Lamech, the First, was like Cain. (Gen. 4:19-24)

  A biased account would have ascribed nothing good to Cain. The truth is more complex: God was to make much use of Cainite techniques for his people, from the semi-nomadic discipline itself (20) to the civilized arts and crafts. The phrase he was the father of all such acknowledges the debt and prepares us to accept for ourselves a similar indebtedness to secular enterprise The family of Lamech could handle its environment but not itself. The attempt to improve on God’s marriage ordinance (19; cf. 2:24) set a disastrous precedent, on which the rest of Genesis is comment enough; and the immediate conversion of metal-working to weapon-making is equally ominous. Cain’s family is a microcosm: its pattern of technical prowess and moral failure is that of humanity.  Polygamy – observed not condemned. “mercy”.

Lamech’s song reveals the swift progress of sin. Where Cain had succumbed to it (7) Lamech exults in it; where Cain had sought protection (14, 15) Lamech looks round for provocation: the savage disproportion of killing a mere lad for a mere wound is the whole point of his boast (cf. 24). On this note of bravado the family disappears from the story.  ^–Kidner

The First City - Built by Cain - named "Enoch"

      The first biblical reference to a city is in Genesis 4:17. The Hebrew verb indicates that Cain “was building” the city. Probably he did not complete it, nor did he permanently reside there; he had earlier been condemned to a vagabond’s existence (Gn 4:12).

The Genesis account, affirming that city life came early in human existence, is internally consistent. The first human offspring, Cain and Abel, were involved in food production (Gn 4:2). Cain was an agriculturist and Abel tended domesticated flocks. Genesis 4 shows both the prerequisite of food production and the resulting specialization.

A city is defined by a settled group of people living in permanent dwellings and bound together by political, economic, and often kinship ties. The Bible does not generally distinguish between city, town, and village. City was distinguished from other communities by a wall.

The emphasis upon walls (Lv 25:29–31) and fortifications (Jos 19:35), with repeated references to towers, gates, and sieges, indicates that cities provided the primary security for the surrounding towns and villages.

The existence of settled communities depended upon a controlled food supply. In contrast to the city dweller, the nomad lived in a portable tent, appropriate for a never-ceasing search for food.

As city dwellers became more adept in farming adjacent land, the harvests increased, leading to increased population and social stratification. When the entire population was no longer needed for food production, some individuals became specialists in a growing number of occupations: pottery making, metal working, stone masonry, and carpentry. Their products in addition to farm surpluses made the ancient city the center of trade and commerce.

It is apparent that cities have been with us from ancient times. In our time cities have been the source of what has been called the global economy. Remember that Paul made it a point to evangelize cities in his missionary journeys.

Consequences for a Murderer (Genesis 4:16-18)

       1.     Wandering.

Yahweh intervenes, not to punish Cain like a judge but rather, like a midwife, to prepare him to face the labor which human creativity demands. Yahweh teaches Cain that he will survive in the land of Nod (foraging and scavenging) to supplement farming. Cain will farm, but not without difficulty. Labor, Yahweh teaches, is life, not a life sentence.

Cain protests. Hunters kill human scavengers like animal predators. Yahweh concedes. Cain must continue to scavenge, but the mark or tattoo on Cain warns hunters that he is under divine protection.

      2.     Producing a family,

Cain had marital relations with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch.

     3.     Building a city.

Cain built a city, and he named the city after his son Enoch.

       God’s treatment of Cain is a demonstration of mercy. Even though he wandered and had a hard life, Cain did produce a family and he even provided an inheritance for his son – a city! The mercy of God is something wonderful. It goes far beyond the mercy that mankind sometimes shows to a murderer, but not always.