> [!Scripture] > **19 Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah. > 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. > 21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. > 22 As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.** <img src="https://audio.mhbbible.com/media%3Agenesis%204%2019-22.png" alt="Genesis 4:13-15" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"> > [!success] Audio Commentary > <audio controls src="https://audio.mhbbible.com/Genesis%204%2019-22.ogg"></audio> ## Brief Observations - **Lamech: first polygamist, transgressing God’s design** — Cain’s degenerate line breaks the pre-Fall pattern of one man and one woman becoming one flesh. Lamech didn’t honor tradition—he simply wanted two wives. His sin created a custom that later ensnared even greater men (Jacob, David, Solomon), unwittingly obeying human precedent instead of God’s command. Sin is dangerous; one man’s rebellion can destroy countless marriages across generations. + **God’s common grace despite unrepentance** — Though Lamech lived in open defiance, God still blessed him with children. These descendants weren’t known for piety—they were likely as godless as their father and ancestor Cain—yet they became prominent, inventive, and serviceable to the world itself. God does not withhold common gifts from the wicked. - **Jabal: father of herdsmen and tent-dwellers** — Son of Adah, Jabal pioneered livestock herding and nomadic living. He either fathered a whole line of herdsmen or became so renowned that later ones called him “father.” His work brought innovation and prosperity to the craft. + **Jubal: father of musicians** — Also son of Adah, Jubal invented and mastered the lyre and pipe. He is called the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes. His contributions brought music, joy, and the jubilee tradition of liberation and redemption—making his family merry. - **Tubal-Cain: forger of bronze and iron** — Son of Zillah, he advanced metallurgy—tools for husbandry and weapons for war. The descendant of the first murderer becomes the preeminent artificer of war, weaponizing nations. His sister Naamah is also noted, completing the family line. + **Worldly innovation without God** — All three sons’ industries centered on a world without God. These trades remain useful to the faithful, but they are equally desirable to the godless. None became priests or teachers of God’s knowledge. If your mind and time are dominated by worldly commodities, evaluate your relationship with God. - **Common grace to the wicked** — God gifts talents and power even to evil men. This is partly so He may glorify Himself through the foolish things of the world (the apostles were mostly tradesmen, not scholars). It is also because no one escapes His sovereign control. God is never hesitant to give great gifts to the unrighteous. + **Wealth and merriment among the godless** — Job 21 shows the wicked often prosper outwardly: powerful descendants, safe houses, fruitful livestock, music, and pleasure. Yet their prosperity is not in their own hand. We cannot judge blessing by material success—Lamech’s family was not blessed by God, yet responsible for major artistic and scientific breakthroughs. - **What profits gaining the world?** — Jesus asks in Matthew 16:24–28: deny self, take up your cross, follow Me. Whoever loses his life for Christ’s sake will find it. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? Cain’s family mastered present things but knew nothing of God’s glory, fear, or service. Christians must remember this today: faithless people destitute of grace can still be gifted by God, but soul-loss is the ultimate tragedy. + **God chooses the foolish to glorify Himself** — He often uses the weak and uneducated (tradesmen apostles) so that glory goes to Him, not human wisdom. Even great power given to evil men is under His omnipotent sovereignty—no one truly escapes His rule. ## Full Commentary Lamech is the first polygamist we see in holy scripture. It makes sense that Cain's degenerate descendants would be the first to transgress God's law concerning marriage. God's original command for marriage, issues even before the Fall of Man, was that one man and one woman should join together and become one flesh. What's interesting about Lamech's sin is that it created a custom which would later ensnare men of greater character than himself. Lamech wasn't honoring tradition when he took two wives. He just wanted two wives. Some of the later biblical characters like Jacob, David, Solomon, and others took multiple wives because they unwittingly obliged a human tradition rather than submitting to the commandment of God. Sin is dangerous. Lamech didn't realize his sin of polygamy would establish a human custom which stretched across generations and destroyed countless marriages. Despite Lamech's unrepentant sin of marrying two wives, our gracious God still blessed him with children. Lamech's children also seem to be prominent people of their generation. They weren't made famous for their piety, indeed they were probably just as godless as Lamech and their ancestor Cain. Their godlessness didn't detract from their ingenuity and it appears they became men serviceable to the world itself. They were inventors and innovators of useful disciplines. Lamech's son Jabal, whom he had to his wife Adah, was a great herdsman of this time. He was either the patriarch of a family of herdsmen or he was so famous at the task that other herdsmen of the generations after him called him father. Considering the context of his brothers, I think it's safe to assume Jabal was famous among herdsmen and his life brought innovation to the craft. Lamech's other son Jubal, also had by his wife Adah, became an accomplished musician. He was called the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. Jubal's life brought such significant contributions to the art of music that the famous musical celebration called the jubilee was titled with a thematic etymological relationship to Jubal's own name. The jubilee-trumpet was the instrument used to pronounce liberation and redemption of those who were enslaved. So Jabal's contributions made his family rich, and Jubal's contributions made his family merry. Wealth and merrymaking are almost always found together even among the unrepentant. In Job's story, Job contends with his friends by reminding them that the wicked do in fact prosper in this world. Listen to what Job says in [[Job 21.7-16|Job 21:7-16]]: > **Job 21:7-16** > 7 "Why do the wicked still live, Continue on, also become very powerful? > 8 "Their descendants are established with them in their sight, And their offspring before their eyes, > 9 Their houses are safe from fear, And the rod of God is not on them. > 10 "His ox mates without fail; His cow calves and does not abort. > 11 "They send forth their little ones like the flock, And their children skip about. > 12 "They sing to the timbrel and harp And rejoice at the sound of the flute. > 13 "They spend their days in prosperity, And suddenly they go down to Sheol. > 14 "They say to God, 'Depart from us! We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways. > 15 'Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, And what would we gain if we entreat Him?' > 16 "Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand; The counsel of the wicked is far from me. In the final analysis we might make peace with the wicked prospering by understanding God holds common grace over the righteous and the wicked alike. Neither of them deserve His grace any more than the other. The world-system is also structured in opposition to God, so it's no wonder the wicked find corrupt hierarchies to ascend by unrighteous means. Again this just reminds us that we can't rely on outward success as a metric to determine whether an individual or whether entire families are blessed by God. Lamech's family was not, and yet they were responsible for major artistic and scientific breakthroughs. Tubal-cain was another one of Lamech's sons and this son he had by his wife Zillah. She also gave birth to a daughter named Naamah. Tubal-cain grew into a famous blacksmith. He advanced the craft of smithing bronze and iron. These products would have been used both for animal husbandry and also for war. Some readers point out how the descendant of the first murderer became the preeminent artificer of war. Cain committed the first homicide and Tubal-cain innovated the processes of weaponizing entire nations. You'll notice how the industries of all three of Lamech's sons were centered on a world without God. It's not as if these trades are useless to faithful people, but that these trades are still useful and desirable to those who have no faith. None of Lamech's sons became great priests or great teachers of the knowledge of God. If your mind, and consequently most of your time, is dominated by these kinds of worldly commodities then you should evaluate the condition of your relationship with God. We mentioned earlier how maybe Cain and his descendants were first to the finish line in the development of these commodities because these commodities are what captured their devotion. But what good are the things of this world if you lose your own soul? Jesus poses this same question In [[Matthew 16.24-28|Matthew 16:24-28]] where we read: > **Matthew 16:24-28** > 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. > 25 "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. > 26 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? > 27 "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS. > 28 "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." Cain's family became experts of the present things of this world, but none of them understood the glory of God, the fear of God, or how to honor and serve Him with their lives. This is something Christians must remember today. Faithless people who are destitute of God's knowledge and grace may still be gifted by Him and given the talents necessary for becoming well-accomplished in the world. God doesn't shy away from giving common gifts and even great power to evil men. This is in part because God often chooses the foolish things of this world to enact His miracles and His redemption so that He may be glorified through them. The Apostles of Christ, with the exception of Paul, Matthew, and Luke, were not educated men. They were tradesmen. No one expected them to be great expositors of the gospel, and therefore those who witnessed them teach were more inclined to glorify God because of it. God also is not afraid nor hesitant to gift great talents to evil men because He knows regardless of how powerful they may become among other men, not a single one of them escapes His divine, omnipotent sovereignty.