‘Feasts to the LORD’ foreshadowed in Genesis 2-5

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Sukkot 2011 — day 7

Daniel explores foreshadowing of all seven ‘feasts to the LORD’ in Genesis 2–5. For example, hints of Passover are seen in Adam and Eve’s hiding from God in the garden; Firstfruits, in Eve’s dedicating her firstborn; Atonement, in God’s marking Cain to wander with vengeance taken against him.

Do you believe or think or suspect that all of God’s plan for the holy days, etc. from the beginning of man onward are written in the first 10 chapters of Genesis? 

I am not discussing the entire history of mankind due to time constraints. If one of the מּוֹעֲדִים moedim, “feasts to the LORD” or holy days, is hinted at in Genesis 3-10, then all of them are there somewhere. The Holy Days were made for mankind, not for God. God created them for us. 

After our first parents sinned, their first response was to fear God. Does any of Gen. 3:1-15 remind you of Passover? 

Adam and Eve hid from the wrath of God in the trees as the children of Israel hide from the wrath of God in Egypt behind their doorposts before they left Egypt. 

Adam and Eve hid from God during “the cool of the day.” The children of Israel hid behind their blood-rubbed doors during the evening, when it’s the colder part of the day. 

Eve was tempted in three ways: “good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise”

What made Israel to be tempted to stay in Egypt? Famine and a desire for food. It was good for their eyes, good for their nourishment and they were established and comfortable in Goshen thanks to Joseph’s standing. 

Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened and saw what they had done. They had received what they desired. The children of Israel were also given what they wanted: food and comfort. Adam and Eve became slaves to sin. The children of Israel became slaves to Pharaoh. 

As Israel descended into slavery, they called out to God to take the oppression away but they did not want to leave Egypt. 

God called out to Adam and Eve “Where are you?” The children of Israel called out to God in a similar way. They wanted to know where God was as they were suffering. 

God cursed the serpent saying that his head would be crushed but he would bruise the heel of the Seed. In similar fashion, Egypt was able to bruise Israel’s heel when they chased them towards the sea. But the children of Israel plundered Egypt, crushing Egypt’s head (not to mention that the Pharaoh himself died in the Sea, depriving the people of Egypt of their head).

Eve was cursed to have difficulty and pain in childbirth. She will also desire her husband and he would rule over her.  The children of Israel who left Egypt also went through a difficult birth process. They desired to have a ruler over them, a golden one, that looked like a calf. They desired someone to rule over them who was not God. It was also difficult and painful for them to be born out of Egypt. It took 40 years and the death of an entire generation for the children of Israel before they were born to the Promised Land. 

Adam’s curse of the having to work the land in difficulty, thorns and toil. The children of Israel were worn that if they did not clear out the evil people from the land, they would be as thorns and thistles, irritants to them. 

After God cursed Adam and Eve were cursed, He kills an animal and clothes Adam and Eve with tunics of skin. The specific animal is not named. We often have a lamb in mind but the name of the animal. They were “clothed with blindness” meaning God was covering them so God will not see their sin. 

Is this the exact picture of Passover? No, but it has components of Passover. 

Next, let’s look for clues of Unleavened Bread. The feast of Unleavened Bread symbolizes not allowing new sin to enter your life. God says that since mankind knew good and evil, He could not allow them to eat of the three of life and banned them from it. 

When you no longer want sin and you’re covered up, you are a new being and start producing good fruit. 

By banishing Adam and Eve from eating the tree of life, He prevented the sin from fermenting, just as we ban fermentation during the seven days of Unleavened Bread. Fermented breads and foods sometimes smell bad and smell worse as time moves on. 

He banned Adam and Eve from the entire garden not just from the Fruit of Life. Adam and Eve had to grow their own fruits and vegetables. They also had to grow up their own seed: Cain, Abel, Seth and numerous other sons and daughters. 

The culmination of the spring harvest is Shavuot, where both the good and bad fruits come forth because what matters at this time is bringing the first fruit, not necessarily the best. Cain was Eve’s first fruit and Eve had high hopes for Cain because of that. She doesn’t say anything about Abel because Abel was not first. Cain, in a sense, was her Shavuot. 

The next feast is Trumpets, another feast. This time, Abel and Cain are bringing their gifts together. Abel brings the first of his flock; Cain brings the fruit of his fields. Abel’s is favored, Cain’s is not. God gives Cain an opportunity to turn away from his sin. 

Instead Cain kills Abel and curses Cain by never allowing him to grow anything from the ground again. His only known livelihood was taken from him. 

When God says that anyone who kills Cain would be punished seven-fold. God also marked Cain, singling him out for protection. God, in a sense, atones for Cain. Cain deserved death for what he did to Abel. Instead, God give Cain a second chance at life. 

The Day of Atonement is not for someone who does not know they have sin. Atonement is for those who know they have sinned after their past was covered up and they were supposed to remain holy. When they don’t remain holy, the sin that comes in has to be removed. 

Eve, was deceived, that’s why her sin was covered up. Cain, on the other hand, was not deceived. He knew better, because God Himself warned Cain about it yet he did it anyway. 

Cain and Abel gives us the perfect picture of Leviticus 16. You have two goats without blemish: one killed, one was sent away with the sin and a mark placed on it with the blood of the killed goats.  

Amongst the descendants of Cain, there are seven generations listed, just as there are 7 days of Sukkot. 

Lamech, the seventh generation from Cain, says that if Cain is avenged seven-fold, he would be avenged 70-fold. Cain produced seven nations — which all died in the Flood. Lamech in a sense prophesies that there will be 70 nations one day but Lamech’s descendants were killed in the flood and did not become part of the 70 nations. His wives are witnesses to the curses that he, in a sense, is pronounces on himself. He says that they were witnesses to the fact that he killed a man. 

There are 70 bulls at Sukkot. One bull = one nation. It’s almost like God was saying through Lamech, there would be 70 more nations. 

Today, there is no line of Cain but there are still 70 nations. 

Lamech’s prophesy came true when Eve gave birth to Seth, because Eve prophesies that she is starting over, with her new firstborn, as a replacement for Cain and Abel. This was her starting over, a reset. This is symbolic of Shimini Atzeret, the Eighth Day. 

God teaches through repetition, doing something over and over, to reinforce His lessons for us. Noah’s story is a repetition of Trumpets, Atonement and Sukkot. 

There are 10 generations from Seth to Noah. The number 10 means finished, done. 

The animals came two by two and seven by seven for seven days. Eight people enter the ark and then the ark is sealed, which is a Sukkot for them. The raven looking for and not finding a home is symbolic of evil not finding a home, while the dove goes back and forth and finds sure footing. That is also symbolic of Sukkot. 

Most likely, it was Joseph who recorded these stories originally, gleaned from information provided by Jacob. There were other events that happened during this time but God only allowed certain stories to be recorded for permanent record. The stories that best taught the lessons He wanted all generations to  read and understand were recorded here for us. 

Sin is not supposed to have a home: Cain was condemned to wander and not have a home; the raven also did not have a permanent home. 

Cain probably learned his lesson. There’s no record of Cain ever making another mistake again. 

Speaker: Daniel Agee. Summary: Tammy.