Genesis 5-6: Song of the Sword and the Grief of God
Posted by Chris on January 27, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons
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In Genesis 4 through 6 there is an upward crescendo of the noise of sin and a deepening of God’s grief. The good creation of God continues to suffer the damage of sin.
The Song of the Sword
Genesis 4:23-24 is called the “Song of the Sword.” It is a boast by Lamech, a descendent of Cain. He is promising that he is far worse than Cain ever imagined. The Song of the Sword is evidence of how damage has been done in creation since Cain. Fear, hatred, vengeance, and death have become a destructive cancer. Still, the beauty of creation is not utterly wiped out. There is thriving, artistry, and beauty in Cain’s children. Lamech leaves behind a double-edged legacy of violence on the one side, and beauty on the other.
In the midst of this deteriorating situation, a child is born and there is hope. In this instance it is Seth, a child born to Eve. Her grief and her hope are mixed. She grieves the loss of Abel at the hands of Cain, but give thanks for the new life in Seth.
A Child of Promise
The family of Seth represents hope. They are the hope that God will work his life-giving agenda through them and that he will renew the creation in all of its goodness. In Genesis 5, there is a different man named Lamech. He has a child that he names Noah, which means “Comfort.” This name represents the hope that through this child, God will continue to empower humanity to be fruitful and multiply.
The agenda of being fruitful and multiplying prevails over the agenda of fear and violence.
Rise of the Giants
Genesis 6:1-4 is a bizarre text. It has sparked the imagination of believers for centuries. Entire stories have grown up out of the mention of the Sons of God and the Nephilim, or “giant ones.” However one chooses to interpret Sons of God, daughters of men, and Nephilim, the text points to the fact that a boundary between heaven and earth has been crossed and consequences follow. Whatever is going on exactly, God has a problem with it. This mingling of heaven and earth is not the way it is supposed to be.
The spirit of life that comes from God is being abused. As a result, God withdraws this spirit of life.
Grief of God
Don’t miss this text. We too often overlook it. God is grieved that the image of God that he placed in humanity is being replaced by the imagination to do evil. An evil imagination is not what God intended. God regrets what has happened and yet he doesn’t want to wipe out creation. God is left with few options except to blot out all life. And the one hope that he can find is Noah. Noah found favor with God.
God is sympathetic with every parent who grieves because his or her child is not what they intended for them to be. God is sympathetic with every spouse that grieves over a spouse who is not the person they hoped they would be. God is sympathetic with every church leader, every teacher, ever person who grieves because the church and community is less than intended.
Our song is not a song of the sword that promises protection because of our own paranoia and pride. Instead, we will speak word of blessing and prayers of hope that will raise up people and a generation that will find favor with God.