Lamech: A Destiny-Shaping Father – Explore how Lamech shaped Noah’s destiny and the lessons every parent can draw from his awareness and foresight.
Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed.” – Genesis 5:28-29
The next father we are spotlighting is the second Lamech in the Bible. This should not be confused with the first Lamech, who was the first recorded polygamist as well as the second murderer in the Bible (Genesis 4). The second Lamech, however, is the grandson of Enoch, or the firstborn of Methuselah.
Unlike his own father, Lamech did something unusual in his days that cemented his status among the notable fathers in the Bible, one that is worthy of a positive reference by bookmakers and our spotlight in this series on biblical characters. He demonstrated a sense of awareness that was not common in his days.
The first way he did was by defining the life and destiny of his son, Noah. While naming a child in accordance with the cultural or socioeconomic realities of the time was not a strange occurrence at that time, Lamech was the first person who decided to put the weight of redressing the economic ills of his era on his baby, Noah, by saying “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed” (Genesis 5:29, NIV).
Now, that sounds like a lot of pressure to put on a newborn, and Lamech might have taken some flak from family, friends and neighbors for putting such a weight on the shoulders of a new baby instead of taking on the responsibility himself. But then there lay his sense of awareness.
Lamech probably recognized his own limitations and the fact that he did not have what it takes to reverse the curse of the ground that God placed hundreds of years before him. A curse that was still raging and undoing all the hard work and labor of both men and women until that time. Knowing his limitations and aligning himself accordingly was in itself is a lesson worth taking onboard for everyone.
Secondly, Lamech also demonstrated his sense of awareness by acknowledging the devastating effects the curse was having on all humanity at that period. The thing is everybody else was obviously feeling the pangs of the hex, but he was not going to just let it slide as part of their lives. He wanted a change and wanted to have a hand in the transformation process. That was why he saddled his newborn son with the responsibility of being the one to reverse the curse and make life better for everyone else; thereby defining the destiny of the young boy, as soon as he was born, in the process.
Another lesson we can learn from Lamech was that, by so defining the destiny and life purpose of his son, Noah, and making it public knowledge as he did at Noah’s christening, he also placed himself under pressure as a parent to ensure that Noah grew to fulfill his calling. That means, having charted the course of Noah’s life with his declaration, he, as the father, was also committing himself to raising Noah to be a man worthy of fulfilling the calling upon his life. An assignment he must have devoted 595 years of his life to accomplish.
The fact that Noah indeed lived up to the billing of his calling tells us that Lamech succeeded as a father. All parents can learn from that.
Men in the Bible: How Not to Be A Father And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was…
Men in the Bible: How Not to Be A Father
And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside…So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants he shall be to his brethren.” – Genesis 9:20-22,24-25
Having considered the terrible mistakes made by Ham, the second son of Noah, in turning his father’s nudity into a topic of gossip and joke, it is apt for us to look at the scene from another point of view so as to make our lessons from this scenario more balanced. In that regard, we shall be looking at the man Noah as an example of recklessness and how not to be a father.
After surviving the flood and being the privileged person to lead the new world order that God started with the human race at that time, Noah did well by picking up a new vocation as a farmer. Perhaps it was the giddiness of his first harvests, which must have been bumper, or something else, Noah indulged himself by drinking from the wine harvested in his vineyard. That is not bad in itself as one is meant to enjoy from his labor. But he did it to the point of reckless abandon such that he threw caution to the wind, cast his clothing aside, and was stark naked in the tent.
Considering that tents in those days were not as structured as our modern housing, with proper roofing, doors, and other items for privacy, it was reckless behavior on the part of Noah to indulge himself to this extent. He might as well have debauched himself outside the tent in the glare of the public. Noah put his family members in a difficult position by not exercising more self-control or being more discreet with his indulgence.
Secondly, by this time, Noah was already a grandfather. That meant he not only had a wife of his own, but his sons also had their own wives and children as well. So, what could Noah be thinking by throwing caution to the wind this way? Yes, he was the patriarch, but any of his grandchildren could have been the ones to walk into his tent with the intention of spending time with grandpa.
Moreso, what example was Noah setting for his own sons and his grandchildren by drinking wine so excessively to the point of stupor. He certainly did not cover himself in glory in this regard. He was careless, reckless and irresponsible. To make it worse, his hubris led to the downfall of one of his sons. That is certainly not how to be a father.
Further, after Noah came to his senses and the realization of what his son, Ham, had done, what he did next was even more shocking. Instead of rebuking his errant son sharply for his immaturity or correcting him in love, he rather placed a curse on him. Worse still, he did not curse the son directly; he placed a generational curse on the son of the son! In other words, he cursed his grandson! What kind of man curses his own grandchild?
Even worse, Canaan, the grandson he cursed, knew nothing about what his own father had done. So, Noah only cursed an innocent child. He did not have the ball to curse his own son, perhaps because he did not want to witness the manifestation of his curse while he was still alive. Still, he had no scruple in cursing his own grandson, an innocent boy, and that with an eternal curse that he would forever be a servant of servants, was the height of irresponsibility. That means Canaan and his own descendants would not just be servants to masters but would be servants to the servants of masters. That was relegating Canaan and his entire lineage to the very dregs in societal order.
What a man! What a father! What a grandfather Noah was! This is certainly not the way to be a father or a grandfather to boot. A right-thinking (grand)father corrects his (grand)children in love, not condemn them; he blesses them, not curse them. Noah was the opposite of this. We all can learn how not to from him.
Understanding God: The God of New Identity Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you…
Understanding God: The God of New Identity
Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. – Genesis 17:3-6
The attribute of God for our meditation today is His tendency to change the name of or ascribe a new identity to those with whom He has dealings in line with His plan for them. This is a practice that occurred a number of times in the Bible, but it began with Abram, whom God renamed Abraham.
After years of relationship between the two of them, God finally decided that He was ready to take Abram to the next level. For many years, Abram had been without a child, and when he eventually had his first child at the age of 86, it was an arrangement between him and his wife, as God was not involved in their design to have a child through the maidservant.
Therefore, when God was ready to fulfill His promise to Abram, the first thing He communicated to him was the new identity He was conferring on him. He changed his name from Abram, which means ‘a father,’ to Abraham, ‘a father of nations.’ The reason for this is that God, who knows the significance of names, wanted the new identity to sink into Abraham’s consciousness. By hearing himself being called and addressed as a father of nations, Abraham would naturally believe it, behave it, carry and comport himself in manners befitting his new identity.
There are a number of other individuals in the Bible whose identities God also changed based on His encounter with them, as well as His plan and purpose for their lives. He is a God who elevates the profiles of the people He chooses, and one of the ways He does that is by either giving them a new name or a new brand identity different from the ones they were hitherto known by or associated with.
He has not stopped doing this. He still changes people’s names and offers them a new brand identity to this day.
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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