Bad Son - Good Son (Raising Cain)

Rambling thoughts on Gen 4

(note: name meanings in parentheses)

1. Cain - (His name means fastened spear). In jealousy over the Lord's regard to Abel's offering, he killed his brother, probably with a farm implement, since Cain was a tiller of the ground and the two of them were out in the field when the murder occurred. Cain may then have buried Abel in a shallow grave, since the Lord said his blood cries out to him from the ground.

The fourth dweller upon the earth becomes a fugitive and a vagabond (deplorable wanderer). He links up with a woman, either at home, east of Eden, or on the road, who becomes his wife. The question begs itself, where did Cain get his wife? Either she was a sister whose birth is not mentioned or she came to be by an act of special creation of the Lord. No doubt, He could do this. But probably the former explanation will do, it is less of a reach. She is more or less inconsequential to the Scripture narrative. If she were created, that creative act would probably have earned the honor of special mention.

Cain's line included:
-Enoch (initiated) who built a city which bore his name, and his son's name (the same), vs 17
-Irad (fugitive), 18 Now, there's a name to hang on your boy! He was the son of -Enoch Jr.
-Mehujael (smitten of God)
-Methusael (man who is of God)
-Lamech (just sounded nice to his mom, apparently, because it has no meaning)
Lamech was the first polygamist, marrying both *Adah (ornament - must have been his trophy wife)
*Zillah (Shade - must have been a big gal)
From the union of Lamech and Trophy wife:
-Jabal (stream) whose offspring live in tents
-Jubal (leader) His offspring were musicians. They invented and played musical instruments. Some were into country music (since they handled the harp, which means 'twang') and others were good on the woodwinds (organ).
Zillah and Lamech produced:
-Tubalcain (offspring of fastened spear) He was the father of metallurgy. He had a sister named Naamah (pleasantness). She is the first daughter to get ink in the Bible.

Back to Lamech, this nut didn't fall far from the tree. He announces to his wives that he had murdered a young man and was in hot water with the Lord. He figured God would punish him 11 times as much as his great, great, great, great granddad. Violent crime was on the rise, 2 reported murders in the space of several hundred years! The world was going to heck in a hand-basket on Cain's side!

But then, there was the godly seed.
-Seth! (substituted). He had a son named
-Enos (son of the substitute) and this is when men began to call upon the name of the Lord. This is significant because Paul tells us, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

In Adam, all die (I Cor 15:22) But thanks to a Substitute, we can be made alive!