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"So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering..." to me, this sounds like sacrifice is not happening regularly...
adam is 130 when Seth is born, "Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters." this sounds to me like the other sons and daughters come after seth...
is abel being fed by adam, cain, and anyone else alive by their hard work in the fields? is he swapping animal products for food? is raising animals as hard at that time as farming? if so, God's curse on the ground would actually seem more like a curse on human labor in general...
but then cain builds a city, so it sounds to me like that labor was not cursed...
when God talks to cain after abel's death, it sounds like the ground was yielding its strength to him... so maybe cain was really good at farming (not so much sweat as adam) and abel is good with animals... this would fit nicely (imo), and mean that human life wasn't so hard as one might think reading God talking to adam and eve in the garden...
adam is 130 when Seth is born, "Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters." this sounds to me like the other sons and daughters come after seth...
is abel being fed by adam, cain, and anyone else alive by their hard work in the fields? is he swapping animal products for food? is raising animals as hard at that time as farming? if so, God's curse on the ground would actually seem more like a curse on human labor in general...
but then cain builds a city, so it sounds to me like that labor was not cursed...
when God talks to cain after abel's death, it sounds like the ground was yielding its strength to him... so maybe cain was really good at farming (not so much sweat as adam) and abel is good with animals... this would fit nicely (imo), and mean that human life wasn't so hard as one might think reading God talking to adam and eve in the garden...
so, going with the 30 people now... I'll give you the raise animals for products idea, I agree...
other questions arise for me... what are those other people sacrificing or offering?
maybe they aren't sacrificing anything... one possibility...
maybe plant things... maybe they just don't react like cain when God doesn't accept their offering...
maybe animals... then I wonder why cain wasn't upset with them, too... maybe abel was taunting him...
I do see that the story lacks a lot of details... when humans read something, they often add details they think are needed to make the story make sense... I can see I've done that...
what details one adds will affect what one 'takes away' from the story...
other questions arise for me... what are those other people sacrificing or offering?
maybe they aren't sacrificing anything... one possibility...
maybe plant things... maybe they just don't react like cain when God doesn't accept their offering...
maybe animals... then I wonder why cain wasn't upset with them, too... maybe abel was taunting him...
I do see that the story lacks a lot of details... when humans read something, they often add details they think are needed to make the story make sense... I can see I've done that...
what details one adds will affect what one 'takes away' from the story...
that's how I take gen 1:29 'Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the [an]surface of all the earth, and every tree [ao]which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the [ap]sky and to every thing that [aq]moves on the earth [ar]which has life, I have given every green plant for food”'
eggs = meat? I could see that, maybe... a fertilized egg would be an animal, imo...
I too had basically asked the question "What do you think Abel kept livestock for..."
the common answers on the thread are dairy products, and non-food animal like wool...
as I've said, if humans can eat dairy (and eggs?), that goes a long way towards changing how I look at the curse on the ground... and adam sweating and tilling the soil...
eggs = meat? I could see that, maybe... a fertilized egg would be an animal, imo...
I too had basically asked the question "What do you think Abel kept livestock for..."
the common answers on the thread are dairy products, and non-food animal like wool...
as I've said, if humans can eat dairy (and eggs?), that goes a long way towards changing how I look at the curse on the ground... and adam sweating and tilling the soil...
R
in genesis 1 it says that God gave the humans and animals every green plant for food...
it is not until after the flood that there is a record in scripture of God giving people permission to eat meat...
so it sounds like they did not eat meat before the flood...although i suppose it is possible that some people might have disobediently eaten meat...
it is not until after the flood that there is a record in scripture of God giving people permission to eat meat...
so it sounds like they did not eat meat before the flood...although i suppose it is possible that some people might have disobediently eaten meat...
It is my understanding that before the Law was given, sacrifices were offered by the Spiritual head of the family.
This was an informal priesthood that usually passed from the patriarch to the oldest son. This was the true significance of Esau selling his birthright.
If earth's entire population were still living together as an extended family; as seems likely, then it would be likely that Adam would offer a daily or weekly sacrifice from Abel's flock.
This was an informal priesthood that usually passed from the patriarch to the oldest son. This was the true significance of Esau selling his birthright.
If earth's entire population were still living together as an extended family; as seems likely, then it would be likely that Adam would offer a daily or weekly sacrifice from Abel's flock.
T
Modern ideas about how history is written? Please don't give me that! The unorthodox, unbiblical, liberal ideas only sprung up in Christendom around the time of uniformiarian ideals and Darwin. The Church had the stupidity to let these diseases in and ever since they've compromised the validity and authority of the Bible. Finally, through much of Church history, people believed that early Genesis was history. Now that we're more 'enlightened' (stupid) we know 'better'. But let's not go by consensus even, let's go by the words of people who really know their stuff. Who are these people? Why Jesus and His apostles and God's prophets etc! But couldn't they be wrong? No! "Did God really say?..." No.
Adam and Eve and their children for a time were farmers, but we're told that animal husbandry was invented by Lamech's son, Jabal.
Genesis 4:20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the first of those who live in tents and keep livestock.
There may have been some instances of animal husbandry prior to this, but this is the first man to advance civilization in such a way.
Animals definitely ate animals prior to the Great Flood, because fossils show them fighting, eating, digesting each other! Did God say it was 'good'? No. Did He allow it? Yes. Could humanity have eaten meat prior to the Flood? Absolutely, but not for those who were true to the one true God. I hope this helps.
Adam and Eve and their children for a time were farmers, but we're told that animal husbandry was invented by Lamech's son, Jabal.
Genesis 4:20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the first of those who live in tents and keep livestock.
There may have been some instances of animal husbandry prior to this, but this is the first man to advance civilization in such a way.
Animals definitely ate animals prior to the Great Flood, because fossils show them fighting, eating, digesting each other! Did God say it was 'good'? No. Did He allow it? Yes. Could humanity have eaten meat prior to the Flood? Absolutely, but not for those who were true to the one true God. I hope this helps.
T
Sacrifices may not have been a regular thing, but it's doubtful that they were a rarity. Do you really think Adam and Eve would wait 130 years to have more children? eg. Seth and other sons and daughters? God told them to be fruitful and to multiply. They would have 'known' each other quite well, I would think.
Labour is cursed in the sense that work would be much more difficult and not always enjoyable, as it would've been before the Fall. Cain would've been good at farming and Abel good with animals, but that doesn't negate the fact that life (work, rest and play) was very different, following the Fall.
Labour is cursed in the sense that work would be much more difficult and not always enjoyable, as it would've been before the Fall. Cain would've been good at farming and Abel good with animals, but that doesn't negate the fact that life (work, rest and play) was very different, following the Fall.
Eggs have the potential to turn into meat, but I would not call an acorn an oak tree 
It should be remembered that the word 'meat' is used in three distinct ways in scripture:
1) Animal flesh Gen 27:4.; Acts 27:34 KJV
2) Food in general Gen 1:29; Jn 6:27 KJV
3) grain, flour, or meal Lev 2:5 KJV [ this usage does not directly occur in the NT; but it is implied in Mark 8:8; where no word directly translates as 'meat'; but Klasmatoon (fragments), IMO, implies bread.]
Please excuse this exercise in semantics. Since early childhood, words have been my favorite toys
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B
Good point, sister. A fertilized egg, yes, is on it's way to being meat. But an egg prior to fertilization isn't meat.
A fertilized egg, yes, is on it's way to being meat. But an egg prior to fertilization isn't meat.
If you are really having trouble with this idea... please take some time to THINK about it very carefully and prayerfully.