Cain & Able (Genesis
chapter 4)
Sons of Adam & Eve. Cain (the
oldest) was a farmer whereas Able was a rancher (he raised livestock).
Cain offered the Lord some of the fruits of the soil, whereas Able
brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.
The Lord favored Able’s offering, but not Cain’s.
The Lord said, “If you do what is right, will
you not be accepted? But if you do
not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but
you must master it.” This
angered Cain and instead of mastering sin, he added to it by killing his brother
Able. You can read how the Lord dealt with Cain in a harsh but
compassionate manner.
From Adam to Noah
(Genesis chapter 5)
See
the Adam to Abraham time line. (A
PDF file.)
“Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit will not contend
with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty
years.’” (Genesis 6:3) Note how
it took several centuries before this prophecy was fulfilled! A day to God
is like a thousand years to human kind...