The Old Testament is filled with history that is relevant to people's lives today. According to Youngblood, "It's primary concern is to outline God's relationship to us, as well as what ought to be our relationship to Him and to one another" (Chap. 10). There is much that can be gained from studying this history. The creation begins by God saying, "Let there be light," and there was light. (New International Version, Genesis 1.3) God then spoke the rest of the world into being. His last creation was man (Adam) and woman (Eve). It was the perfect world, until Eve was tempted by Satan in the form of a snake and ate the fruit. Adam followed Eve and also ate the fruit. God responded by kicking them out of the garden. This one event had huge consequences for the rest of time. Before this happened, there was no sin in the world. After they ate the fruit sin entered the world, and everyone is now born into sin. .
Cain, the son of Adam, became jealous of his brother Abel because God liked his offering better. As a result, Cain murdered Abel. This story shows us that God desires not just any offering, but our best offering. God spoke to Cain and said, "If you do right, wouldn't you be accepted? But if you do not do right sin is creeping in the door." (Gen. 4.7) God desires everyone to do what is right and good to keep sin from creeping in. People began to populate the earth. The world got so far away from God that he decided destroy it and start over. There was only one man on the earth that followed God, Noah. God instructed Noah to build an arc. After the arc was completed, Noah and his family and animals of every kind came aboard, and it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. After the rain stopped the boat finally came to rest upon Mount Ararat. When Noah sent the dove, and saw that it did not return, they knew it was finally safe to leave the arc. God put a rainbow in the sky, as a covenant, saying, "Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood" (Genesis 9.
