What we teach our children about God, can have a ripple effect for years to come.
If I were to say the names, “Adam and Eve,” to you, what comes to mind? Is it Eden? Is it the first humans ever created? Was it their sin that had them banned from Eden? Those are all facts that go along with them. They are all true. What if I were to ask you about their children? What names come to mind?
Was your answer Cain and Abel? We all know what happened to those two brothers. Cain killed Abel and was banished by God. The “bad” son killed the “good” son. But, that’s not the end of the story for Adam and Eve. They had other children. One of them is named in Genesis. His name was Seth.
We never talk about Seth. His older brothers are part of a story that’s worthy of the tabloids, but not Seth. There’s no drama in his story, but it’s very important. Here’s why; Seth grew up and had a son of his own. His name was Enosh.
After Enosh was born, the Bible says. “At that time people first began to worship the Lord by name.” Genesis 4:26
This is the Bible’s first recorded prayer. They worshiped the Lord by name. Adam was 130 years old when Seth was born. Seth was 105 years old when Enosh was born. It took a couple of hundred years before they worshiped the Lord by name, but when they did, beautiful things came out of it.
Out of Seth’s lineage came Enoch. He was seven generations from Adam. “Enoch walked with God for 300 years…. Altogether , Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” Genesis 5:22-24
The seventh generation from Adam through Cain, produced pure evil. The children from Cain’s lineage professed no need for God. They were completely independent and bent on destruction.
What an interesting contrast. One brother became a worshiper of God. In fact, one of his descendants became so close to God, that he didn’t even die. God just took him to heaven. The only other time we see that is with Elijah.
Cain’s descendants on the other hand, saw no need for God and reaped the benefits with a chaotic and violent existence.
So what does all this story mean for us? For one thing, God gives second chances. He gave Adam and Eve more children after they lost their first two. He also gave Cain a second chance. He didn’t kill him for what he did to his brother Abel. But, God also gives us free will. We are not forced to love Him, worship Him, or obey Him. The choice is ours, just as it was Cain’s and Seth’s. Cain continued on a road of disastrous choices which lead to generations who came after him who did the same.
But, Seth’s son, Enosh, made good choices, such good choices, he didn’t even die, God just took him home. As parents and grandparents, we too, have the opportunity to make a huge contribution to the future of our descendants and that’s by teaching our children and grandchildren to love God. The stories of Seth and Cain illustrate what a ripple effect that sharing our faith can have for hundreds of years into the future.
Because, guess who else came from the line of Seth? Noah. Yes, the Noah who was the one man who found favor in the eyes of the Lord, so much so that He used him to spare some of humanity from the flood.
What we teach our kids today about God, matters. Let’s be shining examples of the love of God for the kids in our lives whether they are related to us or not. According to Genesis, it can make all of the difference.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂