Genesis 4-10: The Eternal Fallibility of Man

Then the Lord said to Cain, “why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 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.” - Genesis 4:6 and 4:7

The position that Cain was placed in deserves critical reflection. It seems odd that God would look upon Abel’s offerings with favor, yet not upon Cain’s. The only distinction between the two offerings is that Abel’s was an offering borne from his livestock, while Cain’s offering was borne of the soil. Does God prefer herdsman to men of the soil? Or is it rather that it was test? By looking upon one brother’s offerings with favor and not upon the other, is God testing the first born generation of Man? Either way, we see that it is not long since Man has left Eden, and already sin has reached the climax that is murder. The first man born becomes the first man to kill. The very next chapter we see God cleansing the Earth already of his creations! Man has become so sinful that God has decided to create a great flood which will eradicate mankind!

So the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air – for I am grieved that I have made them.” - Genesis 6:7

Not only does God decide to eradicate mankind, He even expresses grief at having created man! Which is extremely odd if your conception of God involves Him being omniscient. Regardless, the Bible launches into the story of Noah, who is a righteous man, and who God creates a covenant with. However, it once again does not take long for Man to prove his fallibility. Noah gets drunk and lies naked. Enraged that Ham saw his nakedness, while Shem and Japheth stayed their eyes and yet covered their father, Noah curses Ham and with him all of Canaan, while blessing Shem and Japheth. The message from these chapters seems quite clearly this: Man is fallible, and even the most righteous may sin.