Law and Order, Genesis Style, (Part Deux)

I miss these guys. (Not to be confused with Cain and Abel)

If you missed the riveting part 1 of the "Law and Order" series, click here. It is so dramatic it makes the real Law and Order look boring. Well, not really, but at least you can look at the funny pictures I put up and learn more about Cain and Able. We looked at the story of Cain and Abel and saw how sin didn't stop is corruption of the world with Adam and Eve and the world at large, but it has also corrupted the children of men, too. We looked at how Cain and Abel brought offerings to God and Cain tried to do it his way and Abel did it God's way. Cain got mad at God and Abel because God had favor on Abel's offering instead of his. God tried to counsel Cain to do right and watch out for sin. Unfortunately THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GO HORRIBLY WRONG! (cue the Law and Order theme song).

Genesis 4:8-16

"Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother? He said, I do not know; am I my brother's keeper? And the Lord said, 'What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground." (8-10)

- Instead of "doing what is right" as God counseled, (v7), Cain decides to instead murder his brother. Sin and evil have worked in the hearts of men so that it now leads to murder. Cain was jealous, which led to anger, which led to calculated murder. This was not a crime of passion and rage that came about in a moment, this was a premeditated murder. Man has fallen from fellowship with God and each other in the garden to murder. If you're keeping track, we're only in the 4th chapter of the first book of the Bible. It doesn't look good for the development of man's character and moral integrity. Lesson: Man has a sin problem not only outwardly, but in his heart.

Mack, cute kid, sinner like me.

- We will see throughout the Bible and the history of mankind that men would rather do it their way than turn back to God and do the right thing. Cain is not some isolated guy in history. Cain lives in the heart of every man, woman, and child that has ever been born. I have a son, Mack, (like the truck). Sometimes he decides to smack his sister or mother in the head. This of course leads to discipline in which his parents ask him to say he is sorry, (repent), for what he has done. This child would rather take discipline from his parents, over and over again, than say he is sorry to the offended party. He has, just like you and me, the heart of Cain, a sinner. Again, as Bill Cosby would say, "Brain Damage!" (See prior blog post).
- Interesting note made by the NetBible commentator, "The word 'brother' appears six times in vv.8-11, stressing the shocking nature of Cain's fratricide (see 1 John 3:12)."
- V10, God says, "What have you done?" Have we seen this before somewhere? Yes, the last time someone sinned against God. God said to Eve, "What have you done?" God asks Cain where is brother is, (as if God didn't know). Cain has a chance to come clean and fails. Not only that but he is irreverent towards God, "I don't know, am I my brother's keeper?" He acts like he is not responsible for his brother and not responsible for those around him when in fact he is.

God's response:
"And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.' Cain said to the Lord, 'My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." (11-14). 

In Law and Order: Genesis, we now reach the point of judgment and punishment. God has found Cain guilty of murder, the evidence is the blood of the innocent, (Abel), that cries from the ground. Now Cain is punished by God. Cain is cursed and made a fugitive on earth.

Cain is guilty, he has killed his brother in a premeditated act. God knows it. God has called him to account for it. Cain is guilty and he is deserving of the death penalty before God. So Cain, in an act of humble contrition, begs God for forgiveness and mercy...oh wait, that's not what happened. Cain never admits his sin or admits he is wrong. He never asks God to forgive him. Instead of asking forgiveness or confessing what he did, Cain is like the person on Law and Order who finally admits, in a moment of blunt honesty, "Yeah I did it. I killed him. He had it coming!" How does this play out in your life and my life? Do we easily admit when we're wrong before others? More importantly, do we easily submit to the righteousness of God and his commands? I think not.

Whining: what Cain does.

Here we also have the first pity party of the Bible. Cain, deserving death, whines when God punishes him but still allows him to live. Can you imagine how this would play out in an actual courtroom today? A person is found 100% guilty for a crime for which they are deserving of death. Instead of pronouncing death on the criminal, the judge issues a more lenient judgment. Instead of thanking the judge for his/her mercy the criminal whines about how rough his punishment is. That's exactly what happens here. Cain is "guilty as sin". God has every right to stomp on him and scrape him off the bottom of his divine shoe. Instead God allows Cain to live and what does Cain do? He whines about how unfair the punishment is? But see the kindness of God. He allows Cain to live and even makes provision for him for protection. Lesson: God is merciful and gracious. He is kind, even to stupid and whiny sinners. 

A side note here: The author of Firm Foundations, Trevor McIlwain, made a great point about this passage. When bad things happen, men frequently look to God and say, "Where were you? How could you let this happen?" Four chapters into the Bible, it is not God who has failed, but men. Men have disobeyed God, acted in unbelief, blamed God, blamed each other, acted in jealousy, acted in anger, and now have committed murder. God provided companionship, food, shelter, a wonderful environment for mankind, and the blessing of his presence. How exactly has he failed men so far in the Bible? Instead man has failed God. When we look at the destruction on earth and the bad things that have happened, we may want to stop looking at God with angry fist and instead looking at how man has disobeyed and rebelled against his creator.

Lessons Learned:
- Man has now descended, because of sin, into premeditated murder. Not only murder, but murder between family members. Adam and Eve sinned and they gave birth to little sinners. Guess what that makes you and me, their children?
- God pursues sinners to reconcile them to himself. First God came to Cain before the murder to try and resolve things with him. Then God came to Cain after the murder and instead of squashing him like a bug God makes provision for him to continue living. God is gracious to sinners.
- No one can hide from judgment. God said to Cain that the blood of his brother was crying out from the earth for justice. You and I may not have killed anyone, but our cruel, selfish, angry, greedy, and prideful deeds cry out to a holy and righteous God for judgment. Someone has to deal with our sin. Evil must be punished. Judgment is coming for you and me, but just as God always makes provision for sin, he will make provision for the sin in our lives, (stay tuned to future blogs to see how)...