George Ruheni, PhD.

  Instructions for living in a new world God gave Noah the same mandate He had given Adam to multiply and fill the earth. Moreover, God permitted him to have animals as food. This highlights God’s enduring purpose for humanity as stewards over creation and having dominion over the earth. A significant difference is that Noah is permitted to eat animals. Before the flood, man’s diet is understood to have been primarily plant-based [Genesis 1:29]. This provision suggests God’s concession to human need in a changed environment, where agriculture may have been more difficult immediately after the flood. So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth (Genesis 9:1-7). However, man was to eat animals and not the blood of the animals, for the blood represents life [Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 17:11, Leviticus 17:14, and Deuteronomy 12:23].   Blood represents the life of the being, whether animal or human. When blood is poured ou...

  Instructions for living in a new world God gave Noah the same mandate He had given Adam to multiply and fill the earth. Moreover, God permitted him to have animals as food. So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth (Genesis 9:1-7). However, man was to eat animals and not the blood of the animals, for the blood represents life [Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 17:11, Leviticus 17:14, and Deuteronomy 12:23].   Blood represents the life of the being, whether animal or human. When blood is poured out, life is removed. [Passover - Exodus 12:13, the New Covenant - Matthew 26:28, Justify man - Romans 5:9, and gives us victory over Satan - Revelation 12:11]. Killing another person through murder is a serious offense [Genesis 9:5], it defiles the land [Numbers 35:31-34].   God affirms His covenant never to destroy the world with a flood   and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every livi...

  Noah’s Deliverance The phrase “God remembered Noah” does not mean God had forgotten him, but rather that God acted on His covenant. After months of silence and confinement, Noah’s story shifted because God intervened in His time [Ecclesiastes 3:11]. In the same way, even if you feel delayed or shut in by life’s circumstances, God has not forgotten you. Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided (Genesis 8:1). His remembrance brings action, restoration, and new beginnings. Just as the waters receded and dry land appeared for Noah, your waiting season will give way to God’s appointed time of renewal.   God gave Noah clear instructions about entering the ark, but not about leaving it. This silence was not neglect, but an invitation for Noah to exercise wisdom, patience, and faith. Noah’s use of the raven and dove shows the balance between divi...

  The time it took to build the Ark Noah’s Ark was a faith initiative that was tested with time. Firstly, it had not rained before then. Next, the entire population never responded to the clarion call to enter the Ark. Finally, Noah had not met God, Who gave him the instructions about the construction of the Ark. Some pointers help to determine how long it took to build the Ark. Firstly, consider Noah's age when he got his children [Genesis 5:32].  Next. instruction of building the ark [Genesis 6:14]. If this happened chronologically as it is recorded, it appears Noah's children were born slightly before the start of building the ark. Then, the ages of Noah and Shem after the flood [Genesis 7:11, Genesis 8:13, and Genesis 11:10], it can only be concluded it took about 100 years to build the ark.   God invites Noah into the ark After the Ark was complete, it was time to get in. The wording of [Genesis 7:1] is significant. God did not say, “Go into the ark,” but “Co...

The wickedness of man in the days of Noah There are three fundamental views concerning the identity of the “sons of God” in Genesis 6: Fallen angels , angels who rebelled against God alongside Satan, and God cast them out of heaven, powerful human rulers who were cruel and oppressive, and the sons of Cain . However, more weight is given to the fallen angels. The enemy would pursue this agenda, to corrupt humanity at a genetic and spiritual level, to derail God’s redemptive plan by preventing the coming of the Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15); the Messiah, who would ultimately crush the serpent’s head. ... that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose (Genesis 6:2). God detests it when the godly walk with the unrighteous Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14...

 Adam's signature Drawing from the Tablet theory or the Colophon theory, Genesis 1–4 would be a divine revelation given to Adam, since Adam was not present during creation. Genesis 5:1 would be viewed as a colophon, an ancient signature that concludes the record.   This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God (Genesis 5:1). After this signature, the genealogy and narrative are passed down through successive patriarchs until Moses compiled them.   Taking the genealogies in Genesis 5 and 11 to be complete without skipping generations. It is possible to estimate the ages and get a timeline: From Adam to Noah’s Flood — about 1,656 years (Genesis 5). Noah to Abraham — about 350 years (Genesis 11). Abraham to Jesus — roughly 2,000 years Consequently, from Adam to Jesus, totaling approximately 4,000–5,000 years. The longevity before the flood is possible due to genetic purity, environmental cond...

  Cain Murders Abel The name Cain (from the Hebrew qanah , “to acquire” or “to possess”) suggests Eve saw his birth as a gift, maybe a source of God’s promised deliverance [Genesis 3:15]. Instead, Cain became the first murderer, killing out of jealousy [Genesis 4:8]. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell (Genesis 4:3-5). Cain and Abel took the offering to the guarded meeting place with God, where the Tree of Life was. God accepted Abel's sacrifice, which may have been by consuming the sacrifice with fire. However, Cain's sacrifice was not accepted. Cain and Abel were not offering a sin offering. Therefore, the assumption that Cain's sacrifice was not accepted because it had no blood mi...

  God calls out to Adam and Eve Even after Adam and Eve disobeyed, God approached them with love, patience, and care. Though grieved by their fallen condition, He did not abandon them. Instead, He called out to them, to awaken their awareness of sin and their need for confession and restoration.   In His mercy, He confronted them with the truth to lead them toward repentance and not in condemnation.   Scape Goat mentality When God confronted Adam and Eve after the fall, He did not first address Eve, but Adam, the one who received the command directly (Genesis 2:16–17). However, instead of confessing his sin, Adam shifted the blame to Eve, and indirectly to God, saying, ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate’ (Genesis 3:12). This response reflects a failure to take personal responsibility for sin." This interaction marks the human tendency to avoid accountability, which contrasts with the godly sorrow and confession that God desi...

  The temptation from the serpent The enemy approached Eve in the form of a serpent, integrating deception and craftiness. Satan's strength lies in his subtlety and deviousness. His strategies are focused on confusing the target, twisting the truth, creating doubt, and exploiting weakness. On our own, we cannot outsmart Satan; his schemes are ancient and refined. We overcome him by the Word of our testimony and the power and authority of Jesus Christ. Through the sacrifice on the cross, Christ made us more than conquerors. “ They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony ” (Revelation 12:11). In Christ, we stand victorious, equipped with truth, righteousness, and the sword of the Spirit. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings . (Genesis 3:7). Satan often strikes where the chain is weakest. In the Garden of Eden, he targeted Eve because she wa...

  The Institution of Marriage When God noted that man was lonely, it became a profound turning point in the creation account. For the first time, God declared that something was not good. Not because of a flaw in creation, but because man was alone, lacking the fellowship he was created to enjoy. God is a relational God, and man was formed in His image. Man reflects God’s relational nature, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in perfect fellowship. As God desires communion with man, man was made to live in communion and not in isolation.  And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him . ... (Genesis 2:18-23). God created a helper comparable to him, in Hebrew; ezer kenegdo , a helper fit for him, someone to complement him. This is not about subordination, but partnership and strength. God did not make Eve as an afterthought, but as a crown of creation, formed with intention and beauty. Eve was not made from dust like A...

  God placed man in the Garden of Eden Dust symbolizes human frailty and mortality, demanding that man walk in humility. On our own, without God’s breath, we are earth, lowly, temporal, and perishable. God’s breath is the divine spark that makes us living souls. It's God's Spirit, not the dust, that gives us value, meaning, and purpose. And the  Lord  God formed man  of  the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (Genesis 2:7). It is an honor that God grants to man to be a co-heir with Him. Otherwise, though dust is not nothing, it neighbors nothing.   Hannah’s declaration in her song of praise highlights, God's sovereignty and grace. She paints that man is but dust, lowly, insignificant, and mortal, yet God lifts the humble and restores dignity. The ash heap symbolizes deep sorrow, shame, and loss, often the place of mourning or rejection. Yet God stoops down to ra...