Chapter 1

(Verses 1 and 2) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 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. 

There are two words in verse 2 that I am told can have a little clearer translation than that given them in the KJV. The first of these is “void.”  According to those with whom I have discussed it, this word is actually in the passive voice, and should have been translated, “was voided,” or emptied out. The next is, “moved,” which is an acceptable translation, but might have been a little clearer if translated, “hovered,” or “brooded,” as a hen does over her chicks. This is by no means intended to change the meaning, but simply to, possibly, make it a little clearer. When the scriptures say, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,” it refers only to the beginning of the heaven and the earth, not the beginning of God; for God is eternal, with neither beginning nor end. This is the basic concept of all true religion. Without it there could be no hope of any continuing future. No power can control anything, except during the time it exists. If God could cease to exist, so would all His works; but that cannot be. 

There is no statement of continuity between verses 1 and 2. How long it may have been between God’s creation of the heaven and the earth and the time of His voiding, or emptying out the earth so that there was left in it no “form,” that is, no form of life, is not given. And it has no relevance to us, because man was not yet created.  So it could have no effect upon him. 

With the earth thus voided and without any form of life, it was also in total darkness, and covered with water. This “darkness was upon the face of the deep” That is, the earth was in this great abyss, which we call space, and the entire face of this abyss was covered with darkness. While it was in this condition, “The Spirit of God moved (hovered, or brooded) upon the face of the waters.” Nothing is said about His moving upon the “face of the deep” (the abyss). His concern was for the earth which was under the waters; and He hovered over it. Make no effort to find out how long this situation continued. Had it been any of our business, He, no doubt, would have told us. 

(Verses 3 and 5) And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. 

As before mentioned, none but God knows how long it was from God’s creation of the heaven and the earth till He said, “Let there be light:” and that really doesn’t concern us. What does concern us is the fact that He said. “Let there be light,” and there was light. There was no failure, no argument, and no delay. He spoke, and it immediately came to pass. So we shall find it to be with every item about which He said, “Let it be.” He saw that light, and declared it good. When He sees that something is good, it needs no adjustment or fine tuning. It is just as He purposed it to be. He further made a separation between light and darkness; and that separation still holds today. In the absence of light there is darkness; but when light is brought
in, the darkness must leave, and that in proportion to the strength of the light that is brought in. When God had brought forth the light, He called, or declared, it “Day;” and the darkness He called “Night.” Since until God created the light, all things were in darkness, it appears that, chronologically, God created the darkness before He created the light. Thus we find that “the evening and the morning were the first day.” That is, according to God’s rule, the evening, or the darkness, comes before morning, or the light. And that is the sequence God established for the counting of time. Lest any should argue that God did not create the darkness, read what Isaiah says (Isaiah 45:7) “I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” 

(Verses 6 through 8) And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 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. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 

Here we again see an example of the irresistibility of the power of the word of God. When He saw fit to place the firmament, that unbroken expanse which we later see is the place prepared for everything from all the fowls that fly, to even the planets, the stars, the sun, the moon, etc., and which He called “Heaven,” around the earth, He simply said, “Let it be.” And so it was. At this point He only says that it is to separate the waters that are under it from the waters that are above it. As we soon shall see, the earth was at this time completely submerged in water. When He had established this firmament in place, He called it “Heaven.” This is the heaven often referred to in other scriptures, meaning not the throne of God, but what we sometimes call the atmospheric heaven, or sometimes, “outer space.” And it is often referred to in the plural, as, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handiwork.” (Psalms 19:1) As this work was finished we are told, “And the evening and the morning were the second day,” the same sequence as given for the first day. 

(Verses 9 and 10) 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. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas: and God saw that it was good. 

This is, perhaps, as strong internal evidence of the truth of the Bible as can be found. It proves beyond doubt that this has to be the testimony of God. Men argue about when this was written: some holding that it was written by Moses, the man of God, during his lifetime, and as God revealed it to him, while others claim that it was written at a much later date, and by someone else according to his own imagination. Nevertheless, all agree that it was written sometime before the birth of the Christ. If it had been written as late as 500 years ago, it would have been impossible for man to have known by his own wisdom that the land mass of the earth was once all joined together in one body, as it must certainly have been when the waters were all gathered together unto one place. While today all reputable scientists in that
field agree that the land was at one time all joined together, (and, by looking at a map of the world, and making allowance for erosion, even we who are not scientists can see this to be true) when the Bible was written, man by his own wisdom knew nothing of this. It had to be a revelation from God Himself. Scientists from the whole world, and to the tune of many millions of dollars, have been studying the bottoms of the oceans, trying to determine when and why the continents were separated. If they ever satisfy themselves on these points it will have done them no good. They could have learned just as much, and at far less expense, by reading the Bible. The “When” was when God saw fit to divide it. And the time for it is given in Genesis 10:25. The “Why” is, no doubt, the same as that given by Christ Jesus in Matthew 11:26. “Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight.” If anything seems good in the sight of the Father, that should be enough for anyone. 

(Verses 11 through 13) 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. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed is in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day. 

Having created the light, separated it from the darkness, established the firmament, and separated the dry land from the waters, God saw fit to clothe the land with vegetation. So He commanded the earth to bring forth grass, herbs bearing seed, and trees bearing fruit. All vegetation, including grass, herbs, and trees, was first created, and brought forth its seed after its kind. That is, God caused the earth to bring forth the plant first; and it produced seed that would make another plant like, or of the same kind as, the original. All these things were done according to God’s purpose. Therefore the whole operation was good. For the third day the sequence of evening and morning were the same as for days one and two. 

(Verses 14 through 19) 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: and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 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. And God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth, 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. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Again we see that when God saw fit to make anything, He only spoke and the work was done. There was no failure, and there was no delay. The “greater light,” of course, is the sun; and the “lesser light” is the moon. The stars were also made by Him at the same time as the sun and the moon. Some of our modern scientists try to tell us that some stars are billions of years older than others, all of which seems to have no substance in provable facts. About all this does is to make those who believe the scientists think them to be somewhat wiser than they really are, thus feeding their ego. In the text before us we are told that God had more than one purpose in making these lights. First, they were to give light upon the earth; second, they were to rule over the day, and over the night, thus dividing the light from the darkness, or the day from the night; and third, they were to be signs to indicate divisions of time, such as days seasons, and years. Just as with all other of His works, when God looked upon them He found them good. That is, they were just exactly as He had purposed them to be. 

(Verses 20 through 23) And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and the fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 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. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 

Here is another instance of internal evidence of the truth of the word of God. At the time of the writing of the book, Genesis, it would have been impossible for any man, by his own wisdom, to know that the beginning of the life of the “living creatures that move” was in the seas, or waters. God’s word declares it to be true; and now even the scientists proclaim it to be the case. Of course, they claim to have discoveredthis truth by a great deal of scientific research and work. Again, all that work was wasted, because all they had to do was to read Genesis 1:20—21. Why will theybnot believe God’s word? To some there may appear to be a discrepancy between verse 20 and verse 21. In verse 20 God commanded the waters to bring forth “the moving creature that hath life, and the fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven;” while in verse 21 we find, “and God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind, and winged fowl after his kind.” There is no discrepancy. Verse 21 simply explains that God is the One Who created all these things, although He caused the waters to bring them forth. The whole operation was still by His power, and no other. Notice should be taken that just as it was with vegetable life, so it was with animal life.  Each was to bring forth “after his kind.” Since this is true, not only does it hold that an apple seed will bring forth, not a peach tree, but only an apple tree, and a cow will bring forth only another member of the bovine family, but also that no member of the vegetable kingdom can bring forth a member of the animal kingdom. Neither can any member of the animal kingdom bring forth a member of the human species. So the whole theory of evolution is stopped in its tracks. Our Lord Jesus takes this a step further in John 3:6. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.” Nothing can, of itself, rise above the level of its source. By natural generation it is “after its kind.” Again God declares that the sequence of evening and morning continues for day five as it has for the previous days. 

(Verses 24 and 25) 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. 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. 

What is said here presents nothing unusual in God’s manner of bringing about the fulfilling of His purpose. It is the same as in earlier acts of creation. He said “Let it be,” and it was done. So far as vegetable life is concerned, He said, “Let the earth bring forth,” and the vegetation was there. Then He said “Let the waters bring forth,” and that command was immediately obeyed. Now, again He has said “Let the earth bring forth,” and that also is done. Notice should be taken that in all these cases, He has commanded that each item of His creation, vegetable, marine life, fowl of the heaven, and living creature of the earth, to “bring forth after his kind.” Thus He has set the order for each to continue in its proper place. Then, as He looked upon His creation, He saw that it was all good. That is it was exactly as He had purposed it to be. One more work of His creation remained to be done. And, as we shall see, He makes some changes between it and those things already done. 

(Verses 26 through 28) 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. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and 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. 

There are several things about the creation of man that differ from all other acts of creation. The first one we notice is His approach to this work. Heretofore He has simply said, “Let it be,” and the act was done. Here He takes counsel with Himself before doing the work. And since He said, “Let Us make ----,” it seems reasonable that there were more than one in this council, which could only be the three Persons of the Godhead, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. Another difference is that He did not say, “Let anything bring forth,” as He had concerning the vegetable and animal creations. Concerning none of the former created items did He say anything about their being in His image, or likeness. But of man He said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Thus man is by God’s creation made in His likeness. This does not mean that he looks like God. For none can see God. But as God is a Trinity, Father, Word, and Holy Ghost, so is man a trinity, body, soul, and spirit. Thus he is made in the image of God. Not only so, but God also gave to man a differentposition from that of any other of His creatures. Having created man (and woman) in His own image, He blessed them, and gave them a commandment: “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.” No doubt, David had reference to this when he wrote Psalm 8:3—9, although the writer of the Hebrew Epistle points out that it also refers to the Christ. Man is nothing but an object of the creation of the Almighty God. Yet that same great God set him up as the caretaker, under Him, of all His earthly creation. So, what is man that God should thus honor him? This question has yet to be answered, unless we simply accept Jesus’ answer in Matthew 11:26. Some argue that when God said, “Replenish the earth,” this means that humanity was once before on the earth, and when God emptied out the earth they were destroyed, and therefore they are to be replaced, thus replenishing the earth. But “replenish” does not always mean “Replace that which has been taken away.” It can also simply mean “supply.” So His command to man is to supply, or produce, humanity to do the job that has been delegated to him. 

(Verses 29 through 31) 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 which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat (food). 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. 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. 

Notice is to be taken that as God created all creatures of the world, including man, there was not a carnivore among them. To every one of them He gave only the green herb for food. Only after the curse was placed upon the earth for the sin of man did the “law of tooth and claw” enter into the world. Isaiah speaks several times of a time to come when the bear, the lion, the leopard, etc., shall be tame, and shall lie down with such as the cow and the sheep. And many, when reading this, will immediately say, “That can never be, literally. We have to ‘spiritualize such statements.’”  Please take notice that it was that way before the curse. And it will also be that way when the curse is removed. God Looked upon His creation, and saw that it was very good, just as He had created it. “And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” The same sequence of morning and evening has prevailed all the way.

(Verses 1 and 3) Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the hosts of them. 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. 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.

Thus the writer declares the fact that in the first six days God created all things that He considered necessary to His plan, and brought His work of creation to an end on the seventh day. And on the seventh day He rested from all His work. Then because He rested on the seventh day, He then blessed that day, and sanctified it, or set it apart, because it had been His day of rest. We notice that, in the center column reference of our Bible a note is given on the last three words of verse 3, indicating that the literal translation of those words is, “created to make.” This might shed some light on what some have deemed a discrepancy between Chapters 1 and 2 concerning the order of creation. Chapter 1 may be giving the order in which all things were created, but the order of their being formed, or set up, is given in Chapter 2.

(Verses 4 through 7)  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, 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. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 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.

“These,” that is, these things recorded in the preceding chapter, are “the generations of the heavens and of the earth,” or the record of their being created, “in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,” as well as the record of the creation of every plant and every herb of the field before they were placed on the earth. Thus it appears reasonable that it is the record of the creation of animal life, and also of the creation of man before either was placed upon the earth. We might look at it as an architect creating a building. It is all brought together in His mind, and perhaps, even on paper, to the very last detail before there is even any “ground breaking” for it. But He can envision it as complete in his mind, and declare it “good,” although there is none of it in place. God is certainly greater than any architect. So, surely, He could see it completely finished before any of it was in place. He did thus see it, and declared it good, or exactly as He had purposed it. He had not yet caused it to rain upon the earth, and so the earth was not yet ready for the vegetation, and in the absence of vegetation it was not yet ready for animal life, or for man, since “the green herb” is what the Lord had given for their food. Then God caused a mist to go up from the earth, “and water the whole face of the ground.” Thus the vegetation could grow upon the earth. Then the LORD God took dust of the ground, and of it formed, or made, man. Notice that this is another thing that is peculiar to the creation of man. It was not done for any of the animal, fishes, fowls, or creeping things of the earth. In addition to this God breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of man, and man became a living soul. This special treatment of man by the Creator might well be another reason for us to ask the question, “What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?” And the answer still has to be the same. “There is nothing in man to cause such. It can only be because it seemed good in the sight of God.”

(Verses 8 through 14) And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden : and there He put the man whom He had formed. 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. And a river went out of Eden to water  the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison; that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah , where there is gold; and the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia . And the name of the third river is Hidekel; that is it that goeth toward the east of Assyria . And the fourth river is Euphrates .

There are several different theories about just where The Garden of Eden was located. And these we will not attempt to discuss. Neither will we try to discuss these rivers. The only one of them that we can positively identify on a map is the Euphrates . The other names have through the ages been changed. And, of course the topography of that area of the world has undergone tremendous change in all these past ages. So today we can find no four rivers that appear to have sprung from one source, as did these. However, the LORD God did plant a garden in which He planted every tree that was pleasant to the sight, and that was good for food. And since such fruit and the green herb is what He had given man for food, man was well supplied. God also placed in the midst of that garden both the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

(Verses 15 through 17) And the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 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.

This seems clear enough to stand on its own with no need of explanation. The LORD God placed the man in the garden that he might be the caretaker of the garden. When He did, He also gave the man liberty to eat of the fruit of any tree of the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But He strictly forbade his eating of it, and told him that to do so would bring certain death. There was no antidote for the poison of that tree mentioned.

(Verses 18 through 20) And the LORD God said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 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. 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.

Sometimes we hear someone say that the purpose of bringing all these creatures before Adam was to see if a mate could be found for him. But that is not what the LORD God said about it. He said, “I will make him an help meet for him.” Then these were all brought before Adam to let him give names to them. Some might wonder why the LORD would let Adam name them instead of naming them Himself. Remember that God had already given Adam dominion over them. Therefore it was appropriate that Adam name them. The last statement of verse 20, “But for Adam there was not found an help meet for him,” does not suggest that there was any search for an help meet for him being made in this act of bringing all these things before him. It only tells us that the human race is not to try to cross breed with any of the animal kingdom. Ancient myths and legends abound in which some human being had cross bred with an animal of some sort, and produced a monster. And in some of the ancient heathen religions, such was a part of some of their rituals. But it is forbidden by the laws of God.

(Verses 21 through 25) 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 thereof; and the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 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. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

So far as God’s work in making the woman from the rib of man is concerned, it seems to be so clearly set forth that comment will not improve it in any respect. It may be that the fact that He took a rib, and not some other bone, from which to make the woman has greater significance than is sometimes noticed, especially since the relation of husband and wife is also used to illustrate the relation between our Lord Jesus and His bride, the church. The position of the rib is under the arm, thus signifying that the wife should always be under the protection of her husband, just as the church is always under the protection of her Lord. Much more could be said concerning this relationship. But suffice it to say that since the wife is bone of her husband’s bones, and flesh of his flesh, he should always be just as careful to avoid bringing pain or sorrow upon her as he would be to avoid bringing it upon himself. For they are one. Because they are one flesh the man is to leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife. And the same things that apply to him also apply to his wife. It is a reciprocal relationship, just as binding upon one as the other. Remember that Adam’s statement in verses 23 and 24 had to be revealed to him by the LORD God, and is therefore His word instead of that of Adam, because during the whole operation the LORD God had made a deep sleep to come upon Adam, so his only way of knowing about this is either that God told him, or revealed it to him. At that time sin had not raised its ugly head in the earth, and though they were both naked neither the man nor the woman was ashamed.  

(Verses 1 through 6) 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? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the trees of the garden: 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. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 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. 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.

This is the record of the first temptation and also the first sin that entered into the world. Notice should be taken that nothing is said about “a serpent,” but “the serpent.” And in view of what he does, no doubt, the reference is not to just any serpent, but to the one that is, in Rev. 20:2 called ,“that old serpent which is the Devil, and Satan.” He makes his appearance in the garden, finds the woman, and addresses her, saying, “Yea, hath God said, ‘ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’” He was too cunning to ask directly about the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He generalized the situation by asking if they had been forbidden to eat of every tree of the garden. The woman told him that such a prohibition was not given them, but that only one tree was forbidden to them, and that was the tree that was in the midst of the garden, which was, of course, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We have no record that God told them not to touch it, but she said He had. Sometimes it is dangerous to add anything to what the LORD has said. So the serpent said, “Ye shall not surely die: 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.” Thus he planted two seeds in her mind. One was distrust of God, to think that He was not being fair with them, and the other was that by eating this fruit they would be wiser, more important, and even equal to God in knowledge. Both of these were false, but she was deceived into thinking that they were true. So as, in this state, she looked upon the tree, she saw it to be “good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise.” She was completely entangled in his web. So she took some of the fruit of this tree, and ate it. And since her husband was with her, she also gave the fruit to him; and he ate it. No explanation is given as to why he ate that fruit. The scriptures tell us that she was deceived, but he was not. (See 1 Timothy 2:14) Some try to claim that the man’s action was a type of the Christ coming down to the level of His bride, because she could not come to Him. And that may be so. There are a few scriptures that seem to hint at such. But none that openly declare it.

(Verses 7 and 8) 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. 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.

Indeed their eyes were opened; but not as the serpent had told them. Apparently the only new knowledge they gained was to know that they were naked. And this caused them such shame that they sewed fig leaves together and made aprons for themselves. And fig leaves would make very poor clothing. Their shame was so great that they could no longer rejoice at the approach of the LORD. So when they heard His voice as He walked in the garden in the cool of the day, they tried to hide from His presence. They had, in the very day in which they ate the forbidden fruit, died to the fellowship they had enjoyed with the LORD God. They had become dead in trespasses and sin.

(Verses 9 through 13) And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And He said, Who told that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 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.

It is not to be thought that the LORD God did not know where Adam was. His call to him was not for information, but to remind Adam of his terrible loss. Adam admitted that he had heard the LORD God in the garden, and hid himself because he was naked, and afraid. So the LORD God’s next question was, “Who told you that you were naked.” Heretofore Adam’s being naked had not caused him to be afraid. Then He asked Adam, “Have you eaten of the tree that I commanded you to not eat of?” Then Adam began to do as is so popular today. He tried to lay the blame on someone else, actually upon the woman that God had made as a companion to him. Then the LORD questioned her, and she laid the blame upon the serpent. We often think, and often hear others say, “In this modern day nobody will take responsibility for his own actions.” Guess what! It has been that way since the time of Adam and Eve.

(Verses 14 and 15) 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: 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.

Certainly this needs no explanation except for the last statement of verse 15. This is the first direct prophecy of the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus. He is the seed of the woman whose heel the serpent, Satan bruised by having Him crucified. But Glory to GOD! He bruised Satan’s head by His resurrection from the dead. And He is now seated at the right hand of the Father, waiting for the appointed time to come back, and gather together all of those whom He has redeemed.

(Verses 16 through 19) 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. 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; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 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.

Thus the LORD God placed upon both woman and man a penalty for disobedience. All of this is, of course in addition to the fact that by their disobedience to His command, they had suffered death in trespasses and sin. They were no longer in fellowship with God, nor could they be until He provided a sufficient sacrifice that could cancel their sin. And this was not to be until the fulfillment of the prophecy of verse 15. To the woman He added sorrow to her conception and delivery of children, as well as making her desire subject to her husband. As we shall later see, even if she made a vow to the LORD, when her husband heard the vow, if he did not disallow it, it would stand; but if he did disallow it, it was no longer binding upon her. And we are all aware that a human mother is much more subject to pain and sorrow in her delivery than any of the mothers in the animal kingdom. And because Adam listened to his wife, and partook of the forbidden fruit in spite of knowing better and not being deceived, the LORD even cursed the ground for his sake. It would no more bring forth of itself sufficient fruit to sustain him; but he must till it, and put forth much effort to make it produce the herb of the field that would be his sustenance until he returned to the ground. For he was taken from the ground: and to it he must return. Not only so, but during his stay on earth, the earth would bring forth thorns and thistles to him.  And this is the legacy he has left to all humanity, even to this day. We might also note that life brings forth to most of us thorns and thistles that do not grow out of the ground. They too are the result of Adam’s transgression.

(Verses 20 and 21) And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. Unto Adam also and unto his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Verse 20 surely needs no explanation, it only tells us that, as the Lord God had previously given him the authority to name all things, Adam called his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living, that is all the human family that should be. And that reaches even to the present day. Not long ago I watched a program on TV concerning DNA. Now I have no expertise in this field, and therefore cannot testify to the accuracy of this report. But according to those who made this report, They have proven that every human being on earth today is descended from one woman; and that her time of life was about 5,000 or 6,ooo years ago. That would make her lifetime to have been at about the time that is usually calculated to have been the time of Eve’s life. In verse 21 we are told that the LORD God clothed both Adam and his wife by making for them coats of skins. This may have more significance than appears on the surface. In order to obtain the skin of an animal in order to make of it a coat, the animal must first be killed. This may be a type of the death of the Christ, and the clothing of those for whom He died with His righteousness, thus completely hiding, or putting away, their sin, that they may appear before Him clothed in His righteousness, and thus free from sin.

(Verses 22 through 24) 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 forever: therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken. So He drove out the man; and 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.

Thus did the LORD God, because of the disobedience of man, put him out of the garden of Eden, and set a barrier that no man can, by his own power pass to get to the tree of life. Man now has no access to either the garden of Eden or to the tree of life. The tree of life shall be in plentiful supply in the New Jerusalem, but only those whom our Lord Jesus has by His sacrifice redeemed shall be there; and they not by their own power, but by His.  

(Verses 1 and 2) And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Thus began the increase of the human family. Adam had intercourse with Eve, and as the result she bore Cain. Then after that she bore another son called Abel. When these sons grew up Abel was a shepherd, or a keeper of sheep, while Cain was as many of us have been, a “dirt farmer.”

(Verses 3 through 7) And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 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: but unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? 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 desires, and thou shalt rule over him.

There is much about these offerings that we do not know; and very little that we do know. We do know that Cain’s offering was of the fruit of the ground, and Abel’s was of the ‘firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof.” We also know that Abel and his offering were acceptable to the LORD, while Cain and his offering were rejected.  Now for some of the things that we do not know. We do not know when, or whether, the LORD had called upon these men to make offerings to Him. Neither do we know what, if any, instructions God may have given them concerning  either the manner of making these offerings, or the substance of them. We do not know whether these offerings were for sin offering, for thank offerings, offerings for vows, or just what is their purpose. There is one other thing that we know about this whole matter. And that information comes from Hebrews 11:4. “By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.” At this point we do not know if indeed Cain had no faith in God, and Abel did, or whether Abel’s faith was greater, causing him to adhere strictly to what God had told them concerning making an offering, and Cain’s was weaker so that he thought he could do as he pleased. So we are left with a great blank concerning the matter. Some of our brethren have from some source come up with the idea that the whole matter hinges upon the fact that Cain’s offering, “of the fruit of the ground” in no way speaks of the shedding of blood without which there is no remission of sin, while Abel’s offering does testify to the shedding of blood, since it is of the firstlings of the flock; and the animals had to be killed before they could be offered. But nowhere in scripture do I find anything said about this. There are offerings under the law in which the fruit of the ground is acceptable. But in this case neither it nor he that offered it was accepted. And the only reason we can find anywhere is that given in Hebrews 11: 4.

Since Cain was very angry at being rejected, the LORD asked him why he should be angry, and look so crestfallen. There can only be one reason for failure. And that is a fault of the one who fails. If one attempts something and does well at it, that is acceptable, and that applies to making an offering as well as to anything else. On the other hand, if it is not acceptable there is something amiss. And the fault is with the one who has failed. Whether or not it is true, I cannot say; but I have heard it said that in the Hebrew language the same word is used for “sin offering” that is used for “sin.” If that is true, then the second statement of verse 7 could be read, “And if thou doest not well, a sin offering lieth at the door.” That is, since the sheep often lay around near the tent, all he had to do to was to take one of them and make it an offering, and everything would be all right. I rather think, however, that the LORD is actually telling Cain that the fault lies at his door. He is to bear the blame. Therefore he has no right to be angry. Then, since the manner of inheritance is that the younger is subject to the older, the LORD tells him that Abel’s desire shall be subject to him, and he shall rule over Abel. So he has no reason to be angry.

(Verses 8 through 12) 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. And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is thy brother? And Cain said, I know not: am I my brother’s keeper? And He said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto Me from the ground. And now thou art cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; 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.

In 1 John 3:12 we are told that Cain “was of that wicked one, and slew his brother.” Being such, he waited for his opportunity which came as he and Abel were in the field together, and killed him. Of course, the LORD knew all about it, but He asked Cain, “Where is thy brother?” Cain evidently did not think that the LORD knew anything about the situation, so he very flippantly answered, “I know not. Am I my brother’s keeper?” But the LORD let him know that He knew much more about the matter than Cain thought. Even the blood of Abel cried out to Him from the ground. So He placed a curse upon Cain. Verses 11 and 12 tell what that curse amounted to, and they are explicit enough to need no comment.

(Verses 13 through 15) And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 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. 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.

When the LORD pronounced sentence upon Cain, Cain said that it was greater than he could bear. He feared that his being a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth would cause everyone that met him to attempt to kill him. So the LORD declared that if anyone did kill him, vengeance would be taken upon him sevenfold. And He also set a mark upon him to warn anyone lest they should try to kill him. Do not attempt to discover what this mark was; for the LORD has never told us anything more about it. But it seems to have been something recognizable.

(Verses 16 through 18) And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod , on the east of Eden . 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. And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.

At this time Cain left from the area near the garden of Eden, and moved to the land of Nod , which was farther east. Then he had intercourse with his wife, and she conceived, and had a son whom they named Enoch. There is no reason to question as to who his wife was. Since Eve was the mother of all living human beings, Cain’s wife had to be one of her daughters, or one of her granddaughters, which, of course makes her either Cain’s sister, or niece. We cannot find fault with this on our modern grounds of restricting marriage to no closer kin than first cousins. Abraham and Sarah were half brother and sister. They were both the offspring of the same father, but of different mothers. Much later, the Egyptian ruling family insisted upon the marriage of brother to sister. At the time of Cain, there was no other family to which to turn. In verses 17 and 18 we are given the names of the heads of five generations of Cain’s descendants. They are Enoch, Irad, Mehujael, Methusael, and Lamech. Until we come to Lamech there is nothing said about there being any more members of this family.

(Verses 19 through 24) And Lamech took unto him two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. 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. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

Lamech married two wives, Adah and Zillah. By Adah he had two sons, Jabal and Jubal. The descendants of Jabal were nomadic. They lived in tents, and kept cattle, while Jubal’s family were more inclined to make and use musical instruments, such as the harp and the organ. The children of Zillah were a son, Tubalcain, and a daughter Naamah. Nothing is said about what Naamah did; but Tubalcain was an instructor of those who worked with brass and iron. Most of our modern scientists try to tell us that at the time here spoken of man had not learned to make anything of iron. But in a documentary aired a few years ago, a group of scientists claimed to have found a piece of wood that they scientifically determined to be about 5,000 years old, and cut from an oak tree about five feet in diameter. And, according to them, it had to have been cut out with an iron instrument. So much for the arguments of science. Here we have the word of God telling us that in that day there was an instructor that taught men to make things of brass and of iron.

Lamech came to his wives one day and told them, “I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.” This seems to indicate that some young man had attacked and wounded him, but he killed the young man. So he said, “If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.” Inasmuch as Cain had no excuse for killing his brother, but if anyone killed him, he was to be avenged sevenfold, surely, since Lamech was only defending himself when he killed the young man, if anyone should kill him, he should be avenged ten times as much as Cain.

(Verses 25 and 26) 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. 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.

We are never told anything about any other children Adam and Eve may have had between the birth of Abel and the birth of Seth. However it is apparent that they must have had some. Otherwise how could Cain have had a wife, since Eve was the mother of all living. Nevertheless Seth is the one who is now brought up for discussion, because it is from Seth that all who survived the flood in the days of Noah are counted. There was born to Seth a son whom they named Enos. The last statement of verse 26 is, “Then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.” This seems a little strange, since in the next chapter we find that this was 235 years after Adam was formed. And, surely, in all that time some had called upon His name. The note in the center column of my Bible gives this alternate translation of that statement, “Then began men to call themselves by the name of the LORD.” If this is the correct translation, it may shed some light upon another question about which many men have done much arguing through the ages. That we shall mention at the proper place.  

(Verses 1 and 2) This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made He him; male and female created He them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

This is the introduction to the genealogy of Adam. He and his wife, (male and female) were made in the likeness of God. As we have previously explained, just as God is a Trinity, Father, Word, and Holy Ghost, so is man (male and female) a trinity, body, soul, and spirit. And God “blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day they were created.

(Verses 3 through 8) And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: and the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: and all the years of Adam were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the years of  Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.

As we previously mentioned, we have no record of any other children born to Adam between the birth of Abel and that of Seth. But , although no length of time is mentioned between the creation of Adam and the birth of Cain and Abel, in view of the command that God gave the man and woman to multiply and replenish the earth, one would think it to have been reasonably short, and yet Adam was 130 years old when Seth was born. So, no doubt, other children were born to him during this time, just as they were after Seth’s birth. Yet, since Seth is the one through whom the human succession is counted, he is the only one mentioned. All other lines of descent were terminated by the flood. Since Adam was 130 years of age when Seth was born, and Seth was 105 years old when he begat Enos, this makes the time 235 years from the creation of Adam till the birth of Enos, at which time, depending upon which translation we follow, “Men began the call upon the name of the LORD,” or “Men began to call themselves by the name of the LORD.” The latter translation could very well mean that they began to call themselves “the sons of God.”  We shall mention this again in our discussion of Chapter 6.

(Verses 9 through 20) And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: and Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters; and all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died. And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel; and Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years and begat sons and daughters: and all the years of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died. And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: and Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died. And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: and Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.

The principal advantage this is to us is that, it and the information given us in the remainder of this Chapter and in Chapter 7, can calculate how long it was from the creation of Adam to the flood, if this is any real advantage to anyone. It also gives us the line of descent from Adam to a man who was blessed with an experience that only one more human being has ever had. He was taken out of this world without having to pass through death, That man is Enoch, the last one mentioned in these verses.

(Verses 21 through 27) And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the years of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: and Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: and Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine tears: and he died.

So far as the genealogy given here is concerned, it seems clear enough to need no comments. But the life of Enoch is another matter. The scriptural testimony is that “he walked with God.” And as a result of his walking with God, God simply took him from the earth, to be with Him in glory. Hebrews 11:5 tells us that he was “translated.” So he did not have to die. The only other person in the history of humanity who was taken out of the world alive was Elijah; and he was carried up in a whirlwind, with Elisha witnessing the event.

(Verses 28 through 32) And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 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. And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

This brings us to the man who, at the command of God, built the ark, in which he and his family were preserved through the flood. And from whom all humanity has descended. That man was Noah. His father Lamech named him Noah because he believed that this son would be a comfort to humanity for the curse with which God had cursed the ground. He became the man by whom God preserved the human species, and all living creatures of the earth.  

Chapter 6

(Verses 1 through 4) And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 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. There were giants in the earth ; 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.

This brings up a situation that has sparked many arguments among men. The question is, ”Who were these ‘sons of God?’” Some contend that these were the angels that followed Satan in his rebellion against God and were cast out of heaven with him. Nothing that I have ever seen in scripture gives any support for this theory. Since the alternate translation (given in the center column reference of some of our Bibles) for the last statement in Chapter 4 reads, ”Then began men to call themselves by the name of the LORD,” it would seem that the descendants of Seth called themselves “the sons of God.” In verses 16 through 22 of Chapter 4 a genealogy is given of the descendants of Cain; and they may very well have been called “men” in distinction from “the sons of God,” as the descendants of Seth designated themselves. This by no means establishes the matter, but is only suggested as a possibility. It really makes no difference to us, because the flood destroyed all humanity except Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives. So all the giants that were in the world in that day mean nothing to us; for they no longer exist. During this time the LORD declared that His Spirit would not always strive with man, since man is also flesh; but man’s days should be one hundred and twenty years. However, He did permit some men to exceed that limit.

(Verses 5 through 8) 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. And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. 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. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Man had, in the short time he had been on the earth, become so wicked that the LORD declared that He was sorry that He had made man. Most theologians hold that, since with God there is no variableness and no shadow of turning, this could only mean that, in His providential dealings with man, He acted as would one who had become sorry that He had made man, but not that He had actually changed to a sorrowful being.. However I will not get into that question, on either side. There are many scriptures that speak of His being angry; and if He can become angry, why can He not become sorry, or “grieved at His heart?” At any Rate, He determined to destroy man, the land animals, and the fowl of the air. And in all this there was only one man who “found grace in His sight.” That man was Noah.

(Verses 9 through 13) These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 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.

This is the family that would be left after the destruction God had determined to bring upon the earth. Noah was a man who was “perfect in his generations,” that is he was a just man, keeping God’s laws and walking with God. Some might suggest that there is no record that God gave man any laws after Adam was driven out of the garden. But the fact that Enoch and Noah both walked with God, shows that there must have been communication between God and them. And any communication of the will of God to man is a law of God. Noah had three sons born to him, and their names were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Aside from this family all flesh, that is all mankind had turned aside into sin so that the whole earth was corrupted. We sometimes hear people arguing about whether or not every person destroyed in the flood was lost, in the sense of being eternally condemned. I consider this a totally inappropriate question, since the word of God plainly says, “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was full of violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. I care not to make excuses for someone about whom all I have any way of knowing is what the word of the LORD tells me, and it only portrays them as so corrupt that He destroyed them for their wickedness.

(Verses 14 through 18) Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. 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. 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. 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. 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.

These are the instructions God gave Noah about how to build the ark. They seem plain enough to need no comments. The LORD also told Noah that He, the LORD, would send a flood of waters upon the earth that would destroy every thing, including man, in which was the breath of life upon earth. But He would establish His covenant with Noah, so that he and his family should come into the ark before the flood, and thus be spared.

(Verses 19 through 22) 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. 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. 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. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Thus The LORD instructed Noah what to bring into the ark in addition to himself and his family. And Noah followed His commandments.  

(Verses 1 through 6) 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. 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. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and his female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. 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 the face of the earth. And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him. And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.

When the ark was completed, the LORD told Noah to come into the ark, and bring his family with him, because he was the only man in the earth that the LORD had found righteous. He was also to gather into the ark, seven of each kind of clean animals, (animals acceptable for sacrifice,) two of each kind of unclean animals, and seven of each kind of fowls of the air, in order to preserve seed of them in the earth.. The LORD also said that seven days from that time He would cause it to rain upon the earth, and the rain would continue for forty days and forty nights. He said that by this means He would destroy, from the face of the earth, every living substance that He had made. Noah obeyed the commandment of the LORD. And he was six hundred years old when the flood came upon the earth. Some have argued, and, perhaps, rightly so, that this was the first time it had ever rained upon the earth. The scripture says , Genesis 2:5-6, that at the time of the forming of Adam, “For the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth------. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.” However there is nothing more said about this subject. And we do not know whether this system continued, or whether God had set the weather under the manner of operation that has continued to the present time. Some contend that the LORD’S statement in verse 4 of this Chapter, “I will cause it to rain,” signifies that it had never before rained. But the fact remains that He is the One Who, even today, causes it to rain. The argument seems to have little value for us today; for it has rained many times since that incident.

(Verses 7 through 10) 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. Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, there went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God commanded Noah. And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters were upon the earth.

Here is a prime example of how perfectly the choice of God works. He had chosen to save Noah and his family from the flood. So at His command, Noah built the ark, and when the LORD told him to go into the ark and take also his family. He did so. That all seems so simple that most people would consider it not worthy of remark. But God had also chosen the animals that he would save. This is evidenced by the fact that at the proper time for them to be brought into the ark, “There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.” There was no great rush of all the animals trying to get into the ark; and neither did Noah have to go out and gather them up. Those which God appointed to be saved came at His command, and to the place to which they were appointed.. “And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.” Whether this means that, seven days after their entering into the ark the rains began, or that in seven days it had rained enough that there was much water of the flood upon the earth, may be debated by some. But inasmuch as he says “the waters of the flood were upon the earth,” I would incline to the latter meaning.

(Verses 11 through 20) In the sixth 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. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 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; they, and every beast after his kind, and all cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird after his sort. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in. And the flood was forty days and nights upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.

There has never, in all the history of the world, been a rain such as this; nor will there ever be. That the LORD has promised. All of this took place in the six hundredth year of Noah’s life. Even the month and day are given, to wit, the seventeenth day of the second month. The same day in which they all went into the ark, the flood began. It was, by no means, an ordinary rain. “The fountains of the great deep were broken up.” Remember that when God created the firmament which He called heaven, He said that it was to divide the waters above it from the waters on the earth. Now the waters above it, in “the great deep,” or the abyss, were released, and the windows of “heaven” the firmament He had placed for the separation of these waters, were opened, so that these waters could come upon the earth. And this flood lasted for forty days and forty nights without abatement. Sometimes a great storm will come upon the earth today, and we think it covers a great territory, and pours down much water. But when we compare the territory it has covered with a map of the whole world, we find that its coverage is comparatively small, and it is only raining from the clouds that are with it. But this rain was worldwide, and from a much greater source. And it never slacked up during the forty days and nights. This flood continued until the waters were fifteen cubits (approximately twenty-two and one-half feet) above the tops of the mountains. The greatest rains we ever have, although they do sometimes wash away whole communities, and even fairly large towns, never do this. But they are not fed by such a supply of water as was this flood.

(Verses 21 through 24) 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: all in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. 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. And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

This gives us the summary of what was accomplished by this flood. God had said that He would destroy in it everything in the earth that had in its nostrils the breath of life, except those that He saved in the ark. This included, man, beast, cattle, fowls, and creeping things. And when it was over, it had accomplished exactly what He had said He would do with it. The flood continued for forty days and nights with no let up. And the waters of the flood remained upon the earth for one hundred and fifty days. So His purpose was accomplished.  

Chapter 8

(Verses 1 through 5) 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 pas over the earth, and the waters assuaged; the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; and the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 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.

After forty days and nights of this rain, and five months of floating around on the waters, the ark was brought to rest upon the “mountains of Ararat.” As concerning most things that the Bible tells us, there has long been discussion about whether the mountain upon which the ark was brought to rest is the same as the one called Mt. Ararat today. And indeed through the ages, many have claimed to have seen. In the area of this mountain, what they firmly believe to be the ruins of the ark. All of this makes us little difference, since, if we cannot believe the word of God without natural evidence to prove it, we don’t have much faith anyway. The important thing about it is that after the waters had sufficiently abated, the ark was brought to rest upon the mountain. And in a little over two months the waters had decreased enough that the tops of the mountains were seen. No doubt, this means not only the peak upon which the ark rested, but also those around the area.

(Verses 6 through 12) And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: and he sent forth a raven, which went to and fro until the waters were dried up from off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; 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. And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark: and the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet another seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.

Noah waited forty days after the tops of the mountains were visible, before he made any attempt to find out whether or not the waters had completely dried up. Then he sent out two birds, one a raven, and the other a dove, as scouts to see if they were gone. The raven kept going to and fro until the waters were completely dried up, since its habit is to rest in a tree, on the ground, or upon anything available. But the dove, being a bird that, although it will alight  in a tree, or on some other object, prefers the ground for a place of rest, finding the water still upon the earth, came back to the ark, and Noah took her in. Then Noah waited another seven days, and again sent the dove out. The dove stayed out until evening, and came back with an olive leaf in her mouth. By this Noah knew that the waters were gone. So he waited another seven days for the ground to dry, and sent the dove out again. This time the dove did not come back at all.

(Verses 13 and 14) 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 the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month was the earth dried.

Remember that the starting point of all the counting of time given here is based upon the age of Noah. He was six hundred years old when the flood was brought upon the earth; or rather, it was on the seventeenth day of the second month of his six hundredth year. So in his six hundredth and first year, on the first day of the first month he removed the covering from the ark, and looked out upon a dry earth. According to verse 14, he must have remained yet in the ark until the twenty-seventh day of the second month, and of course, the earth was still dry. So this is the day upon which the earth was officially declared to have been dried.

(Verses 15 through 19) And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee. 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. And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him: every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.

Notice should be taken that Noah remained in the ark almost two months after he knew that the waters were dried up from the earth. And only at the command of the LORD did he cone out, bringing with him his whole family, and all the creatures that were with him in the ark. This should be a good lesson for us. No doubt, with all the animals, birds, creeping things, etc., that were with him and his family in the ark, it must have been rather crowded and uncomfortable; but he waited till the LORD’S command to make any move. We often get in too much of a hurry, even about things that we consider things God would have us do.

(Verses 20 through 22) 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. And God 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. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Noah’s first work, after coming forth from the ark, was to build an altar to the LORD, and offer thereupon an offering unto God. For this offering he took of every clean beast and of every clean fowl, that is, he took at least one of each kind. This offering was pleasing to God, and He determined that He would never again destroy every living thing as He had done with the flood. Not only so, but as long as the earth remains, “seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” These will all come in their proper sequence. I used to hear some say that the Bible says, “The time will come when you cannot tell summer from winter except by the budding and putting forth of the trees.” That saying is definitely NOT in the Bible; and if it were it would be a direct contradiction of what the LORD said in verse 22. Notice that God did not say that He would cancel the curse which He had placed upon the earth for Adam’s sin; but only that He would not “curse the ground any more for man’s sake.” The original curse is still in force.  

Chapter 9

(Verses 1 through 7) And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 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 deli