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Read Genesis 4:17-26

The Point: God saves people. God transforms those who put their faith in Him, who commit to following Him.

  1. Sin has generational consequences for humanity. Humanity is unjust where God is perfectly just.

Genesis 4:16-24

The truest devotion of a Christian, of a person following God is to accept responsibility for yourself in your sin, to take your sin and place it on the altar before God Himself, to work with God to judge yourself, to correct yourself and accept God’s discipline.  There is a consequence for sin. This consequence effects personal lives and it affects the future generations to come.

Cain is judged by God in Genesis 4:11-12.  Cain is marked, God curses the ground which Cain will work and Cain responds by complaining to God: “My punishment is too great to bear! Behold, you have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 

The further time moves on from Adam and Eve the more corrupt it gets; the more decay takes over and the earth gets older.  Pre-Flood there was a water covering that covered the earth leading to more, greenhouse gas conditions—we covered this in the sermon called: “The Beginning of Relationship” Found in our sermon page on our website.  This expanse is explained in Genesis 1:6-7.

Humanity is expanding, and we see complete corruption come through the lineage of Cain.  Humanity in this early earth period was very smart and they had made exceptional tools to help with industry and building. 

Lamech is the result of Cain’s cursed bloodline:  the seed of the serpent.  Lamech lives an unjust life, pleasing to himself, seeking his own pleasures reaping the human rewards of living a great earthly life.  His ancestors built a city—humans have always been smart and savvy, we have never gradually evolved from caveman we have had different tools and the tools during this pre-flood time were advanced. 

The rotten fruit of Lamech: 

-Marries many wives (polygyny/ polygamy) (the first polygamist in scripture): “Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah.”  (Gen. 4:19) Both Adah and Zillah give children to Lamech thus muddying the blood more and spreading the serpent’s seed around the earth.  There was no polygyny or polygamy in Seth’s line

-Society grows and advances through Lamech’s lineage. 

Jabal—the father of those who farm livestock. This leads to the corrupt generations found in Genesis 6.  “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and afterward, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men, and they bore children to them.  Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”—Genesis 6:4

Jubal—the father of all those who play music. 

Tubal-cain--who was a forger and miner of bronze and iron. Freemasonry was born out of the work of Tubal-cain—they consider this man to be the first mason and they model the entire freemason movement around him. 

To know Lamech’s heart, to know his motivation and to see what he prioritizes in his life we must look to the speech Lamech gives to his wives in Genesis 4:23-24.

Jesus instructions on character while He is rebuking the pharisees who are challenging Him, asking Him to prove Himself to be Jesus through performing a sign:  --Matthew 12:33-37

Lamech claims to have killed a man for simply wounding him (his wound didn’t kill him) and he killed a boy for striking him.  (Genesis 4:23).  This shows how unjust Lamech is.  The world is violent, the people in this early earth are violent and Lamech broods’ violence.  –Exodus 21:22-25

“God’s response to sin, consistent with His nature, is characterized by the fullest possible expression of mercy, by definition, less than the sin deserves… On the other hand, man’s response to sin, consistent with his nature (here exemplified by Lamech), is characterized by severe injustice, by definition, more than the sin deserves”—Moody Bible Commentary

God’s grace permeates throughout this piece of scripture even when Lamech has inherited Cain’s violence. God allows Cain’s lineage to build a city, to create music, to populate the earth.  Lamech is a violent man seeking revenge and claiming that he will exact revenge on those who try to kill him—even more so than God did with Cain. (Genesis 4:24).

  1. God’s grace leads to God’s redemptive power. God provides redemption, salvation for His followers even though some of humanity reject God.

Sin wins for a short period, but the Christian must always remember that God wins in the end.  God defeats death.  Eve’s seed will continue and will bruise the serpent’s head (even if the serpent bruises Christ’s heel).  We see this victory continue in Genesis 4:25-26

The Good Fruit of Seth:

-Nobody is a polygamist/polygynist in Seth’s lineage.  Adam and Eve are monogamous, and this godly way of living continues throughout this lineage (Genesis 5:1-32).

-Seth’s lineage walked so closely with God that Seth’s great-great-great grandson was taken up to heaven by God when he was 365 years old (his name was Enoch and he ascended into heaven).  This was the righteous lineage. “So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years, and he died.” – Genesis 5:23-24

-There was no murder, no revenge, no polygamy, no complaining to God, they followed God’s commands and loved God.

-Seth’s lineage leads to Noah, which continues through Shem, then through Abraham, then through Isaac (not Ishmael), through Judah, through David and then all the way through to Jesus’ Mother Mary.

This lineage described in Luke 3 is reminding the gentile audience of Luke that Jesus is the victorious seed which comes through Seth—to destroy Satan, to have victory over Satan.  This victory was solidified, was completed when the perfect God/man’s hands and feet were nailed to that cross.  The perfect blood spilled to cover the sins of the world, to offer forgiveness for those who repent and believe in him, who strive to walk with God as Seth’s line walked with God. –Luke 3:34-37

“To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh.  Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD.” –Genesis 4:26

What is the difference between Seth, Enosh and Cain, Lamech?  Cain and Lamech were not repentant of their sin, Seth, Enosh come before the LORD and call upon his name.  Daniel, in Seth’s lineage, is caught in sin, having an affair by the prophet Nathan and David repents of his sin.  –2 Samuel 12:13

Jesus redeems lives, He transforms lives, He offers forgiveness through the confession of Sin—this is God’s redemptive power, he makes sinners new creatures.  So run back to Christ—do not be proud as Lamech was rather love God, and obey His commands because of His mercy shown to you. – 2 Corinthians 5:16-19