Day 2: Gen 4:1 - 6:22

For most people, the obvious point to make about the story of Cain and Abel would either be something about jealousy or something about murder, but I would like to look at another key point to this passage - Redemption. Oftentimes, the only people we really focus on here are Cain and Abel, but what about Adam and Eve? How terrible would it be to have one of your own sons murdered. And take into account the fact that he was murdered by his own brother and that's just adding insult to injury. Who knows what kind of awesome things God had in mind for Abel? How would history be different if Cain hadn't killed him? There are so many "what if's" throughout the Bible that it can be really easy to get lost in theories and conjectures. The fact is that Adam and Eve lost one of their sons. To me, though, the best part about this whole story is found in verse 25: "Adam slept with his wife again. She had a son whom she named Seth. She said, 'God has given me another child in place of Abel whom Cain killed.'." How many times has the devil stolen something from us? How many times has someone close to us hurt us in such a way that we wondered if things would ever be the same again? What we need to remember is that God is a God of Redemption and if we will put our faith in him, He'll give us back what the devil stole. And not only did God give them just another son, but in Gen 5:3, it says, "When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son who was just like him, his very spirit and image, and named him Seth." And we can see that through this son's bloodline, God's one and only Son was born. Sweet Redemption!

The Second point I would briefly like to mention is in the very last verse of this passage: Gen 6:22 says, "Noah did everything God commanded him to do." Now, I believe with all of my heart that the words in the Bible are true, and I have to say, there aren't a whole lot of people in this world that can say that they've done everything that God has commanded them to do. Noah faced all sorts of challenges when God charged him to build that Ark, and yet the Bible doesn't say that Noah complained or asked God for a logical reason, he just ". . .did everything God commanded him to do."

- Lord, thank you for being a God of Redemption. There have been lots of things that the devil has taken from me, but I know that if I will listen to Your voice and keep my eyes on You, that You will be faithful to not only repay what the devil has stolen, but that You will give it back to an even greater extent than before. Give me the strength to listen to you and to do everything that you command me to do. When the flood waters come, I want to be remembered as the obedient one, because in the end, he was the only one that even mattered. -