Legacy (Genesis 4:17-24)

Legacy.

I’m getting to that age when I sometimes think about what will be left behind after me.  What is the proof of my life?  And—more importantly—will that “proof” honor the Lord or not?  Legacy.

What is my legacy?  What is your legacy?

At the end of last week’s blog, I provided an addendum that really is relevant to today’s passage: Genesis 4:17-24.  Let’s read.

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.”  

Genesis 4:17-24, New International Version

First question—and it’s a big one: Where did Cain find a wife?  The same place all the other humans came from: Adam, Eve, or their children.  That means Cain’s wife was either his sister or his niece. 

Does this sound strange?  To 21st-century ears…yes, it does sound strange…gross, if we’re honest.  We look at this as incest, and for us, it is a terrible thing, but there are three critical items we must understand:

1. On a practical level, if the children of Adam and Eve did not marry each other and procreate, we wouldn’t be here.  The human race would have ended with them.
2. The potential objection is that the Scripture prohibits these types of close family relationships.  But what’s happening in Genesis 4 is before the Law forbade marriage between close relatives (Leviticus 18-20).  It was about 2,500 years between Adam and Eve and the giving of the Law!  Also, remember, Abraham was married to his half-sister (Sarah) by the time of Moses. This kind of marriage was also forbidden.  Things changed after the Law was given!
3. Cain was in the second generation of humans.  Even after the Fall (Genesis 3), the corruption of our DNA would have been virtually zero.  A close relationship wouldn’t have caused the genetic deformities we would see today.

Moving on to the point of the text, we start to see the rest of Cain’s story.  He builds a city and names it after his son, Enoch.  Didn’t the Lord say in Genesis 4:12 that Cain would be “a restless wanderer on the earth”?  Yes, but He didn’t say Cain would never have a home.

Cain was sent from the Lord’s presence.  That was the punishment: banishment.  Whether or not Cain built a city is beside the point.  Cain and his Godless line only produced more Godlessness.

Verses 18-22 trace Cain’s lineage, showing how the Lord protected Him.  Even in banishment, the Lord was merciful to Cain.  Cain survives and finds an impressive posterity. But lest we forget the evil character of Adam’s firstborn, his progeny will also testify to the villainy of Cain.

This contrasts with the following lineage of Seth, which is presented twice—an abbreviated form (verses 25–26) and its fuller, formal presentation (Genesis 5).

In both cases, the righteous conduct of the appointed line versus that of Cain’s family is accentuated. Whereas Cain’s progeny founded the civilized arts, Seth’s era is remembered as when mankind worshiped the Lord (Genesis 4:26).

Also, Genesis 4 and 5 intentionally contrast examples of each lineage: Lamech, the polygamist and murderer, versus righteous Enoch, who walked with God (Genesis 5:22). Polygamy wasn’t practiced until Lamech, and it was already forbidden (Genesis 2:24).

Lamech followed in the footsteps of his great, great, great grandfather: murder.  According to verse 23, why did Lamech murder a man?  He “wounded him”.  Lamech’s retribution of murder hardly fits the crime of “wounding.”

This is the family tree of Cain…marked by violence, lying, murder, pride…, and sin. It reminds us of the influence of one man. Cain was not repentant about his sin, and his family tree further validates that.

Be careful about your legacy.  You are impacting your future family.  You are setting the tone for your great, great, great grandchildren more than you think!