God’s Enduring Mercy and the Tragedy of Cain
(Genesis
4, Preaching: Pastor Nathan Snyder, July 13, 2014)
In the midst of God’s pronouncement of judgment upon sin
in Genesis 3, he promised to bring redemption through Eve’s offspring. Now at the beginning of Genesis 4, Eve bears
a son with the help of the Lord. His
name is Cain. Will redemption come
through Cain? Eve then bore another son,
Abel. His name in Hebrew means “vapor”
or “breath.” The word is used throughout
the book of Ecclesiastes and is often translated “vanity.” It proved to be an appropriate name, for
Abel’s life was cut short. Redemption
had not come yet. Only the growth of
evil in the world. God accepted Abel’s
offering, but rejected Cain’s. No clear
explanation is given as to why, but we quickly see that Cain’s heart was not
right before God. Burning with jealousy,
he murdered his own brother. Since
Genesis 3, the world has been a place in which we, the very image bearers of
God, ignore his Word, envy one another, covet, and kill even our own family
members. This is a world in which life
is a vapor, and those who desire to serve God are often oppressed by those who
do not.
The real tragic figure in this account, however, is not
Abel but Cain. God repeatedly shows
mercy to Cain. He warns Cain and
instructs him to conquer the sin in his heart.
Yet Cain does not listen. God
invites Cain to acknowledge his sin when he has murdered his brother. Yet Cain pretends to have no knowledge of his
brother’s death, as if he could fool God.
God does not give Cain the death penalty but makes him a wanderer upon
the earth. When Cain complains that this
seems too harsh, God mercifully marks Cain so that nobody will kill him. This is what God is like. Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love
and mercy. His kindness is meant to lead
us to repentance (Rom. 2:4-5). Yet Cain
never repented. Abel trusted God and now
has an eternal inheritance in the presence of the Lord (Heb. 11:4). Cain left the presence of the Lord in verse
16, and though he seems to have had a measure of success in this world, nothing
is said of his returning to the Lord.
Furthermore, he passed on his waywardness to his descendents, as we see in
Lamech. Lamech violated God’s design for
marriage, taking two wives rather than one wife. Then he murdered a young man, taking personal
vengeance, and he composed a poem defiantly claiming to be the master and
protector of his own life. Cain at least
recognized he needed God’s protection.
Lamech believed he needed nobody but himself.
As Cain’s descendents grew further from the God who made them,
the mercy of God continued. Lamech’s
children raised livestock and invented tools for work and instruments for
music. We see the image of God
continuing in fallen man. We also see
Lamech crafting an eloquent poem to boast in himself. By the mercy of God humanity has made many
developments. Yet the sin of man often
uses them for evil. Humanity is broken,
foolishly trusting in ourselves. But
then God gives another son to Adam and Eve.
From Seth would come the Christ, who has won redemption for our fallen
world. We get a premonition of this in
the closing words of the chapter. During
the days of Seth’s son Enosh, “people began to call upon the name of the LORD.” Despite our sin and the sin around us, there
is salvation in Christ. As the apostle Paul
would later write, speaking of the Lord Jesus, “everyone who calls upon the
name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13 quoting Joel 2:32).
Put the Word to Work: God has shown every one of us kindness upon kindness,
despite all our sin against him and against one another. He has kept his promise and given us a
Savior. Receive his kindness, turn away
from sin, and call upon his name. We
will find life and joy in his presence.
Memory Verse from the Psalms of
Ascents: Psalm 121:3-4 – He will not let your foot be
moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 13:18-23
– The Parable of the Sower Explained
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