The descent
This week is on Genesis 4:17-24:
Anyway, Cain will be forever famous for capitulating to sin. And that set of values was probably passed down from generation to generation, until we get to Lamech. Lamech is worse off than Cain was. He's already discarded God's model for men and women and taken two wives for himself, who he then lords himself over. And he's killed at least two people for wounding him. And on top of that, he brags about it. He's taken God's task of being a steward of the world, of having authority over it in order to share it with God, and warped it into dominating it for his own purposes. But that's not the worst of it.
Lamech completely mistakes God's leniency on Cain for God's approval of him. God didn't protect Cain from vengeance because he thought what Cain did was cool, or because he wanted more people to be like Cain. God did it because he didn't want people taking matters into their own hands and punishing him more than he deserved. God already handled the situation. He didn't need a bunch of toadies adding insult to injury. That would be out of order. But Lamech's perspective suggests that Cain's protection was something he earned, as if sinning to a certain degree begins to command respect. You can see that attitude lived out in Lamech's life. He kills two people for hurting him. In his mind, he's earned even more glory than Cain. ("If you thought my great-great-great grandpa was bad, wait until you get a load of me!")
There are a couple things we can learn from this. First, if sin is not dealt with, it can multiply itself over generations. You learn your parents' bad habits, and their parents' bad habits, and then add your own to the mix. It needs to be put to death, or your descendants will suffer. It also affects our sense of normalcy. I doubt Lamech came up with his worldview all on his own. He was probably raised to see the world the way his parents did, who probably picked up ideas from their parents, and so on. Who knows what we don't know, or what we do "know" that isn't true? That doesn't excuse it. It just explains part of how it happens.
Second, revenge is not God's model for interacting with one another. Only God can see enough of the situation to punish justly. People who attacked Cain were avenged sevenfold. Do you want to be one of those people? I don't. Do what you need to do to establish boundaries, but draw the line before the point of revenge. We're raised in a culture of vengeance that probably seems just as valid and wise to us as whatever ideas Lamech was brought up in probably seemed to him. It doesn't make it right.
Third, you can read the Bible all you want, and study all of the history there is to read, but unless you know what God is saying, you will miss the point. How did Lamech get this bad after only five generations of recorded history? We could be epic failures now in things that people a hundred years ago would never even have considered doing wrong. How many times have you read Genesis and never even considered "What's up with Lamech?"
Things can descend into depravity and suffering if we let them. We can be ignorant of our ignorance. The important thing is that we don't have to be like that. Jesus died for our sins, allowing us to set things right with God. We can reset the clock and start over. We can unlearn the bad habits we were taught, and the bad behaviors we developed on our own. We don't have to be Lamech. We can be like Jesus.
This is an interesting echo to the story of Cain and Abel. You all probably know the story about Cain and his murderous jealousy of his little brother Abel. It resulted in Cain and his descendants becoming cursed. God was lenient on him when he complained, and made it so anyone who tried to avenge Abel's death would suffer an even worse fate. I think that's the first case of "Judge not, lest ye be judged" in scripture. :)
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. 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.Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes. Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.
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.
If Cain is avenged seven times,
then Lamech seventy-seven times.”
Anyway, Cain will be forever famous for capitulating to sin. And that set of values was probably passed down from generation to generation, until we get to Lamech. Lamech is worse off than Cain was. He's already discarded God's model for men and women and taken two wives for himself, who he then lords himself over. And he's killed at least two people for wounding him. And on top of that, he brags about it. He's taken God's task of being a steward of the world, of having authority over it in order to share it with God, and warped it into dominating it for his own purposes. But that's not the worst of it.
Lamech completely mistakes God's leniency on Cain for God's approval of him. God didn't protect Cain from vengeance because he thought what Cain did was cool, or because he wanted more people to be like Cain. God did it because he didn't want people taking matters into their own hands and punishing him more than he deserved. God already handled the situation. He didn't need a bunch of toadies adding insult to injury. That would be out of order. But Lamech's perspective suggests that Cain's protection was something he earned, as if sinning to a certain degree begins to command respect. You can see that attitude lived out in Lamech's life. He kills two people for hurting him. In his mind, he's earned even more glory than Cain. ("If you thought my great-great-great grandpa was bad, wait until you get a load of me!")
There are a couple things we can learn from this. First, if sin is not dealt with, it can multiply itself over generations. You learn your parents' bad habits, and their parents' bad habits, and then add your own to the mix. It needs to be put to death, or your descendants will suffer. It also affects our sense of normalcy. I doubt Lamech came up with his worldview all on his own. He was probably raised to see the world the way his parents did, who probably picked up ideas from their parents, and so on. Who knows what we don't know, or what we do "know" that isn't true? That doesn't excuse it. It just explains part of how it happens.
Second, revenge is not God's model for interacting with one another. Only God can see enough of the situation to punish justly. People who attacked Cain were avenged sevenfold. Do you want to be one of those people? I don't. Do what you need to do to establish boundaries, but draw the line before the point of revenge. We're raised in a culture of vengeance that probably seems just as valid and wise to us as whatever ideas Lamech was brought up in probably seemed to him. It doesn't make it right.
Third, you can read the Bible all you want, and study all of the history there is to read, but unless you know what God is saying, you will miss the point. How did Lamech get this bad after only five generations of recorded history? We could be epic failures now in things that people a hundred years ago would never even have considered doing wrong. How many times have you read Genesis and never even considered "What's up with Lamech?"
Things can descend into depravity and suffering if we let them. We can be ignorant of our ignorance. The important thing is that we don't have to be like that. Jesus died for our sins, allowing us to set things right with God. We can reset the clock and start over. We can unlearn the bad habits we were taught, and the bad behaviors we developed on our own. We don't have to be Lamech. We can be like Jesus.
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