"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."
(Genesis 4:11-12).
There are consequences to sin:
God punishes a person for their sinful or evil behavior. God also punishes towns, cities, counties,
states, countries, and more. Therefore, the destruction of one place may not happen
to a neighboring place. Here are a few scriptures for us to ponder in our hearts,
"...and I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity, and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible"
(Isaiah 13:11). "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the army (host) of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth"
(Isaiah 24:21). "For, behold, the Lord cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity- the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain"
(Isaiah 26:21). "And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations"
(Jeremiah 25:12). "...I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence"
(Jeremiah 44:13).
Cain was his own appointed lawyer who pleaded his defense case before the Almighty Judge of the universe. How did he plead- innocent or guilty? He probably plead guilty as it is impossible to hide one's sins from a Person, like God, who knows everything. God, as the Judge, listened to his plea, rendered His verdict, and issued the sentence of the Heavenly court. In like manner, in Heaven, we will all stand trial before God some day and be judged. Unconverted sinners, who died in their sins, will stand trial at the Great White Throne judgment to receive their verdict and punishment. The converted to Christ will stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ to receive their rewards:
"...because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead"
(Acts 17:31).
As Abel, in Heaven, cried out to God for vengeance against Cain (the voice of
thy brother's blood crieth unto Me from the ground), so also the martyrs in
Heaven, during the future Tribulation period, will also cry out to God for vengeance
(Revelation 6:10).
"And Cain said unto the Lord, my punishment is greater than I can bear.
Behold, Thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth, and from
Thy face shall I be hid, and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth,
and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me"
(Genesis 4:13-14).
The curse on Cain:
Let us talk about this curse from God that is actually God's judgment. Did that
curse frighten Cain?
What was Cain afraid of? Cain was afraid to die- he could kill his brother but he
was afraid of death, himself. Cain was also afraid of God's curse.
God did not kill Cain but gave him life imprisonment
instead, so to speak. Cain lost his freedom (from the face of the earth), lost fellowship with
God (from Thy face shall I be hid), lost his identity (I shall be a fugitive and
a vagabond), and became afraid of others (every one that findeth me shall slay me).
God gave him a living hell on this earth. For Cain, it was more painful to live
than to die. Cain complained to the Judge about his lot in life but he was not
granted a pardon. He did the crime so he had to do the time. If Cain confessed,
repented, and changed to God's side, could he ask for a parole hearing? Yes, he could
ask. God judges these matters on an individual basis. He is very forgiving, very
loving, and He knows the heart of every individual. Some individuals He may grant
freedom to- through a parole release, but others not so. God is perfect and He does
not make mistakes. What about the case with Cain? To my knowledge, Cain never
repented, never was sorry for killing his brother, and never changed to God's side.
Therefore, the curse of God remained on him throughout his entire life.
Will God punish those individuals who hurt any of His true followers? Yes. We see (in God's word) that God can be gracious or strict (placing a curse)
(Deuteronomy 28:15; 2 Kings 2:23). Very simply put, when someone hurts one of God's children (one of those who belong to God), God, as a protective Father, will punish the wrong doer. The one who is wronged can pray and ask God to give the vengeance as long as the one wronged takes no action himself or herself. This is called the imprecatory prayer. In the case of Abel, since he was murdered, he could not pray this prayer. But I am sure that when he was standing in front of God in Heaven that he was asking God for vengeance and the words "Listen- your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground" appears to indicate this. There is another scripture that makes this more clear:
"And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, how long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"
(Revelation 6:9-10).
Even if the one wronged does not ask God to punish the wrong doer(s), God will punish them anyway. This is what happened with Cain. Satan and evil doers continually persecute those who love the Lord on this earth. Each true Christian can expect to be lied about, taken advantage of, and hurt in one way or another. But woe to the person or persons who cause the hurt. That person will be punished. Pain is the order of the day. Jesus said:
"But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!"
(Matthew 18:6-7).
"And the Lord said unto him, therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him"
(Genesis 4:15).
What was the mark of Cain?
Through the years there have been some wild theories about what the mark of Cain was.
No one knows what the mark of Cain was. Whatever it was, it caused others to recognize him for who he was.
One of the most harmful theories was spread by a Christian denomination around the
time of the American Civil War. This denomination, in order to justify their
slavery of the negroes in the south, taught that the mark of Cain was God turning
Cain into a black man. To them, that was the beginning of the negro race that had God's curse
on it- so that made it ok for the white race to enslave them. None of my direct
ancestors ever owned slaves because they were from the north (from Ohio), a Yankee
state, and did not believe in slavery, even after they migrated to Texas, a Rebel
state, and, as far as I know, none fought in the Civil War on one side or the other.
My grandmother Rice (Wilhelmina Schulz), a preacher's wife, taught me about this
false doctrine so that is how I know about it. As far as I am concerned,
that false doctrine is a lie right from the pit. One reason that it cannot be true
is that all of the folks from Cain on down, except Noah and his bunch, would have
been wiped out in the worldwide flood of Noah's time and none would have survived
to propogate the black race to the present time. But, there is a happy ending to
this false doctrine. A little over one hundred years after the Civil War had ended,
that denomination repented and publically apologized to negroes in the U.S.A.
The loving Lord was disappointed with Cain. Why? It was not only because of what he had done but because of who he was. Who was he? He belonged to Satan and he had unrepentent sin that kept him from loving God. This spiritual condition not only separated a person from God in those days but will also separate a person from God at this present time.
Wherever he went, Cain preached a message by his physical appearance. When others saw him, they received two messages:
1) This is what may happen to you if you murder someone- it was a warning to others of God's judgment on any unrepentent sinner who did Satan's bidding. And
2) It was a divine sign of God's protection- God can protect an unworthy sinner due to God's great mercy when God wants to.
"And Cain ran out (went out) from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. 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"
(Genesis 4:16-17).
Why did Cain run from God?
Well, let me ask you another question- why did Jonah run from God? Because of disobedience you may say- and you are right. As well, sin does not like the presence of the Lord. Sin and the Lord are like polar opposites or like oil and water- they do not mix as they are mutually exclusive spiritually to one another. How can that be? Several times I have met an individual who has Satan and sin in their heart. Instantly, his spirit recognized mine and mine recognized his. Our spirits recognized one another. Once that happened, that person wanted to stay away from me because my spirit, the Lord Jesus Christ, was more powerful- and that person was afraid that I might seek to cast it out of him or her.
How can that be relevant? It is not good for one to leave the Lord or to run away from His presence. If you find yourself on the wrong spiritual pathway, God allows U-turns. In other words, He will always welcome you back when you decide to come to Him.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"
(1 John 1:9).
The land of Nod:
The meaning of the Hebrew word Nod is wandering. When an individual makes a wrong choice to turn away from God, he or she may spiritually wander about with a conscience burdened with guilt, an inner spirit that is dead and ladened with sin, and without any peace in their heart. This is the same as building your house with its foundation on the sand rather than on the rock (of Christ). But I have good news for you. Christ will remedy this situation for you if you will invite Him into your life. You will become a new creation and you will have a special relationship with God being His adopted son or daughter.
Where did Cain get his wife?
It is assumed that Cain married his sister or half sister. Folks lived for a long time in those days and many children were born to nearly all of them. The children soon became adults and lived for a long time. There might have been several thousand adults on the earth in a relatively short period of time. Adam and Eve had many children
(Genesis 5:4). According to Jewish tradition, Adam and Eve had 33 sons and 27 daughters. Eve was "the mother of all living"
(Genesis 3:20).
Later, Abraham (Abram) married his half sister so this activity might have been more common in those days. Today, it is not God's will for family incest to take place and in some cultures it is forbidden by law. Why? There are several reasons but let me mention one physical one. Incest sometimes causes genetic problems that may lead to birth defects. Why did not they have problems in those days? Since God still creates, it is possible for God to have controlled their DNA compatability in those days so parents had healthy offspring to begin the human race.
It is my opinion that God still creates. God is still active in the creation process. For example, He was active in the creation process concerning the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. As well, He creates spiritually, in the human heart. He also creates in nature. Every once in awhile, some person may find an animal or other creature "that is new" that they never saw before or knew existed. That might be because God just created it. Besides the animal kingdom, I love to see God paint a beautiful sunset in His sky and see beautiful leaves on trees in the fall season. This shows me that God is still pleased to create in His universe.
Note: the Enoch, from the family of Cain that is mentioned in this verse, is not the same individual as Enoch, from the family of Seth.
The Family Line of Cain:
"And unto Enoch was born Irad- and Irad begat Mehujael- and Mehujael begat Methusael- and Methusael begat Lamech. And Lamech took unto him two wives- the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. And Adah bare Jabal- he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. And his brother's name was Jubal- he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron- and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah"
(Genesis 4:18-22).
Why did God place the lineage of Cain in His word? In my opinion, his family line served as a bad example- an example for us NOT to follow. And it was a morally corrupt family line in contrast with the righteous godly family line. It appears Cain got married and taught his descendants NOT to love the Lord. It is a real spiritual tragedy when unbelieving parents teach their children not to love or serve the Lord. They do this by words and by example. I grew up in a suburban neighborhood where there were Christian parents and non-Christian parents. The Christian parents influenced their children to follow Christ but the non-Christian ones did not. I grew up in a non-Christian home where, in my opinion, my father was much like Cain so my exposure to the bible and church was very limited- so I know now how this can affect the future lifestyle of such children. Cain made several bad choices in life. One was to reject the Lord. Another was to build the dynasty of his
house on the sand rather than on the Rock
(Matthew 7:21-27). In relevance, I encourage you to make better choices than Cain did.
"And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech- for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold"
(Genesis 4:23-24).
Lamech killed a man, just like his grandfather, Cain, had done. This is called the
iniquity of the fathers in the bible. This is generational sin. What is that? It is a sinful
life style passed down from one generation to another. Here is what God, through
Moses, had to say about it,
"Thou shalt have none other gods before Me. Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth- thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them- for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments"
(Deuteronomy 5:7-10).
Note: for one to worship an idol or false god of some kind is the same as worshipping the
devil because the devil is the one behind it.
And, just like Cain, Lamech was afraid to die. That is why he propogated the lie that judgment would fall
seventy times in the matter of the mark of Cain towards anyone who wanted to kill him in revenge.
Why is an unbeliever sometimes afraid to die? Because he or
she is afraid to face God and be judged for their actions. We see that in symbolism
in the last book of the bible
(Revelation 6:16).
The first poem in the bible was written by Lamech, a descendant of Cain, to his wives and is called the "Song of the Sword." His life of rebellion against God yielded the fruit of polygamy (having more than one wife) and murder. His poem sounded like it was written by a defense lawyer stating that anyone who killed him would suffer seventy-seven times greater than just seven times.
It appears that Satan began using the family descendants of Cain as an avenue of violence. This may be the seed of violence that blossomed into worldwide violence that eventually lead to mankind's destruction by God in the great flood. And this is probably why God is revealing this information in His word to us. It is the way that mankind must not follow lest the same thing happen to mankind again. But will mankind learn from his past sins and usher in a new utopia on earth? They will try but Satan and sin, that they do not believe in, will force them in the opposite direction. We see that happening in the future as God has revealed it to us in the bible book of Revelation.
Does God really want us to know the very beginning or seed of sin that led to a lot of destruction? Yes. For instance, later, God tells us of an apostate priest who was an idol worshipper. His bad influence in the Israelite tribe of Dan eventually lead to this tribe setting up a golden calf. This idol worship spread throughout the northern Kingdom of Israel. God rejected them and allowed the Assyrians to conquer them. This sin lead to their destruction- and God tells us how it got started. Why? So we do not do it again. You can read about this in the bible in Judges chapter eighteen.
It could be that the family line of Cain represents religion without God. Cain wanted to worship God in his way- a way that God did not accept. There are many religions in the world all claiming to worship God- but God does not accept their way. This is where Christianity stands alone because Christianity is relationship rather than just religion. We come to God through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. We come to God through the shed blood of Christ by grace through faith. This is the right way to worship God. Seth's family members came this way and they were all accepted by God.
"And Adam knew his wife again, and she bare a son, and called his name Seth- for God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son, and he called his name Enoch- then began men to call upon the name of the Lord"
(Genesis 4:25-26).
The Family Line of Seth:
Why did God place the lineage of Seth, the sons of God, in His word? In my opinion, his family line stands in sharp contrast to the family lineage of Cain, the sons of Satan. Seth and his descendants loved the Lord, obeyed Him, and worshipped Him in spirit and in truth. Seth left a wonderful family legacy where godly men openly and publically worshipped God and stood for righteousness.
Two families in contrast:
There would be a long struggle between good and evil. If you please, two seeds were planted- a good seed and an evil seed. There were two major family branches in the beginning. The family members of Cain followed Satan- they were the evil seed. The family members of Seth followed the Lord- they were the godly seed.
Today, sometimes an ungodly person will come from a godly family, and conversely, a godly person will come from an ungodly family. Jesus said that each person has to make a personal choice as to which direction that he or she will go:
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it"
(Matthew 7:13-14).
Whosoever will may enter into God's kingdom and be saved:
"And the Spirit and the bride say,
"Come."
And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely"
(Revelation 22:17).
A contrast between the blood of Abel and the blood of Christ:
Why do I mention that here? I mention that here because of a New Testament scripture,
"...you have come to Jesus, the One who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which graciously forgives instead of crying out for vengeance as the blood of Abel did"
(Hebrews 12:24 Living Bible).
Abel's blood from the ground cried out to God for vengeance. The blood of Christ cries
out from Heaven with love and redemption to the sinner in this world. In other words,
the blood of Abel is in
spiritual contrast to the blood of Christ that cleanses a person of sins.
Forgiveness is much better than vengeance and Christ had much to say about that.
Hint: a good sermon or bible lesson can be prepared on such an important spiritual principle.
Teacher, will you explain the blood of the lamb? Yes, briefly. The Hebrew Old Testament
sacrifices were a type for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the greatest sacrifice
of all. The Old Testament sacrifices, in regards to the blood of the lamb, were
good to cover sin. In the tabernacle and temple worship, when the sin of an
individual
had the blood applied to it, that individual's sin was said to be under the blood
of the lamb. Sin was covered in those days until the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
At that time, Jesus shed His sinless blood for the forgiveness of sins. All sins
covered by the blood, in the Old Testament era, were then forgiven by Christ because the
blood of Christ is superior to the blood of animals. That is another spiritual
difference between Abel's sacrifice and Christ's sacrifice.
Mister Rice, will you say something about propitiation? Yes, briefly.
In the Hebrew tabernacle and temple worship, they celebrated a
yearly Day of Atonement when the blood of animals was sprinkled on the mercy seat for the
forgiveness of sins. That act, in theology, was called propitiation and its purpose was
to renew the favor of God, to show His love towards sinners, and to reveal His
willingness to pardon and bless the repentant sinner. That activity
was a type for Christ's sacrifice of His life and the shedding of His blood. Christ's blood speaks of redemption for every lost sinner
who turns to Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Today, in the New Testament, we use
the terminology that a person's sins are under the blood of Christ if they are born
again or spiritually saved.
How is that relevant? If you are saved, you are under
the blood of Christ and spiritually protected against the evil one. If you are not
saved, you do not have that protection. I encourage you to accept Christ so
you are under the protection of His blood and so your sins are forgiven.
The Apostle John wrote,
"...but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin"
(1 John 1:7).
Satan hates
the blood of Christ because it defeated him at the cross of Calvary and he cannot
get through the blood of Christ to literally harm a believer unless God allows it
(Job 1:10-12). So be safe and accept Him.
