questions from power points

Question 1

Cain and Abel reflect Israel’s culture and identity.

Answer 1

Cain = tiller, Abel = shepherd. Development of occupations, farming - humans are growing towards culture.

Question 2

Cain is the first born, yet Abel is favored. What does this say about Israeli culture and identity?

Answer 2

Introducing unfairness throughout life. This story, and the rest of genesis, attempts to reconcile with the common reaction of rejection, anger, and violence and accept that life can be unfair.
Understand the precedent that first borns (esp sons) are favored and receive more benefits.
God favoring Abel’s sacrifice may suggest that Israeli’s thought hunting, cleaning and providing meat was a better sacrifice/effort compared to vegetation.

Question 3

What does cain and abel say about divine grace?

Answer 3

Since the story is ambiguous in writing, we cannot know exactly why God favored Abel over Cain. We can assume it’s over the effort to obtain and clean meat, but we have no definitive answer. All we can accept is that life and Divine Favoritism are usually obscure, random and unfair.

Question 4

Referring to Gen 4:20-21, discusses people living in tents and raising livestock and people playing lyres and pipes. What does this suggest?

Answer 4

Humans are developing culture, traditions, activities, enjoyment, and existing in God’s world. We are seeing the maturity of humankind and foreseeing the complexities that occur with it.

Question 5

What is Noah’s covenant

Answer 5

God makes a covenant with Noah, promising never to kill everyone with a flood again. Noah and his family must repopulate and revegetate the earth.