Genesis 4:17-24

The People of Cain

Introduction

Tale of two peoples

Augustine and City of God

Augustine argues that the fall of Rome was not due to Christianity, but rather to the moral decay within the earthly city, and that true happiness and salvation are found in the City of God

It contrasts two "cities": the earthly city, driven by self-love and earthly desires, and the City of God, founded on love of God and characterized by righteousness and eternal life.

Seen throughout Scripture w/r/t seed of serpent (flesh, works) and seed of woman (promise, faith/grace)

Prop: Excel in Christlike obedience by being above reproach, salt and light, and a genuine witness to the Gospel

Main points

Text

Mercy (v.17)

Multitude (vv. 18-22)

Malice (vv. 23-24)

Doctrine

Application

Text

Mercy (v. 17)

Knew his wife

Intimacy, sexual union

Could have been married prior to Abel’s murder

Text is not clear

conceived - bore

Similar ordering of A/E with Cain/Abel

“Cain bulit a city”

Reconcile between fugitive and wanderer

Less related to his physical dwelling

More related to his spiritual depravity

Forever wandering aimlessly, unable to seek / find / or commune with God once more

Plus, it is likely he built a city to defend himself from others

Calvin “Fear, the fruit of his iniquity, drives him within the walls of a city, that he may fortify himself in a manner before unknown.”

What hope does a sinner have in the promises of God when they’ve run from him?

Cain full of doubt in God’s goodness / promises

Similar to man’s doubts about God, his attributes, being

Yet man is constantly running away from God

How do we come to know this?

Burrying themselves in the muck and mire

Forsaking the Gospel call

Remaining in the darkness lest their deeds be exposed

City named after his son

Purpose of city is depravity and sin

Preemptive Sodom and Gamorrah

God’s promise to Cain

Despite all of this, God still uphold His promise to Cain

Cain reaps benefits of God’s blessings undeservedly

Problematic in our context

Same with Ps 37 and 73, prosperity of the wicked

They seem “well off”

God is blessing them and cursuing His people

But their temporal blessing is meaningless in eternity

Question often asked, would you rather have 1 million dollars now, or 200,000$ every year for 10 years

The temporal quick is a blessing that acts now

The other, is what is waited for patiently and is more than the initial

Despite Cain’s wickedness, depravity and sin, God still permits him to have offspring

Multitude (vv. 18-22)

Enoch’s progeny compared to Seth’s

Godly/ungodly line

Seed of woman vs. seed of serpent

Child of promise / child of wrath

Increase in wickedness expressed in the life of Lamech

First time polygamy is introduced

“took”

Often means to seize, or to take something unwillingly

Can apply to marriage but not frequent

Could be that Lamech forced this polygamous act

Three different fields / vocations

Farming

Different than Abel’s vocation

Refers to broader sense, in relation to farming

Abel’s related to shepherding

Music / culture

Ironworking

Three names related to one theme - worship

Connected with Hb word “yobel” = ram or ram’s horn, or year of Jubilee

Jabal = God leads the procession

Jubal = God brought in the procession

Tubal = noun for procession

All names related to festivities or worship

Not to say God was on their minds/ hearts

But God was certainly at work even in their sinfulness and depravity

The development of the line of Cain is described in Genesis 4:17–24.

Even though Cain represents the ungodly community separated from the presence of Yahweh (the Lord), God’s common grace is demonstrated in their ability to carry out the mandate God had given to ‘mankind’ in Genesis 1:26–28.

Shows that unbelievers ways and works are established by the Lord God

Common grace

Believers benefit too from their works

Gracious world we live in

God’s grace toward unbeliever and believer

Jesus’ reminder in Matthew 5:45 “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

“Let us then know, that the sons of Cain, though deprived of the Spirit of regeneration, were yet endued with gifts of no despicable kind; just as the experience of all ages teaches us how widely the rays of divine light have shone on unbelieving nations.” Calvin

Despite this, the line of Cain culminates, for now, with Lamech

Malice (vv. 23-24)

Importance of songs in OT

Major transition to be anticipated

Next transition into godly line

Malice of Lamech’s exaltation

Addressing both wives, already sinful polygamous relationship

“killed” a man

Same word used for Cain slaying Abel

Refers to pre-meditated murder

Same word used in “lex talonis”

Eye for eye

Tooth for tooth, etc.

Diff. here

Applying murder to mere bruise, really what is meant

Both strike and wound here refer to same thing

Exalting himself as God

God was the one who is authorized to provide revenge on behalf of those who hurt Cain

Lamech is not, overly exalting his position

77 fold

7 often used in Bible to refer to completeness

10’s also ref to multitude, numerous

His revenge is total, complete

Lamech’s demeanour and behaviour is contra-Christ

Christ

Doctrine - Lamech as antithetical to Christ; superiority of Christ to the seed of the serpent

Lamech had multitude of brides/wives

Sinful, contrary to biblical witness

Christ has one bride, His church

He is the head

He is the superior

Lamech had injustice on heart

Revenge far beyond

Is this what we see as a just judge?

Could you imagine getting a speeding ticket, see that flash on autobahn, and you get death penalty

Christ has forgiveness on his heart

Matthew 18:21–22 “Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Lamech represents the line of the serpent

Constant hardening of hearts

Full of sin

Christ represents and is the seed of the woman

Honest with ourselves, we do deserve death penalty for all transgressions

Christ’s redemption supercedes/exceeds

Imputation of His righteousness by faith

Blessings given to His people

Application

Use 1. Be watchful of fortifying sin.

Fear of judgment drove Cain to building city walls for defense

Representative of him furthering to harden his own heart

What better defense than to run away and wall up in a fortress

Do your sins cause you to run and hide or do you forsake them and turn to the Lord?

Do you truly believe the lies of the devil who tells you to flee from God rather than to God?

God’s promise is to forgive His sheep when they error

Do you want to continue to trust the lies of the serpent, or the truths from God?

Do not allow a fear of judgment drive you to fortify your sin into a hardened heart which cannot be softened

As with Cain, even though the Lord promised to protect him, the promise was not enough

We often treat the Lord the same way

How often do you try and protect yourself because the Lord’s promise is not enough?

Can look like this, “I need to do more of x, y, z, to be a good Christian so the Lord will finally accept me”

Or, “I need to pray to saints so that they can hear my prayers, God is too busy”

Or, “I need to do good works to finally be justified, because a charismatic self proclaimed reformed theologian told me in his popular books and podcasts.”

What is the antidote to that nonsensical thinking?

God’s Word

To the first point, the Lord promises to accept you

Come ye sinners poor and needy

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

To the second

There is only one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ

He is always interceding on our behalves

This is a promise from Him, not a presumption by the papacy

To the third

Those whom He, God, justified, He also glorified

Positionally in Christ, you have all of these beautiful benefits

Why not cling to God’s promises rather than Satan’s lies?

Do you really want to side with the one who has lost?

Or do you want to confide in the victor?

Use 2. Be strong amongst ungodly wickedness

Two lines are intermingled

Visible and invisible church distinction

Cain and Abel/Seth - same family, one promise, one flesh

Shem/Japheth and Ham - same family, one promise, one of flesh

Isaac and Ishmael

Jacob and Esau

Moses/Aaron and Nadab/Abihu

Saul and David

Judas and the 11

Never called to leave the world

Called to not be a part of the world

Struggle in lives of primitive church

Same struggles you deal with

Desire to be part of the world one day and part of the church the other day

Matthew 5:14–16 ““You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Use 3. Be willing to forgive as Christ has forgiven you.

Not like Lamech, or his seed

Not like Cain, who never sought forgiveness

Forgive as longs as it depends on you

Why?

Christ has forgiven you

God has forgiven you

You cannot say you love God and hate your brother

How to forgive

Recognize your own sin

1 John 1:9–10 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Repent of your sin

Hebrews 7:25 “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

Seek reconciliation with brother

Most issues are in fact a misunderstanding

But rather than hold a grudge, avoid confronation and leave it be

As the devil would have you do

Seek reconciliation

Mat 18.

We seek reconciliation because we have been reconciled to God

Ultimately, we are the enemies, the transgressors, we are the Lamechs and Cains

We are not the heroes, there is only one hero, the Lord Jesus Christ

Who being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continueth to be, God and Man in two distinct natures and one person forever.