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Studies in Genesis, The Unrighteous Line, Lesson XIV, Genesis 4:16-26
At least four thousand years had come and gone between Cain and the Apostle Jude but the way that Cain had gone, still remained and Jude remembered that way as he said in:
Verse 11 of the Epistle of Jude, Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain.
So Jude warns of the way of Cain.
As a teacher of the word of God I warn of the way of Cain, and so too from this pulpit the warning goes out to all of the way of Cain.
All young people, all old people are warned that this way is a way of woe and we will see that woe as we look in God’s word which is careful always to point out the way that leads to destruction.
Now Adam and Eve chose to begin that walk on this way by deciding to partake of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
They had therefore been banished from a place where only good occurred to go to a place where not only good occurred but evil occurred.
Think of the world we live in for we continue to live in Cain’s world where everything has within it good and evil.
On Cain’s way there is always a downside.
Something good is done but wait for the downside.
Think of any activity that takes place.
Even on the child’s playground the tree of knowledge of good and evil is planted deeply as one moment you hear the joy and laughter of the children but the next moment you hear crying and sobbing from the pain of a fall.
If there are playgrounds in God’s house you will never hear the crying and sobbing of a child for in God’s house there is no downside.
For all is good in God’s house.
The Apostle Paul knew that, for he wrote of that which takes place in the lives of those who love God, to those called according to His purpose.
For to those the norm of heaven is true that all things work together for good.
There will be nothing to take away from the good that is found in God’s house but that is what Adam and Eve in Perfect Eden chose to leave as Cain’s way was begun.
It began as a banishment from all that he knew as we read in:
Genesis 4:16-24, And 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 bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. (this is not the Enoch that was taken up to heaven) 18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. 19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. 21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. 22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. 23 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. 24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
We now are given the first line of genealogy of which the Bible has many.
Moses wrote this line of genealogy and it is, I believe, given to contrast the righteous line that begins in verse 25 and continues in Chapter 5.
God’s word has two themes, the road of sin and the road of righteousness.
To where do the roads lead?
One road is called the broad way, which is Cain’s way and the other road is called the narrow way, which is not a way of life but is a person, the Lord Jesus Christ, for He is the way, the truth and the life.
One road is made and traveled by the unrighteous line and the other by the righteous line.
Cain walked the road of sin and we will find that those in his line also walked the road of sin, the road of worldliness, the road of the temporal, the broad way.
So along this road Cain built a city, certainly not the way of the wanderer or vagabond, but the way of the rebel who was given to be the wanderer as a punishment for murdering his brother but refused to live it.
So Cain decided to be a city builder and a city dweller and he named that city after his son, Enoch.
We are to be wary of cities for in cities much evil dwells.
And then we are given names of his grandson Irad, and great grandson Mehujael, and great, great grandson Methusael, and great, great, great grandson Lamech.
Lifespans were long in those days so I suppose Cain was around to see all of this transpire.
Of these men Lamech is the one most noteworthy of mention by Moses for Lamech departs from the God established idea of one husband, one wife and took to himself two wives, with names of Adah and Zillah.
Lamech was the father of cowboys, such as dwell in tents and have cattle, also the father of a line of musicians, and the father of the first of great brass and iron metal workers.
You will note that the pursuit of knowledge of good and evil is prominent in the line of Cain for that is the road he has chosen.
We see here the beginnings of the march of agriculture, the march of music, the march of technology, marches that have moved through the centuries but increased a hundred fold in the last several centuries.
They are marches of that which is good and that which is evil for that is what eating of the tree of knowledge will always bring for in agriculture, in music, in technology there is good and there is evil.
There is an upside but there is always a downside.
So from Lamech who obviously walks the way of Cain, his offspring produce great cultural and scientific contributions.
And in this we are to know that even man at his worst is not without the ability to produce great benefits to man however as we said previously those contributions can quickly be adapted to man’s corruption.
Music is such a great gift but so prone to affecting the emotions and sensuality and great inventions also are so easily adapted to destruction.
This is always the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Now read Chapter 5 of the line of Seth, the godly line and there is nothing given regarding vocations, ambitions, or lines of worldly progress.
Since the garden, since the knowledge of good and evil was given to man, that is what the quest of man is, for that quest is the goal of being like gods.
It is the quest of search instead of simply believing what God has said.
There is a theory of evolution, there are false gods, and there are false religions because the way of Cain is a searching way instead of a trusting way.
The quest is all wrapped up in the short question asked of Eve by the serpent.
Ye hath God said?
That question launched the unending quest by man to discover instead of believe.
Cain began that quest with his offspring, as knowledge centered in the city was searched for in order to improve the lot of man.
No allegiances to the things of God are noticed in that city called Enoch for it was given totally to travel along the broad way.
The way of search and research for within all of this searching is the desire to be like gods.
We today are filled with the search for eternity in this body as research looks for the cure for aging. The way of Cain thrives in our world.
So in giving notice to Lamech in His word God shows him as: like father like son for we read these words in the New American Standard, verses 23b and 24:
For I have killed a man for wounding me; And a boy for striking me; 24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
So the walk along Cain’s way grows broader.
Adam and Eve sinned but faith and repentance are implied on their part for God covered them with skins, a God approved covering.
Cain murdered his brother Abel, and never repented but he did not try to defend or justify his actions.
But here Lamech is further down the broad way and sin grows for his sin is committed boldly and with boast for he had murdered a young man who had only struck him.
Abel’s sin was grave but according to Lamech that sin had gotten him protection of God sevenfold, but Lamech saw his sin as much more sinful, much more wicked and therefore deserved God’s protection seventy-sevenfold, eleven times that of Abel.
Certainly this is very strange reasoning indeed but remember it is the reasoning of a deceived and wicked heart.
A heart that cannot see that God’s protection of Cain was an act of God’s grace, not a reward for a wicked act.
God had put a mark upon Cain to protect him from a slayer and in that act warned men of the seriousness of such an act.
God valued human life and at this time in history had not yet commanded an eye for an eye or a life for a life.
But Lamech, seven generations from Cain, is well down the road of sin and mature sin brings him to twist and distort God’s grace into one of reward for sin.
But praise God, from whom all blessings flow for there is not only an unrighteous line but God brings us to know the righteous line beginning in:
Genesis 4:25,26, 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. 26 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.
God always has a light to shine in darkness for where sin abounds, grace did much more abound.
Abel’s blood was in the ground but as Eve said, God has given me a Seth to replace Abel.
Abel was of the righteous line and God always preserves the righteous line for in that line will come his only begotten son, Jesus Christ.
So there must come a Seth, there must come an Enos for then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.
It seems that the proclamation of God’s word had begun and men joined together in worship calling upon the name of the Lord together with other men.
Eve looked to Cain, but Cain failed and Abel was gone but her faith in God’s promise of a deliverer did not falter and was rewarded by one who was the seed toward that deliverer.
She was clear in her faith for she said, God had appointed me another seed instead of Abel.
Faith pleased God then and faith pleases God today for Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
So having focused on the unrighteous line we can read of the righteous line in:
Genesis 5:1-32, This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; 2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. 3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth: 4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: 5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. 6 And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: 7 And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: 8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died. And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: 10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: 11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died. 12 And Cainan lived seventy years and begat Mahalaleel: 13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters: 14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died. 15 And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: 16 And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters: 17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died. 18 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: 19 And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. 21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. 25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech. 26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: 27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. 28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed. 30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: 31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. 32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
The genealogy of the fourth chapter was a short one compared to chapter five where we are brought from the family of Adam to the family of Noah, that family where God judged the world of sin and forever changed the world.
Chapter five is one of many genealogies listed in the Bible.
When we read this one in chapter five it is not meant to be read as a complete list of the children from Adam to Noah for that is not the reason for the listing.
We are given a beginning listing of the line of generations with ultimately, in later parts of the Bible, leading to the deliverer promised to Eve.
In 1 Timothy 1:4, Paul warned Timothy about too much study and argument about genealogies so we are to just simply accept what is written and not try to discover things that are not revealed.
This genealogy is given along with many of those in the Old and New Testament to point to the Lord Jesus Christ as the seed of the woman, the deliverer promised to Eve after the fall.
It begins with Adam, then Seth, no Abel mentioned for no sons of Abel are listed in scripture, and then Seth’s son Enos who begat Cainan, and so on with a continuous line of fathers and sons until we come to father Noah and his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Three sons who along with their father and mother and their wives who were given safety in the Ark.
The first sentence describes this chapter’s purpose for it is the book of the generations of Adam.
As we said before it does not completely describe all who came from Adam for we see the obvious omission of Abel and Cain and no doubt there are many others not included.
So ending with Noah and his family in the Ark of God, only eight human beings allowed to come into the post flood world, we know that this line is the line of the holy seed promised by God to deliver man from sin.
The deliverance of Noah and his family is but an example of the ultimate deliverance of all who put their faith in that holy seed of God. |