Partly
due to his sin, but mostly due to his lack of repentance, Cain was further
driven away from God’s presence and from the place that once was the Garden of
Eden.
(Genesis
4:16) And Cain went out from the presence of Jehovah, and dwelt in
the land of Nod ,
on the east of Eden
Nod means “Vagrant, wayward”. This word is related to the
verb “Nud”, which means: to move from here to there, to doubt, to
shake. Also to be noted is that the word translated as “dwelt” (Hebrew Yashav,
also meaning: to settle)
is in the present tense in the Hebrew text, in contrast to the rest of the text
which is in past or future tense. It implies that he was continually settling.
He tried to settle in one particular place but could not… his labor would not
yield fruit, his effort would not produce, therefore he had to go somewhere
else to try something new.
Cain
tried to settle down in a particular place when his first son, Enoch, was born.
He founded a city and named it after his son. The verb used in this verse is
also in present tense, implying that this city was “constantly under
construction”, it was never completed.
(Genesis
4:17) 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.
Cain
did not remain in a single place; he was wandering from place to place, without
ever settling down. This was a part of the curse that he received as a
consequence for his sin.
(Genesis
4:12) When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield
unto thee its strength; a fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth.
God
ordained the earth, which had opened its mouth to receive Abel’s blood, to
close its mouth to Cain.
(Genesis
4:11) And now cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened
its mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
In
this verse the word “blood” is in its plural form. It would literally read:
“the bloods”. In Jewish tradition, this refers to Abel’s descendants who were
never born. Cain did not only end one life, he did away with his brother’s
legacy and all his future generations. That is why Adam and Eve resolved to
have another child to take the place of Abel.
(Genesis
4:25) And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and
called his name Seth. For, said she, God hath appointed me another seed instead
of Abel; for Cain slew him.
The
name “Seth” means compensation, substitute, designed or chosen one.
In
the Bible the descendants and the inheritance are very important. If a man died
without children, one of his brothers was to provide him with children so that
his name would endure. [We will study this subject further when we get to
chapter 38].
TWO LINEAGES
These
days, especially in the eastern part of the world, there is a tendency to see
people as individuals, not as part of a family or a lineage. People live
detached from their ancestors, and even from their descendants. But the Bible
teaches us the opposite. Most of what we are as individuals, we owe to our
ancestors. Ancestors leave a mark on their descendants.
(Job
8:8-10) For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, And apply
thyself to that which their fathers have searched out: (For we are but of yesterday, and know
nothing, Because our days upon earth are a shadow); Shall not they teach thee,
and tell thee, And utter words out of their heart?
Throughout
the whole Bible, and particularly in the book of Genesis, genealogies and
lineage are very important. When reading the Bible, many people skip over the
genealogies, but even in them we find hidden messages.
In
Genesis chapter 4 we come across Cain’s genealogy. In chapter 5 we see Adam’s
and Seth’s. Below is a list of both lineages. We will see the meaning of the
names of their firstborns, which is very revealing in terms of the direction
each of their families took:
* Cain’s
Lineage
Cain
(lit. acquired, bought)
>
Enoch (dedicated)
>
Irad (fugitive, passenger)
>
Mehujael (beaten by God)
>
Methushael (God is dead)
>
Lamech (powerful)
>
Jabal (stream of water) and
>
Tubal-cain (taken out of Cain)
* Seth’s
Lineage
Seth
(lit. compensation)
>
Enosh (man)
>
Kenan (possession)
>
Mahalalel (praise of God)
>
Jared (descendant)
>
Enoch (dedicated)
>
Methuselah (man of a dart; I will send death)
>
Lamech (powerful)
>
Noah (rest)
These
two lineages came from the same father: Adam. However, they both took very
different paths…
Cain’s lineage took its own path, challenging God and exalting man.
From this genealogy the Bible points out one man: Lamech.
(Genesis
4:19-24) 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 have cattle. And his brother's name was Jubal: he
was the father of all such as handle the harp and pipe. And Zillah, she also
bare Tubal-cain, the forger of every cutting instrument of brass and iron: and
the sister of Tubal-cain 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 for wounding me, And a young man for bruising me: If Cain shall be
avenged sevenfold, Truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
This
is the first case of bigamy recorded in the Bible, when a man has two wives. The names of
the women are very enlightening: Adah means “ornament” and Zillah means
“shadow”. Lamech did not see the woman as a helper fit for him (Heb. Ezer Neged, literally: opposite part),
but as an ornament and a shadow by his side. But Lamech was not only described
as being chauvinist and bigamist, he was also a murderer- and proud of it. He
thought what his ancestor Cain did was nothing; he did twice as much, and
killed two men.
In
contrast, Seth’s lineage did not
seek to exalt man but to exalt God.
(Genesis
4:26) And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he
called his name Enosh. Then began men to call upon the name of Jehovah.
The
Bible also points out the life of one man in this genealogy: Enoch.
(Genesis
5:24) And Enoch walked
with God: and he was not; for God took him.
Enoch
walked with God. He was so close to God here on Earth that the Lord took him to
His Presence, while he was still living. But before leaving, God revealed to
him what He was going to do on Earth, both at that time and during the end
times.
(Jude
1:14-15) And to these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied,
saying, Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute
judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of
ungodliness which they have ungodly wrought, and of all the hard things which
ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Enoch
knew that judgment would come over the Earth to clean it and to bring
redemption and restoration. But he also received a revelation of the coming
judgment over his generation. According to Hebrew tradition, Enoch named his
firstborn son “Methuselah” which means “death I will send”. It is not a pretty
name, but it carried a prophetic message. Enoch received a revelation that when
his son died, judgment would come upon the earth. Methuselah’s life was not
only a warning signal, but also an example of the great and extensive mercy of
God, since he was the man that lived the longest over the face of the Earth
(696 years, Genesis 5:26).
The
Lord does not send judgment without first sending a warning, and giving time
for repentance.
(II
Peter 3:8-9) But
forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his
promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing
that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
In
the next chapter we will read why God saw the need to send judgment to the
Earth…
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