That one of the phases of the great conflict of the ages is intimately connected with the

attempt on the part of Satan to contaminate the seed of the woman, has been shown by

abler expositors than ourselves. The subject forms too important a link in the chain,

however, for us to pass it by without individual study. We do not know who was Cain's

wife, and rather than bar the way for fuller understanding by hazarding guesses that range

from his "own sister" to the "pre-Adamites", we prefer to leave it as the Scriptures do.

That Abel was the seed of the woman Eve makes clear on the birth of Seth:--

Of Noah it is written, "Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generations", or

uncontaminated by the generations through which he had come. Whether we interpret

the "sons of God" of this chapter (Gen. 6:) of angels, or of the descendants of Seth (and

both views have their supporters), the issue is clear, that it was an attempt on the part of

the evil one to corrupt the seed of the woman.

There are two words used of Noah in Gen. 6: 9, both translated "generations". The

original of the first is the one that is used to subdivide the book of Genesis, "The book of

the generation of Adam" (Gen. 5: 1). The second means "his contemporaries". The word

"perfect" carries with it the thought of being without blemish, and the idea includes the

vital fact that with the exception of Noah "All flesh had corrupted His way upon the

earth". The seed of the woman was carried through the waters of the flood in the person

of Noah.

The prohibitions of the law of Moses, as also the command of Abraham concerning

intermarriage with the Canaanites, shows the real concern that God had in keeping the

line pure that led down through Shem to Christ. Passing over for the time the O.T., let us

pause for a moment at Malachi. How many of us could say what is the great concern of

Mal. 2:? It is largely taken up with the faithlessness of the Priests in regard to marriage.

They said, "Have we not all one Father? hath not one God created us?" and thereby

revealed their lack of discrimination, for God created Cain, but he was of that wicked one

nevertheless. God created the Jews who listened to Christ, but they were of their father

the Devil nevertheless. The prophet answers the priests with the words:--

The words "to deal treacherously" refer to faithlessness to the marriage bond. (See

2: 15, also Jer. 3: 20; Exod. 21: 8). The faithlessness of JUDAH imperiled the SEED,

for of that tribe Messiah was to come:--