- The cursed mark of Cain. Most people are taken aback when they learn that the Bible contains several examples of curses. The Bible is full of cursing.
Given that the word curse appears almost 200 times, it is clear that this is an important matter for us to investigate. To the casual observer, human life appears to be a chaotic mix of light and shadow that is not organized in any discernible pattern, and is not governed by any clear cut laws; however, there are factors that an overwhelming majority of people are unaware of. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that these are the forces at play.
In fact, it has a great deal to say about them. It calls them respectively, blessings and curses. After the fall of man, Adam, Eve, and the snake were put under a curse, then Eve gave birth to her sons.
Genesis 4:1, "Now the man, Adam, knew Eve as his wife and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, 'I have obtained a man, baby boy, son, with the help of the Lord. '" The meaning of the name Cain can be interpreted as either, "I've got him", or, "Here he is. " Eve most likely believed that Cain was the seed God had promised, the deliverer who would come from Eve after God cursed the serpent.
Eve may have believed that she was holding in her arms the Messiah, the one who would save the entire world, but in reality, she was holding a murderer in her arms. Genesis 4:2-5, "And later she gave birth to his brother, Abel. Now, Abel kept the flocks of sheep and goats, but Cain cultivated the ground, and in the course of time, Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, but Abel brought an offering of the finest firstborn of his flock, and the fat portions and the Lord had respect, regard for Abel, and for his offering, but for Cain and his offering, he had no respect.
So Cain became extremely angry, indignant, and he looked annoyed and hostile. " Abel brought an offering of blood, the firstborn of his flock, and Cain brought an offering of vegetation, the fruit of the ground. grain offerings were acceptable before God as seen in Leviticus 2, though they did not serve as an atonement for sin.
Many people are under the impression that this was the primary distinction between their sacrifices. We read that Cain was very angry and his countenance fell. There is no doubt that pride was a source of Cain's rage.
It was too much for him to bear that God accepted his brother while he was not. If God's acceptance of the sacrifice was indicated by it being consumed by fire, then it is even possible that this information was widely known. The epidemic of sin quickly became worse.
Cain now committed the relatively sophisticated sins of spiritual pride and hypocrisy. The birth of Abel and the offerings of Cain and Abel. Genesis 4:6-7, "And the Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you so angry and why do you look annoyed?
If you do well, believing me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to me, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, but ignore my instruction, sin crouches at your door. Its desire is for you, to overpower you, but you must master it.
'" God chose to interact with Cain via loving confrontation rather than responding with automatic affirmation. God gave Cain no doubt that he would be accepted if he performed admirably. God already knew the answers to the questions he posed, but he wanted Cain to find out for himself so that he could fight the urges within himself to be violent and angry.
We read, "If you do not do well, sin lies at the door. " Cain was given a warning from God about the destructive potential of sin. Cain had a choice.
He could abstain from sin and be blessed, or give into sin and be consumed by it. To keep sin from having dominion over our lives, we must first submit ourselves to the authority of God. If God is not our master then sin will be our master and we will be his slaves.
Genesis 4:8, "Cain talked with Abel, his brother, about what God had said. And when they were alone working in the field, Cain attacked Abel, his brother, and killed him. " There was a strong impression that Cain had a plan to ambush Abel while simultaneously distracting him with pleasant conversation.
This shows Cain committed premeditated murder and therefore clearly ignored God's way of escape. We read that, "Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and kill him. " The young human race moved quickly in the direction of sin, which was a downward trajectory.
Now the hope for redeemer was found to be a murderer, and the second son was the victim of murder. Genesis 4:9, "Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Where is Abel your brother? ' And he lied and said, 'I do not know.
Am I my brother's keeper? '" God says, "Where is Abel your brother? " God knew the answer to this question and he asked Cain, because he wanted to allow him to confess his sin and start to do right after doing wrong.
Cain's attempt to deceive God was completely fruitless. It was absolute lunacy on his part to believe that God was unaware of Abel's whereabouts, or that he could conceal his sin from God in any way. Cain says, "Am I my brother's keeper?
" This reply of Cain is famous. The fact is that he was supposed to be his brother's keeper, but instead he was his brother's murderer, and he murdered him for the most base of reasons. He slayed his brother because he was jealous of his brother's success.
Cain had suffered no harm at all at the hands of Abel. Cain's murderous rage was inspired purely by spiritual jealousy. Jude 11 warns of the way of Cain, which is unbelief, empty religion leading to jealousy, persecution of those truly godly, and murderous anger.
God's curse upon Cain. Genesis 4:10-12, "The Lord said, 'What have you done? The voice of your brother's innocent blood is crying out to me from the ground for justice, and now you are cursed from the ground which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's shed blood from your hand.
When you cultivate the ground, it'll no longer yield its strength. It will resist producing good crops for you. You shall be a fugitive and a vagabond, roaming aimlessly on the earth in perpetual exile without a home, a degraded outcast.
'" We read, "The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. " The concept of blood crying out to God from the ground is brought up again and again in later books of the Bible. Numbers 35:29-34 describes how the blood of unpunished murderers defiles the land.
the blood of Abel spoke and it spoke of judgment. The blood of Jesus speaks, but of better things of grace and of sin having been judged. Hebrews 12:24, enter Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, uniting God and man, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks of mercy, a better, a nobler, and more gracious message than the blood of Abel, which cried out for vengeance.
The way blessings and curses work is not random or hard to predict. On the contrary, both of them operate according to eternal unchaining laws. It is to the Bible once again that we must look for a correct understanding of these laws.
In Proverbs 26:2 Solomon establishes this principle concerning curses. A curse with a cause shall not alight. Behind every curse there is a cause.
Proverbs 26:2, "Like the sparrow in her wandering, like the swallow winter flying so the curse without cause does not come and alight on the undeserving. " We read, "So now you are cursed from the earth. " The curse upon Cain was that Adam's curse would be amplified in regard to him.
If bringing forth food from the earth would be hard for Adam, it would be impossible for Cain, a farmer. Genesis 3:17-18, "Then to Adam the Lord God said, 'Because you have listened attentively to the voice of your wife, and have eaten fruit from the tree about which I commanded you saying you shall not eat of it, the ground is now under a curse because of you. In sorrow and toil, you shall eat the fruit of it all the days of your life.
Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. '" If Adam were driven from Eden, Cain would find no resting place on all the earth, a fugitive and a vagabond, you shall be on the earth. Genesis 4:13-15, "Cain said to the Lord, 'My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Behold, you have driven me out to this day from the face of the land and from your face, presence I will be hidden, and I will be a fugitive and aimless vagabond on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me. ' And the Lord said to him, 'Therefore whoever kills Cain a sevenfold vengeance that is punishment seven times worse shall be taken on him by me,' and the Lord set a protective mark, sign on Cain so that no one who found, met him would kill him. " We read, "My punishment is greater than I can bear.
" Cain didn't feel bad about his sin, but only about his punishment. In spite of the gravity of God's verdict against Cain, God did not want Cain to die at the hands of other people. As a result, God branded Cain with a sign that would identify him and serve as a safeguard.
Nobody knows what this mark on Cain was even though various people have speculated about it. The nature of the mark on Cain has been the subject of much debate and speculation. The Hebrew word translated mark is oth and refers to a mark sign or token.
Elsewhere in the Hebrew scriptures, oth is used 79 times, and is most frequently translated as sign, so the Hebrew word does not identify the exact nature of God's mark on Cain. Whatever it was, it was a sign, indicator that Cain was not to be killed. Some people believe that the mark was a scar, or some form of a tattoo on the individual's body.
In any event, the specific nature of the mark is not the primary focus of the passage. The focus is that God would not allow people to exact vengeance against Cain. Whatever the mark on Cain was, it served this purpose.
Cain moves away and marries. Genesis 4:16-17, "So Cain went away from the manifested presence of the Lord and lived in the land of Nod, wandering in exile east of Eden. Cain knew his wife, one of Adam's descendants, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch, and Cain built a city and named it Enoch, after the name of his son, and Cain knew his wife.
" Adam had other sons and daughters according to Genesis 5:4. It is evident that Cain married his sister even though it is forbidden to marry a sister according to Leviticus 18:9 and Deuteronomy 27:22. This was long before God spoke that law to Moses and to the world at large, which even prohibits the marriage of a half sister.
Here necessity demanded that Adam's sons marry his daughters. We read, "And he built a city. " The beginning of industry and urbanization can be seen here.
Men centered from the start. The city was named after his son's name, not God-centered. The fall of the human race continued and even increased in the generations following Cain.
Genesis 4:18-19, "To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad begat Mehujael and Mehujael begat Methusael, and Methusael begat Lamech. Then Lamech took for himself two wives. The name of one was Adah and the name of the second was Zillah.
" The name Lamech may mean conqueror. He was the sixth from Adam On Cain's side. Lamech's arrogance is a contrast to the godliness of Enoch who was the sixth from Adam in Seth's line.
Lamech took for himself two wives. Lamech is credited with being the first bigamist in human history. The names of his wives and daughter show the emphasis in his heart.
Adah means pleasure, ornament or beauty. Zillah means shade, probably referring to a luxurious covering of hair. His daughter's name was Nama, which means loveliness.
Lamech's culture was committed to physical and outward beauty. Lamech's arrogant boasts. Genesis 4:23-24, "Lamech said to his wives, Adah and Zillah, 'Hear my voice, you wives of Lamech.
Listen to what I say, For I have killed the man merely for wounding me and a boy only for striking bruising me. If Cain is avenged sevenfold as the Lord said he would be, then Lamech will be avenged 77 fold. '" The way Lamech boasted about his murder of another and the way he believed he could promise more significant retribution than God demonstrates a gradual degeneration among humankind.
The human race experience rapid deterioration which can be described as a devolution. We read, "If cane shall be avenged seven fold, then Lamech 77 fold. " This is the representation of a man-centered perspective.
The city was Cain's city. The focus of Lamech was his beautiful wives and perceived strength, but for all of Lamech's boasting neither he nor his descendants are ever heard of again in the Bible. He came to nothing.
Sometimes curses may come from previous generations. Does that mean there is no hope? Does the human race continue like this?
No, there is hope. As we move on, we discover that God has provided a remedy. Genesis 4:25-26, "Adam knew Eve as his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, for she said, 'God has granted another child for me in place of Abel because Cain killed him.
' To Seth also a son was born whom he named Enos. " Mortal man, mankind. At that same time, men began to call on the name of the Lord in worship through prayer, praise, and thanksgiving.
In contrast to Cain's line, God established a new family tree. God gave Eve son named Seth in place of Abel. Seth exemplified the same type of worship as his deceased brother Abel because people began to invoke the Lord's name in connection with Seth.
Cain's way of worship, which is prideful, points to itself. The humble way of worship, as practiced by Abel and Seth calls out to God. Jude 11, "Woe to them for they have gone the defined way of Cain and for prophet they have run headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of mutinous Core.
" It's no surprise then that when God needed an obedient servant hundreds of years later, he chose Noah from Seth's line. There are many curses in the Bible. There are almost 200 instances of the word curse in the Bible, so we must address this critical issue.
The Bible begins with God Almighty pronouncing a lot of cursing. We don't get three chapters into the book of Genesis before seeing God Almighty curse. He cursed Satan for tempting Adam and Eve in the sin.
As we read through the Bible, we quickly discover that God provided blessings to those who obeyed him and cursed those who disobey him. To curse is to wish that bad things happen to someone or something. Curses were only given by God as punishment for disobeying him.
On the other hand, to bless someone or something means to wish good things for them or it. God said, the people who carefully did what he said would be blessed. Deuteronomy 27-30 is a great example of the God who both blesses and curses.
According to Deuteronomy 28, God promised Israel great blessings if they obeyed his commands. The blessings they would receive included safety in travel, healthy children, increased livestock, abundant food, success with all of their endeavors, primacy over all other nations. That's about as good as it gets.
Curses are not only pronounced by God in the Bible. Almost all of the curses in the Bible are the result of someone cursing another. Noah cursed Canaan, the son of Ham, when Ham peaked at him while he was drunk and unclothed.
The forces that determine history fall into two categories, visible and invisible, and history is shaped by how these two realms interact. If we only pay attention to the things we can see and touch, we will run into events and situations that we can only partially explain or control. In the visible realm, all the normal objects and events of the material universe can be found.
Even though events often do not follow the course we would like, we feel comfortable in this realm. Many people's awareness does not extend beyond their immediate surroundings, yet the Bible opens the door to another invisible realm, which is not material but spiritual. The forces at work in this realm exercise a continuous and decisive influence on events in the visible domain.
In 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 he describes these two realms as follows, "So we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen. For the things which are visible are temporal, just brief and fleeting, but the things which are invisible are everlasting and imperishable. " As far as the visible realm is concerned all things that are part of it are transitory and impermanent.
Only in the invisible domain can we find true and abiding reality. In this domain, we also find the forces that will eventually shape our destiny even in the visible realm. Paul makes it clear that success in life hinges upon being able to apprehend it and relate to that which is invisible and spiritual.
Both blessings and curses belong to the invisible realm. They are carriers of supernatural spiritual power. Blessings produce excellent and beneficial results.
Curses have mad and harmful effects. Both are central themes of scripture. The words blessings and curses are cited in the word of God more than 640 times.
Two critical characteristics are common to both. First, their effect is infrequently limited to the individual and may unfold the families, tribes, societies, or whole nations. We see something similar in the story of Cain.
Second, once they are enacted, they happen to continue from one generation to the next until something happens to cancel their effects. Many blessings and curses noted in the Bible in connection with the patriarchs have persisted to work for nearly 4,000 years and are working today. This second feature of blessings and curses has significant practical implications.
The cursed generation may be confronted with recurrent situations or behavior patterns that cannot be explained solely in terms of what has happened in their lifetimes or personal experiences. The root cause may go back a long time, even thousands of years. Words are the main vehicle for blessings and curses.
The words can be spoken, written, or simply uttered internally. The word of God has much to say about the power of words. The word of God contains many warnings as to how words may be used either for good or evil.
For example, Proverbs 11:9, "With his mouth, the godless man destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge and discernment, the righteous will be rescued. " We have also sinned. Sin has knocked at our door, and all have made the error of letting it in.
We must be honest enough to say where is our mark, our curse, our line of degeneration? What makes us free from a curse? The divine exchange.
The entire message of the gospel revolves around a singular recorded occurrence, the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. The complete narrative of what was accomplished at the cross was given via prophet called Isaiah hundreds of years before it happened. In Isaiah 53:10 the prophet describes a servant of the Lord whose soul was to be given to God as a sin offering, yet the Lord was willing to crush him, causing him to suffer if he would give himself as a guilt offering, an atonement for sin.
"He shall see his spiritual offspring. He shall prolong his days and the will good pleasure of the Lord shall succeed and prosper in his hand. " The writers of the New Testament are unanimous in identifying this unnamed servant as Jesus.
The divine purpose of a sacrifice is summed up in Isaiah 53:6, "All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned, everyone to his own way. The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
" Here is Cain's basic issue. He turned his way. There are various specific sins that many of us have never committed, but this one thing we all have in common.
We have turned to our way. In so doing, we have turned our backs on God. The Hebrew word that sums this up is avon, here translated as inequity.
Perhaps the closest match in contemporary English would be rebellion, not against man, but against God. It is also the primary cause of the curses listed in Deuteronomy 28. No one English word; however, whether it is inequity or rebellion conveys the full meaning of avon.
In biblical usage, avon describes not only inequity, but also the punishment or the evil consequences that it brings. In Genesis 4:13, for instance, after God had pronounced judgment on Cain for the murder of his brother, Cain said, "My punishment is greater than I can bear. " The term here, translated as punishment, is avon.
This word covered not only Cain's inequity, but also the punishment it brought upon him. According to Leviticus 16:22 when it comes to the scapegoat released on the day of atonement, the Lord said, "The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land. " In this symbolism, the goat bore not merely the Israelites' inequities, but also all the consequences of their inequities, so we can say in its fullest sense, avon means not simply inequity, but also contains all the evil consequences God's judgment brings upon inequity.
This applies to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Jesus himself was not guilty of any sin. In Isaiah 53:9, the prophet says, "He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
" But in verse six, he says, "The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. " Not merely was Jesus identified with our iniquity, he also endured all the evil consequences of that inequity. Like the scapegoat that had prefigured him, He could carry them away from us so that they would never return to us again.
In this way, the cross fulfills its true purpose and meaning. On it, the divinely ordained exchange took place. First, Jesus endured in our place all the evil consequences that were due by divine justice to our iniquity.
Now, in exchange, God offers us all the good that was due to the sinless obedience of Jesus. As stated more concisely, the evil due to us came upon Jesus so that in return the good due to Jesus might be offered to us. God can offer this to us without compromising his eternal justice, because Jesus has already endured all the just punishment due to our iniquities on our behalf.
God's incredible grace is the source of all of this, and faith alone is the means of receiving it. As far as cause and effect are concerned, there is no logical explanation. None of us has done anything to deserve such an offer, and none of us could never do anything to earn it.
Scripture reveals many different aspects of the exchange and the areas in which it applies. For us to be forgiven, Jesus was punished and Jesus was wounded that we might be healed. Eight main aspects can be taken from this.
Jesus was punished so that we might be forgiven. Jesus was wounded that we might be healed. Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we might become righteous with his righteousness.
Jesus died our death so that we might share His life. Jesus became poor with our poverty so that we might become rich with His riches. Jesus bore our shame that we might share His glory.
Jesus endured our rejection so that we might have his acceptance as children of God. Jesus became a curse that we might receive a blessing.
