Genesis 4:16-20 Cain’s Children CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

In this lesson we begin to notice some patterns that are laid down in the Bible. For instance, Cain’s line is given before Seth’s line, showing you that the first one of a pair to show up is going to be the wrong one (Ishmael and Isaac; Esau and Jacob; Antichrist and Jesus Christ). Polygamy begins in Cain’s line, showing that, although it was allowed in certain cases, it is still wrong. Raising cattle also begins in Cain’s line and leads to idolatry (Baal worship), since he was a religious worshipper.

Cain’s Wife

The first question to come up is, “Where did Cain get his wife?” Obviously, he married his sister (Gen. 20:12). In Gen. 5, Seth was born when Adam was 130 years old. Adam lived to be 930 years old and continued having sons and daughters. His children also married and procreated. Adam lived to see the children of his 9th generation. By the time the events of Gen. 4:16-17 took place, there was a growing population on the earth from the marriages between these sons and daughters. So, Cain built a “city.” You don’t do that for just two people. The practice of marrying sisters was stopped in Lev. 18.

Polygamy

Lamech married two wives. I guess you could say that he was the first Mormon. God never intended for men to have multiple wives. When he made man and woman, he designed them so that when they married, “they twain shall be one flesh,” (Matt. 19:4-8). Multiple marriages created problems for Solomon, when he tried it.

Cattle

Jabal started the cattle business. But there was more that eventually came out of it than beef production. Remember that Cain’s sacrifice of fruit was not accepted and he wouldn’t offer a lamb like Abel did. So, the worship of calves became the practice. Aaron made a golden calf in Ex. 32 and Jeroboam made golden calves in 1 Ki. 12:28. Both Aaron and Jeroboam told the Jews that these calves were their “gods.”

Did you know that the devil was originally created as a cherub (Eze. 28:13-14)? Did you know that cherubs appeared in Eze. 10:14? And did you know that the face of the cherub on those creatures was the face of an ox (Eze. 1:10)? Well, it’s no wonder, then, that those who refused to worship God ended up worshipping golden calves. They were, in fact, worshipping the devil.