THE OLDEST PROFESSIONS

Sometimes people older than you profess to know something, but they only fool themselves by being proven wrong by factual data, and such is the case when someone tells you that the oldest profession in the world is prostitution, and that the next oldest is being a politician. Neither one make it into the top ten oldest professions that ever existed! Let's have some enlightenment from the historical section of the world's greatest book - the bible!

The answer to the question, "What is the world's oldest profession?" is - gardener! To find this answer, we logically must turn to Gen. 2:15; "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." And so we have here proof that Adam was the gardener of the garden of Eden. With no gardener, perhaps it would have better been called a wilderness?

The next profession is the profession of Adam and Eve's youngest son, Abel, and so, naturally, this profession can also be verified in Genesis. "And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground." (Gen. 4:2)

I thought it might be interesting to note that Cain was the first to experience a career change, forced on him by the Lord God, as a consequence to slaying his brother; "And He said, 'What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto Me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth." (Gen. 4:10-12) So the next profession was borne out of the sin of Cain, and he became a city engineer! " 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." (Gen. 4:17)

Okay, that's three professions, seven to go; the next profession is that of a cattleman and rancher! "And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle." (Gen. 4:20) And the fifth profession was that of being a musician! "And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ." (Gen. 4:21) The sixth profession was borne of Tubal-cain, and he was a metalworker! " And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah." (Gen. 4:22)

This next profession is only subtly spoken of, rather nebulous of the timing, but before the flood they were drinking wine, according to Jesus Himself in Matt. 24:38, so someone unnamed had to be a winemaker! " For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." (Matt. 24:38-39)

Now the next profession some may find debatable, but I, in my eyes, see Noah as the father of shipbuilding; his was the first, and it is the most famous to this day. As a matter of fact, I would go as far as to say it would be also fair to think of Noah as the first zoo keeper! See these two passages from scripture as my establishment of my claims: "Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it." (Gen. 6:14-16) And; "And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them." (Gen. 6:19-21)

One more profession left, and nowhere in sight is the mention of prostitution or politics! The last profession was created of a curse from the mouth of Noah, and that profession was that of being a servant. "And he said, 'Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.'" (Gen. 9:25)

So there you have it; ten professions, and none of them are prostitution or politician! So if anyone make the mistake of telling you that either are first, or second, or even in the top ten oldest professions, you now have the proof that they are flat out wrong! Thanks be to God for the wisdom in His Word!