Lamech’s Swagger
By Paul Cochrane | October 13, 2011
Adah and Zillah,
Listen to my voice,
You wives of Lamech,
Give heed to my speech,
For I have killed a man for wounding me;
And a boy for striking me;
If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.
~ Genesis 4:23, 24
I picture Lamech swaggering a bit, sword in hand, as he ascends a small mound to recite his verse. And why not? He’s got twowives! His son Jabal has made them exceedingly wealthy in livestock. Son Jubal has made them merry with his musical inventions. Son Tubal Cain has learned to forge implements of bronze and iron. (Think of the possibilities!) Indeed, daughter Naamah (“pleasant”) sums it all up: this family knew how to make life pleasant for itself!
So up the mound comes Lamech, brandishing the sword Tubal Cain has just made and musing to himself: Just think! With this weapon I’ll be invincible! That young man who struck me didn’t stand a chance. And who will even dare to avenge his death!? They’ll pay seventy-sevenfold if they come after me!
Lamech’s “sword song” gushes with pride and self-sufficiency. In the case of Cain it was God who had promised to protect Cain from revenge. But Lamech’s boast is that he himself will repel the avenger by the strength of his own arm and re-enforced by his son’s weapon! What staggering presumption and arrogance!
Do you suppose Christ was alluding to Lamech’s taunt in Matthew 18:21 when He called His followers to extraordinary forgiveness (seventy times seven) rather than revenge? Not only are we to be free from retaliation, we must embody a spirit of forgiveness.
Was it haughtiness such as Lamech’s that prompted the Lord to say, “Blessed are the poor in spirit… the meek… the merciful… the peacemakers…”?
Lord Jesus, I purpose to follow Your example of humility and forgiveness, and distance myself from Lamech’s swagger and revenge. But You know how easily I revert to the me-centered life. Oh, please! Let Your grace increase so my sin will not!
Blessings,
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Welcome to Enoch
By Paul Cochrane | October 11, 2011
In honor of his son, Cain builds a city and names it after him: “Enoch.” (Genesis 4:16,17)
Why build a city, Cain?
* For protection? Did you fear those “who will kill me? (4:14)
* For distraction or diversion? Did you seek to “drown the clamours of a guilty conscience with the noise of axes and hammers”? (Matthew Henry)
* Were you desperate for community? Wanderers, especially, are lonely.
* Was it an act of defiance? Perhaps you were making a statement: “Look at what I’ve done in spite of God’s curse!”
* Did you do it so your son could escape the curse of “Wanderer”
I am not sure of Cain’s motivations. What strikes me, though, is:
a) how well Cain has acclimated to “living away from God’s presence.” He’s building a city, having children and grandchildren, and basically getting on with the business of life. The uncooperative soil posed a temporary problem, perhaps, but pretty soon livestock, music, and metallurgy nicely filled that void. No doubt they helped with the emptiness in his soul, too. (These days it’s same song, different verse, isn’t it?)
b) the notable omission in the record of Cain ever returning to God. Worse, he fathered and influenced six generations that, in spite of their remarkable achievements, all came to an abrupt end by the time of the flood because of unbridled wickedness and corruption (Genesis 6).
O Lord, guard my heart from following in the way of Cain. Make my attempts to distract or medicate my conscience ineffective and hollow. If I wander, bring me back! Use any and every means necessary to keep me “always, only, all for Thee.”
Blessings,
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Son of Wanderer
By Paul Cochrane | September 29, 2011
So Cain has left God’s presence and gone off to the land of wanderings, “away from the presence of the Lord”
(Genesis 4:16-22).
And now he fathers a son: Enoch.
This son, born to the unrepentant murderer, is reared “away from the presence of the Lord.” In time he learns what happened and no doubt becomes convinced that in this place he, too, is “hidden from God’s face.” He eats what the ground begrudgingly produces for Cain. He wanders from place to place with his father, for though his name is Enoch, he is more aptly “Son of Wanderer.”
And why? For it was not Enoch who failed to bring an acceptable offering. It was not he who seethed in anger and clenched his teeth in rebellion when entreated by God. He did not murder Abel and bring on himself the curse from the ground, nor refuse repentance when confronted by God.
Truly, Cain’s consequences encumbered Enoch!
Is this partly what the Lord meant when He said, “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me” (Exodus 20:5)?
It is a sobering thing to parent and grandparent. To do so without the fear of the Lord can bring disastrous consequences upon our brood.
O Lord, help us in our parenting and grandparenting. We tremble at our potential to influence negatively. How we long to have a positive impact on those you’ve entrusted to us.
Blessings,
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My punishment is too great to bear
By Paul Cochrane | September 22, 2011
My punishment is too great to bear.You have driven me this day from the face of the land; and from Your presence I shall be hidden… So Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod.
~Genesis 4:13-16
The sad story of an insolent rebel. That’s what this is. Cain’s anger has boiled over into murder, but when confronted he’s not even remorseful, much less repentant. Instead:
1. Cain accuses God of being unjust. That’s right. The murderer (the one who’s still alive) says his punishment is too harsh. “You’re making me work uncooperative soil for the rest of my life because I killed my brother? How unfair is that!?!” Is it any different today? Almost universally, offenders judge their own offenses minor and their punishments too severe.
2. Cain puts words in God’s mouth: “from Your presence I shall be hidden.” But God never said this–Cain did. Have you ever noticed how people bolster their case against God by holding Him responsible for things He never said or did? It’s an important part of establishing themselves as victims.
3. Cain walks away from God. But not because he had to. God didn’t write Cain off. It was Cain who made the choice to leave. Cain is the one who said, “I’m outta here.” Cain is the one who “settled” away from the presence of the Lord, rather than admit his guilt and repent.
I hate to say it, friend, but the seeds of Cain’s rebellion are eager to germinate in your life, too. All they need is a little watering.
Maybe you’re encountering consequences from your sinful actions and you’re tempted to decry the punishment as too harsh or unjust. Why not bend the knee in repentance, instead? Lord, against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that You are proved right when You speak and justified when You judge. (Psalm 51:4)
Perhaps you’re having some heated conversations with God about things He’s done or allowed. Take a careful look at what You’re upset with Him about. It’s possible you’re blaming Him for things He never did.
Things may be to the point where you’re tempted to walk away from God because He’s “done you wrong” or been “unjustly severe” with you. Be extremely careful! Grave consequences are ahead if you do. Cain never came back. Don’t risk it.
Blessings,
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The way of Cain brings Death
By Paul Cochrane | September 15, 2011
The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why is your face downcast? If you do right, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do right, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
~ Genesis 3:6,7
From the 3rd human till now, not much has changed, has it?
1. We go out in defiance and do things our own way. (Cain’s offering was not as God had prescribed.)
2. We expect everything to be fine. (But everything was not fine–Cain encountered God’s displeasure!)
3. When things go wrong, it makes us mad! (The Hebrew word indicates he was burning with anger.)
Common sense would say, “Hey, why not go back and redo it the right way rather than sit there and stew about it?” That’s how we’d appeal to a toddler, isn’t it? “Look, why are you having this tantrum? Pick up your toys first–like I told you–and then you can have a cookie.”
And that’s exactly how God appealed to Cain. “Cain, it doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t have to burn in anger and be all dejected. Just do what’s right (bring the right kind of offering) and you’ll be accepted. See?”
But sin blinds a person to common sense. Instead, like Cain:
4. We refuse God’s entreaty and storm out in protest.
5. We boil and stew and stoke the fires of resentment…
6. Till we snap. And the result is deadly.
Oh, we might not spill blood literally, but we’ll plunge the dagger of hateful words deep into another… or slit his throat with sarcasm, or shred her with scorn and disgust…Many are the ways we kill.
But it doesn’t have to end so hideously. When God warns us, as He did Cain, how do we respond?
What we need is a soft heart when the Lord confronts us about sin. It’s not our natural bent. I regularly ask God for this:
Lord, when You confront me I am unlikely to respond the right way. So I’m asking You now for special mercies then… don’t let me harden my heart against You. Please don’t listen to my rebellious words… but grant extra grace instead. In Your kindness lead me to repentance, even if I am stubborn and resistant.
A prayer like that might serve you well, too. For the way of Cain brings death.
Blessings,
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