Two Ways To Live (Genesis 4-5)

Valley View Baptist Church                                                                 Pastor Curt Audet

6N656 Route 25                                                                                    May 31, 2026

St. Charles, IL  60174                                                                       vvbcil.com

“Two Ways To Live”

Genesis 4-5

13th message in the message series Harbors For Our Soul

BI: It is God’s desire that all people would turn from sin and come to Him with repentance by faith.

Twenty-seven people are mentioned by name in Genesis 4-5. Many more are referenced.  Dark moments of the origin and effects of evil upon the human race recorded in Genesis 3 show us that every human on earth chooses one of two ways to live.  Going forward there is a narrow path less taken of seeking God’s glory in our lives. There is a broad path more commonly taken rejecting God’s rule and reign.

In the midst of the human choice to embrace sin for the very first time, God immediately promised hope to us through Adam and Eve:

“To the woman God said, ‘ . . .  you shall bring forth children . . . [So] the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living” (3:16,20)

There was a way of hope in spite of the dramatic Fall of Man!  To the Satanic Serpent God said,

”I will make you and the woman [to be at war with] each other. Your descendants and her descendants will be enemies. Her child will crush your head [while] you will bite his heel.” (3:15 ICB)

The Biblical text then takes us into a fast paced historical section rapidly covering approximately 1650 years between the Fall and the Flood.  More than half of the Biblical text in Chapters 4 and 5 are known as genealogies.  Most of the time when we run across these in the Bible, we frankly don’t know what to do with them.  Often our eyes glaze over as the names mean little of substance to us.   So . . .   

What Can I Learn From These Genealogies?

• They show that Biblical Faith is rooted in real history. The Bible is not presented as mythology detached from time and people.
• They reveal God’s faithfulness across generations. When you read the genealogies, you see God preserving His promises century after century.

• They trace God’s redemptive purpose in history. What God promised in Gen 3:15 will come to pass.
• They ultimately point to Jesus Christ. The Bible’s unified story of redemption comes to fulfillment in Christ.
• They show God values ordinary people. Most names in genealogies we know almost nothing about. Yet God knows every one of them.
• They remind us that God forgets no one’s name—even yours!  How many of you have a shared Biblical name from the genealogies in the Bible?
• They condense the generational storyline. They rapidly tell stories covering many years focused on key people, tribes, events and concepts.
• They highlight God’s grace. Biblical genealogies include deeply flawed people—just like us.
• They teach us to ‘hang on’ while reading.  His-story is going toward victory! God wins!

I. Two brothers, two different ways to live. (Genesis 4:1-16)

4 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” ² And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.

Sometime in the first few decades since the Fall of Man, Eve bore two sons—and an undisclosed number of daughters.  By the time Adam is 130 she bears a third son, Seth.  Before he dies at age 930, he and Eve have many children.

The First Human Death. (4:3-16) Already the heart of man is shown to be broken; with a terrible bent toward being wicked and deceitful.  Cain is the earth’s 3^rd human and Abel is the earth’s 4^th human.  And by Genesis 4:8, the world population murder rate was a whopping 25%!

³ In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, ⁴ and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, ⁵ but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.

Jealousy sparked this act of violence.   We don’t have details of the nature of the offerings that the two brothers brought to the Lord.   Both sought to ‘worship’ the Lord; one, with humility, surrender accepting

God’s terms as King and Master; the other brought offerings on his own terms. Filled with pride and arrogance.  Cain was unsatisfied with God’s terms.   Still, God in His mercy and grace offered a way to get right with Him.  God showed him how to defeat the urges to sin by His power. 

 ⁶ The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? ⁷ If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, and you must rule over it. ⁸ Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

Shame of sin filled Cain’s soul.  His dying accelerated in his heart. God made redemptive overtures following Cain’s sin. Abel had been made in the image of God.  Inherently valuable.  And as with every murder every committed, the blood of the victim spills into Creation like poison.  From Creation, the innocent victim cries out to God!    

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” ¹⁰ And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. ¹¹ And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” ¹³ Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. ¹⁴ Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

No remorse.  No repentance.  No owning of the crime.  No recognition of his victim.  Cain selfishly focused on his own consequence rather than seeking restitution for the evil he perpetrated upon Abel, the family, the ground and the LORD God!  Even still, God’s mercy was offered.  He was given a ‘mark’ so no one else could murder him.  Cain knew his violence would beget more violence!  Cain accepted his punishment begrudgingly continuing in his broad road path, moving further than ever from the presence of the Lord.

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. ¹⁶ Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Hebrews 11 says this about Abel: ^“By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.” (11:4)  The two brothers lived in two wildly different chosen paths.

II. Two Ways To Live, Two Different Outcomes. (4:17-26)

¹⁷Cain knew his wife, [‘Awan’ in Jubilees 4:1-9] and she conceived and bore Enoch*. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. ¹⁸To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech.*.

Living like Lamech, embracing evil for the glory of self. (v.19-24)

¹⁹And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. ²⁰Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. ²¹His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. ²² Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.  ²³ Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me ²⁴ If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.”

Living Like Seth, embracing good for the glory of the LORD God. (v.4:25-5:31)  ²⁵And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” ²⁶ To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.

When Seth was born, Eve hoped he would not follow the evil way Cain went; a ‘new’ Abel.  Chapter 5 picks up the genealogy from Genesis 2:4, ^“These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.” That came off the tracks in Genesis 3!  Seth was their reset.  Here, neither Cain or Abel are listed since Abel is dead, and Cain is every day moving further from the presence of the Lord.

5 This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. ²Male and female He created them, and He blessed them and named them Man when they were created. ³When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. ⁴The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. ⁵Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.

⁶ When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh. ⁷ Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. ⁸ Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died. ⁹ When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered Kenan. ¹⁰ Enosh lived after he fathered Kenan 815 years and had other sons and daughters. ¹¹ Thus all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died. ¹² When Kenan had lived 70 years, he fathered Mahalalel. ¹³ Kenan lived after he fathered Mahalalel 840 years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁴ Thus all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died. ¹⁵ When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he fathered Jared. ¹⁶ Mahalalel lived after he fathered Jared 830 years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁷ Thus all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died. ¹⁸ When Jared had lived 162 years, he fathered Enoch*. ¹⁹ Jared lived after he fathered Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁰ Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died.

Enoch lived and walked with God. (v.21-32) ²¹ When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. ²² Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. ²³ Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. ²⁴ Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

Seth’s line is blessed in each generation.  Notably in with Seth, then here with Enoch and at the last, Noah chose to do. They sought God and followed Him. Enoch’s life on earth is short in comparisons with others in the genealogy. Enoch was a man of God. May this be said of us!

Enoch was walking with God when his son was born, 65 years.

Enoch walked with God with his remaining 300 years.

Enoch did not experience death!

Here’s what Hebrews 11 says of Enoch: “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (11:5-6)

Enoch’s walk with God endures; his great grandson was Noah who stood out as a faithful man of God of all his generation.   Genesis 4 ends with increasing evil, climaxing in a dark Lamech’s boastful song of vengeance.  Genesis 5 traces the godly line of Seth and concludes with a different, redeemed Lamech—not boasting in human strength, but expressing hope in God’s provision through Noah.      

²⁵ When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered Lamech*. ²⁶ Methuselah lived after he fathered Lamech 782 years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁷ Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died. ²⁸ When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son ²⁹ and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” ³⁰ Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters. ³¹ Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died. ³² After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.