Page 16 - Florida Sentinel 12-31-21

Justice, Vengeance And Mercy Genesis 4:1-16 (KJV)
rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
9. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?
10. And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood cri- eth unto me from the ground.
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 hence- forth 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 fugi- tive 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
We don’t know what the world was like when Cain killed Abel, nor do we know what the state of religion was. How long had it been since Adam and Eve were ex- pelled from the Garden of Eden? We simply don’t know, nor do any of these things really matter. What we do know is that Adam and Eve’s actions in the garden brought devastating results. Through Adam and Eve, sin entered the human race. The sin nature would be passed on to all their descendants which is all of humanity.
Imagine the anguish of the first parents as they wit- nessed the cruel effects of sin on their own children.
Soon Cain also would learn
that sin has its own terrible price tag. His selfishness and jealousy blossomed into an act of violence. The effects of that act of violence would fol- low him to his grave.
This week’s lesson will re- mind us that sinful behavior always carries a heavy price tag.
The biblical writer’s pur- pose in Genesis chapter 4 was to trace the spread of sin and rebellion from the first family into general human society. The sin of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:6) was fol- lowed by God’s curse (Gene- sis 3:14-19). The couple experienced a twofold sepa- ration. They were separated geographically from the gar- den and spiritually from God (Genesis 3:23-24).
Adam and Eve had lived happily in innocence and fel- lowship with God in the gar- den. After they sinned, they felt guilty (Genesis 3:7-10) and sought relief by placing the blame on others (Genesis 3:11-13). Then God cursed the serpent for the part he played (Genesis 3:14-15), pronounced sorrow and pain in childbirth on Eve (Genesis 3:16) cursed the ground, and declared that Adam would have to till the ground in sweat in order to provide food for him and his family (Genesis 3:17-19).
In Genesis 3:20-21, we have Adam naming his wife Eve and God making them coats of skin to replace the fig leaves they used to hide their nakedness. Genesis chapter 3 ends with Adam and Eve being expelled from the Gar- den of Eden, and God pro- vided Cherubims and a flaming sword to prevent anyone from entering the garden (Genesis 3:22-24).
Conclusion
The birth of Cain no doubt brought much hope and joy to the first parents. How- ever, the seed of sin had been planted. In a jealous rage, Cain killed his brother Abel. As a result, God drove Cain from His presence (Genesis 4:16), a fugitive under a curse. Cain’s murder of Abel was the result of following his sinful nature instead of God’s way (Proverbs 14:12). There is a natural inclination tosininallofus. Weneedto be aware of this inclination and listen to God instead of
The Scriptures
1. And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she con- ceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.
2. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
4. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to
his offering:
5. But unto Cain and to
his offering he had not re- spect. And Cain was very wroth, and his counte- nance fell.
6. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy counte- nance fallen?
7. If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his de- sire, and thou shalt rule over him.
8. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain
PAGE 4-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2021