Genesis 4:17-26
17 Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city,and he named it after his son Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.
19 Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes. 22 Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of[g]bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.
23 Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for injuring me.
24 If Cain is avenged seven times,
then Lamech seventy-seven times.”
25 Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth,[h] saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.
At that time people began to call on[i] the name of the Lord.
Chapter four comes to an end and you might rightly feel a little overwhelmed but the events that have unfolded. Sin has changed humanity and created distance between us and God. Pride has led to jealousy and jealousy to violence. We then finish this chapter with an unusual and significant verse.
At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.
This phrase literally means to worship God and it is the first moment that we discover public worship. This is our great need and this is what we see throughout the rest of scripture. When we seek God there is mercy, grace and blessings to be found.
Of course, the opposite is also true. That when we don’t seek him that we find ourselves in increasingly difficult and darker places. We need God’s grace on our lives and his light to shine upon us. So, there is a choice that we have every single day, to call on the name of the Lord, to worship Him and to seek His presence.
This verse is our reminder that we need God. That we can not live without him and that we still need him to walk alongside us. It says that Adam and Eve had a new son called Seth and that he was to restore something of what was lost in Abel. When we seek God and worship him, he bring restoration to what we have lost and he bring healing from our sorrows.
Tip: If/when you run out of words, think of scriptures or worship song lyrics to help you.
