The Beginnings of Civilization

Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch; and he built a city, and named it Enoch after his son Enoch. To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael the father of Methushael, and Methushael the father of Lamech. Lamech took two wives; the name of one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. Adah bore Jabal; he was the ancestor of those who live in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the ancestor of all those who play the lyre and pipe. Zillah bore Tubal-cain, who made all kinds of bronze and iron tools. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

Lamech said to his wives:
‘Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say:
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for striking me.
If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.’

Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, for she said, ‘God has appointed for me another child instead of Abel, because Cain killed him.’ To Seth also a son was born, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to invoke the name of the Lord.

Are you ready for some begat-ing?

The Genesis story takes a very interesting twist here for me. To recap where we are, Adam and Eve have left the Garden of Eden and they had two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain attacked Abel and killed him. So now there are three people on earth and Cain decides to leave his mother and father’s side and God’s presence and wanders the earth alone.

During the course of his wonderings he finds, and “knows” his wife. That means sex, in case you didn’t know. Hey, not everyone in the world has known someone. But I digress.

Here is the problem for me and the classic Sunday school question, if there are only three people on the planet, were did Cain’s wife come from?

Seriously, and no arguments from silence either. First there are two creation stories and now we have people appearing so that Cain has a woman to marry and bear him a son.

Another interesting question is this, why is civilization formed from Cain and his descendents. It is only at the very end of the passage that we hear of Adam and Eve having another son, Seth.

We are approaching a point where we must start to ask the question, is Genesis history or is it mythological. It seems to me that it is mythological. These stories are not factual but and this is a big but, that doesn’t mean they are not true.

Let me explain. We have all heard the story of the tortoise and the hare. We know that this story tells us a truth right? Hard work and determination will win the day. Does it matter that a tortoise and a hare never actually raced? The story is still true right?

This seems to be the case with some or much of the Genesis story so far. It isn’t factual in a scientific sense, but it tells us a truth, whether that be a theological, metaphysical, epistemological, eschatological, mythological or normative truth.

In these stories that have been collected and preserved for us is God’s revealed truth. It would be rather presumptuous to think that God’s truth was limited to only science. God can and does reveal His truth to us in a myriad of ways, and story is but one way.
Knowing that God has revealed something to us let us go back to this passage and not worry about the fact there should only be three people on the planet, but let’s look at anew and see what truth it has to reveal to us.