Unit 1: Genesis - Pre-History
- Week 1: Creation
- Week 2: The Making of Man
- Week 3: The Temptation and Fall of Man
- Week 4: Cain and Abel
- Week 5: Noah Builds an Ark
- Week 6: Noah's Vineyard and the Tower of Babel
Week 1: Creation
Title: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth
Objective:
- Bible Study Method: Scripture Interprets Scripture
- The Beginning
- Participation of all Hypostases of the Trinity in Creation
- Minor Apologetics
- Memorize the order of creation
- Do not discuss the Making of Man in the sixth day or the Image of God - that will be covered in depth in week 2
Resources:
- Fr Daoud Lamei on the Character of Adam
- Arabic with English notes below
- https://notes.morcous.com/books/genesis/page/character-of-adam-genesis-1-3
- Fr Tadros Yacoub Malaty - Genesis Commentary
- See St Basil on the Hexaemeron
Reading:
- Genesis 1-2:7
Structure:
- Read Genesis 1:1
- What is "the beginning"
- This can be explained by talking about what did you do before Bible Study today? School. Before that? Sleep. Before that? Before that? Before that? Until the day of your birth... before that? Your parents birth... before that? Until the Creation of the world... before that? That's the beginning.
- God created time - even the word "before" or "after" only exist within time... before God created time, there was no "before" or "after" - this is the beginning.
- Since God created time, God is outside of time and not bound by time
- Imagine it like a movie or a video - I can play, rewind, fast-forward, etc. I can even edit it. But when I rewind it, my life doesn't rewind with it. When I fast-forward, my life doesn't move with it. I live outside of that timeline.
- God sees the universe like a timeline and He can see past, present and future.
- Imagine it like a movie or a video - I can play, rewind, fast-forward, etc. I can even edit it. But when I rewind it, my life doesn't rewind with it. When I fast-forward, my life doesn't move with it. I live outside of that timeline.
- St Augustine:
- "But even if we believe that God made heaven and earth at the beginning of time, we should certainly realize that there was no time before the beginning of time. For God also made time, and thus there was no time before he made time. Hence, we cannot say that there was a time when God had not yet made anything. For how could there be a time that God had not made since he is the maker of all time? And if time began to be with heaven and earth, there cannot be found a time when God had not yet made heaven and earth. When they say, “Why did He suddenly decide?” they speak as if some time passed during which God produced nothing. But a time could not pass that God had not already made, because he cannot be the producer of time unless he is before time.”
- "But even if we believe that God made heaven and earth at the beginning of time, we should certainly realize that there was no time before the beginning of time. For God also made time, and thus there was no time before he made time. Hence, we cannot say that there was a time when God had not yet made anything. For how could there be a time that God had not made since he is the maker of all time? And if time began to be with heaven and earth, there cannot be found a time when God had not yet made heaven and earth. When they say, “Why did He suddenly decide?” they speak as if some time passed during which God produced nothing. But a time could not pass that God had not already made, because he cannot be the producer of time unless he is before time.”
- Who is "God"
- Hebrew
- Genesis, which was written in Hebrew, uses the Hebrew word "Elohim" which is plural (anything that ends in -im in Hebrew is plural like Cherubim and Seraphim)
- The verb for "created" is singular
- "God" refers to the Trinity Who is Three in One and One in Three
- Genesis, which was written in Hebrew, uses the Hebrew word "Elohim" which is plural (anything that ends in -im in Hebrew is plural like Cherubim and Seraphim)
- Technique: Scripture Interprets Scripture
- The Father created all things through the Son in the Holy Spirit at the beginning
- Proverbs 8:22-9:5
- John 1:1-3
- John 5:17
- Colossians 1:15-18
- Hebrews 1:1-2
- John 8:25
- Revelation 1:8
- Some notes on these passages here: https://notes.morcous.com/books/genesis/page/genesis-11
- Hebrew
- What is "the beginning"
- Read Genesis 1:2
- This is the first symbol of Baptism: Water and Spirit
- The Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit
- Read Genesis 1:3-5 - 1st Day
- What does it mean “God said?” Does God have a mouth or vocal chords? And who did God say to? Who was God talking to? “God said” is a way for us to understand that God’s creation was by the Word (and who is the Word of God?) God was not telling someone else “let there be light”
- God gave the command and the command was itself the act (St Basil).
- The word of God is His will. (St Ambrose)
- What are "Days"
- Evening and morning were the first day – scientists believe that there were millions of years of darkness followed by millions of years of light. Does the Scripture disagree? What is "Day"?
- A day is 24 hours because that's how long it takes the earth to do a full rotation relative to the sun... but the sun was created in the fourth day... It was probably thousands or millions of years.
- Remember what is written in 2 Peter: “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” – God has different timing.
- Even the Hebrew word for day here is ambiguous and could mean different time periods.
- What came first? Water or Light?
- Water and then Light
- Science agrees with this!
- What is the "Light" that God created?
- How is there light without a sun? The real question is... where does the sun gets its light?
- Did God make darkness? Darkness is the absence of light
- What does it mean “God said?” Does God have a mouth or vocal chords? And who did God say to? Who was God talking to? “God said” is a way for us to understand that God’s creation was by the Word (and who is the Word of God?) God was not telling someone else “let there be light”
- Read Genesis 1:6-8 - 2nd Day
- What is the firmament? The Atmosphere
- The waters below are oceans, seas, rivers, etc.
- The waters above are clouds, evaporation, etc.
- What is the firmament? The Atmosphere
- Read Genesis 1:9-13 - 3rd Day
- If you look at a map, it even looks like all the land came out from under the water (e.g. Pangea)
- How did the grass, herbs, trees, etc. survive without the sun?
- God's Creation happened in the beginning, but was setup to be fruitful and multiple (e.g. herb that yields seed, fruit tree that yields fruit whose seed is in itself)
- Read Genesis 1:14-19 - 4th Day
- The first three days are complemented by the second three days... e.g.
- On the 1st day, God created light. On the 4th day, the Sun and Moon to reflect that light.
- On the 2nd day, the firmament and the waters. On the 5th day, the birds and the fish.
- On the 3rd day, the land and the grass/herbs. On the 6th day, animals and mankind.
- Many civilizations worshipped the sun and the moon, but Moses makes it clear that God created the sun and the moon and was before them and is greater than them
- Many civilizations also named the sun and moon for their gods. Moses refrained from calling them sun and moon, but rather "two great lights in the heavens"
- Many civilizations also named the sun and moon for their gods. Moses refrained from calling them sun and moon, but rather "two great lights in the heavens"
- "Let them be for signs and seasons"
- Some people think this means horoscopes and astrology
- The signs and seasons are night and day, seasons, years, feasts, weather, etc.
- St Basil discusses this at length
- God's design is for sun and moon to teach us day and night - day is for work and play; night is for sleep
- The first three days are complemented by the second three days... e.g.
- Read Genesis 1:20-23 - 5th Day
- Fish and sea creatures to populate the sea
- Birds to populate the air
- The animals are also called to be fruitful and multiply
- God created each animal "according to its kind"
- He didn't create one kind and let it go through an evolutionary process to form all the other kinds, but He created each one according to its kind
- He didn't create one kind and let it go through an evolutionary process to form all the other kinds, but He created each one according to its kind
- Read Genesis 1:24-25 - 6th Day (Animals)
- Same with the land animals - each one according to its kind, and called to multiply
- Same with the land animals - each one according to its kind, and called to multiply
- Read Genesis 1:26-31 - 6th Day (Man)
- We will discuss the making of man in depth next week
- For now, know that God made Man on the 6th Day AFTER all the rest of the Creation
- Man is the most important of all of God's creation
- Like when a husband and wife are expecting a baby - they spend 9 months preparing the house, the nursery, the sharp corners and the electrical, baby showers, gifts, diapers, etc. and THEN the baby finally comes.
- God prepared the earth, sun, moon, stars, seas, plants, trees, fish, birds, animals, and THEN created Adam
- Read Genesis 2:1-3 - 7th Day
- God rested doesn’t mean that He went and shut the door and slept... But it means that He rested from Creation. But He never stopped working – watching over us, taking care of us. The whole Scripture, He is there and He is talking and He is doing stuff.
- God stopped the work of Creation and let the earth run itself. He made the trees, herbs, plants, animals and man able to multiply on their own
- Imagine a mother who after she gives birth, she finally gets to rest. To rest from pregnancy and carrying a baby and worrying about the pregnancy. But she now has to start motherhood. God did not rest from Shepherding His people.
- "But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” (John 5:17)
- Read Genesis 2:4-7 - Summary of Creation
- Moses starts Chapter 2 by reiterating and summarizing the Creation account in Chapter 1
Key verse(s):
- "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1)
Review questions:
- When did God create the heavens and the earth? In the Beginning
- Who is Genesis talking about when it says "God" in verse 1? The Trinity and all three Persons of the Trinity
- When God names things, what does this indicate? His Sovereignty
- When God created the heavens and the earth and all things in them, what adjective is used to describe them? Good
- What did God create on each day of Creation?
- Light
- Firmament that separates the waters
- Land
- Sun, Moon and Stars
- Fish and Birds
- Animals and Men
- What is one proof that the days of Creation don't refer to 24-hour periods?
- The 24-hour period comes from a single rotation of the earth relative to the Sun. The Sun was made in the fourth "day"
- Hebrew word for day here is ambiguous and could mean different time periods
- "One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." (2 Peter 3:8)
- On the seventh day, what did God do? He rested
- What does it mean that God rested? Did He stop working? He stopped the work of Creation but continues to work in our lives as the Lord Jesus said "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working" (John 5:17)
- What day are we living in now? The Seventh Day
Homework:
Week 2: The Making of Man
Title: The Making of Man
Objective:
- Bible Study Technique: Typology
- Man is made in the Image of God according to the Likeness of God
- How did God make man?
- From dust
- From man's rib, God made woman
- Garden of Eden
- Importance and Sanctity of Marriage
- Adam as a Type of Christ
Resources:
- Fr Daoud Lamei on the Character of Adam
- Arabic with English notes below
- https://notes.morcous.com/books/genesis/page/character-of-adam-genesis-1-3
- Fr Tadros Yacoub Malaty - Genesis Commentary
- St Gregory on the Making of Man
Reading:
- Genesis 1:26-31
- Genesis 2:7-25
Structure:
- Read Genesis 1:26-31
- The Image and Likeness of God
- The Dominion of Man over Creation
- The Commandment to be fruitful and multiply
- Read Genesis 2:7
- What are the differences between man and animal?
- Image of God
- Breath of Life
- Holy Spirit
- What are the differences between man and animal?
- Read Genesis 2:8-14
- Garden of Eden - where is it? Is it real? Is it on earth?
- What is the tree of life? Connection to the Eucharist
- What is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
- What are the rivers? Connection to Baptism
- Read Genesis 2:15-17
- Why did God give a commandment?
- Free Will
- Read Genesis 2:18-25
- This is the first time God says "it is not good" after many "it is good" and "it is very good" - this is the importance of marriage in the sight of God
- Adam's Sovereignty by naming all the animals
- Woman and Man
- Marriage and One Flesh
- Adam as a Type of Christ
- "Adam is a type of Him who was to come" (Romans 5:14)
- It may be good to pick and choose from these... there are also many more out there but these are just some.
- https://notes.morcous.com/books/genesis/page/adam-as-a-type-of-christ
Key Verse:
- "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27)
Review questions:
- What are the two components man is made of? Dust and the Breath of Life
- Who is the Tree of Life? The Lord Jesus Christ that we eat in the Eucharist
- What does the river in the garden foreshadow? Baptism leading to eternal life
- Why did God have to give man a commandment/law? To give man free-will
- What is the first thing that God said was "not good"? For man to be alone and without a comparable helper
- Who is of more value, men or women? Both are equal in rank and value
- Does God make any compromises for marriage outside of a man and a woman? No
- Does God leave any room for interpretation of one's gender? No
- What sacrament is explicitly mentioned in this chapter? Matrimony
Homework:
Week 3: The Temptation and Fall of Man
Lesson Information
Title: The Temptation and Fall of Man
Objective:
- Review WHY God gave them a commandment
- How was man tempted? (Pride, Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes)
- God sought repentance from Adam and Eve
- The wages of sin is death
- Prophecies of the Coming of Christ
Resources:
- Fr Daoud Lamei on the Character of Adam
- Arabic with English notes below
- https://notes.morcous.com/books/genesis/page/character-of-adam-genesis-1-3
- Fr Tadros Yacoub Malaty - Genesis Commentary
- St Athanasius On the Incarnation
Reading:
- Genesis 3
Key Verse:
- "Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them" (Genesis 3:21)
Lesson Structure
Review Genesis 2:15-17
- Why did God give a commandment?
Read Genesis 3:1-7
- Satan twists the words of God - God said "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat". The Serpent said "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"
- Satan tempts with the Pride of Life, the Lust of the Flesh the Lust of the eyes
- We see it here
- We see it in the Temptation of Christ on the mountain (Matthew 3)
- "For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world." (1 John 2:16)
- Satan lies and is the father of lies
Read Genesis 3:8-13
- God is seeking their repentance. He is asking them questions, hoping that they will repent and confess their sin
- Each one gives an excuse and blames the other
- Adam blames Eve (i.e. "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" a few verses ago)
- Adam blames God Himself (for giving him Eve)
- Eve blames the Serpent
- We, too, blame others when we sin and fall short of God's glory
Read Genesis 3:14-15
- The Serpent is cursed, whereas Adam and Eve are not cursed
- "You shall eat dust"
- Serpents don't eat dust, but where have we seen dust? Adam you are dust...
- Serpent isn't going to eat Adam, but God is saying - you gave yourself to the devil, now see what he will do with you.
- The Seed of the Woman
Read Genesis 3:16
- Did God create birth and reproduction as a result of the Fall of Man? Absolutely not. From the beginning He said "be fruitful and multiply" and talked about "one flesh"
- What came as a result of the Fall is pain and sorrow in childbearing. We cannot know if this refers to spiritual pain or emotional pain.
- Eve, knowing that she brought death into the world, whenever she has a baby, she knows that she is bringing this baby into a world of death. That this baby will grow and eventually die.
- There’s a folk tale in Egypt that they say babies cry when they are born because they recognize that they are entering the kingdom of death. Mother is in pain and screaming, child is screaming and crying, and this moment that is supposed to be welcoming a new life loses its joy.
- Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you – After the fall, there is jealousy and envy – she wants to rule over him, he wants to rule over her. God’s plan for marriage was not that at all. It was mutual love, joy, respect, equality between the man and his wife.
Read Genesis 3:17-20
- Adam’s sin was that he heeded the voice of his wife over the commandment of God
- He has to work and toil for the rest of his life
- Before, there was a mist that came up and watered everything and the trees gave their fruits. Now, Adam will have to till the land and cultivate it and he will get thorns and thistles and herbs at best. No more fruit trees. No more relaxing and enjoying the garden.
- The Romans when they made a crown of thorns and thistles had no idea that through it Christ would remove the curse that He placed on Adam
- Adam calls her Eve “mother of all living” – even though she brought death into the world and even though all of her children would die
Read Genesis 3:21
- God makes for them tunics of skin – God slaughters an animal for them so they can understand that the animal is a scapegoat – it died for their sin, and He makes for them tunics of skin.
- Imagine when a father scolds his young child and he immediately goes to hug him/her as a reminder of his love. This is what God did. He delivered the punishment, but then He made them tunics of skin and clothed them.
- You can imagine Adam and Eve’s response – God, do you still love us after all that? You’re not disgusted by us? You’re still our Father?! God did not leave them in nakedness. He gave them hope.
Read Genesis 3:22-24
- And God put a Cherubim with a flaming sword to guard the way to the Tree of Life – very similar to our deacon holding a candle guarding the Eucharist.
- But God could not let them stay in the garden lest they eat from the Tree of Life… is this a punishment?
- It is a grace. Because if they ate from it, they would live forever in sin and in separation from God. But God needed for them to now die so He could raise them with Him
Lasting Effects of the Fall of Man
- All evil and pain and suffering that exists today is a direct effect of the Fall of Man
- Crime
- Disease
- Natural Disaster
- "For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now." (Romans 8:20-22)
Redemption from the Fall by the Son of God
- “For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:21)
Review Questions
- What does the Serpent do with God's word?
- Twists it
- Lies about it
- What was Eve's first mistake? She conversed with the devil
- What did God want Adam and Eve to do after they sinned? Repent and Confess their sin
- Who did Adam blame for his sin? The woman and God
- Who did Eve blame for her sin? The serpent
- Who is woman's Seed mentioned in Genesis 3:16? The Lord Jesus Christ
- What were the consequences for the woman?
- Multiplying her sorrow and conception
- Bring forth children in pain
- Desire for husband and he will rule over her
- What were the consequences of man? Work for his food all the days of his life
- Who/what did God curse? The Serpent and the Ground - not Adam or Eve
- What is the significance of clothing them with animal skin?
- Why did God remove them from the Garden of Eden? Out of His love, for their own good lest they eat the Tree of Life and live in sin eternally.
- Christ is called the ___________ Adam. Second.
Homework
Week 4: Cain and Abel
Lesson Information
Title: Cain and Abel
Objectives:
- Literal
- Understanding the story of Cain and Abel and why the Lord respected Abel's offering and not Cain's
- Purpose of Genealogies
- Tropological:
- Anger and Jealousy
- Sin begets sin
- Allegorical:
- Concept of the Firstborn
Resources:
- Fr Daoud Lamei on Genesis 4-5
- Arabic with English notes below
- https://notes.morcous.com/books/genesis/page/07-genesis-4-5
- https://notes.morcous.com/books/genesis/page/08-genesis-5-6
- Fr Tadros Yacoub Malaty - Genesis Commentary
- St Ambrose on Cain and Abel
Reading:
- Genesis 4-5
Key Verse:
- "If you do well, will you not be accepted?" (Genesis 4:7)
Lesson Structure
Review Genesis 1-3
-
Where are Adam and Eve now? Outside of Paradise
Read Genesis 4:1-5
- Firstborn
- Cain is the firstborn, but as we will see throughout Genesis, the firstborn has a higher status and almost always loses it... Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, Reuben and Judah, Manasseh and Ephraim; and later on the Old Testament people like King David, etc.
- This is a sign of what's to come - Israel is the "firstborn" but they will lose that status when they crucify and reject the Lord Jesus Christ, and so the Gentiles (i.e. the Christians) will have it
- Names
- Names are important - see how Eve remembered the Lord when naming her son.
- Cain means "acquired" because "I have acquired a man from the Lord"
- This is a very good thing
- Occupations
- Even though Cain is the firstborn, Abel's occupation is mentioned first. Because he was first in occupation
- Shepherding usually indicates righteousness (Abel, Abraham, Moses, David, Christ as the Good Shepherd) because shepherding indicates taking responsibility. Counting their sheep, protecting their sheep, saving their sheep from lions and bears, etc.
- Cain and Abel's Offerings
- "in the process of time" in the Greek is really "at the end of days" - The Fathers comment on this and say that Cain was delaying. Like when we delay our prayer in a day, and finally at the end of the day just offer a small prayer of "our Father" while we lay in bed
- Why did God accept Abel's sacrifice and not Cain's? The Fathers give two reasons
- Cain's offering was from the ground, and the ground was cursed in the last chapter. Abel's offering pointed to the act that God did with Adam and Eve when He clothed them with animal skins. So some Fathers point to the TYPE of the offering.
- Where did Cain and Abel learn about sacrifice? From their parents, who learned it from the Lord
- At the end of last chapter (3:21) - "Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them."
- The Fathers say that Adam and Eve taught their kids that they should sacrifice an animal to God, as God had sacrificed an animal for them
- Cain's offering was out of a sense of duty or obligation, Abel's offering was freely given with faith. The Scripture clearly describes Abel's offering - "firstborn of his flock, and of their fat" - he chose the best of the best to give to the Lord. He did not hold back.
- Abel's offering was from a thought of "God has given me all of this, so I will give him back the best" or "I will give the best of the best to the Lord, and I have faith He will take care of my sustenance."
- Cain's offering was from a place of "I need to appease God" or "let me take the best and give God what is left." This was a very pagan way of thinking.
- Unfortunately, we think like Cain today
- I give God what is left of my time - the last few minutes of my day after I've done everything else
- I give God what is left of my energy - after I've used it all up working and playing and talking, I give what's left to God
- I give God what is left of my stuff - I empty the closet and find the things I don't like or I don't wear, or are out of style, or are ripped or torn, and I think "I will donate these to the needy" and I think I've done something good
- What if we thought like Abel?
- The beginning of my day (time and energy) are given to the Lord
- I get new things and nice things to offer to the needy in the name of the Lord
- We even think like Cain in a different sense
- I need to pray to appease God, so I'll just quickly read through these Agpeya prayers
- I need to fast to appease God, so I will fast, but I'll eat siyami burgers with siyami cheese and siyami ice cream after
- I need to go to liturgy to appease God, so I will go but my eye will be on my watch, my phone will be in my hand, and my mind will be something else
- What will the Lord say to us?
- Cain's offering was from the ground, and the ground was cursed in the last chapter. Abel's offering pointed to the act that God did with Adam and Eve when He clothed them with animal skins. So some Fathers point to the TYPE of the offering.
- "in the process of time" in the Greek is really "at the end of days" - The Fathers comment on this and say that Cain was delaying. Like when we delay our prayer in a day, and finally at the end of the day just offer a small prayer of "our Father" while we lay in bed
- And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering.
- The Lord did not punish Cain or send fire from heaven or anything, he simply disregarded Cain's offering
- The Lord did not punish Cain or send fire from heaven or anything, he simply disregarded Cain's offering
- Cain was angry and his countenance fell
- Cain did not love God. If he did, he would have fixed the situation immediately, brought a better or a different offering. But because he didn't have love, he fell into something worse - Anger. Jealousy. Wrath. Murder.
- Jealousy
- Good jealousy and bad jealousy
- "Wow he prays so much, I want to pray like him"
- "Wow he gives so much, I want to give like him"
- "Wow she serves a lot, I want to serve like her"
- versus
- "Wow he has a lot of money... why does HE get so much money? Why did God give HIM so much money?"
- We see evil jealousy throughout the Scripture
- Joseph's brothers - why be jealous? He is the youngest, his mother died, he doesn't get to know his mother's love... nope. Jealousy.
- Joseph's brothers - why be jealous? He is the youngest, his mother died, he doesn't get to know his mother's love... nope. Jealousy.
- Good jealousy and bad jealousy
- Cain was VERY angry
- When you find yourself angry, ask yourself the question that God asked Jonah: "Is it right for you to be angry?" - the answer is usually no
- When you find yourself angry, ask yourself the question that God asked Jonah: "Is it right for you to be angry?" - the answer is usually no
- Cain did not love God. If he did, he would have fixed the situation immediately, brought a better or a different offering. But because he didn't have love, he fell into something worse - Anger. Jealousy. Wrath. Murder.
Read Genesis 4:6-15
- Cain did not need to be jealous
- He was the first human ever born
- His name means "acquired from God"
- Many Fathers say that Eve thought Cain was the Savior that God had talked about in Genesis 3 - the one who would trample the serpent. She thought Cain would be the Savior who would take them back to Eden!
- Why does God ask questions?
- The first question God asked man - "Where are you?" to Adam
- The second question - "Why are you angry?" to Cain
- The Lord is always looking for our repentance - Why has your countenance fallen? You were not made by Me to look down, but to look up to heaven
- If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.
- God is telling him that he still has a chance! Do well and you will be accepted! You are not rejected! You are not dead, You still have a chance!
- God is telling him "I see your heart. I hear your thoughts. You want to get rid of your brother. Sin lies at the door, and its desire is for you. BUT YOU SHOULD RULE OVER IT" - you are not a slave to your thoughts or to sin! You have the authority and the freedom to say no. I created you as a ruler not a slave.
- This verse is the entire definition of spiritual warfare. Sin lies at the door. Its desire is for you. But you can rule over it.
- Sometimes we have thoughts like Cain's... "if only I had a different mom or dad" - "if only I had a different Sunday School servant" - "if only I didn't have this brother/sister." When you think those thoughts, your heart is like that of Cain
- Cain talked with Abel his brother
- When you're mad, don't go talking to anyone. Talk to God. If Cain had responded to God at all, he would have calmed down, and his conversation with Abel would have gone differently. Instead, Cain kills Abel.
- When you're mad, don't go talking to anyone. Talk to God. If Cain had responded to God at all, he would have calmed down, and his conversation with Abel would have gone differently. Instead, Cain kills Abel.
- Sin begets sin
- In Genesis 3, we saw the first sin - disobedience to the commandment to not eat a fruit. In the next chapter, we see murder.
- We think small sins "won't reach anything" or "are not a big deal" - but sin leads to sin. Always.
- These little foxes creep in and we think they're okay. But they can still bite.
- Where is Abel your brother?
- Again, the Lord seeks Cain's repentance; his confession of his wrongdoing.
- Cain lies.
- Jealousy begot anger, begot wrath, begot murder, begot lying.
- Lying comes from many reasons but the two biggest ones:
- Fear - fear of embarrassment, fear of something you did, etc.
- Earthly Reward - to receive praise or honor that doesn't belong to you
- Cain's Punishment
- Cursed from the earth
- Adam's punishment was that the ground would be cursed for his sake. He would have to toil and labor in order to bring food from it. In the garden, it would water itself and bring about its fruit on its own. But now he has to toil and water and labor.
- For the man who hates his brother - despite the hard labor and work with the ground, he may eat, but he will never be satisfied.
- "You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm'" (Haggai 1:6)
- "You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm'" (Haggai 1:6)
- A fugitive and a vagabond on the earth
- God does not kill Cain. Because He is still giving him a chance to repent.
- Vagabond is someone who is "lost" - wandering. Doesn't know their purpose in life. Doesn't know that they are created in God's image, to glorify God, to prepare for eternal life with God. Someone who is focused on earthly life.
- "Let us eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die" (Ecclesiastes, Isaiah, Proverbs, Luke, 1 Corinthians)
- Someone who is lost is lacking love for God and love for man. God's will is for us to be like Him; God is love.
- Greater than he can bear
- Many times, a punishment that is too great to bear is the start of repentance
- Guilt
- "Anyone who finds me will kill me" - there's no one around to kill him, and no one is gonna find him, but he's terrified
- There are people who commit murder and don't get caught, and after 20 years they go and confess and turn themselves in - even though the lawsuits are closed, people stopped looking for them, etc. The feeling of guilt is a prison of the mind, worse than any prison in the world.
- Joseph's brothers later in Genesis have the same guilt. When anything bad or even inconvenient happens to them, they immediately think "this is because of what we did to our brother"
- When you're guilty, you have blockers in your eyes and you see things that aren't there... I am a failure, I am hated, everyone hates me, etc.
- What about God?
- The Lord does not desire the death of a sinner, but rather that he returns and lives
- Imagine if you go to a doctor and he says "get away from me you're sick" - no! Doctors go to the sick to treat them
- The same with the Lord
- The Lord gave him protection - again, the Lord is seeking his repentance. Giving him time to repent.
- Cursed from the earth
Read Genesis 4:16-24
- Cain left the land of his family, and the presence of the Lord and went somewhere else
- The family of Adam and Eve symbolizes the first Church.
- Cain thought he would be judged, so he left them and their God. If he had gone to his parents they would have told him "Repent! Offer a sacrifice to God!" But instead, he left them
- Sometimes we make a mistake and we run to the church and run to our father of confession and this is the right attitude
- Sometimes, we make a mistake and we escape the church. Stop going. Stop attending the liturgy. Don't take communion. This is the worst attitude.
- "The Church is a hospital for sinners, not a courthouse" - St John Chrysostom
- Cain knew his wife
- Famous question - where did Cain get a wife? She is another daughter of Adam and Eve. In those very early days, they had to marry their brother or sister until there were many nations, in order to populate the earth.
- Famous question - where did Cain get a wife? She is another daughter of Adam and Eve. In those very early days, they had to marry their brother or sister until there were many nations, in order to populate the earth.
- Cain built a city
- We'll see that the Lord doesn't really like cities - they represent an attachment to the world
- Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc. live in tents away from the cities
- Cain's descendants
- The descendants of Cain would have no idea about God - who would they learn from?
- They are living completely separate from God and from Adam and Eve who know God
- So we will see that they devolve into lives of sin
- Example: Lamech
- Multiple wives
- Murders anyone who hurts him
- Killing children
- Thinks that God will avenge him
- This becomes the way of the land... the opposite of what God intended for Adam and Eve and humanity
Read Genesis 4:25-5:5
- Seth is the great grandfather of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of all of us
- "Then men began to call on the name of the Lord"
- This indicates that Cain's family did not call on the name of the Lord
- But Seth and his family were children of God
- "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)
- Seth is born in the likeness and image of Adam, who was made in the image and likeness of God
- Despite the Fall of Man, the Image of God was not lost
Read Genesis 5:6-32
- What are these high numbers for ages?
- Many scholars agree that people in the old days live longer than us - earth was more pure, air was clean, food was clean, not like today. Their diets were better (i.e. plant-based).
- In the next chapter, God allows them to eat meat and also limits the life of man to 120 years - and later on, it will be less than 100.
- Enoch
- The genealogies usually say “xyz lived xyz years and begot xyz and then died” and continues to the next one. But sometimes they’ll get to a name and stop and say something. So this is a message to us – be careful that you don’t live your life as a name and number. No one remembers Enosh or Mahalel’s names… but we get to Enoch and we all know Enoch.
- So what gives a man significance in history, and makes him remembered by all? His relationship with God. The genealogy pauses here to tell us about Enoch.
- Enoch walked with God – first person this word is said about and it’s used twice.
- We don’t know anything about Enoch – we know “Enoch walked with God.” To the extent that God took him or God “translated him” (Septuagint)
- Let’s see where Enoch is mentioned in the New Testament
- “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:5-6)
- “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (Jude 1:14-15)
- Where did they get this info? Inspired by the Holy Spirit, from the Jewish traditions
- See what simply walking with God can do for you? That God took him and said “you don’t need to die right now”?
- Does this mean it is possible for a man not to die?
- In Hebrews 9 it says “it is appointed for men to die once” – so every man must die.
- The Church understands that every person needs to die. And we have Enoch and Elijah that don’t die in the Bible but are taken up and translated to God. So they didn’t die… but their death was not canceled, it was postponed.
- If we open Revelation 11, we will read about two witnesses sent by God to preach and they are killed and then resurrected. These are understood by the Church to be Enoch and Elijah
- Walked with God
- Friend of God – two people walking together are friends
- “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
- Abraham walked with God and God came down and literally walked with him and said “should I hide what I intend to do from Abraham?” And He told Abraham about Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham even negotiated with God. And God told Abraham your children will be in Egypt in hardship 400 years but I will deliver them! This is friendship.
- God wants to be our friend! He is the one that comes to us and says “I want to be your friend”
- “The Lord was with Joseph” – it always says that in Genesis. And it means that Joseph was aware of it! God is with all of us – but how many of us are aware and see God in everything and remember God at all times?
- What's the point of Genealogies?
- Historical Records
- To trace the Messiah's lineage back to King David, Tribe of Judah, Abraham, Noah, Seth, Adam
- This Genealogy is special because it is a prophecy:
-
Adam Man Seth Appointed Enosh Mortal Cainan Sorrow Mahalel The Blessed God Jared Shall come down Enoch teaching Methuselah His death shall bring Lamech Despairing Noah Comfort/Rest
-
- This Genealogy is also important because we see that the flood of Noah did not start until after Methuselah and Lamech had died. Because the line of Noah was righteous. And the Lord was not going to kill any of them with the flood.
Review Questions
Homework
Week 5: Noah Builds an Ark
Lesson Information
Title: Noah Builds an Ark
Objectives:
Resources:
- Fr Daoud Lamei on Genesis
- Fr Tadros Yacoub Malaty - Genesis Commentary
- Origen on Genesis
- St John Chrysostom on Genesis
Reading:
- Genesis 6-8
Key Verse:
Lesson Structure
Read Genesis 6:1-7
- "the sons of God" and "the daughters of men"
- The sons of God are the line of Seth, who taught his children to love God and be with God
- The daughters of men are the line of Cain, who did not pass down the knowledge of God
- St Luke, in his genealogy of Christ says "the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God"
- Limiting days of man to 120 years
- God will not strive with you forever if you keep rejecting Him
- Are we flesh? Or are we spirit? Are we living according to the flesh? Or according to the spirit?
- The Lord tries to shorten our years so that we don't live hundreds of years without repentance
- Giants
- Mighty men who liked to fight and go to war and kill lots of people
- They would measure their success by how many people they killed or how much they stole
- The devil loves to make the most sinful people famous "mighty men of renown" and give them a name on earth
- "Every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually"
- What a scary concept - every single intent and thought was evil
- There is no moral compass, or conscience, or guilt, or remorse for any sin
- Sadly, doesn't this remind us of the world today?
- The Lord was sorry and decided to destroy man and beast
- Did God sin? Did God make a mistake?
- The Scripture is using human language to help us try to understand the divine will
- We contemplate on God's love all the time, but we forget that God hates evil and that evil is incompatible with God who is the source of all goodness
- There was no repentance, which is the most important
Read Genesis 6:8-12
- Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord; Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.
Read Genesis 6:13-22
- Construction of the Ark
- God is a God of order
- God is a God of order
- Typology of the Ark
- The Ark is a type of Baptism (salvation and rebirth and new creation by water)
- The Ark is a type of the Cross (salvation through wood)
- The Ark is a type of the Church (and is considered to be the First Church made by hands)
- Those who are inside are saved. Those who are outside are not. Everyone has a chance to come inside... until the door is closed.
- The Church is shaped like the Ark - even the word "Nave" which refers to the area that makes up the body of the church, is from the word "Navis" or "Naval" meaning "ship"
- Allegorical Interpretations of the Ark
- Origen discusses the three decks of the ark representing the three levels of Biblical Interpretation: Literal, Tropological, Allegorical
- The door that is in the side of the ark represents the Eucharist - the door to salvation. Because it is on the side of the ark, and the ark is a type of the Cross. And from the side of the Cross came blood and water.
- Origen uses Numerology with the dimensions of the boat (the length 300 cubits, the width 50 cubits, the height 30 cubits) - see page 96 part 5
- Origen discusses the three decks of the ark representing the three levels of Biblical Interpretation: Literal, Tropological, Allegorical
Read Genesis 7
- Seven of each animal? Or two?
- Seven of every clean, two of every unclean
- Why are more clean animals needed? To offer Sacrifice
- How did Noah know what is clean or unclean? The Law of Moses is not here yet?
- Natural Law which God communicated to those early people like Adam, Abel, Seth, Noah
- Natural Law which God communicated to those early people like Adam, Abel, Seth, Noah
- After seven more days, I will cause it to rain on the earth
- The first time God told Noah, He didn't give a timeline. Then He came 100 years later and said "it's in seven days"
- The first time God told Abraham about his son, He didn't give a timeline. Then He came 20 years later and said "this time next year"
- Some people want specific answers and timelines from God when they pray for something. God doesn't work this way. God may give a general or blurry picture of His will, until the right time when He reveals more details.
- Everyone needs to be in before the rain starts. Once the door is shut, that's it.
- Someone might not have believed Noah until they started to feel the water... it's too late
- When the day of judgment comes, it will be too late to repent.
- When the day of your death comes, it will be too late to repent.
- The 10 virgins - 5 inside, 5 outside. When the 5 came, the door was shut and the Lord said "I say to you, I do not know you"
- How did Noah get all the animals?
- Adam, before the Fall of Man, resembled God and had no enmity with animals. He played with them and loved them.
- The Fathers say that as one comes closer to God, he starts to resemble Christ, and the animals would treat him as such
- St Barsoum the Naked who had a huge snake in his cave, became friends with the snake. It was a regular snake, but he was not a regular man.
- Daniel in the Lion's Den - real ordinary lions that eat humans after the fall, but not humans before the fall. The more a person becomes like Adam before the Fall, the more the animals recognize the Creator in him
- Where did the water come from?
- Rain from up top - "windows of heaven were opened"
- Rain from down below - "Fountains of the great deep were opened up"
- Am I in the ark?
- We might think we are in the ark because we go to church every week
- But I need to be in the ark at all times and all days
Read Genesis 8
- God remembered Noah and every living thing and all the animals
- Noah sends a raven and a dove
- Noah's patience in leaving the ark
- Noah's first inclination is to offer a sacrifice
- Covenant will be discussed in the next week
Review Questions
Homework
Week 6: Noah's Vineyard and the Tower of Babel
Lesson Information
Title: Noah's Deliverance and the Tower of Babel
Objective:
Resources:
- Fr Daoud Lamei on Genesis
- Arabic with English notes below
- https://notes.morcous.com/books/genesis/page/11-genesis-7-9
- https://notes.morcous.com/books/genesis/page/12-genesis-10-12
- Fr Tadros Yacoub Malaty - Genesis Commentary
- St John Chrysostom on Genesis
Reading:
- Genesis 9-11
Key Verse:
Lesson Structure
Read Genesis 8:20-9:7
- "Be fruitful and multiply"
- God reaffirmed the same command given to Adam and Eve - "Be fruitful and multiply"
- This shows that the world after the flood is considered a "new Creation"
- Allowance to Eat Meat
Read Genesis 9:8-17
- Covenant
- What is a Covenant?
- What is the sign of the Covenant?
- What are the Biblical Covenants?
- Noah
- Abraham
- Moses
- David
- New Covenant (the Lord Jesus Christ)
- Who are considered the "people of God"?
- Started with one man - Adam
- Now it's one family - Noah
- Then it's a tribe - Abraham
- Then a nation - Moses
- Then a kingdom - David
- Then all nations - the Lord Jesus Christ
Read Genesis 9:18-29
- First mention of drunkenness or alcohol
- Noah, who walked with God as a friend, whom God revealed His great plan to, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord, who was the ONLY man in the whole world that God chose and kept, who lived a life of prayer and sacrifice, who is called just and perfect, a character whose likes would never again be repeated... fell into sin because of alcohol. And yet this doesn't scare people away from alcohol...
- Noah, who walked with God as a friend, whom God revealed His great plan to, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord, who was the ONLY man in the whole world that God chose and kept, who lived a life of prayer and sacrifice, who is called just and perfect, a character whose likes would never again be repeated... fell into sin because of alcohol. And yet this doesn't scare people away from alcohol...
- How do we react when our father (biological or spiritual) makes a mistake? Has a weakness? Does something I don't like?
- Sometimes we go and tell everyone
- Sometimes we discard our respect for them
- Noah, despite his sin, was still valued and beloved by God
- Shem and Japheth worked together for righteousness... sometimes we come together and work on gossip and stories and backbiting
- Why was Canaan punished and not Ham?
- Most of the Fathers consider it is Canaan who saw Noah in his nakedness, and not Ham
- Especially since Noah "knew what his younger son had done" (whereas Japheth is the youngest)
- The curse is pronounced on Canaan
- The Canaanites come from Canaan
- Abraham (and thus, the Israelites, and most importantly, the Lord Jesus Christ) come from Shem
Read Genesis 10
- The important part of this Genealogy is the names. These are the nations that are eventually dispersed and populate the globe. So keep track of familiar names because there is likely a city or a country named after them. This chapter is called the Table of Nations.
- Mizraim (son of Ham) - this is where the name "Misr" for Egypt comes from. This son is the one who went down to north Africa, and from whom the Egyptians come.
- Canaan (son of Ham) - this is the father of the Canaanites
- Eber (son of Shem) - this is where the word "Hebrew" comes from. He is the grandfather of Abraham
- Eber has two sons - Peleg and Joktan
- This chapter gives the genealogy of Joktan, but we will have the Genealogy of Peleg in the next chapter since he is the grandfather of Abraham
Read Genesis 11:1-9
- Why did they want to build a tower?
- Pride
- To make the top in the heavens
- To see "what God sees"
- To escape the wrath of God in the case of another flood
- Pride
- Why didn't God like their tower?
- God isn't against towers or construction - but we always have to ask if I am doing something to glorify God, or to glorify myself/seek out my own glory
- "Let us go and make a name for ourselves"
- Confusion
- The Lord wants us to be one with Him and each other
- "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us" (John 17:21)
- But unfortunately, they had no interest in unity with God, and so the Lord scattered them in confusion
- The word "Babel" means confusion
- Pentecost
- The Fathers saw the Tower of Babel as an anti-type of the Day of Pentecost
- On Pentecost, all the nations came together and the disciples spoke in tongues and all become one with Christ when they were baptized becoming the One Body of Christ.
- On the Tower of Babel, all the nations who were together started to speak different languages because of their rejection of God, and they were dispersed.
- Importance of Communication
- We can take this opportunity to discuss the importance of communication with each other, with our parents, with our servants, with our priest, etc.
- Communication is the basis of love
- Communication with God is the basis of my relationship with Him - that I talk to Him, and hear His voice when He speaks to me
Read Genesis 11:10-32
- Genealogy to Abram
- Notice how this genealogy doesn't say any names that don't matter. It only says the names of the lineage of Abraham. Everyone else is simply "sons and daughters"
- The names mattered in the last Genealogy (Genesis 10) because it's a Table of Nations - to understand where every nation came from. But in this one, they don't matter
- Abraham's brothers are mentioned by name because they are important
- Haran is the father of Lot
- Nahor is the father of Rebecca (wife of Isaac)
- Notice how this genealogy doesn't say any names that don't matter. It only says the names of the lineage of Abraham. Everyone else is simply "sons and daughters"
- No need to discuss the movement of Terah from Ur of the Chaldeans to Haran, that will be covered at the beginning of the next Unit (Abraham)
Review questions:
Homework: