Genesis 6 provides a brief historical background of the spiritual conditions of mankind during the days of Noah and the response of God. The chapter says there was a great number of people by now that filled the earth, but the Lord observed that nearly all were evil. God found that the earth had become corrupt and the extent of the people’s wickedness and violence made him sorry that He had ever made them. “It broke His heart and the Lord said, ‘I will completely wipe out this human race’...But Noah found favor with the Lord”. Interestingly, the bible describes Noah almost exactly like Enoch. “He consistently followed God’s will and enjoyed a close relationship with Him”. God says, “Make a boat... I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing... But I solemnly swear to keep you safe in the boat with your wife and your sons and (their) wives.” This wasn’t much like how God rewarded Enoch , but God protected and provided for His faithful servants just the same. The chapter ends with , “So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him”. Though Noah was not perfect, he demonstrates remarkable faithfulness and obedience and is an encouraging example for us in our daily pursuit of a close walk with God.

Genesis 5 mostly just provides the genealogy of the descendants of Adam, but there are also some other things to be learned from this chapter. First, the idea of sons being formed "in the likeness" of their father is repeated here again three more times, which seems to imply that it deserves further consideration. I think there is more to this phrase than simply physical evidence of genetics transfered to descendants. Much beyond that, I think it is another expression of God's love in creating every human being in His likeness----which I think says to us that He desires each and every one of us to be a part of His family and become a child of God. Second, there are a lot of names of specific individuals here that we are only given their names and how long they lived, but I don't think they are there simply as "FYI". Some of the individuals will have more details related about their lives in other places in scripture, but many we never learn anything about them. Maybe we learn from this that all people are important to God. Next, there is an individual named Enoch , whom it says twice "walked with God" (v.22 and V24. NIV). Some translations say he "walked in God's ways", "walked habitually with God", "lived in close fellowship" , and "enjoyed a close relationship" with God, but they all seem to imply that this man had an exceptional life of consistent obedience and intimate devotedness to the Lord. It says in v.24 that God "took him", meaning that he suddenly disappeared one day. Maybe this was his reward---since he lived in constant fellowship with his heavenly Father, maybe God allowed him to skip the typical human death process. Though we know little of Enoch, we can be encouraged to model his walk with God. Lastly, this chapter ends with an introduction to Noah, whom Lamech (his father) prophesied " will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed". The story of Noah's obedience to God is told in the next chapter, but here we get a glimpse of the "deliverance" that Noah brings for the faithful family of God.

Genesis 4 is about Cain and Abel and the evidence of the sin nature which descended down to all mankind as a consequence of the "fall". Cain acted out of jealous anger and indifference to the Lord in the murder of his brother. Cain's hardened behavior and response to the Lord's correction lead to even greater punishment, yet the Lord showed compassion and grace in His protection of Cain's life. The chapter closes with the birth of Seth, "God has granted me another son in place of Abel, the one Cain killed". We are told that Seth had a son, Enosh, and "during his lifetime the people first began to worship the Lord".

Genesis 3 is "the fall" account that details the first sin of mankind, which destroyed the perfect fellowship that man had originally been privileged to experience with God and all creation. The consequences of betraying God affected each of the relationships that were initially ideal (Gen 2), but now were cursed. Adam and Eve had given in to the temptations of Satan and were fooled into believing that their way was better than God's. As a result, all of mankind became thereafter "fallen" and in need of God's grace and forgiveness to restore fellowship with Him.

Genesis 2 elaborates the creation events, especially in regard to man's role and purpose. The emphasis of this chapter seems to center around four new relationships: between man and his Lord, man and the earth, man and the animals, and finally man and his wife (marriage). In this chapter God is referred to as "LORD", reflecting a more personal relationship that has been established. God "breathed into (man's) nostrils the breath of life", illustrating the beginning of this intimate relationship. His Lord planted a garden where He made all kinds of trees "that were pleasing to the eye and good for food" and He placed man in the garden "to work it and take care of it". Then the Lord formed all the beasts and birds and every living creature and brought them to the man, yet for him "no suitable helper was found". So, the Lord made a woman and brought her to the man, since God found that it was "not good for the man to be alone". The "man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame", since they had an entirely transparent relationship with nothing to hide and they shared a complete oneness described as "one flesh". So, man had a very special intimate relationship with God and all of creation in the garden, and enjoyed perfect fellowship. Then God gave him one command, that he must not eat from the "tree of knowledge of good and evil", thus giving man a choice to obey his Lord.

Genesis 1
There were five aspects of this opening chapter of God's word that became more evident to me as I read the familiar account of "the beginning". The first can be summed in just one word as my thoughts all centered around the idea of "order". Our eternal God created all that we know from a formless empty darkness. Throughout the chapter God puts together, much like a puzzle, all of creation in a way that science still can't explain, but yet it is extremely orderly. Secondly, God's infinite power and command over all things is exhibited in the eight "Let" verses. Here we see for the first time in scripture that God is in control of everything and he can do anything according to His will and purposes. Next, God is intentional and careful about how he acts --- it's obvious in this chapter that He is not careless in the order or the purpose of each action he takes in creation. Another aspect is the sense of God's role as the provider for all creation. He doesn't just leave them without meeting their needs. He says, " I give" in verse 29 and 30 , speaking of providing for their need of food. Finally, the creation story is a great illustration that God is good. After each step of creation, we learn that God "saw that it was good". God is the source of everything good.

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