Saturday, March 9, 2024

Inventions and Worship

Genesis 4:16-26

16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.
19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.
21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.
23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

I researched where the land of Nod was located physically, and was not able to find it. The best article I could find on the subject is this one: The Land Of Nod: Physical Location And Symbolic Significance.

We must remember that separation from God can be a form of "Living in Nod". It is sometimes referred to as "being asleep", although Cain was not asleep. In this reference, "being asleep" means to shut your mind off from all knowledge of God and His goodness.

Many people have asked where Cain's wife came from. We must remember that Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters, and after 100 years, they had to have a wife for Cain. The Bible does not say that Cain found a wife in the land of Nod. We can assume he took his wife with him, since they were "one flesh".

They had a son named Enoch, for whom Cain built a city and named it after him. This was not the same Enoch that was a descendent of Seth, the one that "Walked with God, and was not, for God took him." Not much is known about the City of Enoch that Cain built, either. I did find this article that was of interest: Enoch founds a city in Mesopotamia

Enoch was the grandfather of Jabal. Jabal invented tents.

Here, we must remember that just because the ungodly invent new things, it does not make the invention evil. Paul, after all, was a tent maker by occupation, in the New Testament.

His brother, Jubal, invented the organ and the harp. Inventions can be used for good or for evil. Today, we have music that soothes the soul, and we have music that focuses on sin and lust. It is up to us to decide which music is healthiest for our spiritual well-being.

Tubalcain was Jabal and Jubal's half-brother. He learned and taught the art of the use of brass and iron. It is probably from him that we were introduced to the first weapons of hunting and war.

Lamech, their father, killed a man and assumed that since Cain was protected, he should be protected even more! I am not sure where he got that logic, but apparently it worked for him. We can assume he was versed and skilled in the use of psychology and manipulation because of it.

Meanwhile, over to the west of Cain's wanderings, Adam and Eve had another son, who they named "Seth". "Seth" means "in place of". (I gave my second son the middle name of "Seth" because I felt God was giving me a second chance at motherhood).

Seth had a son and named him Enos. It was during this time that worship and prayer became commonplace among God's people.

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