by Wendy Elizabeth Middleton
“Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” Genesis 4:9
The Bible isn’t laid out on a neat little calendar. It doesn’t even mention the years between stories. Genesis 4:1 covers the conception and birth of Cain. And in verse 2 we learn that ‘later’ Eve gave birth to Abel. How much later? The Bible doesn’t say. Were there other children in between Cain and Abel? It’s possible. Later could mean two years or ten. I mean Abel goes from birth to keeping flocks in the same verse. That had to be years. And those years were jumped in a single verse.
The whole story isn't there - just the important bits.
Curses and Consequences
Cain murdered his brother. Because he did not confess when asked by an all knowing God where his brother was he was cursed. There are always consequences for sin. It causes problems and heartache and death. And those problems and heartaches and death are not only what we suffer but what others suffer because of us. Yet we are always given the opportunity to confess. Adam and Eve were given the opportunity, so was Cain.
Where is your brother Abel?
Adam and Eve, when given the opportunity to confess, played the blame game.
Cain tried straight up denial, “I don’t know”
Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden of Eden.
“Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” Genesis 4:9
The Bible isn’t laid out on a neat little calendar. It doesn’t even mention the years between stories. Genesis 4:1 covers the conception and birth of Cain. And in verse 2 we learn that ‘later’ Eve gave birth to Abel. How much later? The Bible doesn’t say. Were there other children in between Cain and Abel? It’s possible. Later could mean two years or ten. I mean Abel goes from birth to keeping flocks in the same verse. That had to be years. And those years were jumped in a single verse.
The whole story isn't there - just the important bits.
Curses and Consequences
Cain murdered his brother. Because he did not confess when asked by an all knowing God where his brother was he was cursed. There are always consequences for sin. It causes problems and heartache and death. And those problems and heartaches and death are not only what we suffer but what others suffer because of us. Yet we are always given the opportunity to confess. Adam and Eve were given the opportunity, so was Cain.
Where is your brother Abel?
Adam and Eve, when given the opportunity to confess, played the blame game.
Cain tried straight up denial, “I don’t know”
Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden of Eden.
Cain was driven from the ground.
Scratching a living from the soil became laborious for Adam and Eve.
It became impossible for Cain.
How would our lives be different is Adam and Eve had confessed?
How would our lives be different is Adam and Eve had confessed?
How would Cain’s life have been different if he had confessed?
How are our lives different when we confess?
How are our lives different when we confess?
The Mark of Cain
Cain’s punishment was spiritual death. He was driven from the presence of the Lord. Separated from God. Up to this point he has talked with God which means that God was close enough to talk to.
Cain’s punishment was spiritual death. He was driven from the presence of the Lord. Separated from God. Up to this point he has talked with God which means that God was close enough to talk to.
When he talked to God his thoughts were still all about himself - Not Abel and certainly not God.
"My punishment is more than I can bear." Genesis 4:16
God not only gives us the opportunity to confess, He is also gracious to help us bear the consequences.
God doesn’t want anyone to die. So he gave Cain a special mark, a mark which clearly settled vengeance on the shoulders of God. It wasn’t anyone’s place to exact vengeance back then and it isn’t anyone’s place to exact vengeance now.
Where Did Cain’s Wife come from?
“…whoever finds me will kill me.” Genesis 4:14. Who is this ‘whoever’ that Cain speaks of? So far the only people that the Bible has mentioned are Adam, Eve, Cain himself and Abel, who is dead.
So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Genesis 4:16 And in verse 17 he’s got a wife. Where did she come from? Was she banished with him? Did she follow him? The Bible does not say, she is just suddenly there and giving birth.
Verses 17-19 skip along a good few years without a whole lot of detail. Cain had a son who had a son. Five generations are mentioned in two verses, father to son, but where did the mothers come from? They are not mentioned at all but the had to be there.
Cain and his sons were possibly all living in the town of Enoch that Cain built, but not necessarily. Cain's sons may have moved back to Adam’s place or maybe they started their own settlements.
Focus on the importance of Being
The Bible leaves out a whopping lot, because it focuses on the important bits of being: Creation, Temptation, Confession, Repentance, Curses, and Consequences.
God not only gives us the opportunity to confess, He is also gracious to help us bear the consequences.
God doesn’t want anyone to die. So he gave Cain a special mark, a mark which clearly settled vengeance on the shoulders of God. It wasn’t anyone’s place to exact vengeance back then and it isn’t anyone’s place to exact vengeance now.
Where Did Cain’s Wife come from?
“…whoever finds me will kill me.” Genesis 4:14. Who is this ‘whoever’ that Cain speaks of? So far the only people that the Bible has mentioned are Adam, Eve, Cain himself and Abel, who is dead.
So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Genesis 4:16 And in verse 17 he’s got a wife. Where did she come from? Was she banished with him? Did she follow him? The Bible does not say, she is just suddenly there and giving birth.
Verses 17-19 skip along a good few years without a whole lot of detail. Cain had a son who had a son. Five generations are mentioned in two verses, father to son, but where did the mothers come from? They are not mentioned at all but the had to be there.
Cain and his sons were possibly all living in the town of Enoch that Cain built, but not necessarily. Cain's sons may have moved back to Adam’s place or maybe they started their own settlements.
Focus on the importance of Being
The Bible leaves out a whopping lot, because it focuses on the important bits of being: Creation, Temptation, Confession, Repentance, Curses, and Consequences.
We need to catch those important bits because we are going to need them later on in the story. And more important we are going to need them to properly navigate the life we live today.
Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19), and he said it right there in the beginning and he hasn’t changed his mind.
Simple – Ain’t – Easy
You have to pay attention to catch it all
Wendy
Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19), and he said it right there in the beginning and he hasn’t changed his mind.
Simple – Ain’t – Easy
You have to pay attention to catch it all
Wendy
No comments:
Post a Comment