Genesis 4:6-16 The Case for Evil
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 9 viewsNotes
Transcript
The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Prayer:
Question: What is the work of creation?
Answer: The work of creation is God’s making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good.
Kids Dismissed
------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome back to Genesis and our halfway point of chapter 4.
Last week we learned of Cain and Abel, the first two sons of Adam and Eve.
We saw how they both were given talents, both were blessed in their endeavors, and both gave an offering,
However, our unpacking of Scripture took a turn for the worse when it was discovered that Cain’s offering was unlike Abel’s offering.
Abel’s was given in faith, to the honor and glory of God in a way that was pleasing to God.
Abel gave of his time, talent, and treasures remembering that everything he has is because of God, from God, and therefore to God.
Cain on the other hand gave an offering, but one that was not pleasing to the Lord.
One of obligation, not from faith, but from a requirement.
Abel’s was regarded, Cain’s was disregarded.
We were left last week with Cain’s face fallen and him becoming angry.
Today we will be focusing in on Cain’s story and looking to see if he will recover or if he will revolt. (Pause)
Now a question that might be asked is this. Why does it matter?
Why is it so important to understand a story of two brothers?
Let me encourage you why this is important.
Our looking at Scripture is not just to better understand a story.
Our looking at Scripture is not just to better understand our history.
Our looking at Scripture is not just to better our educational ambitions.
Our looking at Scripture is to know God.
To know with certainty the hope that we have.
To understand our purpose, mission, and reason.
To be inspired as we journey through this life and to be pointed to what truly matters.
Today’s text may be difficult to understand.
Not because there is anything difficult from a textual side, it is fairly straightforward.
But, today’s text could also make you question God’s fairness.
And for that matter, God’s goodness.
Today’s text may also trigger traumatizing moments in your life. Moments when you have longed for justice to be served and the wicked punished.
That the villain in your life got away easy while you have to deal with the pain and heartache.
There are times when we look at God’s Word and go, “God, I don’t know if I would have done it this way.”
And if we are honest, we probably say this more than we would admit to.
But, this section gives us something truly remarkable.
What we will see today will be the grace of God.
But, we will notice a difference between common grace and saving grace. (Write that down) (repeat)
These two graces are different and serve two different purposes.
What we are also going to explore is God’s redemptive story.
God’s ways are greater than ours.
God’s purposes are deeper than ours.
God’s plans go beyond our mental capabilities.
For He sees all, knows all, and has the power to bring all into order and meaning.
So, when we look at situations and do not understand, we can have comfort that He does.
When we look at situations and cannot comprehend, we can have comfort that He does.
When we look at situations and cannot fathom how this all is supposed to work out, we can have comfort that He does.
For our God knows the beginning from the end. He has put it all in motion and will bring it to pass.
This, should bring us incredible peace and a comfort beyond all understanding. (Pause)
Now, without further ado, let us go to God’s Word and see this all for ourselves.
Our scene picks up upon hearing the regard for Abel’s offering and the disregard of Cain’s offering,
We are left with Cain being visibly upset and angry.
It is here that our scene now continues.
The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
What continually blows me away is what we would famously call and sing of, this amazing grace.
As soon as sin enters the scene with Adam and Eve, grace is ready to be extended.
As soon as sin enters the scene with Cain, the same thing happens.
This should be a reminder to us of how much we need God’s grace in our lives and how often it is given to us.
Remember we recently talked about God being rich in grace.
This means that God has more grace than needed, He has an abundance of grace, He can lavish us with grace.
Though Cain has given an unworthy offering, God extends grace and mercy.
Though anger and frustration is brewing inside, God is nurturing and kind.
We would do well to remember this type of grace that has been extended to us.
We would do well to remember to extend this type of grace to others as we share of the most amazing grace in the most amazing Gospel.
We are given such an incredible example here.
Instead of condemning, rebuking, and cursing immediately without a word otherwise like God did with the serpent,
God acts differently with humanity.
If God gives Cain grace in his failure then we can be assured that God offers us grace in our failures.
We see this all through Scriptures.
So, not only should we extend grace to others but we must also be quick to receive grace in our failures.
Not so we can continue in rebellion but continue in pursuing God and His purpose for our lives.
Now, what we see with Cain is not a saving grace, but is a grace extended, meaning Cain is not getting what he deserves.
Instead of getting what he deserves, mercy is given.
Instead of punishment Cain received council.
It is not that justice will not be served, it absolutely will be, as we will see this shortly,
But, here we see a mentor correcting his pupil, and helping him see what his actions are doing.
I would be willing to say that all of us here have corrected someone at some point with the goal of helping them see what they currently do not see.
It is done so for their good.
It is done so for their flourishing.
Whether at the workplace, or in the home, or even with friends.
There are opportunities in which we can extend grace, care, and love in order to help one see what they currently do not see.
To understand what they currently do not understand.
Let’s look closer to what happens at the start of this verse.
God’s covenant name is used here, Yahweh, which I believe is important because we see the personal nature of what is about to happen.
Remember anytime we see a capital L and smaller capital ORD, that is there to tell us that in the Hebrew, God’s covenant name is used.
Next, we see the Lord asking 3 questions and giving three statements.
First we see the three questions.
These are 3 questions that you have probably asked before.
These are 3 questions, that if you are like our family, you may ask several times a week.
Why are you angry? Why has your face fallen?
Or like my wife will say, “What’s wrong with your face?”
and finally, will you not be accepted if you do well?
These questions remind us of similar questions that were asked of Cain’s parents, Adam and Eve after their sin.
The same reasoning for God asking Adam and Eve questions apply now to Cain.
God is not asking a question in order to gain understanding.
God is not asking a question in order to find out the correct answer.
God is not asking a question in order to be enlightened to the inner workings of the human mind.
God knows all and is not here hoping to avoid guessing at what might be going on.
God created us, understands us, and knows every thought and action before it even takes place.
What is happening is God drawing Cain to the conclusions he needs to be wrestling with.
As our eternal Father, God is getting Cain to think about his actions, and what consequences will come from them.
These questions are being used as a teaching moment.
We are not shown if Cain answers any of these questions or made any attempt.
Instead, these questions then give way to statements.
Where questions were given to draw out, wisdom is now given to press in.
Where the questions were given to ponder, wisdom is now given convict.
In our first statement we see that sin is crouching at the door.
Sin is a thief ready to attack as soon as an opportunity arises.
Meaning sin takes an active role in ones life.
This is important to recognize, Sin is not passive in this story, or in our life.
Sin is not on stand by and waiting an invitation.
Sin here is shown as being in active pursuit ready to pounce as soon as the door is opened.
This is also the first instance in our Bible where the word sin is used.
We hear talk of the serpent, of Satan, of devils as living and active, but we do not hear much of sin as a force that is prowling and anticipating an opportunity to pounce.
Yet, here, in its first use, we see sin being spoken of by God as a predator hunting its prey.
Next we see a familiar phrase as it was talked about in the last chapter. “Its desire is contrary to you.”
This is the same phrase we saw when God was rebuking Eve and giving forth her punishment.
Sin desires to dominate Cain, sin wants to control Cain, sin wants to influence Cain, but Cain must rule over sin.
In His famous opening to his book The Mortification of Sin, John Owen says, “Be killing Sin, or it be Killing You.”
Cain, in the last statement by God, is told to rule over it.
This applies to us today. Either we are ruling over sin or it will be ruling over us.
Sin will not join you as a diarchy. (Dee Arch-E) or a co-equal in your life.
Either sin will lead, or you will lead. Either you will defeat sin, or sin will defeat you.
So, how did Cain answer? What did he say?
Unfortunately, we are not given Cain’s answer.
We are unsure if he just walked away, if he tried to defend his actions, or if he tried to give any response.
What we are shown is what happens next.
Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
The sin that was ready to strike, saw its moment, and attacked.
Eve chose to listen to the serpent instead of God, and now her son has chosen to listen to sin instead of God.
Cain goes out to the field and according to Scripture, rose up against, and killed his brother.
We are not told how this was done. We do not know if it was a rock, if it was just with fists, if it was some sort of weapon.
But, we see that it was premeditated, planned, and then accomplished.
The very definition of murder.
Cain spoke to Abel his brother. Shows us that Cain’s heart had been given over to sin, there was a wicked scheme that was hatched.
His murderous heart was given an avenue in which to have his heart’s desires.
Now, it is easy for us to think of how awful this is, it is easy to think that we would never do such a thing.
However, Scripture tells us that we too have this same murderous heart that Cain has due to sin.
You may or may not have used deadly force on another, but it is still there, in your heart.
You may have or may not have physically done the act but you have imagined it, you have wished it, you have desired it.
The Scripture is clear that this is a result of sin and a result of our being ruled by sin.
Sin began in the Garden but sin continues through Cain and sin continues with us today.
The same thing told to Cain is told to you and I.
Sin is crouching at the door, and you must rule over it.
Next we come to a famous, scoffing, and arrogant line, that is repeated even to this day.
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”
Again, the question is one that God already knows, but it is now time for Cain to confess.
Instead of confessing though, Cain reveals the hardness of his heart by lying.
The reformation study bible uses incredibly blunt language when referring to this scene:
The study notes read: “The sarcastic hypocrite has already killed his brother when he makes this statement.”
We may jokingly say, “am I my brother’s keeper?” when someone asks where your sibling or friend is.
But, this was no joking matter. This was the first murder in the Bible.
Now, God’s omniscience comes forth.
And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.
God is all knowing and did not need a confession in order to understand the depth of Cain’s depravity.
After rejecting God’s grace and mercy being extended, judgement now comes forth.
And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
What immediately shocks me upon reading this is why God did not put an end to Cain right here.
Why does it seem like Cain is getting off easy?
If I was God, I would have…..and here I must stop myself.
Let’s see what actually happens.
God’s justice is being brought forth and a curse is being administered.
Cain’s curse now aligns him completely and fully with the serpent.
This connection to the serpent is a very important distinction and the connection to the curse is very intentional.
When speaking of false teachers, who have also aligned themselves with the devil, Jude declares.
Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion.
To walk in the way of Cain is to walk in rebellion against God and allegiance to sin and ultimately the serpent.
We either walk in the light or walk in darkness.
We either imitate Abel or walk with Cain.
Cain represents the seed of the serpent which was first prophesied in Genesis 3:15.
There will be enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent,
Cain now represents the first of that seed, while Abel represents the first of the Godly line.
This punishment is different though, for Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve believed in God’s plan and while they still received the punishment due, were not cursed.
But, Cain, throughout Scripture we see the connection of him and the devil.
One example we looked at last year in 1 John.
We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.
This connection with Cain and the Serpent really impacted me in my studies.
Because here we see the clear connection through the curse that aligns Cain with the Serpent and continues the seed of the serpent.
If you were with us several weeks ago when I preached through Genesis 3:16-19 you might recall that I connected the curse to Adam and Eve as well.
I did this due to the progression that followed the curse of the serpent.
God certainly rebuked Adam and Eve, and there were great consequences, and while the earth did receive a curse, specifically God cursed the ground,
God did not specifically curse Adam and Eve.
But hold on, didn’t I say that God cursed Adam and Eve? Yes, and now you get to see me repent.
I misspoke when I connected the flow of the verse from the serpent to Adam and Eve.
I see this clearer now that I grasp the curse upon Cain and the implications of this curse.
The connection here is that the curse continues the seed of the serpent versus the seed of the woman.
The curse is vital to understanding these two seeds and their purpose in the redemptive story.
So, I must confess and apologize for misspeaking on that particular aspect of those verses and that we must remove the idea of Adam and Eve being cursed.
They endured the consequences of their rebellion 100% and that part does not change. However the part about being cursed by God does.
So Serpent, cursed. Ground, cursed. Cain cursed. Adam and Eve, not cursed, but punished.
Now, that I hope that has been cleared up and greater clarity given, let us now see if and how Cain responds.
He now has the courage to speak and his tone has changed substantially from his sarcastic remarks.
Instead of arrogance, he now has fear.
Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
Again, you may be shocked to read this.
Cain should be dead right now! Justice doesn’t seem to be fully rendered.
And here you are complaining instead of repenting?
Let’s see how this plays out.
Cain realizes the consequences of his actions and wishes that God would relent.
But what is fascinating is that he knows that he deserves death.
Cain recognizes that he will be removed from God, that he will be labeled in a way that those who hear of him will want to kill him.
Well, good, we may think. Justice will be served and someone will kill Cain.
What comes next is what I’ve been leading us up to.
God’s response might be shocking to us.
This might be difficult to hear, especially when we want to see justice fully served.
But, here is where we see the overarching point of this section come to life.
Let’s look at our final 2 verses.
Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
“Not So!”? What do you mean, not so? How can God say such a thing?
We will answer that in a moment.
First, What is this mark?
The answer? We do not know. Any thoughts are purely speculation.
What we know is that God did grant mercy in that he did not kill Cain in that moment.
What was given is grace, some would call this common grace in order not to confuse it with saving grace.
When we receive saving grace we are saved and given grace from our sins.
What happened to Cain is not saving grace, but a common grace, meaning a grace that is extended that does not result in salvation.
The sun rising is a common grace.
The rain for the plants which give everyone food is a common grace.
While grace for murder would not always result in life, in this case it did.
A big take away from today’s text is how we piece this all together.
What we are about to discover is that God has a plan to use even the bad things, the rebellion, the evil in the world, to bring about good.
To bring about His purpose and plan.
Remember when I said, if I were God? Now let’s address this common thought.
We can debate why do we see such awful things happening, why does God not put a complete and total end to it all.
Yet, we see God’s grace, and we see God’s purpose, and we see God’s Sovereignty.
What does this mean? The issues that you face in your life have a purpose.
Apart from the belief in God, we really have no purpose. Yet, because of God, the most difficult, trying, and heart wrenching times are not wasted.
They are not just random misfortunes, but purposeful situations that will be brought from suffering to salvation.
Here we have the murder of Abel.
Can you think of situations or events in your life, that you cannot fully grasp or understand why God allowed such a situation or event to happen?
Have you ever questioned God’s goodness due to something wicked or horrendous that effected your life?
What we see here is that God has a purpose in punishing Cain, but letting Cain live.
Many of us will not get to see, while on this earth, the purpose behind the tragedies that have happened in our lives.
Sometimes, God will reveal his purpose and reason for things.
I can think of a couple of awful moments in my life that God was kind enough to reveal why I went through this and how He was glorified in them.
The reason I am in front of you today is the result of one of those times.
Yet, God does not always reveal the fullness or even a portion of His plan when we are going through tragedies.
Here, we do not see justice fully being dealt with for the execution of Abel.
Here we are left wondering how and why.
But let me take us briefly into the future from this moment.
What we will soon see is that God is going to use Cain and His offspring to bring about His perfect plan and mission.
God has a reason for keeping Cain alive and it will bring about clarity and purpose Very soon.
God wastes nothing. God loses nothing. God brings all things to completion.
And he does so for our good and His glory.
But this part, will come next week, for now, we can be assured that your difficulties and heartaches are not wasted.
Your tragedies and devastations have a purpose even if you do not see them.
Be encouraged today:
God makes no mistake, God does not miss any situation, God is not hoping for a positive outcome.
God is working and producing the effects that will take something awful and bring good from it.
No greater truth is revealed about how this happens than Jesus’s own life.
His perfect obedience, His perfect life, His bringing about ultimate good was displayed for the world to see.
Yet evil sought to destroy Jesus.
Satan sought to end God’s plan and purpose once and for all.
It would have seemed if Satan, once again, won the day, when Jesus was crucified on the cross.
It would have seemed that, once again, the tragedy has no purpose, no hope, no redemption.
Yet, in the greatest tragedy that has ever been witnessed on this earth,
The greatest evil act to have ever been committed,
The greatest horror ever to be brought forth,
The execution of the Son of God, was allowed, because of the greater purpose and plan in which God was going to accomplish.
It was at the moment that evil thought it had won, that the fullness of the Gospel is revealed.
Hebrews 12:24 (ESV)
Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
The blood of Abel cried out from the ground.
The blood of Abel, in pain groaned in its agony.
The blood of Abel could not longer accomplish what it wished to accomplish.
But the blood of Jesus was a better blood of Abel.
The blood of Abel could not redeem, it cried out for redemption, the blood of Jesus brought redemption.
The blood of Abel could not rescue, it cried out to be rescued, the blood of Jesus brought rescue.
The blood of Abel could not restore, it cried out to be restored, the blood of Jesus brought restoration.
Jesus, like Abel, was unjustly murdered by the seed of the serpent.
What is different is that Abel was pointing to Jesus.
Abel’s death gave us a picture of the death of Jesus.
The serpent would bruise the heal.
But what happened next, the serpent wasn’t expecting, or had forgotten.
Jesus would crush the head of the snake.
In the resurrection, Jesus would defeat sin, Jesus would defeat death, Jesus would defeat those who walked in the way of Cain.
And for insult to injury, Jesus would redeem a people who walked just liked Cain.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
That is who we all once were.
We all were dead in our sins, we all walked in the course of this world, like Cain.
We were all following the prince of the power of the air, that great serpent.
But God,
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
The seed of the woman continues today.
Those who are united to Christ through the power of the Gospel to be sons and daughters of the Most High.
If that is you today, rejoice, because God has extended not common grace, but saving grace.
If this is not you today, if you are not sure if this applies to you, then ask God to reveal all the more clear and precious His Son, Jesus.
May you find your hope in Jesus, your purpose in Jesus, your trust in Jesus, and your life in Jesus.
If you are unsure about faith and about the cross, then please do not hesitate to speak with me, I’d love to share with you this amazing grace.
Let us Pray.
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Media
See moreRelated Sermons
See more
Abraham Armenta • 23 views
Abraham Armenta • 21 views
