Possibly the saddest chapter in the Bible is the story of the broken fellowship between God and Adam in chapter 3. If chapter 3 were the only piece of scripture we had; we would not be without hope. Death; destruction; murder; and separation from God entered the world through the sin of Adam. However, even in the proclamation of judgment God gives us hope. The very first prophecy of the coming Messiah comes from Genesis 3: 15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” God’s plan of redemption was proclaimed from the foundations of the world. What God loves He will never abandon. The consequences of sin often are extremely long lasting. The sin of Adam took place 6 thousand years ago. What was the consequence of his sin?

Dominion Lost

Part of the story of Creation includes God giving dominion over the earth to Adam. “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1: 28) Adam lost that. By submitting to the one who has deceived the entire world; Adam allowed Satan to become the prince of this world.

The immediate consequence of sin was the shedding of blood so Adam and Eve could be clothed with animal skins. Banishment from the Garden of Eden became necessary so that Adam and Eve would not eat of the tree of life and live forever in their sin.

Sin quickly held sway over the inhabitants of the world. The first born son of Adam and Eve, Cain, killed his brother Abel. The family line is then traced through Seth to Noah, who becomes the representative of God’s plan of redemption. Probably the main theme of these comments on scripture will be to envision God’s true character of love that is hidden to many. One of the false assumptions we hear from those whose hearts are not yet open to God’s ways is that there is a God of the Old Testament and a God of the New Testament. In truth, Jesus fully revealed God the Father. When we look at the ways of love and mercy demonstrated by Jesus; we are actually seeing the character of love in God.

By the way, a fun exercise is to calculate the years that the various people listed in chapter 5 were born and died. Hint: Methuselah, the oldest person to live (969) died in the year of the flood.

Fall to Flood

These three chapters are heartbreaking because we find the effects of sin applied and witness such great loss. There are few who live lives of righteousness or who seek God. This righteous line brings Noah on the scene and God’s redemption story continues through him.

At the age of 500 Noah has three sons; it is through Shem, Ham, and Japheth that the human race will continue.

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