JUST WHERE DID CAIN GET HIS WIFE?…
…WHY SUPPOSED BIBLE DIFFICULTIES HELP US PROVE
THAT THE BIBLE IS INDEED THE WORD OF GOD
It is an old chestnut that has been
around for a long time. The first volley from that undying breed i.e.
the Bible sceptic: Where did Cain get his wife? The reason for asking
is not any concern for the marital status of Cain or his wife, but is
just another vain attempt to cast doubt on the veracity of the word of
God. A lot of people have a vested interest in proving the Bible to be
untrue. They might try and laugh it all off…but for something
that is "full of fairy stories" they seem to spend a lot of time and
effort to trying to refute it.
The supposed difficulty with Cain's marriage partner is that Adam and
Eve are recorded in the Bible as the first and only couple. Up to
Genesis 4:17 where we read that "Cain knew his wife…" all we
have been told is that Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain
murdered Abel, argued with God and went out from the presence of the
Lord with his wife. The supposed problem lies in the fact that up to
this point, there has no mention made of her at all. So reasons the
sceptic: the Bible has contradicted itself. If we read on a little -
which sounds amazingly simple - we discover that Adam "begat sons and
daughters." (Genesis 5:4) The answer to the question is: Cain married
either a sister or a niece. Since the human race was very young, there
were not the problems with the genetic pool that exist today and forbid
such marriages. Even in Abraham's time - some 2,000 years later - the
genetic pool was not corrupt enough to prevent him from marrying his
step sister (Genesis 20:12) Only in Moses' time - yet another 700 years
on - was it warranted to forbid such close marriages (Leviticus 18)
There are several other supposed discrepancies in the Bible which cause
some difficulties. Careful study, however, can always reconcile these
together. For example, if one writer says that there was one man
present and another records that there was two, both are right inasmuch
that if there was two, then there was certainly one. Two men equal one
individual twice. The contradiction would be if one of the writers
stated that there was only one man. The Bible is a book that requires
honest, careful study. It will yield little to the casual reader and
nothing to the unbelieving sceptic who grasps at anything which will
"prove" his presupposed theory that the Bible can never be true.
Why do we mention this? Not merely to answer the old question of Cain's
marriage arrangements or to give a few hints on how to reconcile
apparent contradictions. We want to take the sceptic on in his logic.
We freely confess that if there is a contradiction in the Bible, then
it invalidates its claim to be the word of Him who is all wise and who
"cannot lie" Furthermore, if we cannot trust God in the details, we
cannot trust Him in the broad sweeps either. If He is faulty in the
origins of the human race, He is hardly to be trusted in the matter of
eternal destinies i.e. Heaven and Hell. That goes without saying. We
agree wholeheartedly with the sceptic in this.
But let the sceptic consider the implications also of the other side of
the coin. What if the Bible with its sixty six books all claiming
inspiration cannot be found to have a fault? What if the supposed
contradictions are only supposed and can all be answered…where
does that leave the sceptic?
Men have been trying for a long time to disprove the Bible. Every trick
in the book has been employed. Clever arguments with ingenious words
have been concocted all to reduce this Book to the status of a mere
human invention. Again and again…such trickery has met with
failure. Science has proved nothing that contradicts it. Education
establishments with their undoubted genius cannot silence it. Two
thousand years after its last inspired writer laid down his
pen…it is still a best seller. It defies so much that men take
for granted. It condemns man for his sin. It makes him uncomfortable.
It offers him salvation, but only if he will take the lowest place and
confess that he is both guilty and helpless. It freely admits that to
the natural man, its message is foolishness. But it puts the blame
where it belongs: on the natural man with his sinful, twisted logic. It
will still be around when the theories invented to crush it are
forgotten. The huge radio mast in Georgia (ICS) that beamed out
Communist propaganda to the West in the days of the Soviet Union, now
sends forth gospel radio programmes. Communism sought to crush this
Book - where is Communism today? Where is the Bible? It is still the
source of faith and comfort to countless millions of people.
Yes…the Old Book still stands though the critics scoff. We
ignore it at our peril. The sword with which we attack it only serves
to cut us open and leave us dying on the battlefield. Far better to
receive its truth and trust the Saviour it proclaims as our only hope
for eternity. Remember there is no other way to be saved. There is no
other guarantee for a safe eternity. Jesus Christ alone is the way to
God. (John 14:6) Click here for more information on the wonders of the
Bible.
THE END
Cork Free Presbyterian Church, 10 Briarscourt
(Annex) Shanakiel, Cork, Ireland