Genesis 4–5

I was reading The Sacred Journey by Charles Foster (Ancient Practices Series), and the themes of wandering versus settling spoke into this study (and, indeed, the whole of the Pentateuch, and then the whole history of Israel, and then Jesus’s ministry, and finds its ultimate fulfillment in the New Jerusalem). We looked at this book along with the other Study Guides etc. We also used The Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names for help with the genealogies.

1. What strikes you about Cain and Abel? Is this a family dynamic you recognise?
2. Why do they bring offerings to God when God has not prescribed offerings/gift-giving/sacrifices? What is it about humans that giving gifts to the gods is a hardwired part of religious practices across the globe? Without prescriptions and reasons for sacrifices, what do you think the purpose is for doing this?
3. Grain offerings are permitted in the Law, so a gift of vegetables in itself (this is all Cain had, presumably) was not a problem — so why wasn’t the offering acceptable? Why are we told so little about the brothers? What factors are considered important to the narrative? What effect does this have on the reader?
4. What does this episode tell us about anger? Does it add light to Jesus’ teachings about anger equating to murder/the emotion being the gateway to action? How do you interpret this?
5. If you interpret the ‘he will crush your head’ part as a Messianic prophecy, although some scholars differ on whether this is intended by the text, some interpret Eve’s naming of Cain as a suggestion she thought Cain would be that promised son. Does this add to an understanding of the brotherly dynamic? Are there lessons in this? Where else does parental favouritism result in short-term/medium-term and far-reaching consequences?
6. In terms of family [or other] tragedy, discuss the following statements: “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle” and “shit happens”. Discuss their compatibility/incompatibility with each other and with Scripture, and also in light of other experiences you, or others, may have had.
7. What is the Christian’s role in helping those with/who feel they have more than they can handle?
8. (Tangent questions to Q7) How do Christians ensure access to public services for those who most need (not deserve) it? Health and mental health services? Emergency services?
9. (Tangent questions to Q7)What internal resources (inner reserves of strength, critical thinking capacity, etc) do we have to help ourselves and others? What function does prayer perform? How does God increase our reserves and gifts?
10. (Tangent questions to Q7) Why doesn’t God just fix things – everything, all of the time? If God has fixed stuff for you, when and how and to whom should you testify to this? How can you get alongside someone for whom God is not fixing stuff, or not fixing stuff yet? How can you be sure not to invalidate their journey through this experience? If you are someone for whom God has not just fixed stuff, how can you ward off or deal with feelings of jealousy/bitterness towards someone who has experienced God directly fixing their situation or perhaps healed them when your prayers are as yet unanswered or you have received a ‘no’ response?
11. What happens when God confronts Cain? How does that go? Describe it and Cain’s reaction.
12. What do you make of the fact that God told Cain to wander, but Cain went off and settled, founding cities? What is significant about the command to wander, and why is wandering repeated so often, for both negative and positive reasons? In The Sacred Journey, Charles Foster posits that the act of wandering — the pilgrim lifestyle — is God’s offer of a redemptive process to Cain, which Cain refuses to take in favour of only going so far, then settling down. What do you make of that? How do you define ‘pilgrimage’? What are the results of pilgrimage? How does it change you?
13. Should the argument be made that technical progress is matched by moral decay? Can you make this argument from the text? Is what Lamech did morally worse than what Cain did? Why? Is ‘moral decline/decay’ a sound phrase to use, or does it just mask the real issues at the heart of every human? If all humans at heart are capable of evil thoughts and actions, and all can give in to destructive/negative emotions, what exactly is there to ‘decay’?
14. (Tangent follow on questions to Q13): Is imposing a moral standard for people to live up to, and enforcing it in law and through societal pressures and structures, a good thing (why? how?), or a means for humans to kid themselves about what they are truly capable of (why? how?), or a means of control through legalism (why? how?), or — something else? A mixture?
15. (Tangent follow up to Q13) Some people blame modern technology for a lot of social ills and for moral decline — is this fair? If there was no technology whatsoever, would society be more utopian? Give reasons for your opinion.
16. Where is the hope in this story?

Genesis 5

1. For Gen. 5, We used The Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names to look at the genealogy. Results below. What purpose to these names serve? Are they people, landmarks, heads of tribes/kin groups? Do you think it’s important to know what these names mean?
2. Some have seen the list as a coded Messianic prophecy. Can you see that here? What do you think of that?
3. What do you make of the gloss that Noah was descended from Cain, then a second version appears to make him descended from Seth? Are these just the same names circulating around two branches of the same family, or something else? Why do you think this?
4. One meaning of Noah’s name is ‘motion; wandering’. In what ways was Noah a nomad or pilgrim? Can you contrast this to Cain in a meaningful way devotionally? Why/why not?

Seth — appointed; compensation; to replace

Enosh — a man in his frailty; feeble, mortal

Kenan — one acquired; begotten; possession

Mahalalel — praiser of God; God is splendour

Jared — a descendant

Enoch — initiated; initiating; dedicated; teacher; consecrated; experienced

Methuselah — (root: to send, to dismiss; to stretch out) When he is dead it shall be sent (it = the flood)

Lamech — powerful; destroyer; one who overthrows; a strong young man; who is struck, reduced

Noah — (1) rest; comfort; comforter (2) motion; wandering

-The Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names, Cornwall and Smith

The Gospel of the God of life

To shelter thee, to aid thee;

Yea, the Gospel of the beloved Christ

The holy Gospel of the Lord;

To keep thee from all malice,

From every dole and dolour;

To keep thee from all spite,

From evil eye and anguish.

Thou shalt travel thither, thou shalt travel hither,

Thou shalt travel hill and heartland,

Thou shalt travel down, thou shalt travel up,

Thou shalt travel ocean and narrow.

Christ Himself is shepherd over thee,

Enfolding thee on every side;

He will not forsake thee hand or foot

Nor let evil come anigh thee.

-Carmina Gadelica, in The Sacred Journey, Charles Foster, p. 14.