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1. Creation to the Flood (1-7)The first half of the Primeval Story contains two versions of creation. The first version is comprehensive in scope, giving account of the big moments of world creation, yet also treating the creation of humans in God's image. The second version makes only passing reference to the grand environment and dwells on human origination.
After God created Adam and Eve they disregarded their maker's explicit command not to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge and were expelled from the garden. They became the first family with the birth of Cain and Abel . . . and the first dysfunctional family after Cain killed Abel.
The remainder of these chapters contains two parallel, sometimes interwoven, threads. One traces the growth of the human race and its developing culture. Cain's offspring pioneered the building of cities, the domestication of animals for human service, and the arts. The other thread dwells on the problems that human willfulness created. Sin grew horribly, as told in episodes following the first murder. Lamech broke out with wanton violence, the sons of God sired monstrous creatures, and general human wickedness prompted God to send the flood. Overall, this section is enclosed in a creation-destruction, goodness-sin envelope. |
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