Men in the Bible: Lamech – The First Polygamist and Second Murderer Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the…
Men in the Bible: Lamech – The First Polygamist and Second Murderer
Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah… Then Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for hurting me. – Genesis 4:19,23
Today, our spotlight shall be on the man, Lamech, who earned the appellation of being the first polygamist in recorded history as well as the second man to commit a murder after Cain.
Lamech was the great, great, great grandson of Cain, as he was in the fifth line of the genealogy, being sired by Methushael, the son of Mehujael, the son of Irad, the son of Enoch; the son of Cain.
However, the first thing of note that was recorded for Lamech was that he married two wives. That was a first of its kind as his forbears before him and contemporaries around him seemed to have been content with just one wife. But, in his own case, he entered the record as the first polygamist.
Also, Lamech became renowned for the wrong reason by killing someone in annoyance, Some temper he must have had to have reacted with murderous violence which resulted in him killing someone, a young man, who had injured him.
The Bible does not tell us much about the identity of the man that Lamech killed, apart from the fact that he was young, obviously younger and weaker than Lamech himself, and that the young man first hurt Lamech before he met with his fate.
We also do not know if the young man in question hurt Lamech deliberately. However, from Lamech’s own account, he revealed himself as a bully and a hot-tempered man whose reaction to being hurt by a weaker one was to kill the person in anger. That is not a good act to follow.
Apart from the fact that Lamech was hot-tempered, his confession also revealed that self-control was not one of his strengths. This accounted for his murderous instinct, as he could not restrain himself from lashing back. That was also not a desirable example to set for anyone.
Men in the Bible: A 99-Year-Old in Great Pains and the Power of Forbearance
So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. – Genesis 17:23-24
Today, we will look at the exemplary forbearance of Abraham, such that at the ripe age of 99, he was still able to obey a very difficult instruction of God for Abraham to circumcise himself and all the male members of his household, freeborn or slave born.
To take their relationship to the next level and make it a generational institution, God needed to enter a covenant with Abraham, and the terms of that covenant involved the circumcision of the foreskin of Abraham and every male in his household.
Now, circumcision is not a fun thing to do for anyone at any age. It is a very painful process, as it involves cutting off the flesh. While it may be a less painful experience in this age due to advancements in medicine with anesthesia, pain relievers and other instruments in place to eliminate or reduce pains, this was not the case in Abraham’s time. Circumcision must have been done with crude, sharp tools that must have been very painful for anyone who was being circumcised.
However, even with a full knowledge of the kind of pain he would be subjecting himself to being circumcised at the age of 99, Abraham still obeyed God and went ahead to circumcise not just himself but the entire men under his roof. That was a classic case of forbearance. While the experience might have been easier on the younger males in his household, imagine the kind of pain Abraham’s 99-year-old body would be like after completing his circumcision.
His body would probably be shaking in pain from the experience. Such pains are enough to kill anyone at that age. The thought of it alone should have discouraged him, but Abraham went ahead with the plan and fulfilled it to the letter, his personal pains notwithstanding.
Abraham did not use the popular parlance that “wisdom is profitable to direct” to excuse himself from being circumcised alongside other members of his household. On the contrary, he led the line and did his own circumcision, thus leading by example.
Men in the Bible: Adam – A Man with A Large Heart And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. – Genesis 3:20…
Men in the Bible: Adam – A Man with A Large Heart
And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. – Genesis 3:20
After the displeasure and rebuke of God to Adam, his wife and the serpent, an experience that must have been so terrifying for them and left them with regrets and sorrows, the first account we read about the couple was Adam naming his wife. He called her Eve, which means ‘life’ or ‘living’. He named her so because she would be the mother of all living.
This singular act on Adam’s part tells us a lot about his character. He was large-hearted and forgiving. Although he might have been displeased with his wife for landing him in trouble with God in the first place, he did not dwell on that for too long. He accepted his fate and moved on from his mistakes rather than dwelling therein.
Moreso, and quite interestingly, when he was to christen the woman whom some might have labeled his nemesis, he named her in line with her future potential and not according to her past mishaps. He christened her Eve (life, living) because she would become the mother of all life. He did not call her “Error” because she was the downfall of man. This speaks volumes about Adam’s character and maturity as a person.
Someone less mature would have kept blaming the woman for bringing so much misfortune on him at every opportunity. In case it did not occur to you, Adam was the one most hard done by on account of their disobedience, as the verdict God handed him was arguably the harshest of the lot:
“Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:
“Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.
Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.
In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.”
– Genesis 3:17-19
Imagine someone just hearing himself cursed this way and then dismissed with a matching insult as a man of gutter, as that was what the statement “For dust you are, And to dust you shall return” means.
Imagine hearing such a demeaning statement and then going on to label the person who led him to commit such a monumental mistake with a good name. There was no chivalry greater than that. For this, Adam deserved much respect.
Men in the Bible: A Man Who Blends Integrity with Sensibility But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High,…
Men in the Bible: A Man of Integrity Without Extremes
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’— except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.” – Genesis 14:22-24
Another lesson we can learn from Abraham was intelligence, which helped him blend integrity with sensibility. He was not an extremist of a sort in his avowal of uprightness. It is not that tilting towards extremes in moral uprightness is bad in itself, but when it comes to the feelings, welfare, and well-being of other people, being extreme can be a sin in the eyes of God. It was this curious lesson that Jesus spent much of His ministry trying to get the Pharisees to understand.
In the context of our reading today, Abraham, upon his triumphant campaign from his battle with the coalition of kings who took his nephew captive, did more than rescue his relative. He also took bounties of war in his wake upon his victorious campaign.
Upon his return, the King of Sodom, one of the beneficiaries of the campaign gladly offered to give Abraham all the bounties he recovered from the kings he defeated. However, Abraham had his own reservations about the king of Sodom. So he bluntly told the latter that he had vowed to God not to take anything for himself from the spoils he took from the enemies. That was a demonstration of integrity in itself.
It is one thing to make a vow when you do not have anything that can tempt you. It is another thing, however, to keep such vows when one is presented with tempting attractions that could make one reconsider the vow. Abraham might have found himself in this position as well. He might have been tempted by the sheer number of booties he claimed from the coalition of kings he went to fight.
However, he had made a vow about what he would do in the aftermath of the battle. He would not take anything for himself so that the king of Sodom would not have the bragging right that he was the one who made Abraham rich. Abraham did not want to mix God’s blessing with humans’ blessing. He stuck to his gun and did not accept the invitation of the king of Sodom to take the booty for himself. But then he did not stop there. Listen to him:
“I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High… that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’— except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.” – Genesis 14:22-24
The real lesson here is that Abraham did not say because he himself was not going to collect anything from the bounties of war, therefore the men who accompanied him to the battle, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, should also not take anything for themselves. He was sensitive enough to consider his companions’ needs, even when those men were lower than him in stature, and would have opted to align with his resolution of no bounty. He did not put them in a difficult position that would make them look bad on account of his own constitution. He did not ride roughshod on their collective sensitivities because they were lower in rank than he was. That was integrity with sensibility.
On the contrary, even before his companions voiced their support for his stand or their protestation at his deprivation, Abraham was very proactive and sensitive to their aspirations by communicating the caveat in his terms to the king of Sodom: Yes, he was not taking anything for himself, but these three men must be allowed to take what they consider fair and appropriate for their efforts and risks. He did not use his own stance to hush them up or disregard their needs. That is an easy error the upright frequently make.
That is why this lesson cannot be over-emphasized for the apostles of moral rectitude who use their own liberty to override the needs and aspirations of others in their circle, either because such people are subordinate to them or do not have much say in the matter. There are some seemingly right stances we can make that will dangerously trample someone else or undermine their dignity, if we cross that line we may unwittingly offend God Himself. Wisdom is profitable to direct.
Couples in the Bible: Adam and Eve – the Disobedient Duo So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes,…
Couples in the Bible: Adam and Eve – the Disobedient Duo
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened… – Genesis 3:6-7
We will still continue our exploration of married couples in the Bible today by focusing on Adam and Eve. This term, they are a disobedient pair, as opposed to the rather positive attribute we read about them yesterday.
Sadly, the first act as a couple that we read about Adam and Eve was them being disobedient to God by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Some would argue that Eve brought it all upon her family by accepting to eat the fruit in the first place and then passing it to her husband. Some would also contend that Adam should have been the man and not accept the fruit from his wife, not to talk of eating it himself. Afterall, haven’t God expressly warned and forbidden him from touching it? However, the summary is that they both ate the fruit and, by so doing, they both disobeyed God.
Now, one person falling or making a mistake in a marriage, or any partnership for that matter, is bad enough. But if the two parties in the marriage fall or make similar mistakes, that can be disastrous. Why so? Because God designed partnership, particularly marriage, so that each party can lean on and strengthen the other during their moments of weakness, as it is bound to be because uptimes and downtimes are part of life, at least on this hemisphere.
Consider this:
Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. – Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
This passage sums up God’s thinking on the essence of partnership. It is for mutual support, as no one will ever remain standing strong all the time. Therefore, a partner is needed to provide support and to help the faltering party to weather the storms of life.
It was this critical lesson that seemed to have been lost to Adam that after his wife fell and came to him with her proposition, he did not provide the support she needed by resisting the temptation in her hand and charge to tackle the serpent for taking advantage of his partner so. Rather, he also fell with her and they both thus set an unwanted example for their offerings after them.
Another lesson we can learn from God is His disposition to a balancing act. He is not a God of extremes. Even though some who profess to follow Him go to extremes in His name or make extreme claims on His behalf, extreme is not a label that one can pin on God. He balances the acts.
Understanding God: He is Not Moved by Sentiments
Another lesson we can learn from the personality of God is that sentiments do not move Him. Therefore, He cannot be deceived into making a wrong judgment or call, as humans tend to do.
Understanding God: He is A Creator
He is a Creator. This is not to be interpreted loosely, particularly in the light of our contemporary use of the word. God is the ultimate Creator, as He created all things, even the ends of the earth (Isaiah 40:28).
Understanding God: God of the Beginning
There is no better way to begin this journey of exploring the people and entities in the Bible than to start with God. He is not just the beginning but is the origin of all things.
Women in the Bible: A Paragon of Beauty
What made Sarah’s beauty so compelling that kings and nations took notice? Explore the deeper layers of grace, favour, and mystery surrounding one of Scripture’s most unforgettable women — and discover why her story still provokes wonder today.
Men in the Bible: A Man of Ambition and Adventure
Terah may not have reached Canaan, but his courage to start a life-changing journey laid the foundation for Abraham’s destiny. Discover how ambition and bold steps mark a life of significance.
Men in the Bible: An Impetuous and Impudent Man
A revealing glimpse into a man whose choices exposed deeper issues of character, showing how hastiness and entitlement can quietly shape a destiny, and why his story still speaks to us today.
Men in the Bible: A Man with Little Foresight
Sometimes what looks like a smart choice can hide the seed of a mistake. This reflection from Scripture invites us to think again about how foresight — or the lack of it — shapes a man’s story.
Men in the Bible: The First Man to Tithe
Before laws, temples, or traditions, one man honoured God with his substance. Abraham’s tithe was not commanded, demanded, or enforced. It flowed from reverence.
Fathers in the Bible: A Destiny-Shaping Father
What makes a man a truly aware father? Discover how one man’s prophetic foresight shaped his son’s destiny and changed generations forever.
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