LESSON 6 November 8, 2015

LAMECH’S RUTHLESS WORLD

Golden Text

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. (Gn 6:5)

Useful Practice

Lamech’s world was no different from ours; resisting God’s grace, they gave

themselves to debauchery, violence and resistance to the Holy Spirit.

Scripture Reading

Genesis 6:1-8

1 - When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and

daughters were born to them,

2 - the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and

they married any of them they chose.

3 - Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for

they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

4 - The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

5 - The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.

6 - The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.

7 - So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the

creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”

8 - But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

General objective

To understand that Lamech’s world is no different from ours, resisting God’s grace.

Specific objectives

I. To explain how wonderful the world was while sin had not yet degenerated people;

II. To understand how sin spread among the human race, producing a depraved world;

III. To explain that the depraved world was doomed to destruction.

Introduction

Cain’s example did not take long to become widespread. If on the one hand, his descendants stand out as entrepreneurs like Jabal and Jubal, on the other, they are corrupted by lecherous and violent men like Lamech. The first bigamist in history, he would also excel by wickedly murdering two people. And to celebrate the feat, he composed a poem. Cain’s and Lamech’s sins spread around in such a way that they would deprave even Seth’s godly lineage. We are experiencing similar days. Debauchery and violence have never been so exalted. This generation lives as if there is no God. However, the day of judgment upon those who practice wickedness is near. Lamech is the most perfect symbol of total depravity of those days.

I - A STILL WONDERFUL WORLD

Despite the fall, the antediluvian world was plentiful and lavish. Its ecology was perfect; its technology, considerable.

1. Plenty of bread. The Earth, though cursed, was fertile and did not deprive the first civilization of anything. All ate and drank freely (Mt 24:38,39). The bread did not have to be rationed, oil was plentiful and the wine flowed out of winepresses. It seems that the people of those days lived partying all the time. No one was able to recognize that the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it (Ps 24:1).

2. Perfect health. Such facilities made it easier for the antediluvian people to have perfect health. It was not uncommon to find people who were nearly over a thousand years old (Gen. 5:27). In Adam’s genealogy, we come across men who were older than many countries in the world. Let us imagine the criminal record of a 900-year-old sinner. Nine centuries of complete depravity. How many robberies, murders, adulteries, lies and intolerance. In the eyes of the holy God, it was something abominable.

3. Perfect beauty. If health was perfect, the beauty of that generation was unique, take as an example the beauty of Lamech's daughters. It did not take long for them to delight Seth’s sons (Gen. 6:1,2). By imitating Lamech’s bigamy, these men, once so godly, became incorrigible polygamists. With so much food and drink, why not live in pleasure? Since life was counted in centuries, no one would die the following day. Their philosophy was not only the pursuit of pleasure, but also devilishly libertine. That generation did not have any moral or ethical yardstick.

4. Advanced technology. Lamech’s world could boast an amazing technological advancement. Adam was still alive when Tubal-Cain began to devote himself to metalworking. This was a man, son of Lamech and Zillah, who became known for his skills in dealing with bronze and iron (Genesis 4:22) Besides metalworking, that generation knew how to work on wood and ceramics. By the way, Noah himself had no technical difficulties in building the Ark, nor were his descendants, after the Flood, forbidden to build up the Tower of Babel.

II - A TOTALLY DEPRAVED WORLD

Lamech’s world was ungrateful and cruel. By turning against the Lord, his descendants committed the most heinous and abominable sins.

1. Sexual Debauchery. Lamech’s example would soon spread to all

Adam’s descendants. The traditional family began to degenerate. Now,

sexual sins were committed as if nothing was forbidden; there were no

limits to fornication or adultery. Even Seth’s descendants behaved slop-

pily in the midst of that gross and blatant immorality; they corrupted

themselves like hell. The sacred writer reports: "the sons of God saw that

the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose" (Gen 6:2).

2. Violence without limits. The excesses commited by those people re-

sulted in a truculent and ruthless generation. Killers were worshiped as

heroes: "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also after-

ward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had

children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown" (Gen 6:4).

What about our time? Although we are not so strong or so long-lived, we

are no different from Lamech’s children. Mankind has never before been as immoral as it is today.

3. Resisting God’s grace. For a long time, the Spirit of God urged that

generation to convert and give up its evil ways. But there came the day

when God put a stop to all that. Then the Lord said, "My Spirit will not

contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hun-

dred and twenty years" (Genesis 6:3). The grace of God, though perfect

and infallible, can be resisted, take as an example the generation that had

come out of Egypt toward Canaan. Despite the miracles they had witnes-

sed, they hardened their hearts in such a way that they came to be rejec-

ted by the Lord (Heb 3:8). This means that even today there are believers

who react contrarily to the divine grace (Hebrews 3:15). Yes, despite kno-wing that God's judgment is right.

III - A WORLD DOOMED TO DESTRUCTION

Noah preached to his contemporaries for a long time. Still, his generation did not bow to the divine calls. What a difference from the Ninevites, who listened to the preaching of Jonas! (Jn 3:10).

1. Noah’s preaching. Presented as a preacher of righteousness, Noah had a long and painful ministry (2 Peter 2:5). As he devoted himself to the building of the ark, he urged his contemporaries to repent (1 Peter 3:20). If we consider Genesis 6:3, we will realize that his preaching job lasted for 120 years. No doubt it was the longest prophetic ministry in the Bible. He preached through his voice and deeds. The building of the ark itself was already a preaching full of eloquence.

2. A corrupted generation. Despite Noah’s persistence, his contempo-

raries got corrupted in such a way that they became totally depraved.

Therefore, there was no other choice for the Lord but to destroy the whole

civilization: "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled

with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them

and the earth" (Genesis 6:13 ). The current generation is similar to that of

Noah. In spite of the preaching of the Gospel, wickedness is increasing in

such a way that even the love of the faithful is getting contaminated (Mt

24:12). They eat, drink and give themselves up to sensuality, as if there is no God.

CONCLUSION

Like Noah, we will proclaim the Word of God in time and out of time; this is our mission. If we conform to the world, what hope will there be for those who still long for the Gospel? Let us get up as heralds of justice. Although we suffer scoffing and derision, our mission will not get unfinished.