Contributor: Peter Folikwe

INTRODUCTION
After the fall of man in Genesis chapter 3, and by reason of their disobedience, we all became spiritually separated from God from birth, save for our redemption through the blood. However, Adam and Eve were still expected to fulfil God’s promise for them to be fruitful and multiply. Today’s study covers chapters 4 and 5 of the book of Genesis. Chapter 4 highlights the repercussions of man’s spiritual disconnection from God. However, the redemption of man originally planned by God became evident in the Chapter 5.

• CHAPTER 4
Chapter 4 begins with ‘Adam knew his wife’. It’s not as if Adam was getting to know Eve his wife by way of introduction to each other.It’s mostly used in the Bible to discretely describe intimacy between man and wife. Eve conceived and bore Cain; the reason we know that their meeting is beyond getting to know each other. The name Cain basically meant, I’ve got him or Here he is. It is likely Eve thought that Cain was the seed that God promised in Gen 3:15.
This chapter also introduces Abel the younger brother of Cain. It further defined the occupation of both of them. Cain a crop farmer and Abel took to livestock farming.
In the process of time they both offered sacrifices to God. Now see where their offerings differentiated them. Cain brought an offering of his fruits, while Abel brought firstborn of his flock. The latter carefully selected a special offering.

The Bible records that God had respect for Abel and his offering. Note here God’s respect was first towards Abel and then his offering. What earned him both respects were what he offered and how he offered it. God places more focus on our motive than offering itself. Some Bible scholars postulate that God accepted Abel’s offering because he offered the first fruit, while Cain did not. The good news is that the Bible in Hebrews 11:4 provides an insight, stating that “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.”

Abel's offering was accepted by God because it was given in faith and with a sincere heart. In contrast, Cain's offering was of the fruit of the ground, and it seems his heart and attitude were not right before God. This teaches us about the importance of faith, sincerity, and the condition of our hearts in our acts of worship and offerings to God. Brethren, you can’t be giving to God while applying your human wisdom. Your giving cannot be seen by God as sacrificial, if it is not back by faith. Now Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell at the development.

God tells Cain, "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door”. This suggests that the condition of the heart and faith behind the offering are what God values. There is no way we could hide our feelings from God even when we pretend before men. Cain hid his
countenance from Abel, but the Bible in Hebrew 4 says the word of God is a discerner of thoughts and the intent of the heart.

In God’s conversation with Cain, He warned that if his anger is unchecked it could degenerate to sin.
Here we see Cain rejecting God’s counsel, allowing his wrath to take him over. He then lured his innocent brother into the field and killed him. A premeditated murder as lawyers will call it. In V9 God asked the rhetorical question, ‘where is your brother’. Sure, God is not asking because he needs an answer, but to give Cain an opportunity to confess his sins and repent of it. Instead Cain responded with no sign of remorse and blatant disrespect/disregard for God Almighty with all impunity.
In V10 God echoes here that the blood of the innocently murdered has a voice that cries out. Meaning Numb 35 an innocent blood shed pollutes the ground/geographical area.:33 makes this clear.

God in V11-12 rained curses on Cain who was a farmer, a tiller of the ground. In the case of his parents, the punishment for their sins was that the ground will yield less fruit, but in Cain’s case, the ground was not yielding any fruits at all, and in addition, he would wonder from place to place, depending on others for his daily bread. Cainhe thought he could corner Furthermore,. 14-V13in punishment ed his protest punishment he might be killed. He was sorrowful but he vousiegrGod by framing that through his hadn’t Godly sorrow.

God responded to Cain’s blackmail with an act of mercy but putting a mark on Cain; declaring that whoever kills Cain, seven times the vengeance of Cain will be taken on such individual. Cain deserved to die, but God showed up with mercy. When you receive what you do not deserve from God, it is just an act of His mercy and loving kindness towards you.
While the blood of the innocent speaks vengeance, the blood of Jesus, speaks of mercy, advocating for us and interceding for us. V16 tells us that Cain went out from the presence of God to Nod, east of Eden. Usually, sin separates man from the presence of God.
From V17 - V22 we see the genealogy of Cain from the birth of his first son, Enoch (not the Enoch God took to heaven) up till the time of Lamech his great, great, great grandson whom the Bible recorded as the first ever polygamist with two wives. Note here that polygamy started with a family separated from God.
In V23 just like great, great grandfather, Lamech called his two wives to boast of killing a man. Just imagine a man taking pride in killing his fellow man. He further boasted in V24 that since God would avenge anyone who kills Cain will be avenge 7-fold, that in his own case he will be avenge 77-fold. He was such a proud brat, contending with God. He was indirectly saying that he could produce a greater revenge than God.

The conclusion of Chapter 4 had a unique closure turning our attention back to Adam and Eve who had yet another son - Seth, in place of Abel. Incidentally he was to usher in the promised seed spoken of in Gen 3:15. The Bible recorded in the concluding section that men began to call on the name of the Lord. This could be very well mean that unlike the descendants of Cain who were separated from God, Seth and his descendants began to consecrate themselves to God; they started praying to God, worshiping God.

• CHAPTER 5
Chapter 5 mainly talked about the genealogy or descendants of Adam after the birth of Seth leading to the birth of Noah. The chapter opened reiterating that God created man (male & female) in His image and likeness. Note, “in His image and likeness”. A significant attribute of God’s image and likeness is His immortality. Adam became the father of Seth when he was 130 years old. V3 of Chapter 5 records that Seth was born in Adam’s image and likeness. God created Adam, perfectly. After all His creations, He reviewed all He had created in Gen 1:31 and said, ‘they were all very good’. But in the case of Seth, Adam begat a son in his own sinful likeness, after his image.

Adam however lived for 930 years and he died, contrary to the original plan of God for mankind to have His image of immortality. When we consider biblical genealogy at that time, we are confronted by extremely long lifespans. The shortest lifespan at that time was about 365 years, and that was the special case of Enoch, who walked with God. Methuselah on his part lived for 969 years, recoded as the man who had lived the longest lifespan in history.

V4 recorded that Adam had other sons and daughters. The number of sons and daughters were not specified, because they were not relevant to the biblical records of Adam’s genealogy. In chapter 5, no mention was made of Cain and the generation after him in Adam’s genealogy. Although he was the 1st son, he lost his right of place/purpose due to sin and rebellion against God. In chapter 5 very descendant of Adam ended with the phrase “and he died” - emphasis that human existence came to an end; returning back to the dust they were formed, except for Enoch who was taken to heaven by God.

Between V1 and V32 of Genesis Chapter 5 we had a record of 10 generations from Adam to Noah; in the following chronological order of existence, Adam, Seth, Enosh, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah. Each fathered children, named them, lived for so long, had other sons and daughters and died, except for Enoch. Unlike his forefathers, who lived for so long after the begat sons and daughters, emphasis was on how long Enoch walked with God in Genesis 5:22. He interrupted the norm and pattern that we see throughout the whole genealogy of Adam in chapter 5.

In comparison, Cain’s family tree in Chapter 4 had Lamech who was very proud, arrogant, and spoke of evil and revenge. Conversely, Lamech in Seth’s family tree, spoke of rest (relief from our work/labour), hope, life, expectations symbolic of his son he named Noah in Genesis 5:. 29While Cain’s Lamech talks about taking life, Seth’s Lamech talks about God’s gift of life and hope.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, God graciously and divinely intervenes to rescue and brings rest to mankind through a man He has set apart through the lineage of Seth. This points to Jesus Christ our Saviour, chosen to be righteous and positioned to deliver all of mankind from their adamic/sinful nature, through His death, resurrection and ascension to glory.