Someone has said words to this effect: “Reading the Bible is like eating a delicious piece of fish. Sometimes I come across sharp bones that slow me down. Time has taught me not to let them spoil the meal, but rather to do with these difficult texts what I do with the fish bones; I just place them on the side of the plate and deal with them later. Usually, by the time I get around to dealing with them, the problem has ceased to be a problem because the Lord has given me the answer in a different Scripture.”

The point of the story is this: When I have a problem with a passage of Scripture, I don’t allow it to raise doubts in my mind, I just admit that I don’t know everything yet and move on!

Verse 17 of Genesis 4 is one of those verses to many people. It says: “And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.”

Because no mention has been made of other people being in existence apart from Adam, Eve, Cain and his late brother Able, the doubter will say: “So where did his wife come from!!?” Let me suggest one possible answer to this apparent problem:

No time frame is given as to WHEN Cain “knew his wife” but given that Exodus 5:2-4 tells us that Adam and Eve had their 3^rd son Seth when Adam was 130 years old, and that Adam lived to be 930 years and “begat sons and daughters” it is most likely that Cain married one of his younger sisters or even one of his nieces. Fresh from the hand of the Creator as they were, there were not the same problems with close family relationships as we face today.

So that ‘bone’ can remain on the side of my plate until I get to ask the Lord Himself for the correct answer. Meanwhile, the meal continues with lots of nourishing food for my soul! Believing your beliefs and doubting your doubts is much better counsel than doubting your beliefs and believing your doubts!  Meanwhile, enjoy this heavy theology:  “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so!” Have a great day!