A MERCIFUL GOD

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

But the Lord said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over."

Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. So Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Genesis 4:13-16

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

After he allowed sin to crouch at his door, ignoring the warning from the Lord, Cain murdered his brother Abel and then tried to conceal what he had done from God.

As a result, we saw in yesterday’s message how God passed judgment on Cain, taking away his ability to produce crops from the earth (which was his trade) and making him a "restless wanderer" on the earth.

We left off with Cain left to consider his transgression and the ensuing punishment.

As we see in today’s scripture verses, Cain comes to his senses and realizes the dire consequences that his sin has brought on. Distraught and in despair, we find him crying out to God for mercy. Look again at these verses here:

Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

But the Lord said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over."

Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. So Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Genesis 4:13-16

Now, it would be easy for us to respond to this plea with a total lack of sympathy or empathy for Cain. After all, he killed his only brother in cold blood and so he deserves the strongest punishment God can deliver and that includes being executed. An eye for an eye would be appropriate, right?

Further, this opinion could also be reinforced by highlighting the fact that Cain never tells God he is sorry for what he did. I mean, wouldn’t one expect Cain to fall prostrate before God begging for His forgiveness? I don’t think that’s unreasonable but it doesn’t happen. For although God no longer wants to have Cain in His presence, it doesn’t mean that He would completely condemn Cain. In fact, as we see in today’s passage, God reveals another important part of His character to Cain and to us…His mercy.

You see, God had every reason to just allow Cain to die and suffer at the hands of whoever would find him while he wandered restlessly in the wilderness but He didn’t. Instead, the scriptures tell us that He “put a mark on Cain” to assure that “no one” who found him “would kill him”.

So even though Cain murdered Abel, even though he was less than remorseful for what he had done, even though Cain didn’t deserve a single ounce of favor, God still showed grace and did something amazing in sparing Cain’s life.

God’s actions here speak powerfully to us as we formulate our own judgments and emotions toward those who might do us or others wrong. Not just here but throughout the Bible, we find the Lord using people who we might easily condemn and wish dead for amazing purposes in His name...the Apostle Paul immediately comes to mind.

As for Cain, we know that he would go onto actually marry and have a son named Enosh. He would also build and establish a city as he continued on with his life, something that Abel did not have the opportunity to do.

Indeed, we serve a God of incredible mercy, a God who qualifies the unqualified and shows consistent and persistent mercy, forgiveness, and grace which is far from our human comprehension.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.