January 2
Genesis 4:1-5:32; 1 Chronicles 1:1-4; Genesis 6:1-22
It is not hard to imagine the hopeful expectation that Adam and Eve must have had at the birth of their first son. Would Cain be the one to crush the head of the serpent and be their savior? He not only failed to crush Satan's head but would actually crush his brother's head in an act of murder. By the time of Noah, God saw "how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earthâ (Genesis 6:5). God's character demands justice for sin. We see this judgment in the form of sending Cain away, in the shortening of life spans, and the sending of a flood. Yet even in judgment, there is grace. God spares Noah and his family by making a covenant with them. This covenant with Noah is ultimately a shadow of the covenant we experience through Jesus.
Since Jesus took our sin upon himself, we can experience God's grace. The promise of this new covenant is, that in place of judgment, we can receive forgiveness and reconciliation with God. With the pervasiveness of sin, we live in a world that mirrors that of Cain and Noah. However, we have the certain hope that the snake crusher, who has come once, will return and make everything perfect like the Garden of Eden. We struggle against the power of sin today, but we can rely on the greater power of God to overcome.
Father God, thank you that your grace is greater than my sin. Help me today to recognize and resist sin in my life and with your help, overcome it. Amen.
What sin in your life do you need to fight against today?
It is not hard to imagine the hopeful expectation that Adam and Eve must have had at the birth of their first son. Would Cain be the one to crush the head of the serpent and be their savior? He not only failed to crush Satan's head but would actually crush his brother's head in an act of murder. By the time of Noah, God saw "how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earthâ (Genesis 6:5). God's character demands justice for sin. We see this judgment in the form of sending Cain away, in the shortening of life spans, and the sending of a flood. Yet even in judgment, there is grace. God spares Noah and his family by making a covenant with them. This covenant with Noah is ultimately a shadow of the covenant we experience through Jesus.
Since Jesus took our sin upon himself, we can experience God's grace. The promise of this new covenant is, that in place of judgment, we can receive forgiveness and reconciliation with God. With the pervasiveness of sin, we live in a world that mirrors that of Cain and Noah. However, we have the certain hope that the snake crusher, who has come once, will return and make everything perfect like the Garden of Eden. We struggle against the power of sin today, but we can rely on the greater power of God to overcome.
Father God, thank you that your grace is greater than my sin. Help me today to recognize and resist sin in my life and with your help, overcome it. Amen.
What sin in your life do you need to fight against today?
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2 Comments
Apparently Cain and Seth did not coordinate with each other to avoid confusion over cousins having the same name.
What impacted me the most about these familiar passages was the lack of regret we see from Cain after murdering his brother! When God confronted him, he is more worried about his own punishment and how HE will be treated. We don't see a sorrow flood him when confronted with sin. This shows me how great his pride (concern with self more than others) had grown. Pride is one of the sneakiest sins that we struggle with. I think about my own pride and wonder how I need to adjust my perspective.