Lessons

The lesson on September 22, 2019 was part 25 of the “Genesis” Study. In today’s lesson, Wayne gave us another perspective of a serpent’s attributes before the interaction with Eve.  Adam had named every beast of the field, and by naming them understood their attributes, which usually was reflected in the name Adam gave them.  The curse that God put on the serpent after the fall was that he would crawl on his belly and eat dust.  Well then, before then he must have been able to speak and move around without slithering. Perhaps he was originally rejected by Adam and the serpent thought he would get back in the Garden through Eve being more subtle than any beast of the field.  This brings a new light onto it.  In today’s lesson, we look at Cain and Able.  We reviewed 1 John 3:11-12 “11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous” which described what we find in Genesis 4.  When God cursed the ground after Adam fell, he told him it would be hard to yield fruit since the ground was cursed and filled with thorns and thistles.  Cain was a tiller of the ground and Able was a keeper of sheep.  When they made an offering to God, Able’s was accepted and Cain’s was rejected.  That seems harsh but God had established the doctrine of forgiveness was to shed the blood of a lamb, not fruit of your own labor.  Wayne summarized by saying their are really only two religions in the world, the righteous way of Able or the religious way of Cain.  The scripture reading was from Genesis 4:1-8 KJV

“1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. 2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. 8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.”