目录
一、介绍
二、文学结构
早期的暴力与盼望
叙述
家谱
晚期的暴力与盼望
神的儿子们
伟人
后记
三、原本意义
关联
早期的暴力与盼望
叙述
家谱
晚期的暴力与盼望
意义
四、现今应用
奠基
暴力
拯救
延续
持续的暴力
持守信心
成全
暴力的结束
最后的拯救
五、总结
一、介绍
你注意过吗？小孩子常常大胆地置身在一个危险的境地。他们毫无警觉的走到马路当中，随便拿起一把锐利的刀子。有时甚至走到陌生人旁边，牵着别人的手走了——完全不在意别人可能造成的暴力伤害。
当然了，成年人就必知道这世界充满了各种患难。天灾造成生命财产的损失，疾病带来的痛苦，机器可能引起的伤害。我们也知道最大的危害就是由人对其他人所造成的。因着男人或女人所犯下的逼迫，攻击，谋杀和战争的暴力行为，对他人造成伤害。如果我们留心人类的历史，或稍微注意一下当前的时事，就几乎不可能否认人类已经使这个世界到处都充满了暴力。
我们把这一课的题目称为「一个暴力的世界」。我们要从创世记4章1节到6章8节来看摩西如何描述人类在堕落之后，很快的就为这世界带来了患难和暴力。在这段经文中摩西描述人类怎样开始用暴力充斥了这世界，以及神怎样回应处理这些问题。我们要从三方面来研究创世记这段经文。首先，我们要看看这些资料的文学结构。第二，我们要注意这些章节的原意。第三，我们要探讨新约教导我们怎样把这些经文应用在现今的时代中。让我们首先来看创世记4章1节到6章8节的文学结构。
这段创世记的经文涉及一些不同的主题，它包括叙述和家谱两部份。由于它的复杂性，常给我们留下一个这些经文不太协调的印象。但是仔细研究这段经文以后，我们就会发现它是一份经过细心编排，有一个合一目的的文学作品。这段创世记的经文可以分成两个主要段落。第一段包括4章1节到5章32节。我们称它为「早期的暴力与盼望」。第二段包括6章1节到8节。我们称它为「晚期的暴力与盼望」。
创世记4和5章这段暴力与得救盼望的早期场景可以分为4部份。这4部份又可分为叙述和家谱各两组的对应。4章1到16节构成一段叙述，和4章25到26节的第二段叙述互相对应。4章17到24节形成一个家谱，与5章1到32节的第二个家谱互相对应。我们要研究一下这些材料，探讨两段对应的叙述之间彼此的关联。然后接下来细看两个家谱之间相互的对应。
首先，在4章1到16节，摩西开始描写一个关于「罪人该隐」的故事。这段经文记载一件人人皆知的事，就是该隐在一次嫉妒的盛怒中杀了他的兄弟亚伯。进一步细看这段经文，我们就发现它可以划分成五个戏剧性的步骤。从第1到2A在故事开始的时候，该隐和亚伯和睦相处。但是当我们读到第16节，在故事结束的时候却出现了一个非常不同的情况。该隐被赶出这片好土，独自一人远离家园和神特别的同在。
在这段叙述的第二个阶段，从2B到7节描述了导致该隐杀害亚伯的事件。它特别提到两种献给神的「祭物」之间的区别。简单的说，神喜悦亚伯的祭物，却拒绝该隐的祭物。并且神警告该隐说，罪的权势要伺机辖制他。但该隐却不把这事放在心上。
叙述的第三阶段在第8节，它是故事的转捩点。在这个阶段中，该隐谋杀了他的兄弟亚伯。该隐和亚伯从一个献祭的地方出去到了野外。正如神所警告的，在那里罪辖制了该隐，使他成了人类历史上的第一个谋杀者。
叙述的第四阶段从9到15节，描述神给该隐的「咒诅和保护」。神咒诅该隐，赶逐他离开伊甸地，使他流落他乡。但却保护他不受他人的攻击。
所以我们看见创世记4到5章从该隐可怕的犯罪故事开始。罪使他败坏到一个地步，导致他杀害他的兄弟义人亚伯。这个结果使他被驱逐到一个远离神祝福的地方去居住。
看过创世记4到5章第一段叙述的结构以后，我们现在要进入这段经文的第二段叙述。这段相对的叙述记在4章25到26节。经文的重点从罪人该隐转到亚当的第三个儿子义人塞特身上。
有关义人塞特的记载可以分为三个简短的阶段。第一，在4章25节，夏娃生了塞特。第二阶段在4章26A，摩西提到塞特也有一个儿子，名叫以挪士。关于这个事件并没有更多的描述。但紧接着以挪士出生的记载，在第三阶段，4章26B，摩西加上一个关于这个家庭属灵特质的有力评论。在4章26B摩西这样记载：
那时候，人才求告耶和华的名。（创世记第4章26b节）简单的说，塞特和以挪士是借着祷告向神呼求的人。与罪人该隐相反，这些人在神面前是义人，他们的义表明在忠心的敬拜和祷告上。
有了这些平行叙述的基本对比以后，我们现在要接下来看创世记4和5章中的平行家谱。创世记4和5章的家谱常被当成只是一些隐晦不明血亲后裔的记录。因为这个原因，许多解经家忽略了它们的重要性。但仔细观察这些家谱以后，就发现其中有一些重要的信息说明了摩西写作这段太古史的目的。
从一方面看，4章17节到24节的第一个家谱是记录该隐有罪的世系。在这几节经文中摩西列出几个该隐的后裔，并说明罪怎样使这个家族变成一个骄傲，自夸和造成别人威胁的族群。第二个家谱是塞特公义的世系，记载在5章1节到32节。在这段经文中摩西记录了几个塞特家族中重要的名字。但是与该隐的世系相反的，这个世系一直都是公义和信实的。
我们仔细查考这两个家谱以后，很快就明白摩西介绍这两个家谱的目的是为了使他的读者可以把该隐和塞特的世系作成对比。我们认出这个意图的方法是注意看摩西在两个家谱中都列入的两个名字。在该隐的家谱和塞特的族系中都有以诺和拉麦这两个名字。而摩西把这两组同名的人作成明显的对比。在一方面，我们读到创世记4章17节这样记载该隐的后裔以诺：
该隐建造了一座城，就按着他儿子的名，将那城叫做以诺。（创世记第4章17节）该隐和他的儿子以诺大肆张扬的高举自己，给那城起名叫做以诺。但直到我们注意摩西怎样描写塞特族系的以诺的时候才明白这个评论的意思。在5章24节，摩西对塞特族系的以诺作了一个这样的评论：
以诺与神同行，神将他取去，他就不在了。（创世记第5章24节）很难想象另有其他两个人比我们所见的罪人以诺和义人以诺两人有更强烈的对比了。
除了这两个同名的以诺所形成的对比以外，摩西也提到一个该隐族系的拉麦和塞特族系的拉麦。再一次借着这两个人显明出另一个强烈的对比。从一个方面看来，该隐族系的拉麦是一个使人害怕的人物。创世记4章23到24节记载了拉麦是一个杀人的凶手，而且还以他杀人的恶行为自豪。
相反的，从摩西记载拉麦在他儿子出生时所说的话中表明了塞特族系的拉麦的品格。在5章29节
拉麦给他起名叫挪亚，说：「这个儿子必为我们的操作和手中的劳苦安慰我们。这操作劳苦是因为耶和华咒诅地。」（创世记第5章29节）照着《圣经》时代的习俗，塞特族系的拉麦为儿子起名作为他向神的祷告；盼望他的儿子挪亚会带来拯救，使人脱离从亚当和夏娃的时代以来，地遭受神的咒诅以后的可怕生活光景。
看过创世记4和5章怎样描述一个早期的暴力和得救盼望的模式以后，我们要接下来看记载在创世记6章1到8节，第二幕暴力和盼望的场景。
仔细查考这些经文以后，我们可以清楚的看出6章1到8节分成三个阶段：1）1到3节是关于「神的儿子们」的角色；2）4到7节重心转向另外一个称为伟人的角色。接着这两个阶段之后，摩西在第8节加上一个后记，再一次提到挪亚这个带来盼望的人。
这些经文的两个主要阶段描写地上发生的一连串造成威胁的事件。然后说到神怎样回应这些事件。让我们先来看看6章1到3节，神的儿子们所造成的威胁和神的回应。很不幸的，这些经文是创世记里面最难解释的经文之一。它的困难主要是在第2节的这些话：
神的儿子们看见人的女子美貌，就随意挑选，娶来为妻。（创世记第6章2节）摩西没有明白的解释神的儿子们和人的女子们是些什么人。很显然他期望他的原读者晓得他的意思。但是对今天的读者来说，想要准确无疑的指认这些角色的身份是不可能的。
在释经史上提供了三种合理的身份认定。1）第一，神的儿子们可能指那些娶了该隐后裔的女子为妻的塞特族系的人。这个解释有它的优点，因为在创世记4和5章把该隐的族系和塞特的族系作为对比。2）第二种看法认为神的儿子们可能指天使，而女子们指的是人的女儿。这个观点也有它的优点，因为在旧约中天使常被称为「神的儿子」。例如在约伯记1章6节和诗篇29章1节。3）第三种看法认为神的儿子指的是君王或贵族娶了平民的女子为妻。这个解释的优点是因为古代近东的君王常被称为神的儿子。正如撒母耳记下7章14节和诗篇2篇7节称呼大卫的儿子为神的儿子。虽然我个人喜欢第三种解释，但我们不必太教条化的坚持那一种特别的看法。
即使我们无法确定这些人的身份角色，但我们却可以比较肯定的知道他们作了什么事。你一定记得创世记6章2节说：
神的儿子们……就随意挑选，娶(人的女子)为妻。（创世记第6章2节）这不是旧约中论到合法婚嫁的习惯用语，并且它强烈的暗示这些女子和她们的家人都不同意这个婚姻。而是这些神的儿子们，也就是那些大有权势的贵族不经同意就强夺这些女子。这个用词甚至可能意谓着神的儿子们任意强暴这些女子。在所有的事件上，照着先前该隐和他的后裔犯罪的样式，暴力已经进到生活的另一个层面——对妇女的暴行。
摩西描写了神的儿子们造成的威胁以后，就进入他主要的关注：神对这些事件的反应。创世记6章3节说：
「人既属乎血气，我的灵就不永远住在他里面，然而他的日子还可到一百二十年。」（创世记第6章3节）神对于罪继续不断给人类带来暴力的情况逐渐感到厌烦，就宣告他不会永无止境地容忍这种败坏的光景。虽然如此，神出于恩慈的决定，在他施行审判以前，再容许多给人类一百二十年的时间。
第二组地上的行事和神的反应出现在创世记6章4节到7节，关于伟人的记事。
从第4节我们首先读到又有一次造成威胁的情况产生：
那时候有伟人在地上。后来神的儿子们和人的女子们交合生子，那就是太古英武有名的人。（创世记第6章4节）一些比较早期的《圣经》根据七十士译本把希伯来文的」伟人「译成」巨人「。但这个翻译是不恰当的，因为它没有表达这个字的涵意。学者们对于这个字的真正意思有不同的看法。但它最有可能是指强大的勇士或是战士。
在这段经文中，摩西特别描写这些伟人是「太古英武有名的人」。「英武的人」或希伯来文「הַגִּבֹּרִים（haggiborím）」就是勇士或强大的战士的意思。从上下文看来，关于这些伟人好战的声名含有负面的意思。这些人以抢夺的战略和暴力著称，以恐怖加害他们周围的人。这些暴力的情形从该隐杀了他的兄弟亚伯开始，持续到该隐的后裔拉麦的时候。这些伟人战士们在每一个角落的暴力威胁已经进入了一个更大的层面。在第5节我们读到：
耶和华见人在地上罪恶很大，终日所想的尽都是恶。（创世记第6章5节）因着伟人的出现，人类的败坏已经到了罪恶完全掌控了人性的地步。结果就像我们从6到7节读到的：
耶和华就后悔造人在地上，心中忧伤。耶和华说：我要将所造的人和走兽，并昆虫，以及空中的飞鸟，都从地上除灭，因为我造他们后悔了。（创世记第6章6-7节）神看见伟人用恐怖罪行蹂躏他所造的世界，就决定他要介入进行大规模，全球性毁灭世界的时刻已经来到了。
所幸创世记6章1到8节并没有停留在审判的话语上。相反的，为了维持这段太古史完整的模式，摩西在第8节加上一个带着盼望的后记。那里记着说：虽然神因为罪恶的败坏，决定要毁灭人类，但却有一个人可以带来盼望：
惟有挪亚在耶和华眼前蒙恩。（创世记第6章8节）摩西用这简短的几个字结束这一个威胁和盼望的场景。洪水毁灭了暴力和罪恶的人类，却为未来的世代带来一个拯救的结局。
从探讨创世记4章1节到6章8节文学结构的过程中，我们看见创世记这段经文集中在两个主要的事件上：第一，它针对该隐和他后裔那时代的人因为背叛神而带来暴力的威胁。第二，它针对神的儿子们和「伟人」时代的那些罪人所带来的威胁。但摩西指出在这两个事件上，神都借着塞特的一个儿子，名叫挪亚的人带来拯救。
看过创世记这段经文的基本结构和主要的关注以后，我们现在要进入第二个问题。什么是这段经文的原意？什么是摩西要向这些他从埃及带到应许地的以色列人表明的信息？
为了掌握这段太古史的原意，我们必须考虑两件事。第一，我们要看看摩西怎样把这段太古史与以色列类似的威胁经验相连。第二，我们要探讨这些关联对摩西的以色列原读者具有什么意义。让我们先来看摩西怎样使这些经文和他所带领的这些以色列人的经验相连。
摩西使用非常类似以色列人忍受暴力经验的方式来描写早期人类历史中暴力的情形，使这段太古史与他同时代的世界相连。借着这种方式指出以色列人所面对的暴力和太古世界暴力的情形是非常相似的。
为了探讨摩西怎样建立这些类似的地方，我们要再一次来看从创世记4章1节到6章8节的两个主要段落：第一幕场景是4到5章，早期的暴力和得救的盼望；第二幕场景是6章1到8节，晚期的暴力和得救的盼望。让我们先来看创世记4和5章怎样和以色列的经验相连。
在研读创世记4到5章恶人和义人的品格以后，我们就知道摩西编排这个题材的目的是为了使他的读者们能够认出埃及人就像是该隐和他的家族，而他们自己这些属神的百姓就像是亚伯，塞特和塞特的后裔一样。摩西怎么来建立这种关系的呢？
我们要开始仔细来查考创世记4章1到16节罪人该隐的故事。在这个故事中摩西提出至少五个重点，让以色列人可以把这段经文和他们的时代相连。第一点，摩西提到该隐和亚伯的职业。
听听创世记4章2节怎么说到该隐和亚伯的第一个区别：
亚伯是牧羊的，该隐是种地的。（创世记4章2节）这节经文说明该隐是个定居以种田为业的农夫，而亚伯是个牧羊人。无论古今，在一个定居以农业为主的社群和以游牧为生的牧羊人之间引起的紧张关系是司空见惯的。就像创世记这卷书上所记载的，摩西和以色列人都很清楚的知道当他们在埃及的时候，这种紧张关系曾造成许多严重的患难。在创世记46章33到34节，当约瑟的兄弟们来到埃及的时候，约瑟这样指示他的弟兄：
「等法老召你们的时候，问你们说：『你们以何事为业？』你们要说：『你的仆人从幼年直到如今，都以养牲畜为业，连我们的祖宗也都以此为业』。这样，你们可以住在歌珊地，因为凡牧羊的都被埃及人所厌恶。」（创世记46章33-34节）在这里，约瑟的指示使我们理解摩西为何要提该隐是个农夫，亚伯是个牧羊人的原因。他要他的以色列读者们把种地的该隐和埃及人相连。他也要以色列人把自己和那被害的亚伯相连。
这故事和摩西原听众的第二个关联出现在该隐和亚伯所奉献的祭物这个主题上。创世记第4章告诉我们说：神拒绝该隐的祭物，却喜悦亚伯的祭物。神区别这两种祭物的原因清楚的记在创世记4章3到4节。那里写着说：
该隐拿地里的出产为供物献给耶和华。亚伯也将他羊群中头生的和羊的脂油献上。（创世记4章3-4节）注意摩西怎么描写这些祭物。在第3节他说该隐献上「地里的出产」，而第4节记着说亚伯献上「他羊群中头生的和羊的脂油」。这个区别非常重要。该隐所带来的只不过是刚好从地上收成现成的出产。他的敬拜充其量不过是有名无实的。因为他没有把收成中最好的保留给神。但亚伯以虔诚的心满足了神律法的要求，献上他羊群中头生的和羊的脂油；根据摩西的律法，这些是最贵重的牲畜和昂贵的旧约祭物。该隐的献祭只不过是一个缺乏诚意的礼仪。相反的，亚伯献上的却是向着神诚心的奉献。
摩西也用该隐和亚伯两种祭物的区别来进一步作成埃及人和以色列人之间的关联。当我们想到摩西初次来到法老面前要求他释放以色列人，因为他们要向耶和华献祭这件事的时候，这个背景就突显出来了。我们读到出埃及记5章3节的记载，在那里摩西和亚伦对法老说：
「希伯来人的神遇见了我们，求你容我们往旷野去，走三天的路程，祭祀耶和华我们的神。」（出埃及记5章3节）但法老拒绝了他们的要求。摩西在第4节记载法老告诉他们说：
「摩西，亚伦，你们为什幺叫百姓旷工呢？你们去担你们的担子吧！」（出埃及记5章4节）所以我们看见就像该隐不尊重神，献上他那微不足道的祭物。埃及人也没有向以色列的神献上真实的敬拜。相对的，亚伯所献的是真诚的，蒙悦纳的祭物。以色列人也必须寻求向耶和华真实的敬拜。摩西用这种方式来建立一个埃及和该隐，以色列和亚伯之间的关联。
摩西所作的第三个与以色列人经历的关联就是透过谋杀这个主题。该隐杀了他的兄弟亚伯。而当我们想到以色列人也曾在埃及地遭到杀害的时候，这事件的意义就显明出来了。我们从出埃及记1和2章读到，埃及人不但加重以色列人的劳力，更杀害了许多人，包括他们的婴孩。藉这件事摩西建立了更多该隐和埃及人之间，亚伯和以色列之间的关联。
摩西借着描述该隐所在的地点作成第四个关联。该隐因为杀了亚伯而遭到神的咒诅，被赶出肥沃之地。我们读到创世记4章11和12节说：
「……现在你必从这地受咒诅。你种地，地不再给你效力……」（创世记4章11-12节）该隐受了咒诅，住在一个耕种却得不到好收成的地方。这个对该隐所在地点的描述和摩西对埃及地和他要领以色列人前去那地的评估非常吻合。听听摩西在申命记11章10到12节怎样描述迦南地和埃及地的对比：
「你要进去得为业的那地，本不像你出来的埃及地，你在那里撒种，用脚浇灌，像浇灌菜园一样。你们要过去得为业的那地，乃是有山，有谷，雨水滋润之地。是耶和华你神所眷顾的……」（申命记11章10-12节）神把该隐赶到一个远离伊甸的地方，那地好象埃及一样，在那里耕作必须付出加倍的劳力。这个事实给摩西的以色列读者另一个该隐和埃及人的关联。
创世记4和5章把该隐和埃及相连，亚伯和以色列相连的第五点是在该隐得到保护的这个主题。虽然该隐杀了他的兄弟亚伯，神却还保护他免于被伤害。我们读到创世记4章15节，神说：
「凡杀该隐的，必遭报七倍。」（创世记4章15节）虽然该隐是个杀人的凶手，神还是保护他免于遭受伤害。我们再一次看到摩西描述这些事件的目的是为了让以色列人把这些事件和他们自己在埃及的经验相连。神曾赐给埃及很大的保护。虽然他们是杀人的，本该受到神的审判，但是神仍然在一段长时间里施行他对埃及特别的保护。
所以我们看见摩西至少从五个方面来建立这段太古时代和以色列出埃及的经历之间这种别有用意的对应。在职业，敬拜，谋杀，地点和保护各方面的主题，全都指向摩西的用意：要他的以色列读者把这个故事应用在他们的生活上。把该隐和埃及人相连，亚伯和他们自己这属神的百姓相连。
看过这些从罪人该隐的故事所建立起来的关联以后，我们现在要接着来看创世记4章25和26节，关于义人塞特的这一段对应故事。
我们看见摩西给塞特和他的儿子以挪士下了一个重要的评语。创世记4章26节记着说：
那时候，人才求告耶和华的名。（创世记4章26节）摩西记载这个有关塞特和他的儿子以挪士的事件，盼望他的读者不但和亚伯认同，也和这个取代亚伯的亚当的儿子塞特认同。
首先，从「耶和华的名」这个片语看出塞特称神的名为耶和华。这就使他自己和以色列人相连。有趣的是，出埃及记很清楚的表明耶和华这个称呼是在摩西的时代才达到显著的地位。举个例子来看，在出埃及记3章15节，神这样对摩西说：
「你要对以色列人这样说：耶和华你们祖宗的神，就是亚伯拉罕的神，以撒的神，雅各的神，打发我到你们这里来。耶和华是我的名，直到永远；这也是我的纪念，直到万代。」（出埃及记3章15节）虽然从《圣经》的记载看来，耶和华的名这个用法从塞特的时代就有了，但直到摩西的时代，耶和华这个名字才成为对神最特出的称呼。为这个缘故，在摩西的领导下那些忠心的以色列人必然会把自己和义人塞特认同。因为像塞特一样，他们也爱慕耶和华的名。
接着，以色列人借着祷告这个主题使他们自己和塞特相连。这个主题也出现在创世记4章27节，摩西记载塞特的家族「(开始)求告耶和华的名」。在旧约《圣经》中，「求告耶和华的名」通常指着在需要或危难的时候呼求神的帮助。从这个观点我们看到摩西为他那时代的以色列人找到第二个关联。从摩西五经其它书卷里的记载，我们知道在出埃及记，当以色列人在埃及遭遇许多危难的时候，向耶和华呼求寻求他的帮助，就像塞特和以挪士求告神一样。
所以我们看见摩西编写有关罪人该隐和义人塞特的故事，作为和他当代世界的对称，为了使他的读者注意到埃及人就是该隐，也使他们看到自己就像是亚伯和塞特。
透过这些基本的关联，我们就可以接下来看该隐的家谱和塞特的家谱。
我们发现摩西也同样编写这些家谱使得以色列人继续把埃及人和恶人相连，而他们自己和义人相连。
为了进一步达到这个主要的目的，摩西用来描述该隐世系的方式让人无可置疑的联想到埃及人。这些关联至少在六个方面显明出来。
第一，摩西描写该隐是个建造城市的人。他在创世记4章17节有这样的描述：
该隐建造了一座城……（创世记4章17节）不需要多说，关于埃及人是伟大的城市建造者这一个事实，以色列人知道得太清楚了。替埃及人建城是以色列人在埃及为奴的时候所作的一部份工作。因为这个原因，这些关于该隐的描述必然产生一个和埃及人强而有力的联想。
第二，我们也应该注意该隐所建城市的名字。我们再读读创世记4章17节的记载：
该隐建造了一座城，就按着他儿子的名，将那城叫做以诺。（创世记4章17节）对于摩西时代的以色列人，这个事实提醒他们埃及人一贯的作法。就像摩西在出埃及记1章11节所描述的：
（埃及人）派督工辖制（u>以色列人），加重担苦害他们。他们为法老建造两座积货城，就是比东和兰塞。（出埃及记1章11节）兰塞城就是为尊崇法老兰塞而命名的。就像该隐一样， 埃及人也为着自己的荣耀和尊贵，用自己的名字为城市命名。从这方面看来，该隐的家谱建立了另外一个该隐和埃及人之间的关联。
该隐的世系和埃及人之间第三个关联显明在该隐的后裔拉麦以自己杀人的行径为傲这件事上。我们读到4章23节，拉麦竟然在他的两个妻子面前唱诗称颂自己说：
「亚大，洗拉，听我的声音；拉麦吹嘘自己的杀人行径也必然使古时的以色列人在心中产生对拉麦和埃及人之间的联想。以色列人一定很清楚在许多古埃及的石刻上记载着称颂法老和他们军兵杀人恶行的事迹。
第四个关联显明在摩西提到婴孩的死亡这件事。再一次听听拉麦所说的话。在4章23节他说：
「壮年人伤我，我把他杀了；少年人损我，我把他害了。」（创世记4章23节）翻译成「少年人」的希伯来文是יֶלֶד（jeled），这个字常常翻译成「男孩」。在拉麦的受害者当中很有可能就包括这些年幼的孩子。我们都知道在出埃及记第1章，法老下令处死所有以色列的男婴。就像该隐世系的拉麦一样，埃及人也杀害了以色列人中没有能力抗拒的男孩。
第五个该隐家族和埃及人的关联出现在拉麦宣称他享有加倍的保护这件事。在创世记4章24节，拉麦宣称他享有比该隐更多的保护。他说：
「若杀该隐，遭报七倍；杀拉麦，必遭报七十七倍。」（创世记4章24节）正如拉麦认为神会保护他一样，埃及的法老也确信他们会得到众神的保护。从事实看来，在好些年日中，埃及人确实享有越来越多的保护，使他们不受侵害。
第六方面，我们注意到在该隐世系中文化的复杂性。听听创世记4章20到22节怎样描写该隐世系的三个兄弟雅八，犹八和土八该隐：
雅八就是住帐棚，牧养牲畜之人的祖师……；犹八……是一切弹琴吹箫之人的祖师……；土八该隐是打造各样铜铁利器的。（创世记4章20-22节）摩西用这些话来描述该隐家族在多方面的才艺。雅八不只是个牧羊人，他发明了畜牧业。犹八发明了音乐。土八该隐发明了复杂的冶炼术。摩西这样描述罪人该隐的世系是为了让他的读者看出在该隐的世系和埃及人中间有一个确实的关联。
所以我们看见摩西从该隐的家谱和埃及人中间找出至少六个关联。他描写该隐的世系建造城市，为城市命名，以杀人为傲，对孩童的暴力， 神的保护和文化的复杂性，都是用来制造这些关联的。
现在我们接下来看创世记5章1到32节，塞特的家谱。我们可以预料摩西要建立塞特的家谱，使他的以色列读者可以和塞特的世系认同。这个关联建立在至少四个因素上。首先，我们一定注意到在血统上，以色列民族是出于塞特的后代。在创世记5章32节，我们读到挪亚三个儿子的名字：
挪亚五百岁生了闪，含，雅弗。（创世记5章32节）闪这个名字对摩西特别重要，因为闪是以色列人的祖先。在现代的语言里，「闪族的」或「闪族人」（Semitic, Semite）是从闪这个名字演变而来的。虽然有其它的民族也出于闪的后裔，但以色列人是神从闪的后代中特别拣选出来的百姓。所以从这个简单的遗传学意义上，摩西联结了以色列读者和塞特的家谱。
塞特的世系和以色列之间的第二个关联表现在对于塞特后裔的义行不断重复的关注。塞特的世系被描写为是信实和公义的。举个例说，根据创世记5章24节：
以诺与神同行……他就不在了。（创世记5章24节）在整本《圣经》中，希伯来文翻译成「与神同行」一词的地方，只出现在指着以诺而言的创世记5章22和24节，和指着挪亚而言的创世记6章9节。但特别是在申命记这卷书里面，摩西一再的告诉以色列人要像以诺一样与耶和华同行。从这一方面，那些跟随摩西忠心的以色列人找到了另一个和塞特世系的认同点。他们的目标就是像以诺。
塞特的家谱和以色列人的经历之间的第三个关联出现在摩西对塞特家族数目的强调。从塞特的家谱我们知道他的后裔繁多，不可胜数。摩西借着一再重复塞特后裔不断的「生儿养女」这个事实来突显塞特后裔人数的增加。事实上，他总共用了九次这样的评语，在创世记5章。强调塞特世系的人数对摩西的以色列读者是很重要的。因为他们知道在他们定居埃及和出埃及的期间都蒙了神的祝福，人数不断的增加。
第四点，摩西也强调许多塞特家族的人都得享长寿来联系以色列和塞特家族。举个例说，我们都知道塞特的后裔马土撒拉是《圣经》历史上最长寿的人。根据创世记5章27节，他一共活了969岁。还有其他许多塞特家族的人也都很长寿。摩西提到塞特族人的长寿是很重要的，因为摩西的律法指出在应许地享长寿是以色列中那些敬虔人的目标。摩西点出塞特后裔得享长寿的事实，再一次显明塞特家族和以色列之间的关联。
所以我们看到摩西费了一番工夫来建立塞特世系和以色列人之间的关联。他针对血统，义行，人口的增加，长寿这些主题来表明他要以色列人和这个太古家族认同的心意。
所以摩西写作早期暴力和得救盼望的这段太古史的目的是要和他当代的世界建立密切的关联。让该隐和他的后裔与这些用暴力加害以色列的埃及人相连。而亚伯，塞特和塞特的后裔与这些在埃及人暴力下受害的以色列人相连。这些关联是摩西写作这段历史的主要手段。
看完摩西怎样处理早期的暴力和盼望的记录以后，我们接着简短的来看看创世记6章1到8节这段「晚期的暴力和得救盼望」。
让我们特别看6章4节，在那里摩西这样描写这些人：
那时候有伟人在地上。后来神的儿子们和人的女子们交合生子，那就是太古英武有名的人。（创世记6章4节）我们已经谈过伟人是那些大能的战士，素以欺压掳掠著称。但注意摩西在这里对这些伟人下了一个重要的评语。他说伟人生活在地上的时候是在太古的时代，也在「后来」。
摩西借着加上这个有关洪水之后伟人战士的暗示来提醒他的以色列读者，让他们想起在最近的历史中曾经遇见过的伟人。在整本《圣经》里面，只有另外一处曾经提到过伟人这个字。那就是民数记13章32到33节。在那里，摩西送出去窥探迦南地的探子回来报告说他们看见伟人。他们说：
「我们所窥探经过之地，是吞吃居民之地……我们在那里看见……伟人……据我们看自己就如蚱蜢一样，据他们看我们也是如此。」（民数记13章32-33节）这些忠心的探子报信说迦南地上是个极为暴力，充满威胁的地方。迦南居民中的伟人是凶猛的战士，叫他们心惊胆颤。不幸这个报告使得跟随摩西的第一代以色列人转离了神要他们去征服那地的呼召。导致神因着以色列人的不信发怒，把他们送到旷野去没有目的的漂流，直到第一代全都死了，新的一代兴起，预备好承担征服的任务。
从这个观点我们可以看出摩西怎样建立这段太古史和以色列人的经历之间另一个有力的关联。他要他的以色列读者看出创世记6章的太古伟人和迦南地可怕的伟人战士之间的关联。这样，创世记6章1到8节所记的暴力与得救盼望就是清楚的针对征服迦南时暴力的威胁而说的。
到目前为止，对创世记4章1节到6章8节原意的研读使我们看见这些太古的人物和以色列经历中当代人物的关联。现在我们要接下来问第三个问题。这些关联对跟随摩西前往应许地的以色列人有什么意义呢？
要明白摩西给以色列人信息的中心，我们必须记得两次出现在这段材料中的基本场景。你一定记得创世记4章1节到6章8节包括两个威胁和得救盼望的场景。4章1节到5章32节着眼该隐和他后裔的暴力事件。而在5章29和32节描写挪亚，并指出将要借着他带来拯救。同样的，在创世记6章1到8节记载神的儿子们和伟人的暴力事件；而在6章8节再一次提到挪亚，指出神也一样会从这些威胁中施行拯救。
这些场景对于跟随摩西的以色列人来说是个好消息。他们因着神过去为他们作的和将来还要为他们作的事大喜过望。一方面，就像过去神借着挪亚从该隐后代的手中拯救了以色列的祖宗一样，他也借着摩西把以色列人从埃及人的手中拯救了出来。另一方面，正如神借着挪亚拯救人脱离太古伟人的威胁；现在正当以色列人面对迦南地伟人的威胁的时候，神也必定借着摩西来拯救他们。
看过了创世记4章1节到6章8节的结构和原意，现在我们要接下来看最后的一个主题：现今的应用。看看新约如何教导我们把这段摩西的太古史应用在今天的生活中。
照着一贯的方式，我们要用基督国度的三个阶段来探讨新约如何解释这些主题：第一个阶段是国度的奠基，从基督第一次到世上来开始；第二个阶段是国度的延续，包括整个教会的历史；第三个阶段是国度的成全，基督在荣耀中再来，带进新天新地。为了更全面的理解这些暴力和拯救方式对基督徒现今的应用，我们需要分别探讨基督国度的这些阶段。让我们先来看在国度的奠基阶段暴力的画面和救赎的盼望。
在基督第一次降世这国度奠基的时期，至少在两个方面叫我们想起太古史的暴力世界。第一方面，我们从耶稣在世上所受的暴力看出这个关联。第二方面，我们从耶稣带给他百姓的拯救找到关联。让我们先来看看耶稣第一次到世上来的时所经历的苦难。
熟悉耶稣生平的人都知道，耶稣遭受从世上来的逼迫是多方面的。他服事那些被欺压的人，担当他们的哀伤和痛苦。然而，根据新约《圣经》的记载，无可置疑的，那横加在基督身上暴力的最高峰就是他在十架上的死。耶稣承受了如今所知最残酷的一种死刑，他的遭遇事实上是超过了那些太古时代的义人所承受的痛苦。
从这个意义上看来，难怪新约在描写耶稣受苦的事上，拿他十架上的受难来和太古世界的暴力，或更准确的说，和亚伯的死相比。同样的，希伯来书的作者知道基督在恶人的手中无辜受害。因为这个缘故，就在他的书信中12章23和24节比较基督的死和亚伯的死说：
有审判众人的神和被成全之义人的灵魂，并新约的中保耶稣，以及所洒的血。这血所说的比亚伯的血所说的更美。（希伯来书12章23-24节）这个比喻清楚的指向摩西的太古史。基督所流的血比亚伯的血所说的更美，更伟大。也就是说，在神的眼中，基督的死比亚伯的死具有更重大的意义。耶稣的死非比寻常。因为他的死是为他的百姓赎罪，他替一切相信他的人受苦。不但如此，基督的死惹动神的义怒更远超过亚伯所流的血。
从这个意义看来，当我们读到摩西所记太古史的暴力事件的时候，就不能只注意他为何要为他的以色列原读者写作这段经文。从新约的角度来看，我们也应该认出太古史中那些义人所遭受的暴力是在预先说明国度奠基时期基督所受的苦难。
看过新约如何连接太古世界的暴力和基督的受苦之间的关系以后，我们要接下来看第二方面，国度奠基如何说明创世记这段经文。耶稣为世界带来的得救盼望是另一个重要的关联。
耶稣在他公开传道的期间，大部份时间都用在传扬一个盼望的信息，也就是福音。这个信息告诉那些跟随他的人有一天苦难的生活将成为过去。耶稣对于这个福音信息的全心奉献出现在他所有的教导当中。但是让我们想想这个拯救的信息在八福中，就是在他登山宝训开头的祝福里面占了何等显著的地位。耶稣在开始这个人人熟知的讲道的时候，在马太福音5章10到12节说：
「为义受逼迫的人有福了，因为天国是他们的。人若因我辱骂你们，逼迫你们，捏造各样坏话毁谤你们，你们就有福了。应当欢喜快乐，因为你们在天上的赏赐是大的。」（马太福音5章10-12节）这些祝福显明了耶稣的教导事工里一个主要的关切：就是他带来了一个盼望的信息，要使人知道神没有离弃他的百姓。耶稣勉励跟随他的人持定一个盼望，知道有一天神必要拯救他们脱离一切的苦难。
但耶稣不只是教导得救盼望的好消息，他更借着自己的死和复活真正成就了他所宣告的拯救。因为耶稣是那完美的大卫之子，他的死成为神百姓的赎罪祭。他的死偿还了罪的代价，使跟随他的人不再惧怕死亡的威胁。我们读到希伯来书2章14，15节，那里说耶稣的死是为了要
借着死败坏那掌死权的，就是魔鬼，并要释放那些一生因怕死而为奴仆的人。（希伯来书2章14，15节）所以我们看见这些暴力和得救盼望的主题很恰当的应用在基督国度奠基的时期。正如摩西的著作告诉以色列人他们所遭受的威胁，并教导以色列人有关神救赎的权能。新约《圣经》也启示了耶稣来到世上自己承担暴力的苦害，并拯救他的百姓脱离世上邪恶的权势。
看过了新约从几个方面把耶稣的第一次降世和太古史相连，我们现在也要来看看新约如何把这段太古史的经文应用在国度的延续，就是基督第一次来和他的再来之间的时期。
新约《圣经》至少从两方面来解释国度的延续如何连接创世记4章1节到6章8节的主题。这些解释在我们应用这段经文在基督教会中的时候提供了一个基本的指引。新约一方面教导我们说神的百姓必然会不断遭遇暴力的对待，另一方面也勉励我们在这些困难中要忍耐等候，持续相信基督必然拯救。首先，让我们思想跟随基督的人必定会遭遇暴力的对待这一个事实。
耶稣在好几个场合中教导跟随他的人说：他们会遭遇世界的恨恶和逼迫。但在马太福音23章34，35节耶稣亲自指出一个事实，那就是这个苦难和太古世界义人所受的苦难是互相关联的。耶稣对法利赛人说：
「所以我差遣先知和智慧人并文士到你们这里来，有的你们要杀害，要钉十字架；有的你们要在会堂里鞭打，从这城追逼到那城。叫世上所流义人的血，都归在你们身上，从义人亚伯的血起，直到你们在殿和坛中间所杀的巴拉加的儿子撒迦利亚的血为止。」（马太福音23章34-35节）耶稣预言那些他差到世上的信徒将会受到严重的逼迫。但注意，耶稣也把这个预言和太古的历史相连。他说那加害信徒的暴力是继续从前暴力的模式，可以一直推回到为该隐所杀的义人亚伯的血。
当我们明白在国度延续期间跟随基督的人永远都会受到逼迫的道理以后，我们就知道持守向基督的信心是多么重要。希伯来书的作者在他书信的11章谈到这件事。我们读到11章4节说：
亚伯因着信，献祭与神，比该隐所献的更美，因此便得了称义的见证，就是神指他礼物的见证。他虽然死了，却因这信，仍旧说话。（希伯来书11章4节）这段经文的主要意思就是说到历代以来跟随基督的人必须跟随亚伯的榜样。虽然亚伯的义行使他遭受了从他那邪恶的兄弟而来的麻烦。但亚伯却成了直到如今所有信徒们信心的榜样。
所以我们看见太古史中暴力和拯救的主题也应用在国度延续期间的基督徒身上。一方面，我们必须预备好承担来自我们世代中的反对和暴力。但另一方面，在我们忍受困难的时候，必须持守忠心，盼望那有一天必然来到的基督拯救，才能使我们克服难关。
看过暴力和拯救的主题如何适用在国度的奠基和延续的时期以后，我们就要接下来看基督国度的最后一个阶段——他的再来。
简单的说，新约教导我们在基督回来的时候，那些临到神百姓身上的暴力情形将会结束。我们也会经历一次最后的拯救，进入一个享有永远福气的世界。
暴力的终止是新约描写国度成全时期的一个主要特征。当基督回来的时候，他会带来一个全然更新的创造，除尽一切的暴力。听听使徒约翰在启示录21章1到5节怎样描述基督的再来：
我又看见一个新天新地，因为先前的天地已经过去了……我听见有大声音从宝座出来说：……神要亲自与他们同在，作他们的神。神要擦去他们一切的眼泪，不再有悲哀，哭号，疼痛，因为以前的事都过去了。坐宝座的说：看哪！我将一切都更新了。（启示录21章1-5节）同时，基督国度的成全不但带来暴力的止息，当基督回来的时候，他会把那带着无限祝福的生命和平安赏赐给他的百姓。我们将会得着一个完全的，最后的拯救。从启示录22章1，2节我们读到有关这个最后拯救的描述：
天使又指示我在城内街道当中一道生命水的河，明亮如水晶，从神和羔羊的宝座流出来。在河这边与那边有生命树，结十二样果子，每月都结果子；树上的叶子乃为医治万民。（启示录22章1-2节）这个在基督再来的时候要带来最后拯救的盼望出现在全本新约《圣经》中。这是基督信仰的最高峰。我们等待那一天的来到。那时这世界上的患难和困苦都要为将来那赐生命的奇妙世界所取代。苦难要转为喜乐；争战要转为得胜；而死亡也要转为永远的生命。
所以我们看见摩西记载太古世界的暴力来勉励以色列人前往迦南地；新约也勉励我们向往将来要成全的新世界。当基督再来的时候，所有信靠他的人都要看见暴力止息，也要承受一次完全的，荣耀的拯救，进入永世的救赎中。
在这一课中，我们从创世记4章1节到6章8节的描述看见太古世界中暴力的几个不同层面。我们看了创世记这段经文的结构；摩西如何编写这些材料勉励跟随他的以色列人前往迦南地；也知道身为基督徒的我们应当把这段描述太古史的经文应用在我们的新约信仰当中。
当我们再读摩西原本为以色列人而写的这段创世记经文的时候，它对我们就不再只是过去的历史记载。看见神拯救太古世代的人脱离暴力，后来又拯救摩西时代的以色列人，使我们的盼望更加坚定，知道有一天基督也会把我们从这个暴力的世界中拯救出来。
The Primeval History: A World of Violence
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INTRODUCTION
Have you ever noticed how young children often go fearlessly into dangerous situations? They walk into the middle of the street without a care in the world. They pick up sharp knives without caution. Sometimes they even go right up to strangers, take their hands, and start to walk off with them — completely oblivious to the violence other people can pose.
But of course, adults know that the world is full of all kinds of trouble. Natural disasters destroy life and property; diseases bring suffering; machines can harm us. And we know that perhaps the greatest dangers of all are those posed by other people. Men and women commit violent acts of assault, murder, and war on their fellow human beings. If we are aware of human history, or if we are just paying attention to current events, it is nearly impossible to deny that human beings have filled this world with violence.
We have entitled this lesson, "A World of Violence," and we are going to look at Genesis 4:1–6:8 where Moses described the troubles and violence that took place in the world shortly after humanity's fall into sin. In these chapters, Moses described how human beings began to fill the world with violence, and how God reacted to those troubles. We will examine three aspects of this portion of Genesis: first, we will look at the literary structure of this material; second, we will focus on the original meaning of these chapters; and third, we will explore how the New Testament teaches us to apply these passages in our own day. Let's look first at the literary structure of Genesis 4:1–6:8.
LITERARY STRUCTURE
These chapters in Genesis touch on a number of different topics, and include both narratives and genealogies. Now, these complexities often leave us with the impression that the chapters don't fit together very well. But when we examine this portion of Genesis more closely, we'll see that it is a carefully crafted literary work with a unified purpose. As we look at Genesis 4:1–6:8 we will see that this portion of Genesis divides into two main sections. The first section consists of 4:1-5:32, and we have entitled it "early violence and hope." The second section consists of 6:1-8, and we have called it "later violence and hope."
Early Violence and Hope
The early scenario of violence and hope of deliverance in Genesis 4 and 5 divides into four parts, and these parts form two parallel sets of narratives and genealogies. Chapter 4:1-16 forms a narrative which parallels a second narrative in 4:25-26, and 4:17-24 forms a genealogy which corresponds to a second genealogy in 5:1-32. We will examine these materials by exploring some of the relationships between the corresponding narratives, and then we will give attention to the parallels between the two genealogies.
Narratives
In the first place, Moses began by writing a story about sinful Cain in 4:1-16. This passage is the well-known record of the time when Cain broke into a fit of jealous rage and murdered his brother Abel. When we look more closely at this passage, it becomes apparent that it divides into five dramatic steps. The story begins with Cain and Abel living together harmoniously in verses 1-2a. Even so, when we turn to the end of the narrative in verse 16, we find a very different circumstance. Cain is alone, banished from the good land, from his family and from God's special presence.
The second step of the story, found in verses 2b-7, touches on the events that led Cain to murder Abel, specifically the distinction between the sacrifices each offered to God. Put simply, God was pleased with Abel's sacrifice, but he rejected Cain's sacrifice. God also warned Cain about the power of sin seeking to master him, but Cain paid no attention.
The third section of this narrative, verse 8, forms the turning point of this story. In this section, Cain murdered his brother Abel. Cain and Abel went away from the place of sacrifice into a field, and there, just as God had warned, sin mastered Cain and turned him into the first murderer in human history.
The fourth section of this narrative appears in verses 9-15 and describes the curse and protection God gave to Cain. God placed a curse on Cain by banishing him to wander far from the land of Eden, but he also protected him from being attacked by other people.
So we see that Genesis 4 and 5 begin with the story of Cain's terrible sin. He was so corrupted by sin that he actually murdered his righteous brother Abel, and as a result, he was destined to live far from the place of God's blessing.
Now that we have seen the structure of the opening narrative of Genesis 4 and 5, we should turn to the second narrative which appears in these chapters, the corresponding account in 4:25-26. This passage turns attention away from sinful Cain to Adam's third son, righteous Seth.
The report of righteous Seth divides into three short steps. First, in 4:25, Eve gives birth to Seth. The second step in this report appears in 4:26a where Moses noted that Seth also had a son, Enosh. Nothing much is made of this event, but Moses followed his report of Enosh's birth with a third step in 4:26b, where he added a telling comment on the spiritual character of this family. In 4:26b Moses wrote these words:
At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord (Genesis 4:26b).
Put simply, Seth and Enosh were men who called out to God in prayer. In contrast with sinful Cain, these men were righteous before God and they demonstrated this righteousness through faithful worship and prayer.
Genealogies
With the basic contrasts of these parallel narratives in mind, we should now turn to the parallel genealogies in chapters 4 and 5. The genealogies of Genesis 4 and 5 often seem to be little more than obscure records of biological descent, and for this reason, many interpreters overlook their importance. Yet, a closer look at the genealogies reveals that they contain vital information that served Moses' purposes in writing this portion of his primeval history.
On the one hand, the first genealogy records Cain's sinful lineage in 4:17-24. In these verses, Moses listed a number of Cain's descendants, and reflected on how sin had turned this family into a proud, boastful, and threatening clan.
The second genealogy consists of Seth's righteous lineage in 5:1-32. In this passage, Moses recorded a number of important names in Seth's family. Yet, in contrast with the line of Cain, this family continued to be righteous and faithful.
One of the ways we can see this intention is to notice the way Moses included two names in both lists. Both Cain's genealogy and the lineage of Seth contain the names Enoch and Lamech, and Moses explicitly contrasted these men with each other. Consider first what Moses said about the two men named Enoch. On the one side, in Genesis 4:17 we read these words about Cain's descendant Enoch:
Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch (Genesis 4:17).
Cain and his son Enoch exalted themselves in great pride by naming the city after Enoch. We can see the significance of this comment when we notice what Moses wrote about the Enoch of Seth's line. In 5:24, Moses commented on Seth's Enoch in this way:
Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away (Genesis 5:24).
It would be hard to imagine a more striking contrast between two men than we find here between the sinful Enoch and the righteous Enoch.
In addition to the contrasts set up between the two men named Enoch, Moses also mentioned a Lamech in Cain's line and a Lamech in Seth's line. Once again, strong contrasts stand out between these two men. On the one hand, Cain's Lamech was a horrible figure. Genesis 4:23-24 report that Lamech was a murderer, and took great pride in his murderous exploits.
By contrast, to display the character of Seth's Lamech, Moses recorded Lamech's words at the birth of his son in 5:29:
[Lamech] named him Noah and said, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed" (Genesis 5:29).
As was the custom in biblical times, Seth's Lamech named his son as a prayer to God, expressing the hope that his son Noah would bring deliverance from the terrible condition of life which began when God cursed the ground in the days of Adam and Eve.
Now that we have noticed how Genesis 4 and 5 convey a pattern of early violence and hope of deliverance, we should turn to the second scenario of violence and hope as it appears in Genesis 6:1-8.
Later Violence and Hope
When we look more closely at these verses, it becomes apparent that 6:1-8 divide into three steps: first, verses 1-3 concern characters known as the "sons of God"; second, verses 4-7 focus on other characters known as the "Nephilim"; following these two steps, Moses added an afterword in verse 8 mentioning Noah once again, the man in whom there was hope of deliverance.
Sons of God
The two main steps of these verses describe a series of threatening events that took place on earth, and then reveal how God reacted to these events. Let's look first at the threat of the sons of God and at God's reaction in 6:1-3.
Unfortunately, these verses are among the most difficult to interpret in the book of Genesis. The difficulty primarily centers on verse 2 where we read these words:
The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose (Genesis 6:2).
Moses did not explain precisely who these sons of God and daughters of men were. Apparently, he expected his original readers to understand what he meant. But it has been impossible for modern readers to settle the identities of these characters beyond question.
In the history of interpretation three reasonable identifications have been suggested. First, the sons of God may be Sethites who married women descended from Cain. This interpretation has some merit because of the contrasts set up between the Cainites and Sethites in chapters 4 and 5 of Genesis. A second option is that the sons of God may be angels, and the daughters of men were mere humans. This view also has some merit because angels are often called "sons of God" in the Old Testament in passages like Job 1:6 and Psalm 29:1. A third option is to understand the sons of God as kings or noblemen who took peasant women. This outlook has merit as well because in the Ancient Near East kings were often called sons of God, just as the son of David is called God's son in 2 Samuel 7:14 and in Psalm 2:7. Although I favor this third interpretation, we should not be dogmatic about any particular position.
Even though we cannot be sure who these characters were, we can be more certain of what they did. You will recall that in Genesis 6:2 we read that:
The sons of God … married any of [the daughters of men] they chose (Genesis 6:2).
This is not ordinary language in the Old Testament for legitimate marriage, and it strongly suggests that neither the women nor their families consented to these relationships. Rather, the sons of God, who may have been powerful noblemen, forcefully took women without their consent. The language here may even mean that the sons of God actually raped these women at will. In all events, the violence exemplified earlier in the exploits of Cain and his descendants reached another area of life — the violation of women.
After Moses described the threat of the sons of God, he turned to his main concern — God's reaction to these events. We read these words in Genesis 6:3:
My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years (Genesis 6:3).
God grew tired of the ways sin continued to bring violence to the human race, and declared that he would not tolerate this corruption forever. Nevertheless, God graciously determined to allow humanity another one hundred and twenty years before executing his judgment.
A second set of actions on earth and divine reaction appears in Genesis 6:4-7, the account of the Nephilim.
Nephilim
In verse 4 we first read about another threatening circumstance that developed:
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days — and also afterward — when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown (Genesis 6:4).
Now, some older Bibles simply follow the Septuagint and translate the Hebrew word "Nephilim" as "giants." But this translation is unfortunate because it does not convey the connotations of the word. Scholarly opinion is divided over the precise meaning of the term, but it is most likely that it refers to strong warriors or warlords.
In this passage, Moses specifically described these Nephilim as "heroes of old, men of renown." The term "heroes" or hagiborim in Hebrew, denotes warriors or powerful soldiers. In this context, the military notoriety of the Nephilim should be taken negatively. These men were known for their exploitative warfare and violence as they inflicted terror on those around them. The violence that began when Cain killed his brother Abel, and continued in Cain's descendant Lamech, had now reached even greater proportions as the Nephilim soldiers threatened violence at every turn. As we read in verse 5:
The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time (Genesis 6:5).
With the appearance of the Nephilim, the corruption of the human race had grown to such proportions that sin utterly dominated humanity. As a result, we read in verses 6-7 that:
The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth — men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air — for I am grieved that I have made them" (Genesis 6:6-7).
God saw how the Nephilim terrorized his world, and determined that it was time to intervene with massive, worldwide destruction.
Afterword
Happily, Genesis 6:1-8 do not end with words of judgment. Instead, in keeping with the overarching patterns of this portion of his primeval history, Moses added an afterword of hope in verse 8. There we read that even though God determined to destroy humanity because of the corruption of sin, there was one man who provided hope:
Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8).
In these few words, Moses completed the scenario of threat and hope of deliverance. The destruction of violent, sinful humanity through the flood would actually result in a deliverance for future generations.
From our explorations of the literary structures of Genesis 4:1–6:8, we see that these chapters in Genesis focus on two major issues: first, they focus on the threat of violence from those who rebelled against God in the days of Cain and his descendants; second, they focus on the threat of sinful people in the days of the sons of God and the Nephilim. In both cases, however, Moses indicated that God would bring deliverance through the one special son of Seth, the man named Noah.
Now that we have seen the basic structure and central concerns of this portion of Genesis, we are in a position to ask a second question. What was the original meaning of these chapters? What was Moses communicating to the Israelites as he led them from Egypt to the Promised Land?
ORIGINAL MEANING
To grasp the original meaning of this portion of the primeval history, it will help to consider two matters: first, we will see how Moses connected this portion of his primeval history to Israel's experience; and second, we will explore the implications of these connections for Moses' original Israelite readers. Let's look first at the ways Moses connected these chapters to the experiences of the Israelites whom he was leading.
Connections
Moses related these chapters of his primeval history to his contemporary world by describing the violence of early human history in ways that closely resembled the experiences of violence which Israel had endured. By doing so, he pointed out that the troubles which Israel faced were very similar to the troubles of the primeval world.
Now, to explore how Moses established these similarities, we will look once again at the two major sections of Genesis 4:1–6:8, the first scenario of early violence and hope of deliverance in chapters 4 and 5, and the second scenario of later violence and hope of deliverance in 6:1-8. Let's look first at how Genesis 4 and 5 connected to Israel's experience.
Early Violence and Hope
As we look at the characteristics of the wicked and righteous in Genesis 4 and 5, it becomes apparent that Moses shaped this material so that his readers would associate Cain and his family with the Egyptians, and so that they would associate righteous Abel, Seth, and the Sethites with themselves as the people of God. Now, how did Moses build these connections?
Narratives
We should begin by examining the story of sinful Cain in Genesis 4:1-16. In this story, Moses focused on at least five concerns that allowed the Israelites to connect this passage to their own day. In the first place, Moses mentioned the occupations of Cain and Abel to create these associations.
Listen to the way Cain and Abel were initially distinguished in Genesis 4:2:
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil (Genesis 4:2).
As this passage indicates, Cain was a settled agriculturalist, a farmer, while Abel was a shepherd. In ancient and modern times, it has been common for tensions to arise between settled, agriculturally-based societies and nomadic shepherds. And as the book of Genesis itself indicates, Moses and the Israelites were quite aware of this kind of tension and how it led to serious trials while they were in Egypt. In Genesis 46:33-34, Joseph instructed his brothers in this way when they came to Egypt:
When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, "What is your occupation?" you should answer, "Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did." Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians (Genesis 46:33-34).
Joseph's instructions here give us insight into why Moses mentioned that Cain was a farmer and Abel a shepherd. He wanted his Israelite readers to associate Cain, the agriculturalist, with the Egyptians, and he wanted Israel to associate themselves with Abel, the victimized shepherd.
A second connection between this story and Moses' original audience appears in the motif of the sacrifices offered by Cain and Abel. As Genesis 4 tells us, God rejected Cain's sacrifice but was pleased with Abel's sacrifice. The reason for God's distinction between these sacrifices is made explicit in Genesis 4:3-4, where we read these words:
Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock (Genesis 4:3-4).
Notice the way Moses described the sacrifices. In verse 3 he said that Cain offered "some of the fruits of the soil," but in verse 4 he wrote that Abel offered "fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock." This distinction is very important. Cain simply brought whatever fruits of his field he happened to gather. His worship was nominal at best because he did not reserve the best of his crop for God. But Abel fulfilled the law of God with a sincere heart by bringing the fat portions (which were highly prized for Old Testament sacrifices) from among the firstborn of his flocks (which were the most highly prized animals according to the Law of Moses). Cain's sacrifice was little more than an insincere ritual. But by contrast, Abel offered sincere devotion to God.
Moses also used this distinction between the sacrifices of Cain and Abel to draw further associations with the Egyptians and Israel. This background is striking when we remember that Moses first approached Pharaoh to ask for the release of Israel because he wanted to offer sacrifices to Yahweh. As we read in Exodus 5:3, Moses and Aaron said these words to Pharaoh:
The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God (Exodus 5:3).
But Pharaoh refused their request. As Moses recorded in verse 4, Pharaoh told them:
Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work! (Exodus 5:4).
So we see that just as Cain had dishonored God with his nominal sacrifices, the Egyptians did not offer true worship to Israel's God. Yet, just as Abel offered sincere and acceptable sacrifices, so the Israelites sought the true worship of Yahweh. In this way, Moses established another association of Egypt with Cain, and of Israel with Abel.
A third way Moses created connections with Israel's experience was through the motif of murder. Cain murdered his brother Abel, and the significance of this event becomes evident when we remember the murders of the Israelites that took place in Egypt. In Exodus 1 and 2 we read that the Egyptians not only overworked the Israelites, but actively murdered many of them, including their infant children. In this way Moses developed still more associations between Cain and the Egyptians, as well as between Abel and the Israelites.
A fourth way in which Moses created these associations was by describing Cain's location on the earth. When God cursed Cain for murdering Abel, he banished Cain from the fertile land. As we read in Genesis 4:11-12:
Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground… When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you (Genesis 4:11-12).
Cain was cursed to live in places where his farming would yield very little produce. This description of Cain's location fit nicely with Moses' assessment of the land of Egypt and of the land where he was taking Israel. Listen to the way Moses contrasted Canaan and Egypt in Deuteronomy 11:10-12:
The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for (Deuteronomy 11:10-12).
God sent Cain to a place far from Eden, to a place like Egypt, where farming required much effort. This fact was another way in which Moses' Israelite readers were to associate Cain with the Egyptians.
A fifth way in which Genesis 4 and 5 connected Cain with Egypt and Abel with Israel was in the theme of Cain's protection. Even though Cain killed his brother Abel, God still protected him from harm. We read these words from God in Genesis 4:15:
If anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over (Genesis 4:15).
God protected Cain from harm even though he was a murderer. Once again, we see that Moses described these events so that Israel would associate them with their own experience in Egypt. God had given great protection to Egypt. Even though they were murderous and deserved divine judgment, for a long time God extended special protection to Egypt.
So we see that in at least five ways Moses established meaningful parallels between this primeval period and Israel's exodus experience. The themes of occupations, worship, murder, location, and protection all indicate that Moses wanted his Israelite readers to apply this story to their lives by associating Cain with the Egyptians, and by associating Abel with themselves as the people of God.
Now that we have seen the associations established in the story of sinful Cain, we should turn to the parallel narrative concerning righteous Seth in Genesis 4:25-26.
As we have seen, Moses made one significant comment about Seth and his son, Enosh. In Genesis 4:26 we read these words:
At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord (Genesis 4:26).
Moses mentioned this fact about Seth and his son so that his readers would identify themselves not only with Abel, but also with Seth, Adam's son who replaced Abel.
In the first place, Seth used the divine name Yahweh, and this use associated him with Israel. Interestingly enough, the book of Exodus makes it clear that the name Yahweh rose to prominence in the days of Moses. For example, God spoke to Moses in this way in Exodus 3:15:
Say to the Israelites, "The Lord (in Hebrew, "Yahweh"), the God of your fathers — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob — has sent me to you." This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation (Exodus 3:15).
Although the biblical record indicates that the name Yahweh was used from the time of Seth, during the time of Moses, this name became the principal name used for God. For this reason, faithful Israelites under Moses' leadership would have associated themselves with righteous Seth. Like him, they also cherished the name Yahweh.
In the second place, the Israelites should have associated themselves with Seth through the theme of prayer. This motif also appears in Genesis 4:26 where Moses wrote that Seth's family "began to call on the name of the Lord." In the Old Testament "to call on the name of the Lord" often meant to cry out for divine help in a time of trouble or need. In this light we can see that Moses drew a second connection to Israel in his own times. From the rest of the Pentateuch, we learn that in the Exodus from Egypt, Israel called on Yahweh for help during many crises, much like Seth and Enosh had called on him.
So we see that the Moses designed the narratives about sinful Cain and righteous Seth to form parallels with his contemporary world. He wanted his readers to notice that the Egyptians were like Cain. He also wanted his readers to see that they themselves were like Abel and Seth.
With these basic connections in mind we are in a position to turn to the genealogy of Cain and the genealogy of Seth.
Genealogies
As we will see, Moses also shaped these genealogies so that the Israelites would continue to associate the Egyptians with the wicked and themselves with the righteous.
To further his main purpose, Genesis 4:17-24 characterizes the line of Cain in ways that drew indisputable associations with Egypt. These connections appear in at least six ways.
First, Moses focused on Cain as a city builder. As he wrote in Genesis 4:17:
Cain was then building a city (Genesis 4:17).
Needless to say, the Israelites knew all too well that the Egyptians were great city builders — building cities for the Egyptians had been part of what the Israelites did as they were slaves in Egypt. For this reason, these words about Cain would have created strong associations with the Egyptians.
Second, we should also take note of the name of Cain's city. Again in Genesis 4:17, we read these words:
Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch (Genesis 4:17).
For Israelites in the days of Moses, this fact reminded them of an Egyptian practice. As Moses reported in Exodus 1:11:
[The Egyptians] put slave masters over [the Israelites] to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh (Exodus 1:11).
The city Rameses was named in honor of the Pharaoh Rameses. Just like Cain, the Egyptians also named cities after themselves for their own glory and honor. In this way, Cain's genealogy established another connection between Cain and the Egyptians.
A third association between Cain's line and Egypt appears in the pride which Cain's descendant Lamech took in his act of murder. In 4:23 we read that Lamech actually sang a song of praise to himself before his wives:
Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed a man for wounding me (Genesis 4:23).
Lamech's boasting of his atrocities should also have associated Lamech with the Egyptians in the minds of ancient Israelites. The Israelites would have been quite aware that many ancient Egyptian inscriptions praised the Pharaohs and their armies for their murderous exploits.
A fourth association appears in Moses' attention to the death of children. Listen again to what Lamech said. In 4:23 we read:
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for injuring me (Genesis 4:23).
The Hebrew term translated "young man" here is yeled, which is often translated simply "boy." One of Lamech's victims was in all likelihood little more than a child. As we all know, in the first chapter of the book of Exodus, Pharaoh ordered the death of Israelite boys. Like Cain's Lamech, the Egyptians struck out against the defenseless of Israel, against their male children.
A fifth association between Cain's family and the Egyptians appears in Lamech's claim to increased protection. In Genesis 4:24, Lamech claimed to enjoy even more protection than Cain:
If Cain is avenged seven times,
then Lamech seventy-seven times (Genesis 4:24).
Just as Lamech thought that God protected him, the Pharaohs of Egypt were confident of protection from their gods. As a matter of fact, it had certainly appeared for many years that the Egyptians enjoyed more and more protection from harm.
In the sixth place, we should note the cultural sophistication of Cain's line. Listen to the ways these three Cainite brothers, Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-Cain are described in Genesis 4:20-22:
Jabal… was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock… Jubal… was the father of all who play the harp and flute… Tubal-Cain… forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron (Genesis 4:20-22).
With these words, Moses characterized Cain's family as very sophisticated. Jabal was no mere shepherd; he invented animal husbandry. Jubal invented music, and Tubal-Cain invented sophisticated metallurgy. It would have been very difficult for Israelites in Moses' day to have missed this connection. Compared to the simple, nomadic lifestyles of Israel's patriarchs, the culture of Egypt was highly sophisticated. Moses described the sinful line of Cain in this way to confirm the association he wanted his readers to make between Cain's lineage and the Egyptians.
So we see that in at least six ways Moses drew connections between the Cainite genealogy and the Egyptians. His descriptions of city building, naming cities, pride in murder, violence against children, divine protection, and cultural sophistication in Cain's family were designed to create these connections.
Now we should turn to the genealogy of Seth in Genesis 5:1-32. As we might expect, Moses constructed the Sethite genealogy so that his Israelite readers would identify themselves with Seth's lineage. This association was built on at least four factors. In the first place, we should note that on a biological level, the nation of Israel descended from the line of Seth. In Genesis 5:32 we read the names of Noah's three sons:
After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth (Genesis 5:32).
The name Shem was particularly important to Moses because Shem was the ancestor of Israel. In modern languages we derive the term "semitic" or "semite" from the name Shem. Although other nations also came from the seed of Shem, the Israelites were God's special chosen people, and they were from among the descendants of Shem. So, in this simple biological sense, Moses connected his Israelite readers with Seth's genealogy.
A second association between Seth's line and Israel appears in the repeated focus on the righteousness of Seth's descendants. Seth's line is characterized as faithful and righteous. For instance, according to Genesis 5:24:
Enoch walked with God; then he was no more (Genesis 5:24).
In the Hebrew Bible, the expression translated "walked with God" only occurs with reference to Enoch and Noah. Yet, time and again, especially in the book of Deuteronomy, Moses told Israel that they were to be like Enoch by walking in the ways of Yahweh. In this way, the faithful Israelites following Moses found another point of identification with the line of Seth. It was their goal to be like Enoch.
A third connection between Seth's genealogy and Israel's experience appears in Moses' emphasis on the numbers of Sethites. In Seth's genealogy we learn that his descendants became quite numerous. Moses brought out the numerical increase of Seth's family by repeating the fact that "other sons and daughters" were born to the Sethites. In fact he wrote this comment nine times in Genesis 5. This emphasis on numbers of people in Seth's line was significant for Moses' Israelite readers because they knew that God had greatly blessed them numerically while in Egypt and during the Exodus.
In the fourth place, Moses also stressed the long lives that many Sethites enjoyed in order to connect Israel with the Sethites. For example, we all know that Seth's descendant Methuselah lived longer than anyone in biblical history. According to Genesis 5:27 he lived 969 years. Many other Sethites lived long lives as well. Moses' attention to the long lives of Seth's line was important because, as the law of Moses indicates, long life in the Land of Promise was to be the goal of the faithful in Israel. By pointing out the long lives of Seth's descendants, Moses drew another connection between the Sethites and Israel.
So it is that Moses wrote about the early violence and hope of deliverance in the primeval history in order to draw firm associations with his contemporary world. Cain and his descendants were to be connected with the Egyptians who inflicted violence on Israel. And Abel, Seth, and Seth's descendants were to be connected with the Israelites who were victims of Egyptian violence. These associations were at the heart of Moses' strategy in this portion of his history.
Now that we have seen how Moses handled his record of early violence and hope, we should turn briefly to Genesis 6:1-8, later violence and the hope of deliverance.
Later Violence and Hope
Let's look especially at 6:4 where Moses described these men:
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days — and also afterward — when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown (Genesis 6:4).
We have already noted that the Nephilim were mighty warriors, well-known for their exploits. But notice that Moses made an important comment about the Nephilim. He said that the Nephilim existed on the earth in the primeval days "and also afterward."
By adding this allusion to Nephilim warriors living after the flood, Moses reminded his Israelite readers that they had encountered Nephilim in their recent history. The only other place where the term Nephilim appears in the Bible is in Numbers 13:32-33. There, the spies Moses sent into Canaan reported seeing Nephilim. They said these words:
The land we explored devours those living in it… We saw the Nephilim there… We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them (Numbers 13:32-33).
The unfaithful spies reported that the land of Canaan was a terribly violent and threatening place, and that among the inhabitants of Canaan were Nephilim, vicious warriors who struck fear into their hearts. Unfortunately, this report led the first generation following Moses to turn away from God's call to conquest. And God was so disturbed by this lack of faith that he sent the Israelites into the wilderness to wander aimlessly until the first generation had died off and a new generation was prepared to take up the cause of conquest.
In this light we can understand how Moses drew another strong connection between this portion of his primeval history and the experience of Israel. He wanted his Israelite readers to associate the primeval Nephilim of Genesis 6 with the terrifying Nephilim warriors of Canaan. In this way, the violence and hope of deliverance in Genesis 6:1-8 spoke directly to the threat of violence in the conquest of Canaan.
So far in our examination of the original meaning of Genesis 4:1–6:8 we have seen the primeval characters associated with people in Israel's contemporary experience. Now we should ask a second question. What were the implications of these associations for the people of Israel as they followed Moses toward the Promised Land?
Implications
To understand the heart of Moses' message to Israel, we need to remember the basic scenario that appears twice in this material. You will recall that Genesis 4:1–6:8 contains two scenarios of violence and hope of deliverance. Chapter 4:1–5:32 focused on the violence of Cain and his descendants. Yet, 5:29-32 mention Noah in order to indicate that deliverance would come through him. In much the same way, just as Genesis 6:1-8 reports the violence of the sons of God and the Nephilim, Genesis 6:8 mentions Noah once again to indicate that God intended to deliver from these threats as well.
For the Israelites following Moses, these scenarios should have been good news. They revealed what God had already done for them, and also what he was about to do for them. On the one hand, just as God had used Noah to deliver Israel's ancestors from the Cainites, he had already used Moses to deliver the Israelites from the Egyptians. On the other hand, just as God had used Noah to bring deliverance from the primeval Nephilim, he was about to use Moses to deliver the Israelites as they faced the threat of Nephilim in the land of Canaan.
Now that we have seen the structure and the original meaning of Genesis 4:1–6:8, we should turn to our final topic: modern application. How does the New Testament teach us to apply this portion of Moses' primeval history to our modern lives?
MODERN APPLICATION
In our usual fashion, we will explore how the New Testament elaborates on these themes in terms of the three stages of Christ's kingdom: first, the inauguration of the kingdom which took place when Christ first came to this earth; second, the continuation of the kingdom which extends throughout the history of the church; and third, the consummation of the kingdom when Christ returns in glory and brings the new heavens and new earth. These phases of Christ's kingdom should be explored separately to reach a fuller understanding of the ways violence and deliverance apply to Christians today. Let's look first at the motifs of violence and hope of deliverance in the inauguration of the kingdom.
Inauguration
The inauguration of the kingdom in Christ's first coming recalls the world of violence in the primeval history in at least two ways: first, we see connections with the violence Jesus suffered while on earth; and second, we find connections with the deliverance which Jesus brought to his people. Let's look first at the suffering Jesus experienced in his first coming.
Violence
Anyone familiar with the life of Jesus knows that Jesus suffered persecution from the world in many ways. As he ministered to the downtrodden, he bore their grief and pain. Yet, there can be no doubt that according to the New Testament the climax of violence perpetrated against Christ was his death on the cross. By suffering one of the worst forms of execution known in his day, Jesus actually experienced a fate worse than that suffered by the righteous in the primeval times.
In this light it is not surprising that one way the New Testament describes the suffering of Jesus is to compare his death on the cross to the violence of the primeval world, or to be more specific, to the death of Abel. The writer of Hebrews knew that Christ had suffered innocently at the hands of wicked men, and for this reason, he compared Christ's death to Abel's death in 12:23-24 of his epistle:
You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (Hebrews 12:23-24).
The allusion here to Moses' primeval history is clear. Christ's shed blood spoke a better or greater word than the blood of Abel. That is to say, Christ's death was even more significant in the eyes of God than the death of Abel was. Jesus' death was no ordinary event. His death atoned for the sins of his people because he suffered in the place of everyone who believes in him. But beyond this, Christ's death stirred the just wrath of God more greatly than had the blood of Abel.
In this light, when we read Moses' account of the violence of the primeval history, we should not simply take note of why Moses wrote these chapters for his original Israelite readers. From the New Testament perspective, we should also see that the violence inflicted on the righteous in the primeval history anticipated the suffering of Christ in the inauguration of the kingdom.
Now that we have seen how the New Testament draws connections between the primeval world of violence and Christ's suffering, we should turn to a second way the inauguration of the kingdom touches this portion of Genesis. A significant link also occurs in the hope of deliverance Jesus brought to the world.
Deliverance
Jesus spent most of his public ministry proclaiming a message of hope: the gospel — the message that one day the suffering of life would be over for those who followed him. Jesus' devotion to this gospel message appears throughout his teachings. But consider how prominent the message of deliverance appears in the Beatitudes, the opening statements of blessing in the Sermon on the Mount. As Jesus began this well-known sermon, he said these words in Matthew 5:10-12:
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven (Matthew 5:10-12).
These Beatitudes reveal that one of the central concerns of Jesus' teaching ministry was to bring the hopeful message that God had not deserted his people. Jesus encouraged his followers to have hope that God would one day deliver them from all suffering.
But Jesus did not simply teach the good news of hope for deliverance — through his death and resurrection he actually accomplished the deliverance which he announced. Because Jesus was the perfect son of David, his death made atonement for the sins of God's people. His death paid the price for sin so that his followers would no longer have to fear the terror of death. As we read in Hebrews 2:14-15, Jesus died so that:
… by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil — and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15).
So we see that the themes of violence and hope of deliverance readily apply to the inauguration of the kingdom in Christ. As Moses wrote to acknowledge the threats against Israel and to teach Israel about the power of God to deliver, the New Testament reveals that Christ came to suffer violence and to bring deliverance for his people from the power of wickedness in the world.
Now that we have seen some of the ways that the New Testament links Jesus' first coming to the primeval history, we should also notice how the New Testament applies this portion of primeval history to the continuation of the kingdom, the time between the first and second comings of Christ.
Continuation
There are at least two ways in which the New Testament explains how the continuation of the kingdom touches on the themes of Genesis 4:1–6:8, and these references provide basic guidance as we apply this portion of Scripture to the Christian church. On the one hand, the New Testament teaches that we should expect a continuation of violence against the people of God, and on the other hand we are encouraged to endure these difficult times by continuing to have faith in Christ for deliverance. Consider first, the fact that we should expect violence against Christ's followers.
Continuing Violence
On a number of occasions Jesus taught that his followers would suffer hatred and persecution from the world. But in Matthew 23:34-35, Jesus himself drew attention to the fact that this suffering was connected to the suffering of the righteous in the primeval world. Jesus said this to the Pharisees:
I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah (Matthew 23:34-35).
Jesus predicted that when he sent followers into the world, they would be severely persecuted. But notice also how Jesus connected this prediction with the primeval history. He said that the violence to come against his followers would continue the pattern of violence that reached all the way back to the blood of righteous Abel whom Cain murdered.
Continuing Faith
When we realize that followers of Christ will always suffer persecution during the continuation of the kingdom, we can also see the importance of maintaining our faith in Christ. The writer of Hebrews touched on this matter in chapter 11 of his epistle. We read these words in 11:4:
By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead (Matthew 11:4).
The main idea in this passage is that followers of Christ throughout the ages must follow the example of Abel. Although Abel's righteousness brought him trouble from his wicked brother, Abel stands as an example of faithfulness for all believers to follow even in our day.
So we see that the themes of violence and deliverance in the primeval history also apply to followers of Christ during the continuation of the kingdom. On one side, we should be ready to suffer opposition and violence in our age. But on the other side, as we endure these times of hardship, we will overcome only as we are faithful and hope that Christ will deliver us one day.
Having seen how the themes of violence and deliverance fit within the inauguration and continuation of the kingdom, we should turn to the final stage of the kingdom of Christ, his second coming.
Consummation
Put simply, the New Testament teaches that at the return of Christ we will see an end of violence against the people of God and we will experience a final deliverance to a world of everlasting blessing.
End of Violence
The end of violence is a central aspect of the New Testament portrait of the consummation. When Christ returns, he will bring about a wholesale renewal of the creation, free of all violence. Listen to the way the apostle John described the return of Christ in Revelation 21:1-5:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away… And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying… "God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" (Revelation 21:1-5).
Final Deliverance
At the same time, however, the consummation of Christ's kingdom will not simply bring violence to an end. When he returns, Christ will grant endless blessings of life and peace to his people. Our deliverance will be full and final. In Revelation 22:1-2 we read this description of our final deliverance:
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:1-2).
This hope of final deliverance in the second coming of Christ appears throughout the New Testament. It expresses the pinnacle of Christian belief. We long for the day when the trials and difficulties of this world will be replaced by the life-giving wonders of the world to come. Suffering will be exchanged for joy. Struggle will be exchanged for victory. And death will be exchanged for everlasting life.
So we see that just as Moses wrote about the primeval world of violence to encourage Israel to move forward toward Canaan, the New Testament teaches us to yearn for the new world to come at the consummation. When Christ returns, all who have trusted him will see an end to violence, and they will inherit a full and glorious deliverance into an eternal world of salvation.
CONCLUSION
In this lesson we have looked at several aspects of the primeval world of violence described in Genesis 4:1–6:8. We have noted the structure of this portion of Genesis, and we have also seen how Moses originally wrote this material to encourage the Israelites who followed him toward Canaan. And we have also learned that as Christians we must apply this portion of the primeval history to our New Testament faith.
When we look at this portion of Genesis as Moses originally intended it for Israel, it becomes much more than a mere record of the past. Instead, we can see that as God delivered from violence in the primeval world, and as he later delivered Israel in Moses' day, we can increase our hope that Christ will one day deliver us from this world of violence as well.