9. The Path of Life the Sons of Lamech Walked

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And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. (Genesis 4:19~22)

Farmer Who Bears Fruits of Thankfulness

There is a lady who has recently begun to attend our church. She gave a testimony during the women’s meeting saying that she was divorced two years ago. One day, while I was having spiritual counseling with her, I came to know why she was divorced. She said that things her husband was doing did not fit her at all, and she could not take it anymore. But afterwards, this lady received salvation and changed, thinking, “I was so arrogant to my husband! I tried to fit my husband into my mold!” She deeply regretted having done this. I called her husband and arranged a meeting with the couple. The wife begged for forgiveness from her husband and the couple decided to reunite. They were so happy to be together again, and the husband joyfully comes to our church every Sunday. It was so good and it was so beautiful. The sister said, “Pastor, my children are so happy and excited about this! My mother-in-law and my own mother are also happy!” She could not hide her joy and thankfulness. Her mother, who lives on Jeju Island, came on an airplane to see me and thank me. That day, I preached the gospel to her and she rejoiced as she received salvation. Now she is serving God at the Jeju church. In my ministry, I always have the heart, “God is a farmer who bears fruits of thankfulness.” Our church members had always lived inside of their own ambitions and desires, but one day they met Jesus. I see how their lives have changed through Jesus entering their hearts and how thankful-things continually happen. A farmer, who grows apples, prepares to produce good apples and works tirelessly to produce them. One who grows oranges prepares to produce good oranges and works tirelessly to produce them. God works to produce fruits of thankfulness in our lives. It is so amazing that whoever meets God has a thankful heart springing up inside of them. Before I knew Jesus, I thought I was great and acted arrogantly though there was nothing I knew how to do. I lived being led by the ambitions of the flesh. Therefore, I caused much harm and hardship to those around me and I hurt their feelings. But after Jesus entered my heart, a peace others could not know of entered my heart. I could not defeat plagues, sins, temptations, or fears, but Jesus defeated all plagues, sins, temptations, and fears. And He allowed peace to take a place in my heart. Therefore, my heart could only be at peace and be joyful.

The Path the Three Sons of Lamech Walked

We try to find peace through ourselves not committing sin and through trying to do well. Sure, you can work hard and make money. You can gain a high position, have a good home, and buy a good car, but there is no peace there. You will be joyful for about a year if you buy a new house. You will be joyful for a few months if you buy a new car. You will be happy for a few days if you wear a good suit. However, those things are not joys that arise from the center of your heart. They quickly fade and you once again feel thirsty. God is showing us our lives through the lives of the sons of Lamech, who lived outside of God, in Genesis chapter 4. It was a life after Adam and Eve departed from God. The lives of the sons of Lamech are clearly showing us the kind of life we will walk. It is teaching us something extremely important. Lamech had three sons. The first son was Jabal, the second Jubal, and third was Tubal-cain. Jabal became the father of all who dwelled in tents and herded sheep, Jubal became the father of those who handle the harp and organ, and Tubal-cain became an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron. In other words, Jabal became a rancher, Jubal a musician, and Tubal-cain a blacksmith.

1) Jabal’s Choice

I thought about why Jabal became a rancher. As he grew up, he saw that his family was living in need and that his parents had difficulty raising his younger siblings. Jabal’s priority was to eat and survive. In order to eat and live well, Jabal diligently herded sheep and fed cattle. He built tents from cow hide and it was his joy to provide his parents with comfort and to provide his siblings with a place in which they could comfortably live. Jabal was joyful when he made clothes from wool that kept his brothers warm. And he was happy when his family would feast on lamb meat and cow milk. Jabal lived for food, clothing, and shelter.

2) Jubal’s Choice

Why did Jubal become the father of all who handle the harp and organ? Why did he become a musician? If he could not eat, dress, and live well despite Jabal’s efforts, then Jubal too would have had no choice but to herd sheep and feed cattle along with his older brother. He would have had to endlessly search for better pastures and better water. Jubal became a musician because the problem of food, clothing, and shelter had already been taken care of. Jubal’s life was already comfortable because of his older brother’s labor as a rancher. He lived without knowing what it was like to be naked and hungry because of his older brother’s work. Therefore, he wanted to please his own heart. “Older brother only cares about eating. What’s the point of living if eating is everything? You must have class like me. Older brother is too ignorant to know the beauty and power of music.” Jubal grew up thinking this. He was not thankful or joyful for being well fed through his older brother. From the beginning, he never knew what it meant to be hungry, so he grew up thinking about other things. There is no one who is thankful for being able to eat until he is full. I have visited many countries all over the world, and there are truly many people in many countries who are starving because they cannot eat. It broke my heart to see them struggling because they had nothing to eat. But some countries throw too much food away. I once went to a restaurant in America to have breakfast and ordered pancakes. There were three pancakes in one serving, but all I could eat was just one pancake. I wanted to bag the remaining two, but I had a lunch appointment, so I left them behind. As I was leaving, I told the brother next to me, “What does the restaurant do with left over pancakes?” He said that they just throw them away. I felt that those delicious, fine pancakes were put to waste. Much food is thrown away in Korea as well. Six billion dollars worth of food is thrown away every year. But of the people who eat until they are full, there is no one who says, “Many people in the world are starving today, I am so thankful that I get to eat until I am full.” In this way, people’s hearts are drawn by other desires when they are full. They want to please their heart. They enjoy music, write poems, etc. Through the arts, they try to find pleasure in their heart.

3) Tubal-cain’s Choice

The third son, Tubal-cain, grew into an adult. Thanks to his oldest brother, Tubal-cain had no difficulties in living and was sick of listening to his other brother’s music. Those things could not fill Tubal-cain’s heart. He was not happy eating till he was full and was not happy wearing good clothes. People are happy to eat till they are full when they are hungry, and people rejoice in wearing new clothes when they used to wear ragged clothes. People are happy when they drive new cars after driving junk cars. A person who is used to living in good houses and eating good food to begin with does not feel happiness and thankfulness from those things. Tubal-cain could not fill his heart with what he gained from his brothers. Beautiful tents, good cheese or butter, and wool clothes could not fill Tubal-cain’s heart. He was sick of his second brother’s singing. “Brother, can you stop playing that harp? I liked it a long time ago, but now I am sick of it! Can’t you leave my ears alone?” Tubal-cain was sick of this and wanted to find happiness elsewhere. He wanted to fill his empty heart. Then what did Tubal-cain do? He made swords and spears of brass and felt pleasure in using them to fight beasts and in slaying them. He would make swords and spears and say, “Ah, this is a well made sword. With this, I can take down a bear, no problem. . . ,” and felt satisfaction in killing animals.

God Who Makes Conditions of Thankfulness

God continually makes us bear fruits of thankfulness in our heart. I thought about the woman taken in adultery who met Jesus while being dragged to be stoned to death. This woman’s heart was only filled with shame, fear, despair, death, and things such as these before she met Jesus. But Jesus spoke to her. “Where are your accusers? Hasn’t anyone condemned you?” “No man, Lord.” “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.” When this woman was returning home after hearing the words of Jesus, the heart of darkness and pain that was in her just a while ago was no more. Now she was filled with the heart, “Now I’ve made it! Thank the Lord!” Jesus must have looked at her as she was walking away. The image of this woman was not that she was simply walking, but walking on air saying, “Lord, thank you!” This woman’s heart had been filled with the guilt of sin, fear, and terror. Jesus sent her away having filled her heart with thankfulness, hope, and joy. When I draw this woman in my heart, I am so happy. To the people she met, this woman must have said, “I was on the verge of death, but Jesus saved me!” The demon possessed man at Gadarenes also met Jesus one day. He was tied down with chains and fetters, but he would break them off, cut his own body, and he lived in the tombs. One day, Jesus came and freed him from the demons. He wanted to follow Jesus, but Jesus said, “Go and tell people how God has worked upon you.” He must have gone and said, “Uncle, as you know, I lived in the tombs and was demon possessed. The demons dragged me around against my will. However, Jesus defeated those demons inside of me! Jesus delivered me from my suffering! Jesus gave me freedom and peace. Now I am free!” People who met Jesus were all freed from that to which they were tied down. Both then and now, Jesus is working in the same way to create conditions of thankfulness inside of us. Just like a husbandman of an orchard waters, applies pesticide, trims, and grafts the branches so that apples will be borne, Jesus continually works to make the fruits of thankfulness come forth inside of us. Whether it was when He was on this earth 2,000 years ago or today, though He is unseen by our eyes, Jesus all the same, is living and working inside of us.

The Reason People Follow the Path of Lamech’s Sons

The lady I mentioned earlier thought, “I cannot stand a person like you,” in regards to her husband. She did not even want to look at her husband. Before he would come home from work, she thought, “I should be good to my husband,” but as soon as she saw him, she would feel hatred and contempt for him and could not stand him. However, when Jesus entered her heart and defeated the hatred in her, she then received the heart, “I was so arrogant!” She then said to her husband, “Honey, I was so arrogant, please forgive me. I now have the heart to love you,” and the two of them are living happily together. Their children were so happy to see that their parents were reunited. The evil spirit, who upholds the hearts of those who have left Jesus, places insecurity, distrust, hatred, desires, and temptations in them, and they are dragged around by those things endlessly. They think that if they are a little better off, make a little more money, buy a nicer home, buy a nicer car, or eat better food, they will be happy. People pursue that. The path of the lives of those without Jesus is clearly shown through the lives of Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-cain in Genesis chapter 4. Many people today are living the same life as the sons of Lamech. This was how Rome was a long time ago. Rome conquered the world and became wealthy and powerful. They took all the treasures of the world. They thought they would be happy when they took art from Greece, sang songs, danced, and pleasured themselves. However, this could not ultimately give them satisfaction in their hearts. They ultimately built an amphitheater called the Coliseum, and there, they felt a sensation watching lions tear people apart and seeing people bleed and die. People’s chests would be torn open as they fought against beasts with all their might and the audience would applaud and rejoice as they watched the people with torn legs being dragged out. People who have left God give themselves over to eating and living. If eating and living is difficult, they completely fall into just eating and living their whole lives. But they are not happy simply because they can eat until they are full. Because there is no joy there, people wander, looking for happiness even though they have gained many things. They play the harp and the organ, trying to receive joy. However, there is no satisfaction there as well. Then they turn to extreme things to stimulate themselves and struggle to wake their hearts. If their life goes according to their wants, they progress from Jabal to Jubal, then Jubal to Tubal-cain. The story ultimately ends with Lamech killing people. I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt (Gen. 4:23) We can see the man’s life ending pitifully in murder.

Happiness Is in Jesus Christ

People are deceived. If they have a high position, much money, good homes, good cars, and wear good clothes, they think they will be happy. Jabal had his food, clothing, and shelter needs fulfilled, but was not happy. Jubal enjoyed music to please his heart, but there was no joy there as well. Ultimately, Tubal-cain made swords and spears to kill animals and we see that the eventual end of man is reaching the level of murder. Man follows the mirage called happiness. But there is no true happiness where they seek. Happiness is inside of Jesus Christ.