Genesis- How not How long

Monday, September 14th

I understand that everyone’s algo rhythm is different, and I don’t pretend to understand, nor do I care. But I do find it interesting that my algo rhythm has a lot to do with “not” getting older or shall I say, staying younger. Try this cream, this pill, this workout. This will help with losing weight, growing hair, and other … and if that doesn't work, try this shirt or undergarment, with the purpose of staying younger or living longer.

Don’t get me wrong, I want to live a full life, I don’t want it cut short. If I can live to see triple digits, I think that would be pretty awesome. Granted, if I had a semblance of my mind and body.

But the lengths people go to keep living is mind-blowing. I just did a brief search, 30 seconds, on cryogenically freezing your body.

Check out these questions- Is anyone still cryogenically still frozen? Yes, hundreds of people are still frozen, the first was Psychology professor Dr. James Bedford, stored in 1967 in Alcor facility in Arizona.

Has anyone ever been woken up from cryogenic freezing? No human has ever been successfully woken up or revived from cryogenic freezing.

What is the future hope? Proponents rely on future breakthroughs in nanotechnology and regenerative medicine to repair cells and reverse death, though mainstream science currently views the practice with extreme skepticism.

The lengths people go to reverse death or to keep living. But is that the point? I know that the start of this message can come with a variety of questions; the fear of death, the purpose of life, what’s on the other side? But the question I want us to wrestle with is the title of the message, “Is it more about the how, or the how long?”

Read Genesis 4:17-24-(don’t’ worry about getting the pronunciation right) 17 Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech. 19 Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes. 22 Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah. 23 Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. 24 If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.”

What stood out to you? What did you notice?

First of all, Cain was supposed to be a wanderer, instead, what does he do?

He creates a city, he gathers others, we see progress. We see that some of the family live in tents and raise livestock, some musicians, some are blacksmiths. Which is interesting because the next thing we read is the first poem written by humanity. Actually, I should probably say, it’s not a poem, with eloquence and beauty. It’s more like an anthem of death, where Lamech takes pride in unjustly killing someone. Did you notice that he was wounded, some translations say bruised and because of that he killed a man. Not eye for an eye, or tooth for tooth, Lamech escalated the demise, you wounded me, I’m going to kill you.

Which brings me to this observation. We saw sin and evil in Cain, as it impacted one man, who was to wander, but now as people gather, what happens when sinners congregate together? An increase of pain, chaos, murder, and outcry.

Theologian John Walton says it very pointedly. “Violence is glorified, and the mark of Cain no longer stands as a stigma of exile but a badge of honor that brings protection equivalent to invulnerability. The human situation is degenerating.”

By the way, this is also our first instance of polygamy, where Lamech “takes” two wives. He takes, just like his great-great-great grandparents. He took, instead of trusting.

I believe the author is getting our attention and saying, this is A way of life, one that is very familiar throughout scripture, the increase of taking, control, violence, chaos, actually, one that is familiar to even us today.

I know this may be a startling reflection today, but I think it is worth pausing here. We can’t simply put our head in the sand and ignore the path of chaos that is all around us, and as I’ve shared last week, we are all just one step, one choice, one response from walking out the same path.

It is an opportunity to pause and reflect on the “how” we live and what are we multiplying within life?