What Kind of Legacy Will We Leave?
In these verses, God gives us the first of many genealogies contained in scripture. I know most people skim these sections (or completely skip them); however, we can learn a great deal from these lists of who begat who. This first list shows us the way mankind flourished and became who and what we see today. For instance, 4:20 tells us that Jabal was “the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle.” This shows us the beginning of the nomadic lifestyle still enjoyed by many people today. 4:21-22 show us a glimpse into the beginning of music. It tells us Jubal “was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe,” while his half-brother, Tubalcain, “was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron.” Interestingly, we read about Tubalcain’s sister, Naamah, nothing more than her name. It is the absence of the explanation that intrigues me, as if her fame need not be explained. With no explanation given, we must look to the name itself. Naamah mean “to be pleasant”, but it is interesting to note that the root of her name means “to sing”. Given the musical nature of her siblings, some scholars propose that Naamah might have been the first to perfect the art of singing to accompany the many musical instruments her brothers were inventing.
In the midst of this first genealogy, God placed a much-debated verse. Genesis 6:4, “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.” Given the absence of a definite explanation to this verse in scripture, we can only examine the four main explanations given to us by Biblical scholars and theologians. Answers in Genesis gives us a great article on the different theories. To read the entire article, follow the link above. The main summary of these theories is contained in their chart copied here:
Name
View in short
Fallen angels view
Satan and/or his fallen angels bred with human women and had offspring that were called Nephilim.
Fallen angels overtook men view
Fallen angels and/or Satan possessed men and caused them to breed with women.
Sethite view
The sons of God were the godly line from Adam to Seth down to Noah, and the Nephilim were fallen children who sought after false gods.
Fallen men view
Godly men (sons of God) took ungodly wives, and their descendants (Nephilim) followed after the false gods, rejected God, and fell far from God in wickedness.
Whichever view you lean towards, the truth remains: It did not take long for mankind to sink into debauchery and sinfulness. The result of this fall from grace is the mournful insight into God’s heart contained in Genesis 6:6: “And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart.”
No matter what the world remembers us for, none of it matters if our lives grieved the Lord. Matthew 16:26-27 tells us, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done.” Someday, our names will be written in a list of the lives of mankind. What will the world say about us? What will God?
Comments