This morning Dr. Geoff Downes started with the old joke about Tasmanians being born with two heads. More seriously, our text was Genesis 4:16-18:
"Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son—Enoch. To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech."
Looking at why there was no objections to Cain marrying a sister or a niece, we explored the moral and genetic issues with inbreeding, why it is illegal in most places now to marry your 1st cousin and how this flows from sibling marriages not being allowed in the law given to Moses. For the first thousand years of human history though, there was not the accumulation of genetic mutations and siblings marrying did not produce the awful birth defects so common now when close relatives intermarry.
The whole Genesis series can be streamed on our archives page HERE, and below are the illustrations referred to in this sermon:
The conclusion: TRUST SCRIPTURE
2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness"
And our times certainly need reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.