The beginning of the book of Noah, the third of the toledoth sections.

God’s judgment inevitably falls on apostates. God will not have his Name mocked. He is patient; he often delays punishment; he delays punishment to see if folks will respond to His Word and repent. But if there is no repentance, then God will move in judgment and His judgment will fall swiftly and surely.

Moses’ genealogies answer the question, “Who shall inherit the earth?” Shall the unrighteous? Shall the descendants of Cain triumph in world history? No. Their line shall come to an end. All the ungodly shall perish. But those who fear the Lord shall continue and their descendants to a thousand generations. 

The theme of the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent is further expressed in the lives of Cain and Abel.

In God’s words to the serpent, the man, and the woman, we have a clear picture of the suffering we should expect in a fallen earth. We also hear God’s first declaration of his abundant mercy and the hope to come in Christ. From the very moment of our rebellion, God shows his love toward us. 

Make no mistake – Satan is still at work. Your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet 5:8); he throws God’s people into prison that we may be tested (Rev 2:10); he is that great Dragon, the serpent of old, who makes war on those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev 12:9, 17); he even transforms himself into an angel of light to deceive and destroy God’s people (2 Cor 11:14). So we are not to be ignorant of his schemes (2 Cor 2:10-11) but to put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against his wiles (Eph 6:10ff). So how will Satan endeavor to destroy the good work that God is doing among us?

Though smoke often obscures our vision of the good life, still we have a sense of what life is supposed to be like. And the reason we know this is that God has created us in His image, created us with receptors that enable us to taste and long for the glory that once was. We have a longing for Eden, a longing for paradise, a longing for glory.