'This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands,

because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed' (Gen. 5:29).

Lamech did not live to see Noah's typical character fulfilled, for he

died 595 years after the birth of Noah, at the significant age of 777.  He

(Lamech) did, however, look forward by faith to the true solution of the

misery brought about by sin, for the Ark and the salvation that it sets forth

is a type of the divine method, not only of alleviating, but of delivering

from the curse and all its accompaniments.

In contrast with this is the action of Cain.  Being driven from the

presence of the Lord, instead of meekly accepting the judgment pronounced, he

begins to introduce what would now be called 'civilising' measures.  He

builds a city (Gen. 4:17), and his posterity introduce the harp, the organ,

and working in metals (Gen. 4:21,22).  The practice of having several wives

also originated in the time of Cain.  While cities, organs and metal working

may be innocent innovations in themselves, they are deadly if they are

introduced to take the keenness off the edge of God's judgment.  From Cain's

day onwards to the present time, man has gone on adding layer upon layer of

this 'veneer'.  Each layer modified and soothed for a while, but in spite of

this, the curse upon the earth made itself evident again and again.  The

groan of creation will never be hushed, though cities be magnified out of all

recognition, and music and art be 'on tap' from morning till night.

It is fairly safe to say that, should the reader maintain the view

expressed above in the presence of any half-dozen people, one at least of the

company would point with triumphant finger to man's 'inventions'.  These

'inventions' are not forgotten in Scripture.  The following is the comment of

inspired wisdom, as recorded in Ecclesiastes chapter 7:

'God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions'

(Eccles. 7:29).

It is impossible to miss the intention of this observation.  The

seeking out of inventions is placed in direct contrast with being made

upright, indicating that the inventions of man are an exhibition of his fall.

The word translated 'inventions' here is derived from

the Hebrew

chashab, 'to think, purpose, intend'.  It is used in a good

sense when

referring to the 'purpose' of the Lord (Jer. 50:45), or the

craftsmanship of those who worked on the Tabernacle, but it

usually has an

evil meaning, as the following passages indicate:

'Saul thought (chashab) to make David fall' (1 Sam. 18:25).

'His wicked device (machashebeth), which he devised (machashebeth)

against the Jews' (Esther 9:25).

'They imagined (chashab) a mischievous device' (Psa. 21:11).

'Invent (chashab) to themselves instruments of music' (Amos 6:5).

'He shall forecast (chashab) his devices' (Dan. 11:24).

Someone may perhaps object to the inclusion of the passage from Amos in

this list, on the ground that most musical instruments have been invented by

someone, and that the possession of them can hardly be regarded as evil.