BIBLE JOURNEY !!! Part Four

Bible Journey !!! Part Four.

Dear Friends !

I greet you all in the name of the Lord.

Welcome to our program.

Today we are going to read together chapter 4 of Genesis. This chapter is a continuation of the story of Adam and Eve, about their sons, Cain and Abel.

As you will remember, ch 3 of Genesis told us the story of the fall in sin. Adam and Eve`s rebellion against God, and the consequences they had to face ; being chased from the garden of Eden.
Chapter 4 continues with the life outside the garden. Let us read from verse one.
Cain and Abel
    1 Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.”
2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.
3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD.
4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?
7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”
 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
 9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
      ”I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
 10 The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.
11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
 13 Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than I can bear.
14 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.”
 15 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.
16 So Cain went out from the LORD’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
17 Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.
18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.
 19 Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.
 23 Lamech said to his wives,
       “Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
       wives of Lamech, hear my words.
       I have killed a man for wounding me,
       a young man for injuring me.
 24 If Cain is avenged seven times,
       then Lamech seventy-seven times.”
 25 Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”
26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.
      At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord. Amen !
Now!
The chapter starts by telling us that, Adam knew his wife Eve and she became pregnant and gave birth. First to one son, which she called Cain. She felt that she had received a gift from the Lord, the name means ; to receive ! then Abel was born, Cains younger brother. He was different in many ways from his brother. Cain liked to till the soil, while Abel liked to look after domestic animals.
The text show us here that Adam and Eve`s fall in sin had not put a complete seperation between them and God, their two sons had been taught the necessity of sacrifice to God. Abel brought forth the best among the firstborn of his animals. This shows us that Abel had a deep understanding of what God was asking, from inside his heart.
Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil. God liked Abels sacrifice, better than the sacrifice of Cain. The real reason why, we do not know. But the Lord looks to the heart of man. He knows the commitment. In the churches today there is also a difference in commitment. There are those who have given their lives to Christ, who try to live according to the word of God and ask him to forgive their sins. You have others who believe that by contributing some money and to be a church member, take part in some activities, I am all right with God. They do not believe in a real commitment to have the Lord as their personal saviour and Lord of their lives.
Anyway, Cain understood that his brother´s offering was looked at with more favour than his offering and he became envious and angry at his brother. He allowed the hatred to fill his heart. His face was downcast. Instead of humbling himself and seeking the favour of God, Cain was contemplating on how to hit his brother, how to punish his brother for his own shortcomings.
The Lord knew what was happening, he knew that the serpant was still active influencing Adam`s children and trying to make them sink further into sin and darkness. The Lord decided to issue a warning and said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” But Cain followed the hatred of his heart, he killed his brother Abel.
Many years later a man named Judas was also planning evil. For 30 pieces of silver he agreed to betray his brother, the Lord Jesus Christ.
When he didn’t want to deny the Devil accomodation in his thoughts, God left him to himself and the Bible says in Luke ch 22 v 3 and 4. “Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. “.
The same Satan which entered Cains heart when Cain opened his heart to evil by giving room for hatred and envy, also entered the heart of Judas. The truth of James ch 1 vers 13 – 15 was already a reality.
“ 13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each of you is tempted when you are dragged away by your own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
The devil tempts us the same way today, entering our thoughts, trying to make the evil desires occupy our minds, and at last to commit the evil deeds.
Instead of listening to Gods warning, Cain made the same mistake as his parents did in the Garden, he agreed to listen to Satans lying. Then he killed his brother.
When Satan talked to Adam and Eve in the garden, he called God a liar. God had said,” if you eat the forbidden fruit, you will die.” Satan said,” you will certainly not die.” Now, Adam and Eve got a bitter taste of their disobedience to God. As a father and mother they would certainly blame themselves for sowing the seed of hatred in their children. And the children, ever since that day,very often have repeated the sins of their parents, the children often commit the same kind of sins, even sins which are worse than the ones the parents committed. “ The wages of sin is death,” says the Bible. It is also true today.
To carry out vengance might feel as a satisfaction at that very moment, but your sin will find you. God confronted Cain and asked for his brother. Cain tried to lie. “ I Don`t know “ But nothing is hidden to God. He knows everything. Dear Brothers and sisters, you better notice. God knows everything, he knows our sins and asks us to seek healing by confessing them to him.
Cain`s punishment was to be cursed by God, what a tragedy. To be cursed by God. Like his parents, Cain was also driven away, to be a restless wanderer, never to find peace in his heart.
Cain confessed his sin, but again instead of coming from the heart as repentance, it expressed the fear that people might try to kill him.
Judas Iscarioth also had a confession, we read from Matt 27 v 4 “ When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”
       “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”
This confession, did not lead to repentance, but to suicide. Cains confession did not lead to repentance either. True repentance should lead us to God to ask him for forgiveness, then we will come under his healing grace.
When Cain was afraid that he would be killed, God told him that, even as an unrepentant sinner God would protect him. God would punish the person who would take it upon himself to kill Cain.It is not up to us human beings to revenge ourselves, the punishment should be left to the Lord. However, the suffering for being cursed by God, Cain had to carry. God removed from him all blessings and joy.
Cain went away from the Lords presence and went to live in a place called Nod. Nod means to run away. He married one of his sisters and had many desendants. Among his desendants was the notorious Lamech. V 19 says that he married two women, starting the habit of polygamy. He was very arrogant and very violent. God had promised Cain that he would avenge him 7 times, if somebody wanted to kill him. But He should leave that to the Lord. Lamech boasted that he himself would kill anybody who would dare to wound him and avenge himself seventy times A very arrogant and violent man, increasing sin and hatred.
As for Eve, she gave birth to a third son. Seth, his name means substitute, or “ instead of “. She knew that he was given to her instead of Abel. Seth came to be the bearer of the same attitude as Abel.
Adam knew that God in his mercy had saved him and his children from inheriting the godlessness of Cain. Seth was like Abel, fearing God and becoming the father of the people who feared the Lord and which one day would bring forth a saviour. At that time they started to call upon the Name of the Lord. Seth got a son , Enosh which means human being with all its weakness. Then, from Luke chapter 3 v 23 – 38 we find that Seth, through his son Enosh became the forefather of Jesus Christ. Amen.
God bless you !!!
Rev.Jakob Trodahl
E-mail: vivat@vivat.no
Mobile: +4797544502.