The Decline of Mankind: Genesis 4:17 - 6:6

This section of Genesis marks a shift in the story.  We've seen how quickly man has fallen from the peaceful relationships before being cast out of the garden to the murdering siblings we saw in the last post.  It took only one generation apart from the presence of God.

Starting in verse 4:17 we have a look at Cain's descendants.  In verse 19 we briefly pick up the story again about 5 generations after Cain.  Here we meet Lamech who boasts to his wives that he killed a young man in a fight.  Kidner, in his commentary "Genesis", contrasts Cain's response with Lamech's.  He notes that Cain succumbed to sin and its consequences whereas Lamech revels in it and seeks provocation.  Cain's descendants have clearly taken sin to a new level in a short time.

In verse 4:25, Adam and Eve have another son named Seth.  Seth is declared to be a replacement for his righteous brother Abel at the end of verse 4:25.  His descendants are enumerated in chapter 5 and his lineage appears to be a counterpoint to the violent line of Cain.  Consider Enoch (5:24) who "walked faithfully with God".  Also note that the Lamech of verse 28 is not the same violent Lamech we saw among Cain's descendants.  This Lamech is the father of Noah (who we will talk about in the next post).

This brings us up to chapter 6.  There is a bit of confusion about some of the terms in the first part of this chapter.  Who are the sons of God?  Who are the daughters of humans?  Who are the Nephilim?  Why are they having kids?  There are a few theories about this, but we don't really know for certain.  And who they are is less important than God's view of mankind at this time.  In verse 3 God says, "My Spirit will not contend with humans forever..." and in verses 5 and 6 we read:

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.  The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.

Clearly, all is not well.  Nearly all of mankind has turned away from God and, following in the footsteps of Cain's descendants, is only inclined toward evil.  How far they have fallen from the garden!  This is the foundation the author is lays as we head into a story about what God will do about it.