Sin Has Consequences

Before we begin to examine the history of redemption, we need to take a look at the consequences of sin after the fall. Genesis 1-11 is often called the “primeval history” because it provides the earliest account of creation and the human race. These 11 chapters give us the proper framework for understanding Scripture as a whole, and are indispensable for the development of a Christian worldview. They can be outlined very easily: Genesis 1-2 presents the story of creation and God’s design for human life; Genesis 3 explains how sin entered the world and spoiled God’s plan; and Genesis 4-11 shows how sin proliferates and increasingly damages everything. The first 11 chapters of Genesis, therefore, are about creation and its corruption as a result of the fall.

There is no way to really appreciate the significance of our salvation except by understanding how deeply sin has wounded creation and everything in it. The catastrophic nature of our predicament must become transparent to us if we are to grasp the real triumph of the kingdom of  God. So, in this lesson on Genesis 4-11, we will learn how things go from bad to worse as sin spreads and escalates in the stories about Cain and Abel, Noah and the flood, and the tower of  Babel.

Verses 1-2 present the births of Cain and Abel and their occupations. Cain, whose name literally means “acquire,” “get,” or “possess,” was the first born and a farmer. Abel, whose name literally means “vapor,” “breath,” or “vanity,” was the second born and a shepherd. Their names signify lives of selfishness and brevity respectively. In due course, Cain and Abel presented offerings to the Lord based on their livelihoods. The Lord accepted Abel’s animal sacrifice, but not Cain’s agricultural offering (vv.3-5). This was because Abel offered the very best of his flocks in faith, whereas Cain apparently did not (see Hebrews 11:4; 1 John 3:11-12; and Jude 6). Cain responded vehemently to God’s displeasure (v.5), so God confronted Cain in his anger (v.6) and encouraged him not to give in to the controlling power of sin (v.7). Unfortunately, Cain paid no attention to God’s warning and shortly thereafter murdered his brother in the field (v.8). Cain failed both in his faith and with his family. He disregarded God and showed no respect for His image. For these reasons, John offers Cain’s action toward Abel as a tragic example of a failure to love one another (1 John 3:11-12).

Verses 9-15 present God’s judgment on Cain. Immediately, the Lord interrogates Cain regarding his brother’s whereabouts, and he responds defensively with his classic question of indifference: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (v.9) Yet God knows exactly what has happened. He says that Abel’s spilled blood cries out from the ground for justice (v.10), for the sixth commandment prohibiting murder was in place as a natural moral law even at this early stage in human history.

As a result of the murder, God pronounces a curse upon Cain just as He did on Adam, Eve, and the serpent. The ground that Cain will attempt to cultivate as a farmer will be fruitless, and he will be a fugitive on the earth (vv.11-12). Cain responds to God’s sentence with self-pity, but not repentance: “My punishment is too great to bear!” (v.13). He laments that he has been alienated from the ground and from God, and that in his vagrancy he will be the next murder victim. No one will be his keeper (v.14). God responds to Cain’s howling with grace. He issues an edict of sevenfold vengeance on Cain’s would-be murderer, and provides a seal of protection (a tattoo, perhaps?) that will enable him to live out all his days (v.15).

CAIN-LAMECH CIVILIZATION
The rest of Genesis 4 sets forth a picture of the godless human culture derived from Cain and his descendents. In it we see aspects of God’s original plan, and its woeful misdirection. Cain’s line multiplies and exercises dominion over the earth. They build a city and make advances in science and civilization. Nevertheless, this is accompanied by a radical increase in pride, immorality, and violence. Though ancient, it seems suspiciously modern, for human nature has not changed.

Genesis 4:16-18 is a short summary of Cain’s life after the death of Abel. Fleeing from God, he eventually settled in the land of Nod (Hebrew for “wandering”), east of Eden (v.16). He and his wife had a son Enoch, and they named the city they built after him (v. 17). The name of this eponymous city means to “initiate” or “inaugurate,” and it was a substitute for Eden. It was Cain’s attempt to create his own world without God. Cain intended for it to be a place of security in the midst of a hostile environment. He hoped that there he and his people could flourish in their undertakings. However, it was thoroughly secularized, grounded in self-love, and constructed for human glory. Its spirit culminated later in the tower of  Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). Its ethos will be manifested again in its end-time descendent, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (Revelation 17:5). These humanistic empires, both ancient and forthcoming, challenge the supreme authority of God and His purposes for human life.

The citizens of the city of Enoch weren’t good citizens, however. The city grew not only in population (Genesis 4:18) but also in corruption (v.19). Cain’s descendent Lamech married two wives, one named Adah and the other named Zillah. Despite this flagrant violation of monogamy (a natural law against adultery was already in place at this time), civilization began to flourish by God’s common grace. Adah’s side of the family contributed significantly to animal husbandry (v.20) and the musical arts (v.21). Zillah’s offspring flourished in the area of technology (v.22). Unfortunately, these remarkable cultural achievements were unable to change the spiritual texture of Lamech’s heart. In his noted “Song of the Sword,” he boasts to his two wives about his violent tendencies with an inflated sense of self-importance (vv.23-24). Cain and Lamech have the dubious distinction of producing the first apostate human civilization, and in it, sin continues to spread and escalate.

THE FLOOD
On the basis of Genesis 3:15, we can safely say that Cain and Lamech are the offspring of the serpent. Their wicked civilization is a manifestation of his work. This satanic line will culminate in two great world apostasies by the time we reach Genesis 11. The first is the pre-flood civilization (Genesis 6-9). The second is the Tower of  Babel (Genesis 11). A third great world apostasy is yet to come (Revelation 17-18). Yet the seed of the woman develops as well. We will trace the history of her line when we get to the topic of redemption. Right now, it is important to understand something about the first great world apostasy, which resulted in the judgment of the flood.

Cain and Lamech’s wicked descendents are on display in Genesis 6:1-8 where the causes of the flood are given. Verses 1-4 are considered difficult to interpret. There are three basic ways to understand this passage. First, the “angelic-demonic” view proposes that fallen angels assume human form, seduce mortal women, and produce giants as offspring. Their goal is to corrupt the human race and destroy the godly, messianic line of the woman.

Second, the “apostate Sethites” view suggests that the sons of God are the godly descendents of Seth who wrongly intermarry with the ungodly descendents of Cain. Out of these mixed spiritual unions a race of wicked tyrants is produced.

Third, the “divine kingship” view teaches that the sons of God are the demonically inspired kings or nobles of the ancient world who are the royal successors of Lamech. Their sin was not intermarriage between two worlds (angels and men), or between two religious communities (Sethites and Cainites). Rather, in the tradition of Lamech himself, their sin was polygamy (see vv.2,4; and Genesis 4:19). These kings violated the natural moral ordinance of God for human marriage. The result was the production of great dynastic rulers, men of great pride and power who did violence and promoted wickedness in the earth (just as arrogant, powerful leaders do today). As a result they corrupted humankind and aroused divine judgment. One thing is clear: God’s Spirit would not put up with this behavior forever. The time left for each person before he would face the judgment would be 120 years (v.3).

Verses 5-8 are much more straightforward in their explanation of the flood. What God sees is an evil heart out of which wicked actions spring (v.5). This verse is a vivid portrayal of the depth of depravity existing at this time. The human race has fallen away from God completely, and this degenerate condition has a decisive impact on God’s emotions and actions. He grieves over peoples’ sin and regrets that He made humankind in the first place (v.6). He resolves in His deep sorrow to bring judgment on His original creation by blotting out people, animals, creeping things, and birds from the earth (v.7).

Notice how God’s judgment on humanity affects the earth and its inhabitants. Solidarity exists between human beings and creation. Whatever happens to the former also happens to the latter in both judgment and redemption (see Romans 8:18-25). In this case, human moral chaos reduces the earth to disorder and brings death to its inhabitants through the waters of the flood. Unlike His original reaction to creation, God now looks upon the earth, and behold, it was very bad (vv.11-12; cf. Genesis 1:31). But God also looks upon Noah and his family with favor. Through them, humanity and the animal kingdom will be delivered through the ark. In due course, a new creation will be born out of the judgment waters of the flood.

THE TOWER OF  BABEL
A new creation is, indeed, born out of the waters of the flood (Genesis 9:1-19). Yet sin enters into this freshly cleansed world through Noah’s drunkenness in his vineyard (Genesis 9:20-27). Corruption grows among the descendents of Noah’s three sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and culminates in a second great world apostasy at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). The narrative pattern of Genesis 1-11 is becoming clear. It runs from creation (1-2) to the fall and flood (4-8) to a new creation (9a) and then back again to another fall (9b-11). We move from Eden to Babel, where primeval history ends.

The Babel episode expresses a naive, yet strong confidence in what human beings through their technology could accomplish in the world. The builders of this city aspired to a unified and prosperous life. They wanted to be famous for their achievements. They wanted to do their own thing and be god-like in freedom. Along with the Cain/Lamech civilization of Genesis 4, Babel is the beginning of the humanistic utopian dream to which humankind has aspired ever since the fall. Humanity desires to see paradise restored, on its own terms. The Bible holds out the prospect of a perfect world as well, but one that will be achieved only in Jesus Christ in the context of a new creation.

The setting of the Babel story is presented in Genesis 11:1-2. Here we learn that the entire human race was linguistically unified (v.1). In journeying east, they settled on a plain in the land of Shinar (v.2). The next two verses present their rebellious plan (vv.3-4). By means of their technology (v.3), they resolved to build a city and a tower to make a name for themselves, and keep themselves from being scattered over the face of the earth (v.4). In titanic self-assertion, the Babel builders sought a unified physical and spiritual victory. They wanted their tower and city to serve as symbols of their power and pride, and they did not want to be subordinate to anyone.

But God was not happy that His human race was snatching at deity. His judgment was meted out in verses 5-9. Ironically, He must descend to the earth to see the tower, puny from the divine perspective, that the Babel builders had made (v.5). He makes careful note of their social and linguistic unity, and their remarkable technological prowess: “Now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them” (v.6). God’s purposes are now in danger of being replaced by humanity’s desires. To thwart their forward progress and to insure the continuation of His own agenda, God administers a two-fold judgment: He confuses them linguistically and scatters them globally (vv.7-8). As a result, they stop building the city. What better way to impede their progress than to prevent them from understanding each other.  The city was appropriately named Babel because of the confusion that began in this city (v.9). This confusion prevented early humanity from going too far in its power and pride. How far will God let us go in ours?

This event marks the origin of diverse cultures, languages, nations, and races (the table of nations in Genesis 10 explains how the peoples were divided). Division and difference mark the human condition from this point onward and division remains until the reversal of Babel at Pentecost, when the Spirit of God united people from every tribe, tongue, people and nation (Acts 2:1-12; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11). God’s ultimate goal is a humanity that is renewed and reunified in Him.

Have you noticed that the account of Babel, unlike the account of Noah and the flood, lacks any mention of a righteous remnant? How will God’s story continue from here? There is no offspring of the woman for His kingdom. Have we reached a dead end only 11 chapters into the Bible? Here is how one theologian describes this situation:

The story about the tower of Babel concludes with God’s judgment on mankind: there is no word of grace. The whole primeval history seems to break off in shrill dissonance, and the question . . . now arises even more urgently: is God’s relationship to the nations now finally broken; is God’s forbearance now exhausted; has God rejected the nations in wrath forever?

What will God do next? We will find out when we begin our study of the history of redemption. For now, we see the world living in universal spiritual rebellion against God. No one is righteous, not even one. It seems that sin has spread and escalated to the point of no return.

CONCLUSION
Genesis 4-11 depicts the spread and escalation of sin: fratricide, Cain and Lamech’s humanistic civilization, and the two world apostasies at the flood and at Babel show that sin is out of control. God’s rule appears to be in jeopardy, and His creation and creatures seem to be thoroughly corrupt. Things have gone from bad to worse; a great tragedy has befallen the world. Only against this black velvet curtain will we truly appreciate the dazzling diamond of our salvation.

David Naugle is professor of Philosophy at Dallas Baptist University where he has served for 14 years. In addition to teaching and working with students, he maintains an active schedule of writing and speaking.