____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ March 6, 1994 ____________________________________________________ Where Did Cain Get His Wife? by Tom Edwards Often the above question is posed and then responded to by saying that ``The Bible doesn't say''; but I believe we can draw some pretty good conclusions from various passages of Scripture, and that these sound arguments should be made in view of the many who find this question to be a ``roadblock'' on their way to belief in God and the Bible. The following is, therefore, presented to help others in overcoming this obstacle by at least showing of some sound possibilities. First of all, Cain's wife had descended from Eve. This is an inference we can firmly make from the word of God, for it is said about Eve that she is ``the mother of ALL living'' (Gen. 3:20). (The ``ALL,'' of course, being limited to human beings; and, of which, would include Cain's wife.) This means that Cain's wife wasn't made in some miraculous way; for if she were, then how could Eve be called ``the mother of all living''? Would not this title then have to be transferred to Cain's wife? And if Cain's wife were created--rather than being born--we're back to the same scenario: where did Cain's sons get their wives? Secondly, let us note that the question is not ``Did Cain have a wife?'' The Bible shows that he did (Gen. 4:17)--though it doesn't tell us whether she had first been his sister, his niece, his great niece, etc. As we will continue to see, though, the Scriptures make the implication that Cain's wife had to have been a close relative. Bible believers accept the fact that Adam was the first man upon our planet (1 Cor. 15:45), and that all human beings have descended from him and his wife Eve. As Paul states in Acts 17:26, God ``made from one (``from one blood,'' KJV), every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth....'' But again, if Cain's wife were created miraculously--and not an offspring of Adam and Eve--then Eve would have to abdicate her title as ``the mother of all living'' to Cain's wife. Of course, Cain's wife would have to slightly alter this title to ``the mother of all living--except for those who lived before her.'' According to Genesis 5:4, Adam and Eve had ``other sons and DAUGHTERS.'' Josephus, the Greek Historian, cites an old tradition in which it is stated that Adam had thirty-three sons and twenty-three daughters.'' How these figures were obtained, I don't know; nor could I state this number as fact. The only answer I could give assuredly would be that they had AT LEAST SEVEN children: Cain, Abel, Seth, ``other sons'' (at least two) and "daughters" (at least two). Of course, the ``other sons and daughters'' could be far more than merely two to a set. It has been said that the gene pool was probably much different in the beginning. At this time, there were no mutant genes in the genetic systems that could lead to malformations, deformities, etc., especially in marriages of close kin; and, apparently, there was no law against marrying very close family relations until the Mosaical period, in which God then did prohibit such (Lev. 18:6). During the Patriarchal Age, which was prior to the Mosaical period, Abraham had married his half-sister; they were both of the same father (Gen. 20:12). Nahor, Abraham's brother, had married his niece by his other brother Haran (Gen. 11:26,29). Thinking that they would never find anyone to have children by, Lot's daughters deceptively made their father drunk and both conceived children by him (Gen. 19:30-38). It was also during this period that we find first cousins joining each other in marriage: Jacob, for example (cf. Gen. 24:29; 28:5; 29:11-30). He married two of his. Though we don't know whether Cain married his sister, his niece, or his great niece, etc., we do know that whoever he married had also been from the offspring of Adam and Eve--and not from some separate race of people (for there wasn't any, and if there were, then it could not be said that all are descended from Adam and Eve, whom the Bible refers to as the first two people and from whom all other humans have descended--Gen. 1-3; Acts 17:26), nor was Cain's wife some new entity created by God (for if so, then would she not have been the ``mother of all living''--instead of Eve?). I hope that these thoughts will help you to see some sound possibilities that will tear down the ``roadblocks'' of doubt and provide you with passage on the road to acceptance of and faith in the word of God. ___________________________________________ ZEAL WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE by Tom Edwards Enthusiasm is a needed virtue in serving God, but merely having this fervor without the proper guidance could impel one--actually away from the Lord--in a wrong direction. Such was the case with many of Paul's contemporaries. In Romans 10:1-3, Paul speaks of his concern for these by saying, ``Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.'' Their zeal had been misdirected due to their lack of knowledge. The passage shows that what they had been ignorant of was God's righteousness, but does this mean that they did not realize that the Lord is a righteous Being? Of course not, for they surely knew that; but many of them were simply not aware of God's righteous plan of salvation that had superseded the Mosaical covenant. As a result, they were without the saving gospel and continued to establish their own scheme of redemption which, in actuality, was without the power to save them from their sins. To them, Jesus had become nothing more than a stumbling stone. The apostle Peter writes of this in 1 Peter 2:6-8: ``For this is contained in Scripture: `Behold I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, and he who believes in Him shall not be disappointed.' This precious value, then, is for you who believe. But for those who disbelieve, `The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very corner stone,' and, `A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense'....'' Jesus is that precious corner stone of the church; and not only that, He is also the entire foundation of it, according to 1 Corinthians 3:16. To be part of this spiritual building, it requires more than merely zeal or enthusiasm: one must also have a basic knowledge of the deity of Christ and believe Him, realizing his need for the Savior (Jn. 8:24), and, as a result, repenting, being baptized into Jesus Christ (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; Gal. 3:26,27), and remaining faithful (Rev. 2:10; Heb. 10:36,39). As Jesus states in John 6:44,45, ``No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, `And they shall all be taught of God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.'' It is good to be enthusiastic about the Lord, but we cannot be saved without having heard the word (Rom. 10:17) and responding to it (Matt. 7:21; Luke 6:46). If you have not yet done this, ``Why tarriest thou?'' (Acts 22:16) ___________________________________________ Write Today For Our FREE BIBLE COURSE Religious Articles on PC MDs: 329-0037. Call anytime with computer and modem to download these lessons. ___________________________________________ A Few Words From The King James Version Banqueting -- As used in 1 Peter 4:3, "a drinking, esp. a drinking bout, carousal." Chambering -- As in Rom. 13:13, "sexual immorality" (NIV); "sexual promiscuity" (NAS); "licentiousness" (NKJ). Circumspectly -- carefully Concupiscence -- lust Dissembled -- to play the hypocrite Dissimulation -- pretending, hypocrisy Holpen -- a past participle of "help" List (-ed, -eth) -- to will, to wish, to desire Mammon -- wealth, riches Noisome -- The original Greek word meant "bad; generically, embracing every form of evil, whether moral or physical; baneful" (Bullinger). Sabaoth -- hosts, armies Shambles -- meat market Superfluity (cf, superfluous) -- "more than enough; super abundance" (Bullinger). ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________