Gospel Journey

Seth Met His Wife at a Family Reunion

Each day we will also take a look at a statement. If you haven't read the devotional for today, please do that first. Then come back here and tell us what you think.

If Adam and Eve were the only two formed by God, and God told them to be fruitful and multiply, doesn't that mean that Cain and Seth had to have married their sisters?

In short, yes. But before you start breaking out all your jokes about West Virginia let's look at a view issues:

1. Romans 5:12-14 makes it clear that sin entered the world and has contaminated all, because of Adam. Therefore, we must all be decendants of Adam.
2. Wouldn't it create defects? Inbreeding in animals or people usually heightens mutation and defect. Wouldn't this mean that human kind got off to a pretty bad start? Consider that Adam and Eve were made perfectly. Sin entered into their bodies and immediately began decay and death, but their DNA would have been relatively pure. Consider the long lives that people lived back then. It may have made some features appear dominant in children, but probably was void of life threatening abnormalities for a few generations.
3. Isn't it gross? Well, yeah, for us it's really hard to imagine. But here's a twist that might make it a little less "icky." Adam lived to be 912, and didn't have Seth until he was 130. We know Adam had other children before Seth (for we know Cain and Abel had already been born). Therefore, by the time Seth was looking for a bride, his options could have been cousins, nieces, or even daughters of cousins/nieces (whatever that would make them).
4. Why would God declare it wrong later? By the time of Moses, God very clearly forbids incest. By this time, it was quite unhealthy for blood relatives to reproduce. Mutations and abnormalities had exceeded to the point of serious harm. Also, God as the Author of Love, desires that it remain pure. For family, who should be relating to each other in a way that exalts the gospel, to be caught up with romance as well, would send the wrong message to others.

For us, Seth (or any of Adam's decendants) marrying a relative appears gross. It should appear gross. So hold your jokes about folks in West Virignia meeting their spouse at family reunions...it's in all our ancestory.

posted by danny2 @ 12:01 AM