Sunday, June 21, 2020
Future fathers
Genesis 4:20-22
Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron.
Here we have a very interesting development in the family tree of Cain. Cain, you will remember, killed his brother Abel and was punished by God. He left and started a family in a place called Nod, east of Eden. At Nod, he started to build a city which he named after his first son Enoch.
Cain, after he received his punishment from God for the murder of Abel, expected to be a fugitive and a wanderer. However, after appealing to God for protection, he settled down and started building a city, Genesis 4:17. Building a city meant that wandering and nomadic life were over and there was now going to be a settlement with a sense of permanence. Also, a city was not just going to be a population centre, it was going to be a centre of commerce, culture, and governance.
At that time, the city had to be an extremely small place with very few people, but it was the beginning of what have now become the primary features of human organisation and settlements. In this city named Enoch, Cain’s family started to grow, and six generations later there was drama and “sex in the city.” Lamech, his great-great-great-great-grandson, married two wives Adah and Zillah.
Let us go back to early in the Genesis account to lay down some fundamentals. In the beginning, God created and the activities of creation went on for 6 days and then, at the end of the last day of creation God created man and said ok, take over and continue what I started here.
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28
From that point onwards to today the development of the creation is “primarily social and cultural” as Charles Colson puts it. We are occupied with filling and subduing (managing) the earth.
The activities involved in building our civilizations and managing the earth’s resources were clearly demonstrated by what was taking place in this city of Enoch. They were focused on agriculture and the environment; they were focused on culture, arts and entertainment; and they were focused on technology and science.
Colson continued “The generations since Adam continue to bear children, build families, and spread across the earth. They still tend animals and plant fields. They still construct cities and governments. They still make music and works of art.”
These great-great-great-great-great-grandsons of Cain – Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-Cain, were not mentioned as fathers of children in the narrow sense of who they begat, rather they were mentioned as fathers of many who focused on critical aspects civilization, society, and culture.
Jabal was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock (agriculture and environment), Jubal was the father of all who play the harp and flute (culture, arts, and entertainment), and Tubal-Cain was the father of all those who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron (technology and science). These guys were fathers of critical aspects of human civilization, not just fathers of children.
There are many examples of several generations of families that have committed themselves to a particular field of human endeavour. When we think of the Bushes in America we think of politics, the same is true in we think of the Gandhis in India. The family of Bob Marley in reggae music is another good example of a family embracing a particular field of human endeavour through several generations.
When fathering is done right, the result is regularly experienced in several generations of the family and often that family is able to make a significant impact on the culture and society. In Psalm 127, one of the Psalms of Ascents, Solomon captures many things, among them, is that our children are a heritage from God, given to fathers for joy and nurture, and are to be released for combat in the future.
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.” Psalm 127:3-5
Our children are the combatants in and for the next generation and so how we train our children will determine how we impact both the present and future generations. Our children will be tasked with participating in and contending for the society and culture going forward. Our children are the ones who will contend in the gates – the places of governance, power, and leadership, with the leaders and with the enemies.
In a sense, the future depends on how we father today.
Think on these things:
- Were you prepared by your father (parents) to effectively handle the social and cultural issues that have confronted your generation?
- Are you able today, as a parent, to prepare your child for the challenging social and cultural issues being presented to them now?
- Does your church bring focus to the social and cultural issues of our time in order to prepare families to effectively tackle these issues when they affect our youth?
Prayer focus:
Let us pray today for the fathers in our family and our church that they recognise that the values we cherish are under threat and would prepare our children to contend for these in the future.
In His Grace
Pastor Alex