The Line of Cain

Genesis 4:16–24
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Cain leaves the presence of the Lord to live a life of wandering (v. 16). This is true both physically and spiritual­ly. Unsaved man lives the same way today in a world without hope. What a sad commentary this is. Cain eventually started a new life in a new land and bore a son Enoch. To answer the  question that we hear so often “Who did Cain marry?” we cannot say for sure. It could have been a sister (5:4), or a niece or grand­niece (5:7) since there were no mutant genes as there would be today. We see where Cain also attempted to build a city which would have been in defiance of God’s statement (v. 17). He named the city after his son Enoch. This shows man’s passion to establish his own name on the earth.

We read of one of Cain’s descendants (vv. 18-24), Lamech who became the first recorded polygamist (v. 19) and the second murderer mentioned in the Bible (v. 23). Having more than one wife of course is a clear violation of God’s pattern for marriage. These things were only the culmination of perhaps centuries (5:4) of ungodly living by the descendants of Cain. This is truly a confirmation of Numbers (14:18b) and Deuteronomy (5:9b) where it says “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth genera­tion.” These descendants were involved in purely human­itarian pursuits and Lamech had come to the place where he had taken the law into his own hands.

All of this sets the background for why God sends the Flood in chapter 6.

Application

You have no doubt heard the saying “As our homes go, so goes the nation.” This is one reason why it is so important that I follow the principles of God’s word by example in my home.