Genesis 4:18-26 (10/22/14) Genesis 4:1-17 (NKJV)

Transcription

1 Genesis 4:18-26 (10/22/14) Genesis 4:1-17 (NKJV) 1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the LORD." 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." 8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. 9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" 10 And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth." 13 And Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me." 15 And the LORD said to him, "Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him. 16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. 17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son--enoch. The fact that Cain decided to build a city and settle down seems to be a defiant, in-your-face violation of God s revealed will for Cain A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth (v.12). It seems that Cain s hadn t learned anything from the punishment God had imposed upon him he hadn t changed at all he was as defiant and self-willed as ever. 1

2 Cain becomes the first militant rebel on the face of the earth many others have followed in his footsteps William Henley s poem Invictus ( Unconquered ) seems to channel the rebellious spirit of Cain: Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, Nor how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. Genesis 4:17 (NKJV) 17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son--enoch. The name Enoch means dedicated, initiated, or instructed. The questions is dedicated, initiated or instructed into what? 2

3 I believe into the rebellious, self-willed ways of his father Cain. That fact that Cain named the city he founded after his son and not after God says a lot. It seems that Cain wanted a family and a city that would be dedicated to his way of thinking and living a family that would be an alternative to the godly family that would descend from Seth in other words a secular family a family without God. Now don t confuse Cain s son Enoch, who was ungodly, with the Enoch that was a descendant of Seth. That Enoch was a very godly man who walked with God in close fellowship so much so that God took him (raptured him) before the Flood. The Enoch that Cain bore was just the opposite in fact we can see the effect Enoch s upbringing had on him in the way he named his sons: Genesis 4:18 (NKJV) 18 To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech. The name Irad literally means urban citizen or city dweller. Cain built a godless city and his son became a city dweller just like the godless upon the earth in the book of Revelation that God judges are called earth dwellers. (Explain) There are those who regard all cities as godless places where sin and vice are the most rampant and a lot of that is true. 3

4 Urban flight has been well documented in recent years as people are fleeing cities. And because of the violence, drugs, prostitution and the overall disintegration of many cities like Detroit a lot of Christians have come to view cities as godless places that are being judged by God and have all but given up on urban ministries. James Boice They [many Christians] think of urban cultures as being man s invention and therefore utterly opposed to God, who placed the first man and woman in a garden rather than a city. But while we acknowledge the truthfulness of this as a description, we deny that it is the whole story. The problem with the godless city is not the city itself but the godless. The problem of civilization without God is not civilization but its godless characteristics. Our task is not to abandon earthly kingdoms but to build God s kingdom in the midst of the godless ones and in so doing look forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God (Heb. 11:10). Genesis 4:18 (b) and Irad begot Mehujael Mehujael literally means blot out that Yah is El. In other words, wipe out the name of God. There are many with this name in our country today who want to wipe the name of God away from public life they want a totally secular society. Genesis 4:18 (c) and Mehujael begot Methusael Methusael literally means They are dead who are of God in other words, Those who believe in God are dead they are worthless, irrelevant, as good as dead in the sense they have no meaning in modern culture. 4

5 We can see the detrimental effects that this godless, secular way of life had on the seceding generations of Cain: Genesis 4:18 (d) and Methusael begot Lamech. The name Lamech may mean, Poor (bankrupt morally and spiritually); Although some suggest it could mean Conqueror which could explain why he killed a man with little justification he felt he had to deal with and conquer anyone who opposed him. Today he would no doubt be a gang-banger. Genesis 4:19 (NKJV) 19 Then Lamech took for himself two wives Here, in the degenerate line of Cain, we see the first mention of bigamy which later was expanded to polygamy (three or more) and today we see gay marriage being legalized. All of these things are in open defiance of what God had designed for marriage Genesis 2:24 (NKJV) 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife (his one wife), and they shall become one flesh. So these are the children of the evil Enoch in contrast to the descendants of godly Enoch that we are introduced to in chapter 5. 5

6 At this point I want to stop for a minute to show you, from two relatively modern day families, the difference a godly upbringing can make over an ungodly upbringing. Some time ago a study was done comparing two families from the state of New York one was the family of Max Jukes and the other was the family of Jonathan Edwards, the well-known Puritan preacher and pastor. The thing that they discovered in this study was remarkable likes beget likes or as the Bible puts it what you sow you will reap. Max Jukes lived in New York. He did not believe in Christ or in Christian training and he married an unbelieving woman who lacked character like him. He refused to take his children to church, even when they asked to go. He has had 1,026 descendants 300 were sent to prison for an average term of 13 years each 7 of them for murder; 190 were public prostitutes; 680 were admitted alcoholics, bums and petty thieves. His family thus far, has cost the state of N.Y. about 1.5 million dollars. They have made no contribution to society that is of any benefit. Jonathan Edwards lived in the same state, at the same time as Jukes. He loved the Lord and married a woman of like character and saw that his children were in church every Sunday, as he served the Lord to the best of his ability. He has had 929 descendants of these, three hundred became clergymen, missionaries, and theological professors; over 100 became college professors; over 100 became attorneys, 30 of them judges; 60 of them became physicians; over 60 became authors of good classic books; 14 became presidents of universities; five were elected to the House of Representatives, two to the Senate and one served our nation as Vice-President. His family never cost the state one cent but has contributed immeasurably to the life of plenty in this land today. Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV) 6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Genesis 4:19 (NKJV) 19 Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 6

7 The names of Lamech s wives indicate what was important to him in a woman. Adah means, pleasure, ornament, or beauty. Zillah means, shady or seductress. So Lamech put all the emphasis on outward beauty and sensual pleasures he even named his daughter Naamah which means, loveliness. It seems that the family of Cain developed a culture that was obsessed with physical and outward beauty. This is always the way of the world to put all the emphasis on outward beauty but neglect inward beauty. 1 Peter 3:3-5 (NLT) 3 Don t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. 4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. 5 This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands. Genesis 4:20-22 (NKJV) 20 And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. 22 And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah. There are those who try to say that nothing good came from the ungodly descendants of Cain just like nothing good can come from anyone who doesn t know God. 7

8 And I agree that nothing good on a spiritual level can come from an unbeliever but many good things have come from those who don t know God. Jabal was the father of those who are shepherds and ranchers who live in tents Abraham, Moses and many others in the Bible followed this way of life. Jubal was the father of those who play the harp and flute David made beautiful music on the harp and flute most of it for God. Zillah s son Tubal-Cain was an instructor and craftsman in bronze and iron those things have benefited mankind a great deal. We need to be careful so as not to become self-righteous and blind ourselves to the good that many unbelievers do and have done for others in the way of inventions, medical breakthroughs, business owners that employ people; military, police, and firefighters that protect us and even lay down their lives for others. One author put it this way God was to make much of Cainite techniques for His people. Take, for example, animal husbandry: The greatest of God s people tended livestock Abraham, Moses, David. And concerning the gift of music, read the book of Psalms. Also note that technically gifted craftsmen are described as people in whom the LORD has put skill and intelligence (Exodus 36:1). Godless, Cainite civilization birthed massive cultural advances that have enriched all of life. Of course, this does not mean that godly Sethite culture was not making similar advances, but merely that Cain s progeny distinguished themselves in this. The problem with unregenerate man isn t his inability to do any good it is his propensity to use his intelligence and creativity to do so much evil. 8

9 An example would be small-pox. Man rid the world of small-pox years ago so what did he turn around and do? He cultivated it in the laboratory and weaponized it to use in warfare against his enemies. Another example would be nuclear power. When man learned how to harness the power of the atom he eventually used it for good (nuclear power plants, nuclear medicine) but he first turned it into a weapon to use on his enemies. Someone has said that one neutron bomb would wipe out more people in a few seconds than nuclear medicine would save in a hundred years. We get a glimpse of this with the name of the son of Zillah Tubal-Cain. He was a craftsman in iron and bronze but the fact that Cain is part of his name would seem to imply a dark side to his trade that he also used his skills to make weapons to kill. One more thing the idea that mankind started out as primitive cave dwellers using crude tools to build and hunt with is an idea that got started with evolutionists not with the facts uncovered by archaeologists. Yes ancient man used stone tools at times but not because he was too stupid to use anything else. (Explain) 9

10 Archaeology has shown that ancient man was incredibly intelligent and advanced. The Antediluvians (those people who lived before the Flood) had already developed smelting processes and were making iron and bronze. Israel didn t enter into the Iron Age until roughly 900 B.C. these were brilliant people! You say what happened to all of their knowledge? most of it died with those that perished in the Flood. (Talk about the Mayan civilization) Genesis 4:23-24 (NKJV) 23 Then Lamech said to his wives: "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for hurting me. 24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold." As I said earlier the name Lamech could mean conqueror and might give us some insight into his attitude toward a man (Hebrew a young man ) he killed, it seems, with little justification. Instead of feeling bad about it, he feels totally justified and even writes a song to glorify what he had done it s called by many the Sword Song. It is comparable to the gangster rap we hear in pop culture today songs that glorify violent acts by young men against young men as a way to prove their worth and toughness. Rather than feeling shame for killing a man Lamech wore his violence as a badge of honor. Again, look at the way Lamech feels justified in what he has done he hurt me so I killed him If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold." (v.24) 10

11 Apparently Lamech reasoned that if God had promised to take vengeance sevenfold upon anyone who killed his father Cain who killed Abel unprovoked then certainly He would take vengeance seventy-sevenfold upon anyone who killed him since he (Lamech) was justified in killing a man for wounding him. What s the point? the point is that civilizations, if left to themselves, don t evolve they devolve into greater and greater violence because people find new ways to justify why it s okay to hurt others who have wronged them. Many today would not do physical violence to another who has wronged them but they wouldn t think twice about trying to hurt them financially or legally by suing them look at how litigious our society has become. There is an evil spirit of revenge that has taken hold of our culture people don t want to just get even they want to get more than even like Lamech. There are those who claim we have evolved in modern culture from the barbarians of old that moved from village to village raping, pillaging and conquering we are civilized today unlike them. Make no mistake about it there is only a thin veneer of civility covering over the deep, latent hostility in the hearts of those who feel others have oppressed them and hurt them and it won t take much for it to erupt into open violence in the streets. One author put it well The descendants of Lamech would come to regard vengeance in terms of duty. Vengeance formally became a part of human tradition. 13 Today civilization stockpiles reservoirs of exponential vengeance, and when the time is right, it unleashes it in toxic devastation. It s interesting that for all of Lamech s boasting and chest-thumping, neither he nor his descendants are ever heard of again in the Bible they came to nothing just like all the workers of iniquity someday. 11

12 Psalm 37:1-5, 7-11 (NKJV) 1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass... 7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret--it only causes harm. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth. 10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. 11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Genesis 4:25-26 (NKJV) 25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, "For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed." 26 And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD. Adam and Eve had many children who are not named in the Biblical record (5:4) but Seth was worthy of mention because he replaced Abel and was the one to whom the promise of a deliverer from the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15) would be passed. Seth went on to have a son whom he named Enosh Then men began to call on the name of the LORD. To call on the name of the Lord in Moses writings means to proclaim the name of the Lord in other words to proclaim or preach about the nature and character of God. Some have called Genesis 4:26 the first revival, because it was the first indication of a spiritual awakening after the clear and steady decline in the attitudes and actions of mankind over the first few hundred years since Adam and Eve were created. 12