Three chapters of Genesis bear the tales of three people and their choices.
Eve doubted God’s word. The fall of Eve and Adam is summed up in a conversation between the serpent and Eve in Genesis 3. “Did God really say?” (V.1) was an attempt to get Eve to question what God said. The second statement was “you will not die” (V.4) which contradicted the Lord’s instruction in 2:16-17 stating that if Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they would die. Doubting God’s word led to disobeying God’s word.
Cain ignored God’s word. In Genesis 4:7 the Lord said to Cain “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” Cain ignored God’s word and suffered the consequences.
Noah obeyed God’s word. In Genesis 6 Noah is described as “a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God” (v.9); “Noah did everything just as God commanded him” (V.22). Our appreciation for Noah’s testimony increases we read in verse 5 that he lived in a culture that was so vile God decided to destroy the human race and start over through Noah and his family. A great tribute to Noah is found in 6:22 & 7:5 where it says “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” Eve doubted what God said, Cain ignored what God said and Noah obeyed what God said. In Genesis 9 it states that God blessed Noah and his family and established a covenant with him.
Doubting, ignoring or obeying God’s word – the choice seems simple enough.