Genesis 4-5

Warming Up

Jesus your Savior wants to care for you today. Hide under his shadow and tell him your concerns. He is listening and offers you peace.

I am not enough. I don't do enough. I am not good enough. There is so much that I want to do and don't have the time for and so much that I should do that I don't make the time for. I have very little self discipline and I struggle so much with indecision.
Lately I have had bad anger and frustration issues. Especially with my children. My head snaps up and my voice strikes like a whip these days. I want to be calm and collected when I discipline...but this is hardly ever the case.
Peace you say? My mind is 90 miles a minute, as expected by the culture that I live in. Peace. How? Extra sleep is a start...prayer can be a second. Actually, those probably ought to be reversed!

Discovering

Why do you think the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering but not on Cain and his offering (vv. 3-7)?

This is a hard question to ask. I've listened to multiple opinions and had a few discussions about it and I believe that it probably has to do with Cain's heart. The heart is what God always looks at, no matter what the situation. It could have been that Cain did not give God the first fruits, or that he really ought to have offered an animal, but either way, I don't think Cain's heart was in the right place when offering his gift.

How does 4:7 illustrate the nature of sin and our response to it?

The nature of sin is that it is patient and when I put down my defenses, it will rush in and take me over. We must continually be on our guard; asking for help in prayer and doing what we can to ward off sinful behavior and situations.

The Lord confronts Adam, Eve and Cain with their sin by using a question (3:11, 13; 4:9-10). What might be some of the reasons for this approach?

He wanted them to fess up. If they fess up, it gives them the opportunity to ask for forgiveness.

In what way is Cain's punishment (4:10-16) a logical consequence of his sin?

It was into the ground that he struck his brother, so that ground will not yield fruit for him any longer.
It was the ground that he worked and brought a sub-par offering, so now, he will not work the ground ever again.

How do Lamech's attitude and action expressed in his taunting song go beyond that of Cain's (4:23-24)?  

He speaks lightly of death. He would do much worse to so many more people for a less offensive act committed against him.

Apply

The lifestyle of Cain's family is a picture of humanity—technical progress matched by moral decline. How do you see this trend reflected in our own civilization?

It is getting easier and easier to commit crimes these days. A touch of a button can plant viruses, scam honest working people out of their money, or seduce unsuspecting teens in a chat room. Also, the  ease in which our technology lets us breeze through our days with very little toil produces laziness.

How has this chapter helped you to understand the nature and consequences of sin?

There are always consequences for sin. But, we can either ask for forgiveness and learn from it, or we can live in it and become calloused to it's effects. Sin is everywhere, all the time, and we ought to be on our guard. We ought to continuously got to God for help and guidance. 

Prayer

Ask God to heal relationships in your life damaged by the effects of the Fall.

Relationships. Oh, God there are so many neglected relationships in my life. I feel so busy all the time that I do not make time for these. I'm so tired that I do not even want to make time to pray and read the bible. Please give me wisdom in which relationships to pursue more aggressively. Help me to be open to mistakes that I may have made and to forgive where needed.