Genesis 1:1 does not say, “In the beginning, Adam was created by God.” Instead we're introduced to God, who speaks and acts and creates, and it’s not until further down in the chapter that humans show up. This is so important, because it tells us that we are not the main characters in this story. We’re the supporting characters. This story is about God.
Ten times in this chapter we read this phrase, “And God said.” This points us to one of the most important and striking features of this account: God makes things with His words.
Who is God? Who am I? Who are these other people? These are some of the most important questions we can ask, and today's passage has some of the most important answers to them.
What does it mean to be a man? What does Adam's creation tell us about the answer?
Eve was not exactly like Adam. God made a woman, not another man. But she was clearly the same kind of creation as he was. Someone with whom he could be fruitful and multiply; someone who was a suitable helper for him. And he rejoiced.
When Satan slithers his way into your ear to feed you his lies and tempt you to fall into sin, counter him with the truth of God’s Word, like Adam and Eve failed to do, but just like Jesus did.
The point of this passage is that God is so great and so worthy of worship and trust and obedience that a single act of disobedience against him—a single bite of of a fruit—deserves to have the whole creation come crashing down in response.
Because of their sin, Adam and Eve needed to be sent away from their home. The rest of the Bible tells us that none of us have truly been at home from that point on.
The sin of Cain should not surprise us. The mercy of God should amaze us.
What is prayer, why and how should we pray, and what does this have to do with the family trees of Cain and Seth?