The Temptation of Technology

Take a moment to think who is the father of technology? Who initiated it?

According to the Bible, it is Cain.

Cain, the one who murdered his brother out of jealously, brought technology to the World. And the journey to technology started with a curse.

Rejected by Nature

In Genesis 4, God tells Cain that the ground will no longer yield crops to him and that he will wander the Earth. This would mean Cain would become a beggar and a scavenger.

But instead Cain founds a city. The city is a form of technology. Whose walls protected him from the unforgiving world. As his family grew, his children developed new technologies, especially how to grow enough food to feed themselves.

We see later in Genesis 4:

Genesis 4 v 19-22

Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes. Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.

Jabal developed technologies to herd and breed livestock. Jubal developed musical instruments, which was likely used in religious worship and could be described as spiritual technologies. And Tubal-Cain forged and crafted metal tools, in order to manipulate nature with physical technologies.

All these technologies were used to insulate a person against the whims of nature. These people relied upon their own ingenuity and chose to reject God.

They could now provide their own protection with city walls, provide their own food, engage with the spiritual realms without God and develop their own tools to order the world around them. In their eyes, they did not need God.

This then led to greater and greater sin. By succumbing to the temptation to put their trust in technology, rather than the Creator, all manner of sins multiplied.

We see in verse 25, that Adam and Eve conceived another child and named him, Seth. His descendants did not develop technologies, but instead ‘called on the name of the Lord’ or in other words, choose to rely on God.

Seth’s line rejected the temptation of technology and looked to God to provide for them.

David Rejects Technology

In the story of David and Goliath, David accepts the challenge to fight the giant. King Saul offers David his armour, helmet and sword, but David rejects it.

Instead, he takes his staff (a symbol of the Cross), his sling and 5 smooth stones from a stream and heads out to face Goliath. He calls on the Name of the Lord and wins the fight.

David rejects the temptation of technology. He resists wearing full armour and using a sword. He instead picks up natural, uncut stones from a stream and calls on God to help him.

Technology Never Saves

No matter what technological utopia is on offer, if it ever manifests, it will end in tyranny and, we can see from the Genesis Flood narrative, it will end in disaster.

We must reject the temptation of technology and never treat it as the saviour of mankind.

God has allowed us to use it. But it should serve us. Not rule us.