Cain's Story; Our Story

      The first time I read it, it just did not seem right to me. How on earth could God back off on his punishment of Cain?

      In Genesis 4:4-5, Cain and Abel made offerings to God. Abel’s was accepted and Cain’s was not. The only real clue as to why this was the case is presented in Hebrews 11:4. Abel offered his sacrifice by faith; Cain evidently did not.

      Instead of correcting his service to God, Cain grew jealous of Abel. God, in Genesis 4:6-7, warned Cain that he needed to get his anger and attitude under control otherwise sin would completely take over his life.

      We know the story. Instead of obeying God, Cain allowed his jealousy to grow until he finally rose up against Abel and slew him in the field.

      When God confronted Cain directly for this cold-blooded murder He pronounced judgment saying, “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth” (Genesis 4:10-12).

      Cain was overwhelmed, not with grief over his sin or remorse for his brother’s lost life. Rather, he was overwhelmed by the severity of his punishment. He cried to God, “My punishment is too great for me to bear…whoever finds me will kill me” (Genesis 4:13-14).

      I expect God to say, “You should have thought about that when Abel was begging you to spare his life. Be thankful I do not kill you right now.”

      That is not what God said. Instead in Genesis 4:15, God pronounced vengeance on any who killed Cain and went further to put some kind of mark on Cain to ward others off from killing Cain. Beyond that, it seems that God even allowed Cain to find a dwelling place, despite His initial judgment against it (Genesis 4:16-17).

      At this point, my sense of justice was outraged. How could God do this? Cain deserved to die. God should have killed him. That would become God’s law for murder in Genesis 9:6. If we shed man’s blood, then by man shall our blood be shed.

      However, it dawned on me. Who are we to cry out against Cain and his sin? Have we not sinned? Doesn’t our sin separate us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2)? Hasn’t our sin made us worthy of death before God (Ezekiel 18:4, 20)? Yet what have we done but cried out to God, “Our punishment is too great for us. Please God do something about it.” He did.

      He killed His Son, the just for the unjust, that we might be brought to God, dead to sin, but alive in the Spirit (I Peter 3:18). Thank you, Lord.

Edwin L. Crozier