Genesis 4:16—5:1-4 NKJV
16 So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said:
“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”
And he gave him a tithe of all.
21 Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.”
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’— 24 except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”
15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”
4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir
From the moment Cain left the presence of the Lord, humanity has been divided into believers and unbelievers, the church and the world. Cain’s descendants are outwardly prosperous. They invent musical instruments and implements of bronze and iron, including weapons. The good things of this life are their highest good. But like Cain, they are “of the wicked one” (1 John 3:12). This becomes apparent in Lamech, the seventh from Adam. Lamech takes two wives, contrary to God’s institution of marriage as a lifelong union between one man and one woman. He also murdered a young man for wounding him. Finally, he mutilates the word God gave to Cain to excuse his own sin: “If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold” (24). This is the way of the world: outward prosperity which uses God’s word to justify its sin.
A different spirit animates the sons of Adam through Seth. They see their sinfulness, that they bear the image and likeness of their father Adam rather than the image and likeness of God. They dwell in the presence of the Lord and believe God’s promise that the woman’s Seed will crush the serpent’s head. They also begin to gather together for public worship. This is it means when Moses writes, “Then men began to call on the name of the LORD” (26). Jude 14 tells us that Enoch, the seventh from Adam in Seth’s line, preached that the Lord would convict the ungodly for their ungodly deeds and blasphemies. Noah was “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5). The descendants of Seth looked forward to a life after this one—which was signified by Enoch’s translation into heaven—and lived in this faith.
In every age of the world there are unbelievers and believers. The unbelieving world is animated by the spirit of the wicked one. It glories in worldly prosperity and honor and uses God’s word to excuse sin. The church is animated by the Holy Spirit. It glories in God’s Word, publicly preaches it correctly, and looks for the life of the world to come which God has prepared for those who love Him.
Let us pray: Preserve us, O Lord, in the midst of this wicked world that we may faithfully serve You and look forward to the good You have prepared for us in the next life. Amen.