Every Woman's Bible Genesis sampler - Flipbook - Page 21
11
19 Lamech married two women. The first was
named Adah, and the second was Zillah. 20Adah gave
birth to Jabal, who was the first of those who raise
livestock and live in tents. 21His brother’s name was
Jubal, the first of all who play the harp and flute. 22Lamech’s other wife, Zillah, gave birth to a son named
Tubal-cain. He became an expert in forging tools of
bronze and iron. Tubal-cain had a sister named Naamah. 23One day Lamech said to his wives,
4:19 Lamech was the first polygamist mentioned in the Bible.
Marrying two women is contrary to God’s pattern for marriage
(2:24) and might have been a manifestation of the rebellion of
Cain’s descendants. Lamech later boasted to his wives about
ikos
I M AG E
MY STORY WITH
FAM ILY & F R IENDS
24
GENESIS 4
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
listen to me, you wives of Lamech.
I have killed a man who attacked me,
a young man who wounded me.
If someone who kills Cain is punished
seven times,
then the one who kills me will be punished
seventy-seven times!”
his vengeful spirit, revealing his violent nature. Genesis certainly does not present him as a role model. For other negative
examples related to polygamy, see 28:6-9; 29:14–30:24.
Seeing Our Families Shine
SCRIPTURE CONNECTION: GENESIS 4:1-12
Have you ever had a rock hit your windshield while driving? The sound may startle you, and
at first you might not see any damage. Then a few days later, you notice a tiny chip. Then the
chip becomes a crack, and soon there’s a line across the windshield you can no longer ignore.
Isn’t that how brokenness works in our families? Cain’s sin starts so small—unjustified anger—
and only he knows about it. In the end, his selfishness and jealousy break the entire family.
Abel loses life.
Cain loses community.
Eve and Adam lose two sons.
God’s love brings
Has your family experienced loss because sin caused a
blessings, sparkling
fracture? Divorce was ours. As we meet families in the Bible
and consider our own families, we see that every family
through our family’s
member has flaws. And our failures hurt us and others.
shattered places.
But that’s not the end of the story.
Family is God’s idea. He longs to see whole, healthy, joyfilled homes that display his love. Just as an intact windshield
helps us see and protects those in the car, asking God to show us what’s broken can make us a
blessing to our families—and make our families a blessing to others.
Through divorce, I lost much. But God restored. He redeemed. He also stretched my
previously limited view of family. When we come to the end of denial and invite God’s
intervention, he responds. For every crack, his love restores.
IMAGINE
Consider your best and highest dream for your family.
How has God positioned you
to help lead them there?
What conversations or actions
of love need to happen?
“I pray God helps me see
my own faults and be
courageous enough to
address them before they
splinter and grow.”
SUZY SHEPHERD is the
founder of SHINE, creator
of Stonecroft’s Where Love
Lives outreach experience,
and mom to a blended tribe
of nine. She finds great joy
in creating experiences for
people to know God’s love.
