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Bible History of the Old Testament |
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No. 3 Genesis 4
The place of Abel could not remain unfulfilled if God's plan of mercy was to be carried out. He gave Adam and Eve another son to fill Abel's place. His name was Seth, which means 'appointed' or 'compensation'. Before getting into the life of Seth, scripture traces Cain down through the fifth and sixth generations. Cain had gone into the land of Nod (wandering, flight, unrest), and built a city, which has been described as the laying of the first foundations of that kingdom in which "the spirit of the beast" prevails. By this time it is possible that centuries had already passed since the creation, and that man had already multiplied on the earth. Scripture records the Cainites as an evil people. Cain's descendants are followed by the Bible down through the fifth generation of Lamech. At this time it seems that all the character and tendencies of the whole race appear to be fully developed. Within this few generations in the lifetime of the first naturally created man, almost every commandment and institution of God had already been openly set aside and violence, lust, and ungodliness prevailed upon the earth. The first thing Lamech did against God was start the sin of polygamy. In Genesis 4:19 the Bible says that "Lamech took unto him two wives." After this act of rebellion on his part, his life goes steadily downhill from a spiritual point of view. Verses 23-24 tell about the earliest piece of poetry written that have been designated as Lamech's Sword-song. "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice: ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech; Yea, I slay men for my wound, and young men for my hurt. For if Cain is avenged sevenfold, Lamech seventy and sevenfold." This whole saying breathes a spirit of boastfulness and defiance and of trusting in his own strength. It seems to be with special purpose that the names of Lamech's wives, daughter, and sons are mentioned in the Bible, as a person's name described their character and was meant to be a prophecy about their life. The name Adah meant beauty or adornment. Zillah meant the shaded or sounding. These were both names that point to the lust of the flesh, but his daughter's name, Naamah meant pleasant, graceful, lovely. The pursuits and inventions of the sons of Lamech point to the culture of the arts and to a settled and permanent state of society. His oldest son by Adah was named Jabal. He was the father of those that dwelt in tents and had cattle. He was a businessman and had a prosperous life in livestock. His second son, Jubal was the father of musical instruments, stringed and wind. Tubal-Cain was Lamech's son by Zillah, and was a worker in brass and iron. After Lamech sang his sword-song to his wives, it seems that he pursued a godless life and encouraged his wives and sons to do so also. Their lives seem to be the foundation of heathenism, for which God had to send the flood to rid the world of its influences. As we turn from the record of Cain and how the choices he made affected the world, we see a marked contrast in the record of the descendants of Seth. Even the name which he gave to his son - Enos (frail) - stands out as being completely different from the Cainites. This huge difference really stands out as a testimony against evil at that time. In verses 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. 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. This was the vital difference between the two races. Seth did not rebel against God, and God honored that and used him to build a race that wanted to please God. For the first time, the Bible gives a portrait of two races having a visible and outward separation. The Cainites chose rebellion against God, and the Sethites chose dependence upon God. Just as the New Testament church in Antioch marked the milestone that separated Christians from non-Christians; in the Old Testament the same thing happened with the Sethites and the Cainites. From then on you were either on one side or the other. This is the same thing that we each must do until this day. We can't be on both sides. We must choose between one side and serve that side to our fullest capacity. For more information from this book, go to my archives page at www.cathydeaton.com There are other articles of interest there, also. This text taken from the book Bible History Old Testament by Alfred Edersheim and used by permission.
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