In the last post we considered the benefits of the Old Testament, in obedience to God. One of the benefits was that "whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that through patience and through comfort of the scriptures we might have hope" (Romans 15:4). The scriptures lay bare the lives of the champions of faith, good and bad. Among them is Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation. The apostle Paul revealed concerning Abraham, "For Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness…For not through the law was the promise to Abraham or to his seed that he should be heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they that are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is made of none effect: for the law worketh wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there transgression. For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace; to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all" (Romans 4:3, 13-16). Abraham is set forth as an example of faith, yet he was a man and had his own set of difficulties.

One event in particular involved Abimelech, king of Gerar. Though Sarah was about ninety years of age, she was apparently still a fair woman to look upon (Genesis 12:11). As Abraham journeyed into the realm of Abimelech he feared because of Sarah his wife. Abraham thought, "Surely the fear of God is not in this place. And they will slay me for my wife’s sake" (Genesis 20:11). Therefore, Abraham said, "She is my sister" (20:2). Believing that Sarah was the sister of Abraham, "Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah" (20:2). As a result of this action, "God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, because of the woman whom thou hast taken. For she is a man’s wife." (20:3). Abimelech having not come near Sarah, said unto God, "Lord, wilt thou slay even a righteous nation? Said he not himself unto me, She is my sister? And she, even she herself said, He is my brother. In the integrity of my heart and the innocency of my hands have I done this" (20:4-5). God said, therefore, "I know that in the integrity of thy heart thou has done this, and I also withheld thee from sinning against me. Therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. Now therefore restore the man’s wife. For he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live. And if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine" (20:6-7).

There are many interesting aspects concerning this event. Even though Abraham is the father of faith, even though he was willing to offer up his own son Isaac, he was still man and had moments where he did those things that were not right. Now, what Abraham said was not a "lie," as we find that Abraham ultimately tells Abimelech, "moreover she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife" (20:12). Though his actions are not to be taken as authorization to act in the same manner, they do nonetheless provide us with hope. The scriptures do not give all the details concerning this event but it is interesting to note Abraham’s reasoning: "Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place. And they will slay me for my wife’s sake" (20:11). One question that arises in my mind is the attitude of Abraham’s society regarding adultery. Adultery is defined as, "sexual intercourse of a man, whether married or unmarried, with a married woman" (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia). Hundreds of years before God gave the law to Israel, in which He said, "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14), the laws of the land recognized adultery as a violation of God’s laws. The book of Job, believed by some to reveal events that took place during the patriarchal age, had this to say about adultery: "If my heart hath been enticed unto a woman, And I have laid wait at my neighbor’s door; Then let my wife grind unto another, And let others bow down upon her. For that were a heinous crime; Yea, it were an iniquity to be punished by the judges." (31:9). What’s interesting about the case of Abraham and Abimelech is that Abraham believed the king would take his life in order to obtain his wife. Our society puts a high moral value on life, and rightly so, but not on adultery. Abraham’s society appears to put a higher moral value on adultery than murder.

Whatever the situation, God’s laws have not changed from the time of Abraham to the present. During the time of the Jewish kings, the scriptures reveal, "Can a man take fire in his bosom, And his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk upon hot coals, And his feet not be scorched? So he that goeth in to his neighbor’s wife; Whosoever toucheth her shall not be unpunished." (Proverbs 6:27-29). And so, during our own era, Jehovah says, "Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men…shall inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

But all is not lost because God, being desirous to save the lost has made provision, through the gospel to those that have a "love of the truth, that they might be saved" (1 Thessalonians 2:10), and have applied to them, that which was also applied to the Corinthians, saying, "And such were some of you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God" (6:11).

When an individual is introduced to the Bible, they are immediately faced with two major divisions: The "Old Testament," containing the Law of Moses, the Psalms and the Prophets, (Luke 24:44) and the "New Testament," containing the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles and various letters sent to a number of churches, and/or Christians.

The various writings often gender questions concerning what is intended for the godly in our day and age. For instance, if the Law of Moses is the "Old Testament," what benefit does it have? We often hear of some reference made to the Ten Commandments, as a body of laws given by God and binding upon humanity. One of the Apostles of Jesus Christ, Paul by name, revealed "Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace" (Galatians 5:4). In Romans 7:1-11, Paul uses the analogy of the marriage relationship to reveal the binding and loosing of the law. He revealed, "Or are ye ignorant, brethren (for I speak to men who know the law), that the law hath dominion over a man for so long time as he liveth? For the woman that hath a husband is bound by law to the husband while he liveth; but if the husband die, she is discharged from the law of the husband. So then if, while the husband liveth, she be joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if the husband die, she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she be joined to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ; that ye should be joined to another, even to him who was raised from the dead, that we might bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were through the law, wrought in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that wherein we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter." Therefore, the question arises, "If our era is dead to the law, what benefit does it serve?"

There is much benefit to be derived from the Old Testament, though it is not in force as a body of laws to be observed. An analogy can be seen in the fact that the citizens of one state are not bound by the laws of another state, though both states may contain the same laws concerning the same set of issues. Individuals who live in Nevada cannot appeal to some other state’s laws for justification in action. In a court of law, an attorney may refer to another state’s laws in regard to verdicts that have been rendered in those states, concerning similar laws. So it is with the Old and New Testament. The Old Testament tells us many things about Jehovah, His attitude toward certain ethical questions and gives us hope for the road set before us. Paul revealed three important characteristics of the Old law: 1. "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that through patience and through comfort of the scriptures we might have hope" (Romans 15:4). 2. "For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual food; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them: and the rock was Christ. Howbeit with most of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us make trial of the Lord, as some of them made trial, and perished by the serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured, and perished by the destroyer. Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come (emph. mine, ret). Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:1-12). 3. "But before faith came, we were kept in ward under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. So that the law is become our tutor to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith is come, we are no longer under a tutor. For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ. There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female; for ye all are one man in Christ Jesus. And if ye are Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise." (Galatians 3:23-29).

It is evident that the law, although not a body of laws to be observed in our era, is necessary to bringing us to Christ, revealing to us ethical standards acceptable to and punishable by God, and "that through patience and comfort of the scriptures" we might have hope.

During the time of Abraham there were five cities located at the southern end of the Dead Sea: Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar (Genesis 14:2). It was to Sodom that Lot, Abraham’s nephew, pitched his tent. Concerning the inhabitants of Sodom, the scriptures say: "the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against Jehovah exceedingly" (13:13). The race that inhabited Sodom descended from Canaan, the son of Ham, the son of Noah (10:15-20).

The most infamous of these cities is Sodom. Associated with this city was the practice of Sodomy. The Sodomite is defined as "a male temple prostitute, one of the class attached to certain sanctuaries of heathen deities, and ‘consecrated’ to the impure rites of their worship" (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) but has come to refer to the practice of the unnatural vices associated with the city. Accordingly, the scriptures reveal the judgment of Jehovah that was brought upon Sodom, Gomorrah and the plains thereof.

As the record unfolds, Abraham was residing "by the oaks of Mamre" (18:1), about 35 miles northwest of Sodom. Three men came to Abraham as they journeyed to Sodom. For, "Jehovah said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know" (18:20-21). Having disclosed to Abraham the intent to consume the cities, Abraham said, "Wilt thou consume the righteous with the wicked?" (18:23). Abraham interceded for the city in an effort to save the righteous. Ultimately, Jehovah told Abraham that the city would not be destroyed if ten righteous persons could be found (18:32). Though ten could not be found, Jehovah made provisions for "righteous Lot" (2 Peter 2:7) and did not destroy the righteous with the wicked. Thus, "the two angels came to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face to the earth; and he said, Behold now, my lords, turn aside, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your way. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he urged them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; and they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men that came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. And Lot went out unto them to the door, and shut the door after him. And he said, I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters that have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing, forasmuch as they are come under the shadow of my roof. And they said, Stand back. And they said, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and drew near to break the door. But the men put forth their hand, and brought Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door" (19:1-11).

With the destruction of Sodom eminent, "the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whomsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of the place: for we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxed great before Jehovah: and Jehovah hath sent us to destroy it…And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters that are here, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. ¹⁶But he lingered; and the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters, Jehovah being merciful unto him; and they brought him forth, and set him without the city" (19:12-16). Having delivered Lot from the impending destruction, "Jehovah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Jehovah out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground" (19:24-25).

The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah have long since passed from this world. Yet, they stand as a reminder of God’s displeasure concerning immoral conduct: "Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, having in like manner with these given themselves over to fornication and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire" (Jude 7).

Jehovah "would have all men to be saved" (1 Timothy 2:4). If the "wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and…return unto Jehovah…he will have mercy upon him…and…will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:7). For those, like Sodom who were intent on ungodliness and unrighteousness, "God gave them up unto vile passions: for their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was due" (Romans 1:26-27).

The promise God gave to Abraham was, "I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:2-3).

The main difficulty, in human terms, is that at the time of the promise "Sarai, Abram’s wife bare him no children" (Genesis 16:1). When Jehovah gave the promise both Abram and Sarai where well into their years: "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God" (Genesis 17:1-8). Of Sarai, it is said, "Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? And Abraham said unto God, Oh that Ishmael might live before thee! And God said, Nay, but Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him" (Genesis 17:17-19). Abram and Sarai were well past their childbearing years, yet God said "Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son."

The problem that arose before Sarah was with child involved the handmaid of Sarai. The scriptures do not tell us what was in the mind of Sarai and Abraham but, "Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bare him no children: and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, Jehovah hath restrained me from bearing; go in, I pray thee, unto my handmaid; it may be that I shall obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes" (Genesis 16:1-4). To this union, "Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bare, Ishmael. And Abram was fourscore and six years old (86), when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram" (Genesis 16:15-16). For many years Abram supposed that Ishmael would be the heir apparent, for "Abraham said unto God, Oh that Ishmael might live before thee! And God said, Nay, but Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him" (Genesis 17:18-19).

In some religious circles, Ishmael is described as the heir apparent through which the true religion exists, and even the sacrifice of Isaac, in Genesis 22 has been attributed to Ishmael. The scriptures, however, reveal that it was not Ishmael, but Isaac, through whom the covenant would be established.

As per God’s promise, "Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said, and Jehovah did unto Sarah as he had spoken. And Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. And Abraham was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh. Every one that heareth will laugh with me. And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should give children suck? For I have borne him a son in his old age" (Genesis 21:1-7).

The birth of Isaac ushered in the beginning of God’s promise to Abraham and would be followed by hundreds of years before the nation would grow and ultimately bring to the world a savior who would indeed bless all the families of the earth.

Having preserved Noah and his family from the flood, the scriptures direct the reader’s attention to the generations of Shem. Shem was a son of Noah. As the scriptures begin to focus on Jehovah’s plan of salvation for mankind, they focus on the descendants of Shem’s firstborn son, Arpachshad. From Arpachshad the genealogy covers the space of eight generations to Abram. Abram lived in Mesopotamia, in Ur of the Chaldees. Ur was located close to the Persian Gulf. Abram went with his family to Haran and dwelt there.

The scriptures tell us, "By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for the city which hath the foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:8-10). The promise Abram (Abraham) received involved three distinct parts: "Now Jehovah said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto the land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great: and be thou a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:1-3). And also, "And he brought him forth abroad and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in Jehovah; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6). And, "Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham: for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee, throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God" (Genesis 17:5-8). Concerning the land "Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates" (Genesis 15:18). The river of Egypt was "not the Nile, but the river called Sichor, which was before or on the border of Egypt, near to the Isthmus of Suez" (Adam Clarke). In these passages we understand that Jehovah’s promise to Abram involved the land that stretched from the river of Egypt in the south to the River Euphrates to the north. That his seed would be as numerous as the stars of heaven, that nations would come from him and in them all the families of the earth would be blessed. Jehovah also said to Abram, "be thou a blessing" (Genesis 12:2). The promises given to Abraham were not for him alone. They were to affect the whole world. Before Jehovah destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, he said, "Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him" (Genesis 18:17-19).

All that God had promised to Abraham has been fulfilled. Israel became a mighty nation while in Egypt and during Joshua’s conquest, he said, "not one thing hath failed of all the good things which Jehovah your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, not one thing hath failed thereof" (Joshua 23:14). During the reign of David and Solomon all the land had been subjugated and under their control. The ultimate expression of the promise is seen in the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The scriptures tell us, "if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world" (1 John 2:2).

Have you taken advantage of the promises of Abraham? Have you been cleansed by the blood of the lamb? If not, why not find out what God has to offer you?

A week before God brought the flood upon the earth, Noah was told, "For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the ground. And Noah did according unto all that Jehovah commanded him" (Genesis 7:1-5). "And it came to pass after the seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights" (Genesis 7:10-12). "And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth…And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole heavens were covered…And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days" (Genesis 7:18-24). "After the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. And the ark rested…upon the mountains of Ararat" (Genesis 8:4). And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth…And Noah builded an altar unto Jehovah" (Genesis 8:13-20).

Following Noah’s departure from the ark, there is very little recorded about the years ahead. Noah had been given instructions concerning his diet and the consequences of shedding blood. In addition, God made a covenant with Noah and all the following generations that "neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth" (Genesis 9:11). And, "this is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud, and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh" (Genesis 9:12-15). Every time a rainbow is seen it should remind us of the covenant God made with Noah and all flesh.

The scriptures also reveal an event that resulted in the cursing of the lineage of Ham, Noah’s son. "And Noah began to be a husbandman, and planted a vineyard: and he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without" (Genesis 9:20-21). This event was of such significance that when "Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done unto him" he said, "Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant" (Genesis 9:24-27). The fulfillment of this prophecy was readily seen when the descendants of Ham, the Canaanites, served the children of Israel after their release from their own servitude to Egypt. Thus, the Canaanites became servants of servants.

Genesis chapter 10 reveals the descendants of Shem, Ham and Japheth. From this lineage the scriptures reveal the origin of the nations of the world, even to this day.

As time progressed and the earth began to populate, "the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there" (Genesis 11:1-2). Having come to the land of Shinar "they said, Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven, and let us make a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth" (Genesis 11:4). It was at this point that God said, "Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So Jehovah scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off building the city. Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because Jehovah did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did Jehovah scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth" (Genesis 11:7-9). Thus, the scriptures account for the various languages known even today.

The scriptures reveal the answers to questions that men still seek today. The problem is that men seek their answers according to their own knowledge rather than the knowledge of God. God knows what our questions are and what we need to settle our minds. Having confused the languages and scattered the people, the world became populated as it is to this day.

The period before the flood or the antediluvian period is described as one of wickedness. A wickedness which the full impact may be difficult for us to grasp. The scriptures identify a time "when men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose…and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them" (Genesis 6:1-4). The scriptures are not identifying a distinction of species, i. e., angel/human, but one of character. The distinction is made between the daughters of men (the ungodly) and the sons of God (the godly). What the scriptures introduce is a time when the sons of God failed to make a distinction of character and chose that which was pleasing to the eye. The result was the spiraling decline in the moral fiber of mankind. Thus, "Jehovah said, My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for that he also is flesh: yet shall his days be a hundred and twenty years" (Genesis 6:3). The antediluvian world was rapidly approaching a spiraling decline to destruction. The decline was so great that "Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5). The decline was such that "it repented Jehovah that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart" (Genesis 6:6). The term repented is defined as "to be sorry, console oneself, repent, regret, comfort, be comforted" (Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions). The resulting conclusion was that "Jehovah said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the ground; both man, and beast, and creeping things, and birds of the heavens; for it repenteth me that I have made them" (Genesis 6:7). This destruction was to come because "the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and, behold it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth" (Genesis 6:11-12).

All was not lost, however, "But Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah…Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generations: Noah walked with God" (Genesis 6:8,9). In the midst of all the evil, one man shone forth like a beacon. The righteousness of one man resulted in the preservation of the earth.

Throughout the scriptures Noah is depicted in a very positive context. He is identified as one who "being warned of God concerning things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith" (Hebrews 11:7). It is also said of Noah that he was "a preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5). There are many things that the mind would have a difficult time grasping. I believe that the destruction of the earth and preservation of Noah and his family rank among the top. The question always comes to this: If God determined to destroy the world today, and preserve mankind in the being of one man and his family, who would God choose?

Jehovah "said unto Noah, the end of all flesh is come before me…Make thee an ark of gopher wood" (Genesis 6:13-14). Jehovah gave Noah specific instructions concerning the construction of the ark and its occupants, i.e., "And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee: they shall be male and female…Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee seven and seven, the male and his female: of the birds of the heavens, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth" (Genesis 6:19; 7:2-3). After Noah completed the task before him, Jehovah said, "yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the ground. And Noah did according unto all that Jehovah commanded him" (Genesis 7:4-5). Thus, "In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; they, and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him: and Jehovah shut him in. And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. ¹⁹And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both birds, and cattle, and beasts, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, of all that was on the dry land, died. And every living thing was destroyed that was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and creeping things, and birds of the heavens; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only was left, and they that were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days" (Genesis 7:13-24).

The scriptures set forth Jehovah’s plan to save mankind from the consequences of sin. Beginning with the beginning, the scriptures tell us where we are, how we got there and what Jehovah has done to help mankind. As the scriptures unfold, there is a narrowing of focus. Having identified the creation, the fall of man and man’s progress toward evil, the scriptures turn their attention to the development of God’s plan to save. After the death of Abel the scriptures reveal "Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For, said she, God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel" (Genesis 4:25). The scriptures reveal that after Adam begat Seth "he begat sons and daughters" (Genesis 5:4). Even though such is the case, the scriptures confine themselves to the ancestry of Seth. It was to be through the lineage of Seth that God’s plan of salvation would be realized. There are three individuals in this lineage of special note: Enoch, Methuselah and Noah. Of Enoch, the scriptures say, "Enoch walked with God: and was not; for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). The New Testament sheds more light upon the subject by revealing, "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death: and he was not found, because God translated him: for he hath had witness borne to him that before his translation he had been well-pleasing unto God" (Hebrews 11:5). During his sojourn on earth Enoch is said to have been the "seventh from Adam" and that he "prophesied" (Jude 14). Methuselah is remembered for his age: "all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years" (Genesis 5:27). Methuselah begat Lamech who begat Noah. Methuselah and Lamech were not far removed from the society of Noah. Methuselah was three hundred and sixty-nine years of age when Noah was born. And Noah was "six hundred years old when the flood waters was upon the earth" (Genesis 7:6). According to these ages, Noah’s father died five years before the flood and Methuselah died the year of the flood. One factor of note, in the genealogies of Seth to Noah, is the phrase, "and begat sons and daughters" (Genesis 5:7,10,16, etc.). Although many sons and daughters were born the scriptures focus on one branch. It was not just through Seth that the plan of salvation would eventually come, but through the lineage that brought Noah into the world.

As the scriptures bring us to Noah a fuller explanation is given of the events of his life. "Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth" (Genesis 5:32). Noah was the type of man that "found favor in the eyes of Jehovah" (Genesis 6:8). The attributes of Noah are expressed throughout the scriptures. During the time of Judah’s final days, the scriptures set forth "Noah, Daniel, and Job" (Ezekiel 14:14) as men whose righteousness was elevated. The New Testament reveals "By faith Noah, being warned of God concerning things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith"(Hebrews 11:7). Noah is also referred to as "a preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5). The events surrounding the life of Noah and the flood are compared to the spiritual salvation of man: "…the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water: which also after a true likeness doth now save you, even baptism, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the interrogation of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 3:20-21).

As the lineage of Seth continues to expand the generations, it is through Shem, the son of Noah, that the promise will be realized. Shem begat Arpachshad, who begat Shelah, who begat Eber, who begat Peleg, who begat Reu, who begat Serug, who begat Nahor, who begat Terah, who begat Abram (Genesis 11:12-16). Unto Abram, Jehovah said, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto the land that I will show thee: and I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:1-3). Of this man, the sacred writing reveals, "By faith Abraham, when he was called obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went" (Hebrews 11:8). The remainder of the scriptures will focus on the fulfillment of God’s promise through Abraham.

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Following the death of Abel, and Cain’s subsequent punishment, the sacred record reveals a brief explanation of the genealogy of Cain. Then, the scriptures turn the readers attention to the generations of Adam through his son Seth, who was born after the death of Abel. The record follows the generations of Adam through Seth unto Noah. One of the striking facts of the record is the length of life possessed by the early inhabitants of the earth. Men lived eight and nine hundred years. One striking exception is the case of Enoch: "all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: and Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him" (Genesis 5:23-24). In the New Testament, the scriptures tell us, "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God translated him: for he hath had witness borne to him that before his translation he had been well-pleasing unto God:" (Hebrews 11:5). Some doctrines teach that if Eve, and subsequently Adam, had not sinned, they would still be on the earth. The translation of Enoch shines some light on Jehovah’s desire to have mankind "change sides" (Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries). Methuselah, Enoch’s son, lived "nine hundred sixty and nine years" (Genesis 5:27, and is the oldest recorded life cycle. He passed from this life to the next the same year the flood waters came upon the earth. Methuselah was the father of Lamech, the father of Noah. Very little is said about the first sixteen hundred years of man’s existence. The genealogy of Adam is given to direct the reader to Noah. As the narrative unfolds it brings the reader to the time when Noah was five hundred years old and begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Genesis 5:32). In a brief description, the reader is told how the sons of God (those who served God) saw the daughters of men (those who did not serve God) and took them wives of all that they chose (Genesis 6:2). The record says "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thought of the heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5). The condition of man had degenerated in such a fashion that Jehovah said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the ground; both man, and beast, and creeping things, and birds of the heavens; for it repenteth me that I have made them" (Genesis 6:5-7). Considering Jehovah’s dealings with the nations of the world, it is evident that Jehovah gave pre-flood humanity every opportunity to repent. When Jehovah promised Abram the land of Canaan, he said, "Know of a surety that thy seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. And in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full" (Genesis 15:13-16). When Jehovah destroyed the nations that possessed Canaan, it was due to their sins. Jehovah told Israel, "Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out from before you; and the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land vomiteth out her inhabitants" (Leviticus 18:24-25). Even today, when a person degenerates into a condition of no return and becomes a danger to society, they are put away, either by death or confinement for life. The wrath of God has been "revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men" (Romans 1:18) time and again. So it was with those of the pre-flood days whose wickedness was great in the earth, "and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." The Apostle Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, said, concerning the days of the flood, that Noah was "a preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5) and that through him, Christ in the spirit preached unto those "that aforetime were disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing" (1 Peter 3:19-20).

Jesus once said concerning those who are spiritually prosperous: "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men" (Matthew 5:13). Noah was that salt, in his day. Thus, God "preserved Noah with seven others" (2 Peter 2:5). "By faith Noah, being warned of God concerning things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith" (Hebrews 11:7).

For sixteen hundred years, mankind drew closer and closer, day by day unto destruction because the "imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." So it is today. Jehovah said, "the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men" (2 Peter 3:7). Will we heed the warning, or be like those of old who failed to recognize God’s right to rule in their life?

Two of the sons of Adam and Eve were named Cain and Abel. "Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground" (Genesis 4:2). The events that surround Cain’s provocation involved worship to God: "And in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Jehovah" (Genesis 4:3). To offer the fruit of the ground, at least under the law of Moses, was an acceptable sacrifice: "And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein, that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which thou shalt bring in from thy land that Jehovah thy God giveth thee; and thou shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there. And thou shalt come unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto Jehovah thy God, that I am come unto the land which Jehovah sware unto our fathers to give us. And the priest shall take the basket out of thy hand, and set it down before the altar of Jehovah thy God" (Deuteronomy 26:1-4). Abel’s sacrifice of the "firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof" was also acceptable: "All that openeth the womb is mine; and all thy cattle that is male, the firstlings of cow and sheep" (Exodus 34:19). But, of these two offerings, it is recorded, "And Jehovah had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect" (vs. 4-5). Why did God have respect unto Abel’s sacrifice? "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness borne to him that he was righteous, God bearing witness in respect of his gifts: and through it he being dead yet speaketh" (Hebrews 11:4). Faith is defined as "assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). This is seen in action when an individual believes that God "is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him" (vs. 6). When an individual believes that God is, whom he has not seen, and believes that God will reward those who seek after him, that is an expression of faith. Faith "cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Belief that God is and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him comes from a belief in the word of God and from the evidence provided in and by the word of God. Righteousness is a term denoting right-wiseness. Righteous is a standard of right. It is said of the Jewish nation, "For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God" (Romans 10:3). Righteousness is a standard to which individuals subject themselves. Abel, having subjected himself to the righteousness of God, preformed that which God had commanded and thus "Jehovah had respect unto Abel and to his offering" (Genesis 4:4). Cain, on the other hand, did not.

As a result, Cain was wroth. It angered him that Jehovah had not respect unto him or his sacrifice. The scriptures tell us that his "countenance fell." His "countenance" was his "face." Have you ever seen anyone that was angry or disappointed about a matter and their attitude was so affected that their facial expression changed? That same attitude is exhibited even today when individuals present an offering unto God and when they find out it was not of faith, that it was not according to the righteous standard of God, they get angry and lash out against those who do present an offering unto which Jehovah will have respect.

Cain’s circumstance could have been turned if he would have turned. Jehovah said unto him, "Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? And if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door; and unto thee shall be its desire; but do thou rule over it" (Genesis 4:6-7). Cain had control over the situation if he would simply heed the word of God and thereby present an offering for which Jehovah could have respect. But he did not: "And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him" (Genesis 4:8). As the first sin brought a curse, so also did the sin of Cain: Jehovah said unto Cain, "cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened its mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee its strength; a fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth" (Genesis 4:11-12).

How do we live our lives? Do we live them according to the righteous standard of God and live by faith, or do we go "in the way of Cain" (Jude 11) and have no regard for the commands of God or the life of others?

Cain’s circumstance could have been turned if he would have turned. Jehovah said unto him, "Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? And if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door; and unto thee shall be its desire; but do thou rule over it" (Genesis 4:6-7). Cain had control over the situation if he would simply heed the word of God and thereby present an offering for which Jehovah could have respect. But he did not: "And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him" (Genesis 4:8). As the first sin brought a curse, so also did the sin of Cain: Jehovah said unto Cain, "cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened its mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee its strength; a fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth" (Genesis 4:11-12).

How do we live our lives? Do we live them according to the righteous standard of God and live by faith, or do we go "in the way of Cain" (Jude 11) and have no regard for the commands of God or the life of others?