Topical Bible Study: Grace and Devotion

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Grace and Devotion

INTRODUCTION: The grace of God was evident even after Adam and Eve had fallen to the temptation by the serpent; but When Yahweh spoke to them there was no record of instructions given for sacrifices. After Cain killed his younger brother Abel out of jealousy about Abel’s sacrifice, Eve gave birth to Seth. When Seth became father to his first son and named him Enosh, men began to call on Yahweh’s name. God's grace was always present, and devotion was seen in different ways of praise, prayer, or sacrifice: but evil became great among men and Yahweh brought judgment. Yahweh saved only eight people alive when he covered the whole earth with water even above all mountains. . When Noah emerged from the ark after the great flood, he gave sacrifices as he had been directed by Yahweh, but the location of that first altar built by man was not given. From the three sons of Noah the whole earth was repopulated.

NOTE: Scripture passages are from the World English Bible [WEB].

A - YAHWEH PROVIDED ANIMAL SKINS TO CLOTHE ADAM AND EVE

Genesis 2 "15 Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16 Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die.""

Genesis 3 "1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, "Has God really said, �You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?�" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat, 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, �You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.�" 4 The serpent said to the woman, "You won’t surely die, 5 for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit, and ate; and she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 They heard the voice of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden. 9 Yahweh God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 The man said, "I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." 11 God said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" 12 The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." 13 Yahweh God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate.""

Genesis 3 "17 To Adam he said, "Because you have listened to your wife's voice, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground for your sake. In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 It will yield thorns and thistles to you; and you will eat the herb of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return." 20 The man called his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 Yahweh God made coats of skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them. 22 Yahweh God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand, and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever�" 23 Therefore Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed Cherubs at the east of the garden of Eden, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life."

COMMENTS: When Adam and Eve believed the serpent, and disobeyed the command of Yahweh, they made coverings from fig leaves when they realized they were naked. Then they tried to hide from Yahweh when they heard him in the Garden, remembering that Yahweh had told them that the day they ate of the forbidden fruit they would surely die. When Adam was asked what they had done, he passed off the answer to Eve as to why they had eaten the forbidden fruit. Eve said she had been deceived by the serpent, and ate the fruit. I did not include any verses about the serpent because I only wanted to consider in this study, things related to Yahweh and mankind. Yahweh God made coats of skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them: which can be seen as an element of provision by mercy that surpassed their own efforts. Perhaps it symbolically foreshadowed the future blood sacrifice that offers grace from God, which is the only sufficient atonement to provide the gift of sinless eternal life. Yahweh drove them out of the Garden of Eden, and this also was an act of mercy to protect them from eating of the second tree, which would result in life forever; but that life would be in separation from God because eternal life with God cannot be achieved by the works of man. But Yahweh also told them they would suffer difficult consequences for failure to completely trust in his Word. There is no record of any sacrifices offered by Adam and Eve.

B - THE FIRST RECORDED SACRIFICES WERE MADE BY CAIN AND ABEL

Genesis 4 "1 The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain, and said, "I have gotten a man with Yahweh's help." 2 Again she gave birth, to Cain's brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 As time passed, it happened that Cain brought an offering to Yahweh from the fruit of the ground. 4 Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat. Yahweh respected Abel and his offering, 5 but he didn't respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell. 6 Yahweh said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will it not be lifted up? If you don't do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it." 8 Cain said to Abel, his brother, "Let's go into the field." It happened when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him. 9 Yahweh said to Cain, "Where is Abel, your brother?" He said, "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?" 10 Yahweh said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries to me from the ground. 11 Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 From now on, when you till the ground, it won't yield its strength to you. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth." 13 Cain said to Yahweh, "My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, you have driven me out this day from the surface of the ground. I will be hidden from your face, and I will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth. It will happen that whoever finds me will kill me." 15 Yahweh said to him, "Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold." Yahweh appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should strike him. 16 Cain went out from Yahweh's presence, and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden."

COMMENTS: Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived, and gave birth to Cain. When she said she had gotten a man with Yahweh's help, that could be considered a form of her praise. After that she gave birth to Abel, but there is no detail of any parental teaching or training from infants to adults; or of any requirements from Yahweh about offering sacrifices. Cain offered from the produce of his work as a farmer, and Abel offered from his flock as he worked as a shepherd. Yahweh accepted the offering from Abel, but rejected the offering from Cain. Yahweh asked Cain why he was angry since his mood could be lifted if he did the right thing. But if Cain did not do that, sin was waiting with a desire for him, but Cain was to rule over it. Eating of the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil brought the sentence of death to the body for all mankind, but it also gave the ability to discern between good and evil. That was the responsibility set before Cain to make the right choice, but instead he gave in to the power of sin and killed his brother Abel in jealousy. When Yahweh asked Cain where Abel was, Cain foolishly responded as if he thought God did not know all things. Yahweh pronounced a curse on Cain which Cain said was greater than he could bear and he would be soon killed by another man. Yahweh appointed an undefined sign for Cain to deter attacks by others, and said that vengeance would be taken sevenfold on anyone who kills Cain: is this not judgment tempered with a degree of grace for a murderer who had been given advance warning by God?

C - MEN BEGAN TO CALL ON YAHWEH’S NAME

Genesis 4 "25 Adam knew his wife again. She gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, "for God has appointed me another child instead of Abel, for Cain killed him." 26 There was also born a son to Seth, and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on Yahweh's name."

Genesis CHAPTER 5 | SELECTED VERSES IN NUMERICAL ORDER. 3 "Adam lived one hundred thirty years, and became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he became the father of sons and daughters. 5 All the days that Adam lived were nine hundred thirty years, then he died." 6 "Seth lived one hundred five years, and became the father of Enosh." 9 "Enosh lived ninety years, and became the father of Kenan." 12 "Kenan lived seventy years, and became the father of Mahalalel." 15 "Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Jared." 18 "Jared lived one hundred sixty-two years, and became the father of Enoch." 21 "Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after he became the father of Methuselah three hundred years, and became the father of sons and daughters. 23 All the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." 25 "Methuselah lived one hundred eighty-seven years, and became the father of Lamech." 28 "Lamech lived one hundred eighty-two years, and became the father of a son, 29 and he named him Noah, saying, "This same will comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, because of the ground which Yahweh has cursed." 32 "Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth."

COMMENTS: Eve said Yahweh had appointed another son to her because Cain had killed Abel, and this again was a quiet manner of praise by her to the Creator God. Seth was born after Cain and Abel had already been adults for an unspecified length of years. There is no record of Seth's activities, and this is part of a pattern of scant detail about many of the individuals in the portion of the line to Christ who were recorded in the book of Genesis. The text tells of the birth of a son to Seth, who was named Enosh, and then men began to call upon the name of Yahweh. Because of the repetitious nature of the text, I did not use every verse from Genesis chapter 5, but the full list of verses record that each man from Seth through Lamech had other sons and daughters after their first-born in the line to Noah. Enoch has a standout place in the line to Noah, for when he was 65 years old he became the father of Methuselah. The phrase "walked with God" is used for Enoch for the last 300 years that he lived, and he had other sons and daughters. Then Enoch was no more, for God took him, and there is no other detail about this statement. Noah was born as the first son of Lamech 926 years after the birth of Seth, the third son of Adam. There is no indication that Noah had any other offspring than those named; and he was 500 years old before he began to have children.

D - NOAH FOUND FAVOR IN THE EYES OF GOD

Genesis 6 "5 Yahweh 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. 6 Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart. 7 Yahweh said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground; man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them." 8 But Noah found favour in Yahweh's eyes. 9 This is the history of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God."

Genesis 6 "17 I, even I, do bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is in the earth will die. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you. You shall come into the ship, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. 19 Of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ship, to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, of the livestock after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort shall come to you, to keep them alive. 21 Take with you of all food that is eaten, and gather it to yourself; and it will be for food for you, and for them." 22 Thus Noah did. According to all that God commanded him, so he did."

COMMENTS: Yahweh was grieved in his heart that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that the thoughts in man's heart was continually evil. I did not include any detail of the descendents of Cain, but all of the people on the earth were either descendents of Cain or descendents of Seth. Yahweh said in his sorrow that he would destroy man and all creatures that he had made from the surface of the earth. Yahweh brought judgment on the thoughts in the very "heart" of man. But Noah found favour in Yahweh's eyes because he was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, as he "walked with God."

E - ONLY EIGHT PEOPLE WERE SAVED FROM THE GREAT FLOOD

Genesis 7 "1 Yahweh said to Noah, "Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation. 2 You shall take seven pairs of every clean animal with you, the male and his female. Of the animals that are not clean, take two, the male and his female. 3 Also of the birds of the sky, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive on the surface of all the earth. 4 In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. Every living thing that I have made, I will destroy from the surface of the ground." 5 Noah did everything that Yahweh commanded him. 6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth."

Genesis 8 "13 It happened in the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ship, and looked. He saw that the surface of the ground was dried. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. 15 God spoke to Noah, saying,: 16 "Go out of the ship, you, and your wife, and your sons, and your sons' wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, including birds, livestock, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth." 18 Noah went out, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives with him. 19 Every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatever moves on the earth, after their families, went out of the ship. 20 Noah built an altar to Yahweh, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 Yahweh smelled the pleasant aroma. Yahweh said in his heart, "I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, because the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again strike everything living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.""

Genesis 9 "1 God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the sky. Everything that the ground teems with, and all the fish of the sea are delivered into your hand. 3 Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As the green herb, I have given everything to you. 4 But flesh with its life, its blood, you shall not eat. 5 I will surely require your blood of your lives. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, I will require the life of man. 6 Whoever sheds man's blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image. 7 Be fruitful and multiply. Increase abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it." 8 God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, 9 "As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth. 11 I will establish my covenant with you: all flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood, neither will there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth." 12 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: 13 I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be for a sign of a covenant between me and the earth."

COMMENTS: There is no record of sacrifice, praise, or prayer by Noah before the great flood; but the phrase "walked with God" satisfied righteousness . When Noah was 600 years old, Yahweh gave instructions to Noah because Yahweh was going to destroy from the surface of the ground every living thing he had made, by causing a great flood to cover the whole earth even above the highest mountain, for 40 days and nights. Noah demonstrated his devotion and trust as he did EVERYTHING that YAHWEH had commanded him. The terms clean and unclean for the animals was used with no definition of the difference. In the 601st year Noah came out onto the dry land and built an altar to Yahweh, and took of every clean animal and bird which he offered as burnt offerings on the altar. This was described as a pleasant aroma to Yahweh, and in his HEART he said he would not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, because the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. Yahweh also said neither would he ever again strike everything living, as he had done. So, the 4 men and 4 women, and all the living creatures who left the Ark were to multiply and replenish the earth. Yahweh did not say there would never be a new heavens and new earth; but while the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. All who are living today all around the world experience those cycles in the environment; but not many praise Yahweh for the way he keeps His Word! Yahweh set standards that mankind was to have domain over all other living things on the earth, and could use any of those things for his food. But eating of any flesh that still had the life blood in it was prohibited. Also, whoever sheds man's blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image.

F - YAHWEH ESTABLISHED A RAINBOW SIGN FOR HIS COVENANT

Genesis 9 "11 I will establish my covenant with you: all flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood, neither will there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth." 12 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: 13 I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be for a sign of a covenant between me and the earth. 14 It will happen, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud, 15 and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." 17 God said to Noah, "This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth." 18 The sons of Noah who went out from the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan. 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these, the whole earth was populated. 20 Noah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and got drunk. He was uncovered within his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23 Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, went in backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were backwards, and they didn't see their father's nakedness. 24 Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done to him. 25 He said, "Canaan is cursed. He will be servant of servants to his brothers." 26 He said, "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant. 27 May God enlarge Japheth. Let him dwell in the tents of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant." 28 Noah lived three hundred fifty years after the flood. 29 All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, then he died."

Genesis 11 "1 The whole earth was of one language and of one speech. 2 It happened, as they travelled east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there. 3 They said one to another, "Come, let's make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 4 They said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let's make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth." 5 Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. 6 Yahweh said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do. 7 Come, let's go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." 8 So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth."

COMMENTS: After Ham saw his father Noah drunk and uncovered, he told his two brothers and they carried a covering for him, walking backward so they would not see his nakedness. In the beginning, when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden and thereby became aware of good and evil: the first thing they did was to cover their own nakedness. That awareness of good and evil is part of the inherited nature of all mankind, and it makes choice necessary in numerous situations. When Noah was awake and knew what his youngest son had done; he put a curse on Canaan, the son of Ham. The things Noah said had prophetic value as he said may Yahweh bless Shem and Japheth. Noah lived for 300 years after the great flood, and died when he was 950 years old.

There was only one language and one speech for all mankind on the earth. There was a plain eastward in the land of Shinar, and those who lived there worked together to use brick and mortar to begin to build a city and a tower of great height to make a name for themselves to keep from being dispersed. Yahweh came down to see the city and tower, and said if they continue with this, nothing of their intentions will be withheld from them. The multiple nature of the one true God was indicated with the text "Come, let's go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. The word in English used to translate the original language word, has the same basic meaning when applied in contemporary context. A current English dictionary definition for the noun is: "a confused noise made by a number of voices" or simply "babbling."

--- REFLECTIONS IN PRAYER ---

Yahweh, I believe Adam and Eve no longer had only innocence in their thoughts after they had eaten the forbidden fruit which gave them the knowledge of good and evil. This established a trait of required discernment between right and wrong that has passed through them to all mankind in every generation. Even though they tried at first to hide from you, The coats of skins you provided to them, Yahweh, gives me a sense of your abounding grace and mercy. I believe that there will always be consequences in this life for wrong choices, but it is encouraging to know that there was a son named Enosh born to Seth, and men began to call upon Yahweh’s name. A few generations later Enoch "walked with God," then he was no more because God took him. I take comfort in knowing that God will take those who "walk with God" and they will then be in the eternal home with God. Yahweh, when the spread of evil was overwhelming among mankind, you chose Noah who was righteous in your sight, and saved only him with his family from the flood that covered the whole earth. Then your mercy and grace started life in a renewed earth, with the eight people and all animals that had the breath of life in the ark. Yahweh, you gave man dominion over all animals and plants, and you gave rainbows as a sign of your promise never again to destroy the earth with a great flood. The whole earth was populated through the three sons of Noah, but the final removal of all sin is yet to come by the power and in the perfect timing of Almighty God. May I be devoted in my heart to Yahweh, the only source of salvation of my soul by grace through faith. All praise, honor, and glory to my Creator and Redeemer. Amen.