... to think he who planted the ear shall not hear ... a snippet from a sentence, page 657, from Matthew Henry's Commentary On The Whole Bible.
Atheists are a frighteningly fascinating group of God haters. Atheistical folk freely foul themselves speaking to ears that always hear, and while they blaspheme their Maker, they make fools of themselves.
Christians often marvel at the prospering of the profane, wondering how long they will continue in their riches without retribution for their wicked ways. Have you wondered this, dear reader, why justice does not seem to be served, and why those that break the laws, get away with them, seemingly unscathed? Would you be soothed if I tell you that God sees and knows all, and his perfect timing, is perfect every time? Let us take a look at Cain, and the consequences he incurred after murdering his brother, Abel. Get out your Bible now, and come with me into the dark past of the first offspring from Adam & Eve to stain humanity, with the shedding of innocent blood.
Genesis 4:10-16
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou has driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
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.
And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
I have often wondered at God's seemingly, at first glance, merciful treatment of Cain; where was God's wrath and punishment for the slaying of righteous Abel; why didn't God immediately slay Cain? In our current state of global debauchery, I wonder, as I know many a believer does, at God's timing. This morning, Matthew Henry gave me an insight that I can appreciate as a glorious explanation, for God's righteous punishment of Cain, and that of those that walk and wander the earth now, who have foolishly alienated themselves from him. According to Henry, God made Cain a standing monument of his justice. NOTE: lest we forget the rewards wickedness yield, God gives the iniquitous their just deserts while they willfully roam the earth, raucously breaking God's wondrous law.
The LORD's punishment of Cain
1. God cursed Cain from the earth ... CURSED CAIN ... let that sink in, dear reader
2. The conversation between Cain and God made it clear to Cain, that the ease with which he tilled the fields, and the richness of crops that the earth yielded prior to its soaking with his own brother's innocent blood, was no longer an ease he could count on; quite the contrary was promised as punishment to Cain.
3. Cain was proclaimed a fugitive, meaning someone that has escaped captivity and is in hiding; and a vagabond, meaning a person that wanders from place to place without a home or a job.
Cain's conscienceless and callous response to the LORD
1. My punishment is greater than I can bear ... this sentence dumbfounds me. Cain killed his brother and without an ounce of shame, thinks of his own existence, believing the punishment from God to be too harsh. What did he want, a lollipop and a pat on the shoulder, perhaps an atta boy?
2. Cain reiterates his punishment of being driven from the face of the earth the day he premeditated the killing of his brother. He was forced to leave the haven that God had given to the first family.
3. and from thy face shall I be hid ... this is one of the saddest sentences I have ever read or typed. I weep as I think of what Cain gave up out of cruel jealous malice. To know God, to speak with God, and then to never again be face to face with God ... to consequently be banished and banned from his presence, grieves me to no end. I cannot comprehend how crazy atheists become without the wisdom of God speaking to their minds, informing their hearts, and guiding their earthly steps. What a tragic existence.
4. and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth ... Cain repeats his own sentencing, knowing God's declaration of punishment will be his present and future, from that day forward. He will no longer benefit from God's abundant blessing and provision. He will be a man known as a fugitive, a murderer of his own kin. Dear reader, is there a more dangerous creature, than one that can kill wantonly, without provocation, without cause, his own flesh and blood? Think with me: if someone can kill his sibling from jealous rage, what makes any of us think that the very same type of person, will hesitate from shedding our blood, or the blood of those we love? Murderers have not discretion: keep this in mind as you consider those that have in your lifetime, thoughtless and perversely, poisoned your family and friends.
5. every one that findeth me shall slay me ... Cain was frightened for his life. Cain, a fugitive, a vagabond, a wayward wandering violent fool that thought he could get away with murder, unpunished, would for the rest of his days, fear being slain, and rightly so. This is the only indication that we have of a nod to God from Cain, that justice will be and is served, because God does not tolerate unrepentant sin or sinners. The life is in the blood, and Cain took life that God had given to Abel. The LORD does not take lightly what man so easily excuses.
And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.
The last statement from God seems like a reprieve to Cain, but alas, it is the opposite of a reprieve. God had declared Cain a cursed fugitive and vagabond for the rest of his days, and far be it from any man to go against God's just punishment for crimes committed against his created beings. Cain was shamed, a degraded despicable man, and deserved to be slain, but worse then the relief of instant death, is to be known to all, as a castaway, a useless, godless, vile murderer, that God cannot stand to look at or listen to.
God sees, God hears, but he will not answer calls or pleas from the unrepentant. Cain is the father of wicked ancient seed, and the great granddaddy of all the generations that followed, that deny God as Sovereign, and have duly been banished from the LORD, to till and toil and gain ground on this earth, while outrageously killing and destroying God's meek and mild children.
And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
Cain, was marked by the LORD. This is where the expression, marked man, comes from. We humans have what we believe to be invisible sin, that no one can suspect, because it is hidden from their eyes. Not so for the first murderer, recorded for all prosperity, in the very beginning of The Bible, in Genesis: Cain was a marked man. God marks us as his or the devils. Think of yourself as labeled, not just in this lifetime, but for the entirety of eternity. A stamp of damnation was Cain's reward for killing, and the stain of his sin was evident and stood, as Matthew Henry indicated, as a living monument to God's justice.
I will leave you with the profound image of a banished Cain:
And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
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