I have been sick since Christmas Eve and haven’t been able to really keep up with the Bible readings as I should. No excuse, just fact. Even today I am still sick…but trying to return to work.

As I read through the Scripture, here are some thoughts and questions that came to my mind…

Genesis 2

Did Adam know of his need for a help meet?

Adam didn’t come to God asking for a mate. God said “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a suitable helper, completing him.”

It makes me wonder if God paraded all the animals in front of Adam to show him his need.

Genesis 3

They knew they were naked.

My pastor spoke about this recently. He suggests that their nakedness was a spiritual one. They had always been covered by the holiness of God. After they both chose to sin, that covering was no longer on them. How many times do I try to remove God’s covering on my life to pursue what I think is what I need?

In verse 8 I see something that had been very familiar to Adam and Eve; something they always looked forward to—“In the cool of the day they head the sound of the LORD God taking a walk in the garden…” Now, they hid themselves. They had to have known HE knew what had happened. How many times do I try to hide my sin from God?

God wants me to confess my sin before Him. That’s why He questioned Adam so that he could tell God his sin and repent.

Genesis 4

Do you ever serve God the way YOU want to rather than the way God requires?

Verses 6-7 God reminds Cain, “If you do right, will there not be a lifting up? But if you misbehave, sin is crouching at the door; its intention is toward you, and you must master it.”

Cain had brought an offering to the LORD. But, in some way the offering was unacceptable. All Cain had to do was to bring the right offering; with the right motive.

I Samuel 15:22

Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

Verse 16 is so sad…”Cain went out from the presence of the LORD…” I am so glad we cannot do that. We are always in His presence.

Verse 26 really opened my eyes. “To Seth in turn a son was born who he named Enosh, in whose time people began to call on the name of the LORD.”

From the time Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden of Eden…did they not call on the name of their LORD and CREATOR?

Genesis 6

Relationships became unequal.

The sons of God—those who followed and worshipped the LORD God—look at the daughters of men—some think these are Cain’s descendents—and they liked what they saw and married them. This mingling caused a rapid downfall of mankind.

In Verse 5, “God saw that human wickedness was growing out of bounds on earth; that the intention of all human thinking produced nothing but evil all day.”

Genesis 8

The first altar made.

After leaving the ark, Noah built an altar to the LORD. This is the first time the word altar is used in the Bible.

Genesis 9

A flood will not take out sin.

In the beginning of chapter 9, God blesses Noah and his sons. He makes covenant with Noah. But, at the end of chapter 9 we find one of Noah’s sons is already getting into trouble.