Battle For The Truth (Part 24)

Genesis 4:11–16 KJV 1900

11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; 12 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. 13 And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 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. 15 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. 16 And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

Introduction

A popular saying in the world of politics is, “Elections have consequences.” Meaning that whomever or whatever prevails at the ballot box results in changes, whether those changes are preferred or not. This reality is even more certain in the economy of God when it comes to sin. We have already witnessed the Consequences of Sin when God’s judgment fell against the serpent, and our first parents Adam and Eve. The serpent was cursed. However, God did not curse Adam and Eve, but rather brought judgment upon them. The curse concerning Adam and Eve was upon the ground. Adam would have to labor hard and long (by the sweat of his brow) through tilling the ground to feed himself and family.

As we observe the progression of sin’s affect upon mankind in the murder of Abel at the hands of his brother Cain, we are made aware that that there is nothing hidden from the eyes of God. For he saw Cain’s crime against his brother Abel and despite Cain’s lie and insolence, God informs Cain that He is knows all about it. Now comes the Consequences of Sin—the judgment of God. This should serve as a wake-up call to humanity, that people may get by for a while with sin, but they will never get away. There is no escape from the gaze, knowledge, and judgment of God. There will be a payday someday. Amen somebody.

V. 11-12 – “And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; (12) 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.”

This is the first time that God cursed a human being. As mentioned before when Adam and Eve sinned God cursed the ground not them. God had already warned them that if they disobeyed His command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil certain death (not necessarily immediate death) would be the verdict. However, in Cain’s case God pronounces a curse upon him individually concerning the ground which was already cursed because of Adam.

V.12 is the exposition of v.11 and more clearly expresses what is meant by “cursed from the earth.” This means that no matter how hard Cain works, the earth would not yield its bounty to him. There could be no worse news to Cain who was a successful farmer. Cain did not forget the skills of farming but lost the blessing from God that is obviously needed to gain anything from the ground. Nothing Cain planted in the soil would grow. He could no longer get food from the ground no matter how hard he tried and no matter where he went. This is the occupational result of Cain’s sin. One might say that Cain went from having a green thumb to a brown thumb. But I think it went a step further to a black thumb, i.e., “cursed.” Cain did not suffer from a case of bad luck as some might term it. Cain was cursed by God.

Side Note: I am convinced that being a farmer, Cain thought that it was his skill that brought forth the abundance of crops. However, now he realizes that it was all because of the grace of God. Let this be a lesson to us all, that the results of our labor are but a gracious gift from God. We do not make the sun or moon to rise or set, the rain or snow to fall, the wind to blow or seeds to grow. It all happens because of the beneficence of All Mighty God. Genesis 2:9a – “And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food;” James 1:17 – “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Amen somebody.

“…a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.” Cain is doomed to be a nervous and homeless wanderer. He is banished from Eden the land of his parents, other immediate family members, and friends. Even if Cain were not forced to leave Eden, he could not have gotten rid of the mental anguish which God had fixed in his mind. He would never know peace of mind or comfort of home.

V.13-14 – “And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. (14) 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.”

Upon hearing God’s curse, Cain still did not repent nor ask for forgiveness. Instead, he lamented that his punishment was greater than he could bear. Although Cain showed no remorse for his brother’s life which he destroyed, he is now complaining that God’s sentencing is unfair or too severe. The epitome of self-centeredness, his only concern was himself and the life he wanted to live. Albeit too late, Cain now realizes the Consequences of Sin. Cain understood that the curse of being a fugitive and a vagabond meant that he would be driven from the presence of God, his homeland and family—all which Eden encompassed. This is the spiritual result of Cain’s sin. Fear already gripping his heart, Cain is convinced that he will be the target of revenge to all that may seek and/or find him to kill him as he killed his brother Abel. The same attitude exists today when it comes to any kind of judgment. We tend to want justice for others and mercy for ourselves. Amen somebody.

Side Note: At this stage in human history God still held the sword of justice in his own immediate hands and had not delegated his authority to any human source. Later, God would institute laws and statutes to establish man’s responsibilities to his Maker and his fellowman. As God would later establish with Noah: Genesis 5,6 – “And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. (6) Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” Also, in the NT God speaks these words through the Apostle Paul, Romans 13:1-5, says, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. (2) Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. (3) For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: (4) For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. (5) Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.” This lets us know that God’s laws including capital punishment is biblical and should be enforced. Amen somebody.

V.15-16 – “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. (16) And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden."

Essentially, these verses bring a close to the story of Cain. Their significance speaks more to the destiny of Cain rather than his punishment. Despite his guilt, God showed Cain mercy. The text says, “And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.” This means that there was “a sign or symbol” placed upon Cain that was visible to others. Of course, the purpose of the “mark” was to protect Cain from being attacked and killed. Furthermore, to secure Cain’s protection from being killed, God issued a stern warning that whosoever killed Cain vengeance would be taken upon them sevenfold, which many scholars believe may means that not only the killer would be killed but six other family members.

Side Note: There has been much speculation about this mark that God gave to Cain. However, it is apparent that God did not want us to know what it was, and I am glad that he did not. Given how people tattoo, pierce, and mutilate their bodies, I am sure there would be a cult, gang or cultural trend bearing the mark of Cain. Amen somebody. Finally, one of the things not stated but strongly suggested in this narrative is that there was likely a significant population of people existing at this time and not just Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel.

V.16 concludes this episode by saying, “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.” Cain had no choice he was expelled from Eden like Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden. Nod, which means “wondering,” is a play on words for Cain was sentenced to a life of wondering. Although some scholars believe the land of Nod may be the Arabian dessert, the exact geographical location of is unknown and all such speculation is unhelpful.

Conclusion

My brothers and sisters, the takeaway from this portion of the narrative is that sin has consequences. The faithful God sees all knows all, and judges all. It may appear that some people are getting away with breaking the law or sinning against their fellowman. But Scripture assures us that we all must give an account for the deeds done in the body. In fact, we must give an account for every word spoken, and the musing of our thoughts. Matthew 12:36 – “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” Romans 14:11,12 – “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (12) So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” And although I am guilty of sin and have suffered some of sin’s consequences in this life, I am thankful that through the mercy of God and the finished works of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the cross, I have I have been forgiven and redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. I heard Jesus say in John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” For this reason, I rejoice that Jesus Christ died for my sins, and rose on the third day from the dead for my justification. If you have the same testimony, you ought to say Amen. So, until next time, may the Lord richly bless you my beloved. Amen.