2B26
© Jeff Stacey | Last updated: 27 September 2016
2B26. A few people responded with wholehearted commitment to God:
They obeyed God’s two basic requirements, so were fulfilling His intended roles for them
2B/26(title) A few people responded with wholehearted commitment to God
All people now had ethical awareness due to their knowledge of good and evil. But only a few responded by doing good because they were wholeheartedly committed to God.
2B26(sub-title) They obeyed God’s two basic requirements, so were fulfilling His intended roles for them
These people had the moral impulse to want to follow the dictates of their conscience and do what they knew was right. So they obeyed God’s two basic requirements and were fulfilling His intended roles for them.
Cycle 1
2B26(a) Eve twice acknowledged God’s mercy and help
When Eve bore her sons Cain and Seth, these were opportunities for her to obey God’s two basic requirements. She could have expressed anger or bitterness towards God because of His judgment upon her after the FALL Gen 3:16a [1B29(b)]. But instead she showed her wholehearted commitment to God by doing what was right. Her birth-pangs caused her to acknowledge His merciful help and favour! Gen 4:1,25. So she was fulfilling His intended role for her.
Cycle 2
2B26(b) Abel brought an acceptable offering to God
In view of God’s question to Cain Gen 4:7a it can be assumed that Abel’s offering had been favoured by God Gen 4:4b because in grace, Abel was acceptable to God [2A8(c)(i)]. He must have been expressing his wholehearted commitment to God by obeying God’s two basic requirements, so fulfilling God’s intended role for him.
Cycle 8
2B26(c) Some people began to call upon the name of the LORD
There were at the time of Cain’s younger brother Seth and his descendants some people who were “calling on the name of the LORD” Gen 4:26b. Perhaps they were using His name Yahweh for the first time after it had been revealed to them? This may have been in prayer, worship and/or by honoring Him in other ways.
It is assumed that this was doing what was right, so they were fulfilling God’s intended roles for them.
Cycle 9
2B26(d) Enoch obeyed God’s two basic requirements continually
Twice it was emphasised that Enoch “walked faithfully with God” Gen 5:22b,24a. This phrase replaced the word “lived” as also used twice in each of the other parallel life summaries Gen 5:3-20,25-31. It highlighted the contrast between LIFE as God intended (both physical and spiritual) and mere physical life.
There was also a stark contrast with when Adam and Eve had heard God walking in the Garden immediately after the FALL Gen 3:8. They did not seek to “walk with” Him but instead hid from Him!
Enoch would have known what was right like anyone at that time, due to their knowledge of good and evil. But Enoch must have loved and sought God! He demonstrated that it was possible for people to respond consistently with whole-hearted commitment to God despite the effects of the FALL. They could obey God’s two basic requirements continually and fulfil His intended roles for them, even for 300 years!
Cycle 12
2B26(e) Noah was not evil-hearted like all his contemporaries
Noah “walked faithfully with God” Gen 6:9b as Enoch had done Gen 5:22b,24a. They must have ruled over their inclinations to sin and done what was right over an extended period. This was in complete contrast to Noah’s contemporaries Gen 6:5.
Unlike the people of his time Noah was wholeheartedly committed to God. He was fulfilling God’s intended role for him.