Genesis 4: 13 - 26

 ¹³ Cain said to the Lord, ‘My punishment is more than I can bear. ¹⁴ Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.’

¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, ‘Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.’ Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. ¹⁶ So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

¹⁷ Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch. ¹⁸ To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.

¹⁹ Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. ²⁰ Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. ²¹ His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes. ²² Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.

²³ Lamech said to his wives,

‘Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
    wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed a man for wounding me,
    a young man for injuring me.
²⁴ If Cain is avenged seven times,
    then Lamech seventy-seven times.’

²⁵ Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, ‘God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.’ ²⁶ Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.

At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.

A Family Line.

Clearly there was more going on at this time than the Bible tells us. Only three children of Adam and Eve are mentioned by name in Genesis: Cain, Abel and Seth. We always assume Cain and Abel were adults at the time the murder took place, and if Seth was not born until after Abel died (v. 25), that is a very long gap between children! Secondly, verse 17 says that Cain was building a city – who was going to live there? And thirdly (the obvious one) where did Cain’s wife come from? So it seems clear (and fairly obvious) that Adam and Eve must have had plenty of other children, in addition to the three who are mentioned in Genesis, and whose names we know. Gen 5: 4 says that Adam and Eve had other sons and daughters after Seth, but presumably they also had some before Seth was born. And one of their daughters must be Cain’s wife.

In this passage we read some names and some information about some of these ancient people. There is a family tree that goes from Cain to Lamech – from one murderer to another. The reference to being avenged seven times or seventy-seven times reminds us of when Peter came to Jesus and asked if he should forgive his brother seven times; and Jesus replied ‘not seven times, but seventy-seven times!’ (Matt. 18). For the Christian it is all about forgiveness – never vengeance.

The last line of verse 26 is interesting: “At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.” Adam had known the Lord and he walked with him in the Garden of Eden before the fall. Cain and Abel had known the Lord, because they gave offerings to him, and Cain had a conversation with him after the murder. But as the generations went on, as listed here, people moved away from God. They began to forget him – the creator. They were born into sin and selfishness (just as we are) and they did not worship God, or teach their children to worship him. They forgot their creator.

But something happened to bring them back – because ‘At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.’ This pattern continues throughout the Bible, and into modern times. People forget the Lord and go away from him, then there is revival and they call on him once more. Church attendance in the UK has declined since WWII, but there is hope in the growth we see in many parts and in many churches. Let’s pray that we are now living in a time where we can say, more and more, ‘At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.’

 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, please help me always to be forgiving other people, and never seeking vengeance. I pray for revival in your church, and I ask that you will use me in the growth of your Kingdom. May it be that in Caerphilly and the Aber Valley we can say that ‘at this time people are beginning to call on the name of the Lord.’ Amen.