The ugliness of sin and new hope given to the world.....
What a busy week this has been. Now that I am retired, I often find myself wondering how I had time to work because time seems to fly by and there are always things that need to be done.
This week, I am privileged to share God's truth with our church family for the four Wednesdays in the month of March. I will be teaching on the divine names of God, and at a future date, I hope to share some of these studies with all of you.
I would like to continue this overview of the book of Genesis with you. Today, I would like to look at the end of chapter 4 which unfolds the story of Cain after he murdered his brother, Abel. Let's read the text first and then I will share some thoughts with you about the changes occurring after Adam & Eve sinned.
Genesis 4:16-25 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.
And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.
And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.
And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
The rest of Genesis 4 pulls back the curtain of history and gives us some very broad pictures of what happened after Cain murdered Abel. He was judged by God and had to leave the presence of the Lord.
We first see the emerging population of the world. A genealogy of the descendants of Cain is furnished and it might be helpful to recall that the world at this point was still a very pleasant environment conducive to supporting much life.
The view we have is a telescopic view where we can see some of it from a distance but the daily details are not included. God told us what we need to know in order to understand our origins.
There were many notable accomplishments. Cities or communities were built.Some people were tent dwellers and apparently lived a nomadic lifestyle. Musical instruments were invented. Some men learned to be craftsmen in iron and brass.
The genealogy of Cain is seen to be a line of ungodly people. His descendants practiced polygamy and committed crimes of passion. The subsequent verses in this chapter chronicle the rapid rise of a sensual, secular and selfish culture. Sounds very familiar, right?
It became a society mostly devoid of the sweet influence of the people of God. As time passed we also read another lurid account of a descendant of Cain named Lamech. This man brazenly murdered another man with whom he was in disagreement and then he publicly gloated about his sin.
Despite the ugly manifestation of sin’s consequences, we see God graciously grant a new child to Adam and Eve. Seth was born and then he had a son named Enos. An ungodly line of people descending from Cain came into conflict with the Godly line of people descending from Seth. At that point in human history, the Bible says men began to call upon the name of the Lord.
The words “then began” seems to indicate that there was a clearly defined point in time when men called out to God. The expression “to call upon” means that men called out for help with a genuine sense of urgency. It was a cry born out of the deepest need in their soul. Calling on “the name” of the Lord conveys that they had heard of the reputation, honor, monumental works and glory that is associated with the name of God.
The name of God used in this passage is “Jehovah” or “Yahweh” which is translated as “LORD” in the verse. Jehovah is the most personal and proper name of God. Jehovah is often paired with other names to teach us more about His perfect and unchangeable character. The frequent appearance of this name in relation to God’s redemptive work in restoring broken, fallen creatures to Himself, underscores its tremendous importance to all people.
In the aftermath of the fall it was necessary for the Godly line descended from Seth and to Enos to communicate God’s truth to the ignorant or rebellious people. It was important to share the true knowledge of God to shed light in places where pagan myths were taking hold. Seth and his family testified to those around them of what they knew to be true about the Lord.
Seth and Enos had been communicating truth about the One, True God who created and sustains all things. They shared this truth with the ungodly line of people because God is not willing that any should perish. Rather, He wants all people to turn in repentant faith to the One, True God who can save their souls from the judgment and condemnation of sin.
This week, I am privileged to share God's truth with our church family for the four Wednesdays in the month of March. I will be teaching on the divine names of God, and at a future date, I hope to share some of these studies with all of you.
I would like to continue this overview of the book of Genesis with you. Today, I would like to look at the end of chapter 4 which unfolds the story of Cain after he murdered his brother, Abel. Let's read the text first and then I will share some thoughts with you about the changes occurring after Adam & Eve sinned.
Genesis 4:16-25 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.
And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.
And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.
And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
The rest of Genesis 4 pulls back the curtain of history and gives us some very broad pictures of what happened after Cain murdered Abel. He was judged by God and had to leave the presence of the Lord.
We first see the emerging population of the world. A genealogy of the descendants of Cain is furnished and it might be helpful to recall that the world at this point was still a very pleasant environment conducive to supporting much life.
The view we have is a telescopic view where we can see some of it from a distance but the daily details are not included. God told us what we need to know in order to understand our origins.
There were many notable accomplishments. Cities or communities were built.Some people were tent dwellers and apparently lived a nomadic lifestyle. Musical instruments were invented. Some men learned to be craftsmen in iron and brass.
The genealogy of Cain is seen to be a line of ungodly people. His descendants practiced polygamy and committed crimes of passion. The subsequent verses in this chapter chronicle the rapid rise of a sensual, secular and selfish culture. Sounds very familiar, right?
It became a society mostly devoid of the sweet influence of the people of God. As time passed we also read another lurid account of a descendant of Cain named Lamech. This man brazenly murdered another man with whom he was in disagreement and then he publicly gloated about his sin.
Despite the ugly manifestation of sin’s consequences, we see God graciously grant a new child to Adam and Eve. Seth was born and then he had a son named Enos. An ungodly line of people descending from Cain came into conflict with the Godly line of people descending from Seth. At that point in human history, the Bible says men began to call upon the name of the Lord.
The words “then began” seems to indicate that there was a clearly defined point in time when men called out to God. The expression “to call upon” means that men called out for help with a genuine sense of urgency. It was a cry born out of the deepest need in their soul. Calling on “the name” of the Lord conveys that they had heard of the reputation, honor, monumental works and glory that is associated with the name of God.
In the aftermath of the fall it was necessary for the Godly line descended from Seth and to Enos to communicate God’s truth to the ignorant or rebellious people. It was important to share the true knowledge of God to shed light in places where pagan myths were taking hold. Seth and his family testified to those around them of what they knew to be true about the Lord.
Seth and Enos had been communicating truth about the One, True God who created and sustains all things. They shared this truth with the ungodly line of people because God is not willing that any should perish. Rather, He wants all people to turn in repentant faith to the One, True God who can save their souls from the judgment and condemnation of sin.
This is why God gave us His word. So that we might share it with those who do not know Him. Today, like in those ancient times, the light of God's truth is readily available and He uses it to turn peoples hearts toward Him for salvation. Much to think about from the last portion of Genesis 4!
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