MARKED

MARKED

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Genesis [ESV] 4:1-15 And Adam knew Eve his wife. And she conceived and bore Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from Jehovah. And she bore again, his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the end of days, it happened, Cain brought to Jehovah an offering of the fruit of the ground. And Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat of it. And Jehovah had respect to Abel and to his offering, but He did not have respect to Cain and to his offering. And Cain glowed with anger, and his face fell. And Jehovah said to Cain, Why have you angrily glowed? And why did your face fall? If you do well, shall you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at the door; and its desire is for you, and you shall rule over it. And Cain talked with his brother Abel. And it happened when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

And Jehovah said unto Cain, Where is your brother Abel? And he said, I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper? And He said, What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries to Me from the ground. And now you are cursed more than the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it will not again give its strength to you. And you shall be a vagabond and a fugitive in the earth. And Cain said to Jehovah, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold! You have driven me out from the face of the earth today, and I shall be hidden from Your face. And I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, and it shall be that anyone who finds me shall kill me. And Jehovah said to him, Therefore whoever kills Cain shall be avenged seven times. And Jehovah set a mark upon Cain so that anyone who found him should not kill him.

  Variations of “Now you’re a marked man!” are traceable to the first marked man. Being a marked man meant protection, then as time passed vulnerability as a target. At any rate it’s not a happy status.

  We may wonder why God spared unthankful Cain’s life after he murdered his brother Abel. Sadly I have dealt with inmates with the same mindset. Some openly telling me they don’t have a crime problem, they have a “Getting caught problem.”

  Other than historical account and produced maxim, what is the value of the record in Genesis 4:1-15? We know it definitely has value for God says so: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (ESV 2Tim.3:16-17)

  What is the value for you? How has considering the account contributed to your maturation and the effectiveness of your witness?

EBB4