesh," "body," "person," "kin," "mankind"), male and female. Lets cut through the chase. "Two of every race of mankind." (The cubit being nearly 22 inches, and the ark being 300 cubits in length, 50 in width, and 30 in height (Genesis 6:15), its size was equal to 547 feet long, 91 feet broad, and 54 feet high; and it is computed to had been 81,062 tons burthen. These dimensions were sufficient to contain all the persons and animals in it, and food for more than a year.
Gen 6:20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. Then he was to bring two of every kind of bird, animal, and things that scurry along the ground. (Two of each species).
Gen 6:21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. Be sure to bring enough food for all people and animals.
Gen 6:22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. Noah did exactly what God commanded him to do.
Genesis 7
Gen 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Noah's family (righteous before God), enters the Ark as God commanded. The Adamic line "perfect pedigree" or "perfect in his generation" (Genesis 6:9), that Christ would come from generation after generation.
Gen 7:2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Take seven pairs approved for eating and sacrifice, and take one pair of each other for propagation.
Gen 7:3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. Take seven pairs of every kind of bird for propagation also. (Seven, the number of spiritual completeness or perfection).
Gen 7:4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. Seven day warning to Noah till the flood came. (Forty, the number of probation). Were Noah and some of mankind going to be on probation for a while?
Gen 7:5 And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. Noah obeyed the Lord.
Gen 7:6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. Noah was 600 years old when the flood came. (The date of the flood was approximately 1650 years after Adams creation).
Gen 7:7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. They boarded the Ark and waited for the rains to come.
Gen 7:8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, All clean and unclean animals and birds of every kind.
Gen 7:9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. Entered the Ark in pairs, both male and female.
Gen 7:10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. The seven day warning to Noah ends and the rains begin.
Gen 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. Not only the rains (floodgates of heaven) came, but the waters from the underground (waters of the abyss), erupted from the earth.
Gen 7:12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. Again, forty meaning probation.
Gen 7:13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; Noah's family (the eight Adamic people), all aboard the ark.
Gen 7:14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. All the animals and birds aboard.
Gen 7:15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. Two of all "flesh" Hebrew Strong's H1320 "basar" body, person, kin, mankind. Breath of life: H7307 "ruach" Spirit.
Gen 7:16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in. Male and female of each kind (every race), entered as God commanded. "Then God closed the door!" Once the door is closed, it is to late. Christ would warn us in a parable. (Luke 13:25), When the master of the house has locked the door, it is to late. You will knock but the door will not open and He will reply; I don't even know you.
Gen 7:17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
Gen 7:18 And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.
Gen 7:19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
Gen 7:20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
Gen 7:21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
Gen 7:22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.
Gen 7:23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. The only people that survived the flood was Noah and those with him in the Ark.
Gen 7:24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days. The waters remained for 150 days before they started to recede. Was Noah's flood a worldwide destruction, or a territorial flood for a specific group of transgressors? It is written in ancient Chinese history, of a great flood that took place in the time of Noah, near mount Ararat. Many scholars through studies of the original transcripts believe that this was not a total destruction of earth, but a territorial flood destroying the ungodly of this period of time. (You do the research, you make up your own decision of what makes sense or not).
Genesis 8
Gen 8:1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; God = "Elohim" The Creator, because every living creature is included. (Genesis 7:16).
Gen 8:2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; The underground waters stopped flowing, and the rains from the sky stopped.
Gen 8:3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. The floodwaters gradually receded from the earth after 150 days. (Genesis 7:24).
Gen 8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. Five months from when the flood began, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. Ararat is generally understood to be Armenia, as it is rendered elsewhere, in which there is a great chain of mountains, like the Alps or the Pyrenees, upon the highest part of which, called by some, "The Finger Mountain," the ark is supposed to have rested. (Isaiah 37:38, Jeremiah 51:27).
Gen 8:5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. A few months later, the waters continued to go down, and the peaks of the other mountains became visible.
Gen 8:6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: Forty days after the mountain tops were seen, Noah opened the window in the Ark. (Genesis 6:16).
Gen 8:7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. First Noah released a raven (unclean bird or scavenger).
Gen 8:8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; He also released a dove (a clean bird).
Gen 8:9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. The dove couldn't find any dry ground and it returned to the ark.
Gen 8:10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; Noah waited another seven days and released the dove again.
Gen 8:11 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. This time the dove returned with a fresh olive leaf in it's beak. Noah knew then that the waters were almost gone.
Gen 8:12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more. Noah waited another seven days and released the same dove again and it did not return. "Apparently still some trees and fresh vegetation on the ground." (Not a total destruction like in the first earth age when God destroyed everything on earth, becoming void, because of Satan's rebellion).
Gen 8:13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. January 1st of the new year the ground was nearly dry. Noah was 601 years old when he removed the covering of the ark.
Gen 8:14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. Two more months went by and the earth was finally dry. The twenty-seventh day of the second month. Completing one solar year from (Genesis 7:11).
Gen 8:15 And God spake unto Noah, saying, Then God (Elohim, the Creator) spoke to Noah.
Gen 8:16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. Leave the boat with your family and in-laws.
Gen 8:17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. Bring forth every "living thing" and "all flesh" from the ark and be fruitful and multiply.
Gen 8:18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: All flesh left the ark.
Gen 8:19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark. Every living thing left the ark.
Gen 8:20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The first alter mentioned in scripture. Noah makes his sacrifice of burnt offerings to the Lord.
Gen 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. The Lord was pleased with the sacrifice from Noah. The Lord said in His heart, "I will never curse the ground any more for man's sake, even though everything they think or imagine is towards evil from childhood. (Psalm 58:3, Matthew 15:19, Romans 3:23). "I will never destroy all living, as I have done." (Genesis 9:11-15, Isaiah 54:9-10).
Gen 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night. (Noah listened to God, followed God, and was thankful to God).
Genesis 9
Gen 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. God blessed Noah and his sons because Noah was righteous before God. The perfect family that through generation after generation Christ would come.
Gen 9:2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Dominion over the animals, birds, and fish in the sea. They will fear man until the end of this world age and the return of Christ. (Isaiah 11:6-9).
Gen 9:3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. For all the bible thumping vegetarians, now man can eat a good steak as well as fruits, vegetables, and herbs. (Colossians 2:16).
Gen 9:4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. You never want to eat an animal that has not been properly bled first. (Leviticus 17:10-11), all cultures do not follow this, but the Jews did. The blood is supposed to represent life in the animal. (Spilling of blood for the sacrifice). Jesus Christ would have His blood poured out as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world. (Matthew 26:28, Romans 3:24-26). It's the blood of Christ that cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7). There would have been no remission of sin without the shedding of blood. (Hebrews 9:22).
Gen 9:5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. God requires the life of one who takes another's life. i.e. If a wild animal kills a person, it must die. If any person takes the life of a fellow human, they must die. Capital punishment is approved by God! Wow, doesn't the ten commandments say "thou shall not kill?" (Exodus 20:13), "Yes it does." However, this word "kill" is "ratsach" Hebrew H7523 meaning "murder" or "slay." If you take the word "kill" back to the Greek in your Strong's Concordance #5407, #5406, #5408, you will find that the word "kill" is "Phoneus" which means criminal homicide (to be a murderer).
Gen 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. If you murder someone on purpose you are to be put to death. (Exodus 21:12, Deuteronomy 19:11-13). This is God's law; and remember Christ did not change one "jot or one tittle" of the law. In the new testament book (I John 3:15) it tells us that a murderer cannot have salvation in the flesh. That is why a murderer should be sentenced to death and sent to the "Heavenly Father" to be judged, and God will determine weather or not they will be forgiven. This is their only chance for salvation... No one who intentionally murders another one of God's children will get away with it, because eventually they will face God and their accuser.
Gen 9:7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
Gen 9:8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
Gen 9:9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
Gen 9:10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
Gen 9:11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. God makes a covenant, or contract if you will, with Noah not to ever destroy the earth with a flood again.
Gen 9:12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: God gives a sign or token to Noah and all living for generations to come.
Gen 9:13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. A bow "rainbow" in the sky as His covenant with us.
Gen 9:14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: When the clouds of rain are sent, a rainbow will appear in the clouds.
Gen 9:15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. As a remembrance of Gods covenant with all living.
Gen 9:16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. An everlasting covenant between God and all living on earth.
Gen 9:17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth. God makes the promise to Noah never to destroy the earth by a flood. But, does that mean He will never destroy the earth again? "Not at all." This earth age will be destroyed by fire. (Isaiah 65:17, 2 Peter 3:7-10), we are looking forward to it (2 Peter 3:13).
Gen 9:18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.
Gen 9:19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread. From this seed line, generation after generation Christ would come.
Gen 9:20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: Noah became a farmer to cultivate the ground and planted a vineyard. (Going to make a little wine for later). Note: God created Adam (Eth-Ha-Adam), to till the ground (Genesis 2:5), now Noah becomes a farmer also. Is there a pattern here? Just as the farmer works with seedlings. It would be the seed-line through Adam and Eve, and Noah's family, that Christ would come. "That is why Eve is called the mother of all living." (That Christ would come through Eve, generation after generation).
Gen 9:21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. One day Noah got a little drunk on some wine and passed out. "He was uncovered within his tent." Lets go to the book of Leviticus to get the true meaning of what happened here. One of the laws of chastity: The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness. (Leviticus 18:8), i.e. a son cannot marry his mother, or sleep with his fathers wife. And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. (Leviticus 20:11), i.e. if a man sleeps with his father's wife, he has defiled what is his father's; and they should both be put to death. Note: To "uncover his father's nakedness" is an (Idiom), "to lie with or have sexual intercourse with his wife."
Gen 9:22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. So, what really happened here? "Ham slept with his mother, the wife of Noah."
Gen 9:23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. After Ham told his two brothers what he had done, Shem and Japheth took a robe and concealed what had happened. Shem and Japheth could have taken part in what Ham had done, but instead, they loved their father and covered up the perverse act of their brother so Noah's dignity was preserved.
Gen 9:24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. When Noah woke up from his stupor, he knew what Ham had done. (This word "awoke" is a primitive root, to awake, "eknepho" meaning very much awake, awake to wisdom).
Gen 9:25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. Noah was really angry when he discovered what Ham had done and he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham saying; "May Canaan be cursed. May he be the lowest of servants to his relatives."
Gen 9:26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. Noah continues to say; "May the Lord, the God of Shem, be blessed, and may Canaan be his servant! (Shem being in the line of the promised seed (Luke 3:23-36), and in the overthrow of Canaanites).
Gen 9:27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. May God expand the territory of Japheth! He shall dwell in the tents and share in the prosperity of Shem, and Canaan will be his servant. (Japheth denotes enlargement, and how wonderfully have his boundaries been enlarged; for not only Europe, but Asia Minor, part of Armenia, Iberia, the whole of the vast regions of Asia north of Taurus, and probably America, fell to the share of his posterity).
Gen 9:28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. Noah lived 350 years after the flood.
Gen 9:29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died. Noah lived a total of 950 years, then he died.
Genesis 10
So far in the book of Genesis we've seen the creations of the heavens and earth. (Genesis 1:1). "The first earth age." God destroyed the first earth age because of Satan's downfall. (Read first part of Genesis 1, & appendix 146). Genesis 1:3, God creates the light. This would be the beginning of the "second earth age" (or dispensation of time), that we live in now. Genesis 1:26-27, God creates mankind (6th day creation). Genesis 2:7, God formed Adam ('eth-'ha'adaham), to till the ground (8th day creation). Genesis 2:21-23, God forms Eve from the DNA of Adam. Genesis 3:3-7. Adam and Eve are beguiled (holy seduced), by the serpent (Satan). Genesis 6:1-7, the Nephilim (fallen angels), give and take in marriage with the daughters of Adam. Genesis 7:15-23, God brings the flood of Noah because of the fallen angels and all flesh corrupted. Note: Keep in mind there are two theories or scenarios that scholars conclude from the original manuscripts. Many of the races that were created escaped the flood. (A territorial flood). Chinese history records a great flood that took place in this area around this time. Second scenario (Genesis 7:15-16), there were two of all flesh (every race), aboard the ark. (You decide which one makes sense). We know that it does not make sense that all the races came from two people. (In fact it is impossible). As a well know judge says; "If it doesn't make sense, it isn't true." With that being said, now we come to the generation of the sons of Noah. Genesis 10:1-32, covers "The Nations divided in the earth." Genesis 11:1-9, covers "The Nations scattered abroad on the earth."
Gen 10:1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. Total of seventy nations listed in all. Fourteen from Japheth (the eldest), thirty from Ham (younger than Japheth), and twenty six from Shem (the youngest).
Gen 10:2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
Gen 10:3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.
Gen 10:4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
Gen 10:5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. Their descendants became the isles (seafaring peoples) that spread out to various lands. (Isaiah 42:10-15). Each identified by its own language, clan, and national identity.
Gen 10:6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. Cush = Ethiopia, S. of Egypt. Mizraim = Egypt. Canaan became a province of Egypt.
Gen 10:7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.
Gen 10:8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. Nimrod began to be a "mighty one" (gibbor H1368, strong man, giant, powerful warrior, tyrant) in the land.
Gen 10:9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. Nimrod was know as the greatest hunter in the world.
Gen 10:10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Nimrod built his kingdom in the land of Babylonia.
Gen 10:11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, From there Nimrod expanded his territory to Assyria.
Gen 10:12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.
Gen 10:13 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,
Gen 10:14 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim. Caphtorites, from whom the Philistines came. (Jeremiah 47:4).
Gen 10:15 And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth, Where the "Hittites" come from.
Gen 10:16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,
Gen 10:17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,
Gen 10:18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
Gen 10:19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.
Gen 10:20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations. Sons of Ham, after their own language.
Gen 10:21 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born. Shem comes last because his "generations" occupy the rest of the book. Shem (N.T. Sem) was the seed-line that Christ would come through. (Luke 3:36).
Gen 10:22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.
Gen 10:23 And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.
Gen 10:24 And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber. Eber, where the name "Hebrew" comes from.
Gen 10:25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.
Gen 10:26 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,
Gen 10:27 And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,
Gen 10:28 And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,
Gen 10:29 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.
Gen 10:30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
Gen 10:31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. Sons of Shem, after their own language.
Gen 10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood. Divided in judgment. In Genesis 11, we will find the nations that were scattered.
Genesis 11
Gen 11:1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. My guess would be Hebrew or Aramaic. However, in Genesis 10:5, 20, 31, we find that they spoke languages according to their clan and national identity.
Gen 11:2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. They journeyed from the east to the land of Shinar. Who was it? Probably Nimrod and his family, the one who founded the city of Babel. (Genesis 10:10). History tells us that Nimrod devised a new religion and was called the sun god by many. (Possibly he was the start of idol worship).
Gen 11:3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. They made bricks and hardened them by fire, using (bitumen), tar for mortar.
Gen 11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. We will build a tower to heaven to make a name for ourselves. Remember that Nimrod was a rebel leader manifesting independence from God. Boastful and proud! Sound familiar? Satan's sin was pride. (Isaiah 14:13-14).
Gen 11:5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
Gen 11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. The people are united and speak the same language. Nothing will be impossible for them. Was God being threatened here? Not at all. The big issue here was man's pride. "The same thing that made Satan fall." The people thought they were going to build a tower to heaven. God had plans for them to get to heaven another way; "by atoning for their sins." So, God is going to put a stop to it all before they get any further. (Luke 1:51), He scatters the proud and haughty ones by the power in His mighty arms. (Psalms 33:10, I Peter 5:5).
Gen 11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. Go to: The Hebrew word signifies, "Come," or, "make preparation," as for a journey or the execution of a purpose. Lets us go down: This is always in judgment. (Genesis 18:21, Exodus 3:8).
Gen 11:8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Scattered them all over the face of the earth, and they stopped building the city.
Gen 11:9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. The reason the city was called Babel, because the Lord confused the people with different languages. Babel: that is, Confusion, The tower of Babel, Herodotus informs us, was a furlong or 660 feet, in length and breadth; and, according to Strabo, it rose to the same altitude. It was of a pyramidical form, consisting of eight square towers, gradually decreasing in breadth, with a winding ascent on the outside, so very broad as to allow horses and carriages to pass each other, and even to turn. This magnificent structure is so completely destroyed that its very site is doubtful; and when supposed to be discovered, in all cases exhibiting a heap of rubbish.
Gen 11:10 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: In Genesis 5, we covered the genealogy that linked Adam to Noah. Now we get the genealogy that will link Noah's son Shem to Abraham.
Gen 11:11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
Gen 11:12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:
Gen 11:13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
Gen 11:14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:
Gen 11:15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
Gen 11:16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:
Gen 11:17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.
Gen 11:18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:
Gen 11:19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.
Gen 11:20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:
Gen 11:21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.
Gen 11:22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor:
Gen 11:23 And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
Gen 11:24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:
Gen 11:25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.
Gen 11:26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
Gen 11:27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. Terah was the father of Abraham, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot.
Gen 11:28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
Gen 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.
Gen 11:30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
Gen 11:31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. Here we see that Terah took his son Abraham, and his grandson Lot, and the rest of the family, and moved from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was set out for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there.
Gen 11:32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.
Genesis 12
Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: The Lord (yhovah), "The God of Glory" (Acts 7:2-3), said to Abram (Abraham), get out of the country no matter what the others may do. (Death had broken the link of nature's tie, which hindered Abram's obedience). "Now we are going to enter the history of the patriarchs (ancestors of the Israelites), the men who trusted in God."
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: The seven fold promise with the seven fold blessing in (Exodus 6:4-8), The promise of God would go to Abraham, Isaac, and to Jacob. (to the nation of Israel).
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. To Abraham (the father of all nations), and to the entire world. (Galatians 3:8-9).
Gen 12:4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. Abram by faith departed as he was called by God. (Hebrews 11:8). The law was around 430 years after his departure. (Exodus 12:40, Galatians 3:17).
Gen 12:5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. He took his wife Sarai (Sarah), and his nephew Lot, and all his wealth and livestock, along with all the people he had taken into his household at Haran. Into the land of Canaan: So called from Canaan the son of Ham, lies between the Mediterranean sea on the west, the wilderness of Paran, Idumea, and Egypt on the south, the mountains of Arabia on the east, and the mountains of Lebanon and Phoenicia on the north. Its length, from Dan to Beersheba, is about 200 miles, and its breadth, from the Mediterranean sea to its eastern borders, about 90 miles.
Gen 12:6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. Sichem is the place of Abram's first alter and Christ's first mission (John 4). Also of Jacob's alter (Genesis 33:18). Canaanites in the land: It is evident that from Terah's and Abraham's call, Satan knew the line by which "the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15), was coming into the world. In (Genesis 6), Satan aimed at the whole human race. (Genesis 6:4), the first influx of the fallen angels (the Nephilim). Read our newsletter study topic titled: "The Fallen Angels." Now he aims at Abraham and his land. Satan's offspring being "Cain" and Cains offspring being the Kenites, or Son's of Cain. Read our newsletter study topic titled: "Sons of Cain." Later, the kenites would settle in the land of Canaan. (Genesis 15:19-21). You can make the connection by taking the word kenite/kenites back to the Hebrew language in your Strong's Concordance #7017 and #7014 (Hebrew and Chaldee dictionary). Many of their offspring mixing with the other tribes such as the Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Canaanites.
Gen 12:7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. When they get to "Sichem," God say, "this is the place." Abram built his first altar and dedicated it to God.
Gen 12:8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. Bethel (An ancient Canaanite sacred pillar), doubtless here from previous times, called Luz. (Genesis 28:19, 35:6, 48:3, Joshua 16:2, 18:13, Judges 1:23).
Gen 12:9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. Traveled south towards Negeb.
Gen 12:10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. A severe famine struck the land of Canaan, forcing Abram to go down to Egypt. The famine: Thirteen famines recorded. (See appendix 10), thirteen denotes rebellion. "Satan's attempts (thus early) to destroy Abraham's seed, through Sarah."
Gen 12:11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: As Abram approaches Egypt, he say to his wife; "You are a very beautiful woman." When you travel to a strange land with a beautiful wife, there may be trouble." Was Abram loosing a little faith in God? I don't think so, but he was concerned for his beautiful wife.
Gen 12:12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. In Egypt, the women went unveiled. Satan is going to work on Abram's fear. (He did it with Abraham and many others, and he will do it with you).
Gen 12:13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. Abram tells Sarai to say that she is his sister so his life would be spared. This was not a lie, Sarai was his half-sister. (Genesis 20:12). They had the same father, but different mothers.
Gen 12:14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. Sure enough, when Abram arrived in Egypt, everyone noticed Sarai's beauty.
Gen 12:15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. Pharaoh was the official title of all kings of Egypt. When the princes of Pharaoh saw her, of course they took her to the Pharaoh's palace.
Gen 12:16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. Pharaoh gave Abram many gifts in exchange for his wife (I mean sister). Not such a big deal in those days, how many would do the same today? Hmmm.
Gen 12:17 And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. It appears that "Divine intervention" was necessary. Let's take the word "plagued" here back to the Hebrew (Strong's H5060 "naga" a prime root, to touch, i.e. lay hand upon for the purpose; "to lie with a woman," to reach).
Gen 12:18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked him; Why have you done this to me? (a little lie on Abram's part). Why didn't you tell me she was your wife?
Gen 12:19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. Why did you say she was your sister, and allow me to take her as my wife?
Gen 12:20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had. So, Pharaoh ordered his men to escort Abram, his wife, and all his possessions out of the country.
Genesis 13
Gen 13:1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. Abram leaves Egypt and traveled north-east into the southern part of the promised land. Up = Palestine an ascent from Egypt.
Gen 13:2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. Silver and gold was scarce in Palestine, but plentiful in Egypt.
Gen 13:3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; Continued their travel toward Bethel (before called Luz), and pitched their tents between Bethel and Ai, where they had camped before.
Gen 13:4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD. The same place where Abram had built the alter, and worshipped the Lord.
Gen 13:5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
Gen 13:6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. The land could not support both Abram and lot with their flocks and herds living so close together.
Gen 13:7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. Disputes broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. "This town isn't big enough for the both of us." (Sounds like an old western movie). The Canaanite and Perizzite (the Nephilim), were dwelling there. See Appendix 23, 25, (Genesis 12:6). Occupying it in advance, and spreading later to "the giant cities of Basham."
Gen 13:8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Abram realizes they have become too prosperous for the land to support both of them and their herds. He wants to settle this like a family matter because they were relatives.
Gen 13:9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. Abram humbles himself and gives Lot the choice. (Lot should have respected Abram as the elder and gave him the choice).
Gen 13:10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Lot selfishly took the well watered fertile land. Sodom = Flaming, burning. Gomorrah = People of fear: Already mixed up in the sins of the "Nephilim." (2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6). Zoar: Instead of "Zoar," which was situated at the extremity of the plain of Jordan, the Syriac reads "Zoan," which was situated in the south of Egypt, and in a well-watered country.
Gen 13:11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Lot chose the whole Jordan valley to the east of them and journeyed there, parting company with his uncle Abram. Lot makes a choice that he would regret later. His choice was made by what his eyes had seen. Jesus tells us not to make choices solely by what you see. (John 7:24). On the other hand, Abram was a man of faith. (2 Corinthians 5:7), that is how he made his decisions. "Forget about the worldly pleasures when making decisions and trust in your Heavenly Father for true wisdom." (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Gen 13:12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. Abram settled in Canaan, and Lot moved to one of the cities near Sodom.
Gen 13:13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. The wickedness of the people of Sodom was well known and would show the nature of Lot by his choice. "These people of Sodom were very bad people in the eyes of the God." (Genesis 18:20).
Gen 13:14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: God tells Abram; Look as far as you can see in every direction.
Gen 13:15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. God is going to give it all to Abram and his descendants as a permanent possession. (Even the land that Lot chose). This would be repeated to Isaac (Genesis 26:3), and to Jacob (Genesis 28:13). Hence Israel is "the everlasting nation," (Isaiah 44:7).
Gen 13:16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. I will give you so many descendants that they cannot be counted. (Genesis 15:5, Hebrews 11:12), Abraham being called the father of many nations. (Genesis 22:17, 32:12).
Gen 13:17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. Walk through the land and explore it, for it is all yours.
Gen 13:18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD. Abram moved his camp and settled near the oak grove of Mamre (meaning vigor). Lot chose Sodom (meaning burnt), a place of sin. Abram settles in a place of vigor, and built an altar to the Lord.
Genesis 14
Gen 14:1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations; At this time, war breaks out among the kings of the region. Dated in the region of the king of a Babylon: The united forces led by a king of Elam. The Assyrian tablets show that Elam had conquered and overrun Babylonia. Amraphel reigned in N. (Shinar); Eri-Aku (Arioch), an Elamite prince, in the S. at Larsa (Ellasar), all the names here are found on one tablet. Amraphel = Khammurabi of the tablets. Ammurapi is Amraphel transliterated. Arioch = Eri-aku of the tablets, in which it is found that his mother was sister to Chedorlaomer. Nations: The tablet says "lie assembled the Umman-manda," or the barbarian tribes of the Kurdish mountains, and that he "did evil" to the land of Bel. The Assyrian tablets are therefore shown to be correct by their agreement with Genesis.
Gen 14:2 That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. Made war with these kings. Note: In the days of Abram, land was ruled by cities, not large nations.
Gen 14:3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea. The kings of theses cities around the Siddim Valley (the Dead Sea), form an alliance.
Gen 14:4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. Twelve = The number of government. Goes back to the events leading up to the present war with Sodom. Thirteen = The number of rebellion. These cities in the Jordan valley served the kings of the east. They paid tribute for protection, but now they rebelled by stopping their payment.
Gen 14:5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, Rephaim = A branch of the Nephilim (offspring, Gebbor), Superhuman beings or giants, so called after one Rapha; as the Anakim after Anak. (Deuteronomy 2:11, 2:20-21, 3:11, 3:13).
Gen 14:6 And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness. (Deuteronomy 2:12).
Gen 14:7 And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar. Enmisphat = the spring of judgment. Not yet Kadesh = the Sanctuary. All the country, Hebrew "the whole field." Attacking areas up in the hills, circling around the Jordan Valley, and cities on the southern coast of the Dead Sea. Following an ancient route known as "The Kings Highway." (Numbers 20:17).
Gen 14:8 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim; Takes up the present war with Sodom.
Gen 14:9 With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five. Four kings against five. (Nine being the number of judgment).
Gen 14:10 And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain. The valley of the Dead Sea was filled with tar pits. As the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into the tar pits, while the rest escaped into the mountains.
Gen 14:11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. The cities of Sodom were not prepared for battle. (Ezekiel 16:49). The victors plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and headed for home.
Gen 14:12 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. Remember that Lot decided to dwell in Sodom because it looked like a good place to live. (Based on what he saw, not God leading). So, when Sodom gets attacked, Lot gets taken along with everything else in Sodom.
Gen 14:13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. But, one of Lot's men escaped and reported everything to Abram. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram's allies.
Gen 14:14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. Abram mobilized his little army of 318 trained men who had been born into his household and pursued Chedorlaomer's army and caught up with them in Dan. (125 miles north of Hebron).
Gen 14:15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. Hobah is about another 60 miles northeast of Dan.
Gen 14:16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. Abram recovers all the goods taken, and brought back his nephew Lot with all his possessions, all the women and other captives.
Gen 14:17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. Abram returns from victory and the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh. King's dale = The king of Salem mentioned in the next verse.
Gen 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. Melchizedek = "King of righteousness," or "righteous king." (Hebrews 7:1). Some suggest that this might be "Shem" the son of Noah in type. Abram will allow Melchizedek to bless him. (Hebrews 7:7). David wrote that the Messiah would be similar to Melchizedek. (Psalm 110:4).
Gen 14:19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
Gen 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. He = Abram. Him = Melchizedek.
Gen 14:21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. Abram had the right to keep all the people and the goods he took, but lets see what happens.
Gen 14:22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, I solemnly swear to the most high God.
Gen 14:23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: I will not take a single thing that belongs to you, Otherwise you might say, "I am the one who made Abram rich." (The blessing of Melchizedek, and the bread and wine, prepared him for this great renunciation).
Gen 14:24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion. Abram didn't want to feel obligated to the king of Sodom (son of evil), for helping to make him wealthy. "He was obligated to God alone for what He had done for him." As for us as Christians, be obligated to God for his rewards, but do not be obligated to man or the world.
Genesis 15
Gen 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Some time later, Abram has a vision and the Lord spoke to him. (Hebrews 1:1). Do not be afraid (Revelation 1:17), I am your shield (Ephesians 6:16), and your reward will be great. (Revelation 21:3-4).
Gen 15:2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? No son to pass on his wealth.
Gen 15:3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. Afraid one of his servants would be his heir.
Gen 15:4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. You will have a son the Lord tells Abram.
Gen 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. The stars in reference to (Genesis 13:16), the heavenly calling in Israel (Hebrews 3:1, 11:9-16).
Gen 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. Abram believed what he had heard. (Romans 10:17). Abram was righteous because of what he believed. (Galatians 3:6). Abram was called a friend of God. (James 2:23). Jesus would explain about the love of a friend. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend. (John 15:13). How many friends do you know that would lay down their life for you? And how good of a friend are you to someone that you would lay down your life for them? Christ laid down His life for us all at the crucifixion. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. (John 15:14-15). Through the “Holy Spirit” He makes all things known to us as He dwells within us, and He has called you friend. “And there is no better friend, than a friend in Jesus.”
Gen 15:7 And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
Gen 15:8 And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? Lord God = Hebrew "Adonai Yahveh.
Gen 15:9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. An offering for the Lord.
Gen 15:10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. A practice for making a contract. A covenant with God.
Gen 15:11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
Gen 15:12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. Abram was put to sleep so that he should have no part in it, and that the Covenant should be unconditional, in which "God was the one" and only contracting party (Galatians 3:20).
Gen 15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; "Thy seed" would be Isaac. The 400 years date from Isaac's birth (Acts 7:6). The 430 from the "promise" or Covenant here made (Galatians 3:17), and include the whole "sojourning" (Exodus 12:40).
Gen 15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. Prophecy to Abram that the nation of Israel would go down to Egypt in the time of Joseph. They would be there 400 years, serving the Egyptians. God would bring judgment on Egypt, and Israel would get all the treasure the Egyptians would give them. (Exodus 3:21-22).
Gen 15:15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. Go to thy fathers = Abram's fathers were idolaters serving other gods. (Joshua 24:2). Abram would live to be 175 years old. (Genesis 25:7).
Gen 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. The fourth generation: Levi, Kohath, Amram, Moses; (or Levi), Jochebed (born in Egypt). Not yet full: Another mark of the corruption of the Canaanite nations through the "Nephilim and Rephaim."
Gen 15:17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. Smoking furnace is symbolic of the affliction of Israel (Deuteronomy 4:20, 1 Kings 8:51, Isaiah 31:9, Ezekiel 22:18-22, Jeremiah 11:4). Burning lamp is symbolic of Israel's deliverance (1 Kings 11:36, 15:4, Isaiah 62:1, 2 Samuel 21:17).
Gen 15:18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
Gen 15:19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
Gen 15:20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, Kenites & Raphaims! See appendix 23 & 25.
Gen 15:21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. So you could say that the entire land of Palestine belongs to the Jews; including Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, parts of Egypt (up to the Nile), and parts of Iraq (up to the Euphrates river). "Ten nations." 10 denotes ordinal perfection. (See appendix 10).
Genesis 16
Gen 16:1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. An Egyptian servant named Hagar. (Handmaid is not necessarily a slave).
Gen 16:2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. Here we have one of the first instances of a righteous man breaking God's law of marriage. Abram agrees with Sarai's proposal so that they may have a child. Hmmm, I don't think Abram would mind, but it was not what God had intended.
Gen 16:3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. Abram was around 85 years old when he takes Hagar as his second wife. (Strictly in accordance with the Babylonian code of Hammurabi).
Gen 16:4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. Hagar becomes pregnant and then she began to treat Sarai with contempt. She thinks she has a hand up on Sarai now because she has a child. Even today, many women that have children think they are above one who cannot have children.
Gen 16:5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. Of course Sarai blames Abram for what happened, even though it was her idea. (Women have a way of doing that with men).
Gen 16:6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face. By now I am sure Abram is tired of the ordeal, and tells Sarai to deal with Hagar herself. Now according to the code of Hammurabi, it forbade her being sold, so Sarai treated her so harshly, that she finally ran away.
Gen 16:7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. Now the angel of the Lord (messenger), found Hagar near a spring of water in the wilderness. The desert of Shur being between the south of Canaan, where Hebron was situated, and Egypt, it is likely that Hagar was returning to her own country.
Gen 16:8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. We see that the angel of the Lord calls Hagar Sarai's maid, and not Abram's wife.
Gen 16:9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. Now the angel of the Lord tells Hagar to return to Sarai and submit to her authority.
Gen 16:10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. Who was the angel of the Lord talking about here? Was it Hagar, or was it Sarai that would have their seed multiplied? We know that Abram would become the father of all nations through his seed, but here I think it was Hagar's seed he was talking about. (We will see that her seed would be the father of the Arabs).
Gen 16:11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. The angel of the Lord tells Hagar she will have a son, and to name him Ishmael.
Gen 16:12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. A wild man: The word rendered "wild" also denotes the "wild ass;" the description of which animal in (Job 39:5-8), affords the very best representation of the wandering, lawless, freebooting life of the Bedouin and other Arabs, the descendants of Ishmael. (i.e. trouble makers)! "True to-day and for over 3,000 years." (Isaiah 21:13, Jeremiah 3:2). Muslims regard themselves as descendents of Ishmael.
Gen 16:13 And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? The God who sees me. (Proverbs 15:3). God didn't condemn Hagar, He looked at her with compassion. (No matter what you have done in your life, God sees you, and He cares for you).
Gen 16:14 Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. Beerlahairoi: The well of living after seeing.
Gen 16:15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. Hagar bare a son: Through infirmity of Sarah's faith. So the law (parenthetically), "because of transgression" (Galatians 3:19). Levitical Law given, as Ishmael was, until Christ the antitype of Isaac should be born (Galatians 1:1-5).
Gen 16:16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram. Abram was 86 years old when Ishmael was born.
Genesis 17
Gen 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. The Lord Yahveh appeared to Abram. The Almighty God = El Shaddai. The first occurrence of this title which assures Abram Who had called him was almighty to supply all his needs. We have the first occurrence in the new testament (2 Corinthians 6:18), which assures us of the same supply.
Gen 17:2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
Gen 17:3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
Gen 17:4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
Gen 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. Abram = exalted father. Changed to Abraham = father of multitude.
Gen 17:6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. Abraham was not only the progenitor (ancestor), of Israel, but of the Ishmaelites, Midianites, Arabians etc.
Gen 17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. Unconditional and everlasting covenant.
Gen 17:8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. All the children and the whole land of Canaan was given to Abraham where he now lived as a stranger.
Gen 17:9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. A conditional and continual responsibility to Abraham and his seed.
Gen 17:10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
Gen 17:11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. Circumcision was a sign of God's covenant with Abraham and is tied with the promise to the land of Canaan to Abraham and his family. Baptism would be like this for the believer. When we are baptized, we make a covenant with Jesus Christ that we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, publically showing that we are true believers of the faith and followers of Jesus. "Circumcision of the heart if you will." For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh. (Romans 2:28). You are not true Jews just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. (John 8:37-39). But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. (Romans 2:29). A true Jew, or Christian is one whose heart is right with God. True circumcision is not obeying the letter of the law, but rather it is a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. (Circumcision of the heart). A person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people. (Philippians 3:3), It's the circumcision of the heart that is important. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us through the crucifixion for our salvation. Put no confidence in man to save you. "Christ does the saving." (However, we still use circumcision today for health reasons).
Gen 17:12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
Gen 17:13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
Gen 17:14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
Gen 17:15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. God now changes Sarai's (princely), name to Sarah (princess).
Gen 17:16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Here God promises that Sarah will have a son and she will become the "mother of all nations."
Gen 17:17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? This struck Abraham kind of funny because he was 100 and Sarah was 90 years of age. But, for Abraham, it was a laugh for joy! (John 8:56). The laughter of faith. (Romans 4:19).
Gen 17:18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! As though he thought Ishmael was to die; showing his faith in Isaac's birth.
Gen 17:19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. Isaac: "Yitzchak," which we change into Isaac, signifies laughter; in allusion to Abraham's laughing, Genesis 17:17. By this Abraham did not express his unbelief or weakness of faith, but his joy at the prospect of the fulfillment of so glorious a promise; and to this our Lord evidently alludes, (John 8:56).
Gen 17:20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. Twelve princes he will beget: (Genesis 25:12-18). The great nation of Ishmael: Many believe that the Arabs, whom Islam came form, are the descendants of Ishmael, and they are a "Great Nation" along with all Muslims.
Gen 17:21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. However, God's covenant wouldn't be with Ishmael, it would be with Isaac. The land would belong to Isaac.
Gen 17:22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
Gen 17:23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him. Circumcised: Ishmaelites and kindred nations still practice the rite.
Gen 17:24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
Gen 17:25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. Thirteen: Symbolic; and in contrast with Isaac on "eighth day." (See appendix 10). Ishmaelites and Arabians still circumcise in the 13th year.
Gen 17:26 In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.
Gen 17:27 And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him. Abraham obeyed God and all were circumcised with him.
Genesis 18
Gen 18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; The Lord = Yahveh. Plains = Among the oaks of Mamre, located in Hebron. (Genesis 13:18). And he sat: In these verses we have a delightful picture of genuine and primitive hospitality. A venerable father sits at the tent door, not only to enjoy the current of refreshing air, but that if he saw any weary and exhausted travellers, he might invite them to rest and refresh themselves during the heat of the day, and the same custom still continues in the east. It was not the custom, nor was there any necessity, for strangers to knock at the door, or to speak first, but to stand till they were invited.
Gen 18:2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, Three men: Elohim and two angels called men here. The number three denotes Divine perfection. (See appendix 10). When two departed, Elohim (the Divine Presence) remained.
Gen 18:3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: My Lord = Yahveh, not Adonai. (See appendix 32).
Gen 18:4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: Wash your feet: A common practice to this day; needed from use of sandals and bare feet. When Jesus was at the house of Simon, a sinner woman washed the feet of Jesus with her tears. (Luke 7:44).
Gen 18:5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. Bread: This was the third requisite, and is introduced in its proper order; as eating immediately after exertion or fatigue is very unwholesome.
Gen 18:6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. Asking Sarah to make some fresh (unleavened), bread. Note the number three again. (Divine perfection).
Gen 18:7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. Speedy hospitality was common in the east. In today's society, when you visit someone, you are lucky to get offered a glass of water.
Gen 18:8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. Abraham was hospitable and fed the three men under the shade of the trees. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:2). Show hospitality towards strangers and treat them with respect. Many have entertained angels without realizing it! Was the author of Hebrews referring to this incident? We may not totally understand this mystery, but we read of "angels" food in (Psalm 78:25), and that Christ ate after His resurrection (Luke 24:30, 24:43, Acts 10:41).
Gen 18:9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. Abraham never lived in or owned a house, he lived in tents. (Many today think that if you don't own a little pink house, you are a second class citizen). Abraham was a man of faith who lived in tents, and three times in scripture he is called the friend of God. (2 Chronicles 20:7, Isaiah 41:8, James 2:23).
Gen 18:10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. The time of life: Return in nine months; "the time it will take for Sarah to have a child."
Gen 18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Abraham is 100 years old and Sarah is 90 years old at this time. Just to old for the average gal to have a child.
Gen 18:12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? Kind of like Abraham's response the last time the Lord told him he would have a child. (Genesis 17:17).
Gen 18:13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? When Abraham laughed back in (Genesis 17:17), it was a laugh of joy and faith. I believe Sarah's laugh was in disbelief.
Gen 18:14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. The Lord said it; and Sarah will have a child. "Nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37).
Gen 18:15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh. Sarah was busted, she denies laughing and says she was just afraid. All the Lord wanted from Sarah was to admit that she did laugh, and to have a little more faith. Maybe the reason for the visit was to encourage and build her faith. We read in (Hebrews 11:11), that by faith, Sarah received strength to conceive.
Gen 18:16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. Abraham walked with the men so that they could get a glimpse at Sodom.
Gen 18:17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Should I hide My plan from Abraham?
Gen 18:18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? All the nations of the earth will be blessed through Abraham! (Galatians 3:8).
Gen 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. Abraham was singled out by the Lord so that he would direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. (Psalm 1:6). "Now He is going to show Abraham what happens to the ungodly."
Gen 18:20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; A great outcry because of their sin being so flagrant. (Genesis 13:13).
Gen 18:21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. Let us go down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard.
Gen 18:22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. The two, whom we suppose to have been created angels, departed at this time; and accordingly two entered Sodom at evening: while the one, called Yahveh throughout the chapter, continued with Abraham, who "stood yet before the Lord." (Genesis 18:1).
Gen 18:23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Abraham was a little concerned about what would happen to the people of Sodom. He is thinking of his nephew Lot, who live in Sodom.
Gen 18:24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? Peradventure = Perhaps. Abraham is suggesting to the Lord that there may be fifty righteous in Sodom and wants to know if He would spare the city because of them. (Still thinking of Lot and his family).
Gen 18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? Now it appears that Abraham is questioning God's judgment and wants to haggle over the fate of Sodom. "Sometimes bad things happen for reasons that we do not understand, but God does, and He will always do what is right." (Psalm 98:9). God takes care of His own.
Gen 18:26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. We only need 50 righteous for the city of Sodom to be spared. Will we find them?
Gen 18:27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: Now Abraham is going to speak to the Lord again, but he humbles himself.
Gen 18:28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. Now Abraham is going to haggle for 45 righteous. Maybe loosing a little confidence in Sodom. Again, the Lord agrees to spare Sodom if He finds 45 righteous.
Gen 18:29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. Now Abraham drops down to 40 righteous. (Now it sound like bargaining in the market place). However, the Lord agrees to 40 righteous.
Gen 18:30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. Abraham asked the Lord not to be angry with him, but he is going to push the matter a little further and drop his number down to thirty righteous. The Lord agrees on 30 righteous, and He would spare Sodom.
Gen 18:31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. Now were down to 20 righteous to be found and the Lord agrees to spare Sodom.
Gen 18:32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. Abraham's confidence in Sodom is shrinking and now he is down to ten righteous. (There had to be six to ten in Lots family alone by now). But, he seems to be comfortable at this point when the Lord agrees to spare Sodom if He finds ten righteous. (It turns out that there were not ten righteous, but God did not destroy the righteous with the wicked). The righteous were spared, but the wicked were destroyed. "The same will happen in the end times at the return of Christ in the second advent." Don't compare this to the false teachings of the rapture, only those who remain till the end will be saved. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. (Mark 13:13). The ones who stay till the end of the tribulation will be saved, not those who let themselves be deceived by Satan.
Gen 18:33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place. The Lord finished his conversation with Abraham and went on His way. Abraham went back home to his tent. Did Abraham's prayer play any part in the Lord's decision to save some of the righteous from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, or were there no righteous at all?
Keep The Faith,Barton