(8) And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to
pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother,
and slew him.
(Note 1: Def: Talked = 'a^mar - aw-mar'
: A primitive root; to say (used with
great latitude): - answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify,
challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command (ment), commune, consider, declare,
demand, X desire, determine, X expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly,
promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X
suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use [speech], utter, X verily, X
yet.)
The “talk” Cain had with Abel was not a conversation, it was more an attempt to verbally harass Abel. This was spawned by his own failure to please God. Cain’s failure was more than just superficial, it was internal, spiritual. Had it just been a matter of not sacrificing sufficiently, it could have been corrected. My brothers and sisters, I believe it was far deeper than that. What would cause a man to verbally harass, and then to hold such animosity towards his own flesh and blood brother as to kill him? This could only be the result of self-centeredness combined with demonic influence. His insufficient sacrifice was the result of self-centeredness, his reaction, that of demonic influence! In today’s world these are equally evident! Consider a Christian who is trying to walk as close to God as he possibly can. His family will harass him; the world will mock him, and his Christian Brethren who desire nothing more than to stagnate in their vain religion will despise him. Brethren, we need to look toward our Lord and Saviour, and desire to draw nigh to him, regardless to what men may say! Regardless to how men may feel! Even unto death!
Christ warned of it:
(Mat 10:16-23) Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the
midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But
beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will
scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and
kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they
deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be
given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak,
but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. And the brother shall
deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children
shall rise up against their parents,
and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that
endureth to the end shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city,
flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over
the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
Christ lived it:
(Mat 26:14-16) Then one of the twelve, called Judas
Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give
me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty
pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
(Mat 26:46-57) Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand
that doth betray me. And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve,
came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief
priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign,
saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith
he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto
him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus,
and took him. And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck
a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto
him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword
shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father,
and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then
shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that same hour said
Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and
staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid
no hold on me. But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might
be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled. And they that had
laid hold on Jesus led him away to
Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
(9) And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I
know not: Am
I my brother's keeper?
Here we see Cain lie to God and not take accountability for his actions. This is the first lie from man toward God. It is impossible to effectively lie to God, God knows the truth, and it will only cause you more grief to lie. You see Cain could have accepted the responsibility for his sin, and it is possible that he could have been forgiven for it. He refused to confess and repent! Many people today refuse to confess their sins and repent, and as a result they will perish as Cain did! Read on…
(10) And he said, What hast thou done? the voice
of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
(11) And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened
her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
(12)
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.
The judgement for an unrepentant sinner! Cain will now spend the rest of his days as a fugitive.
(Psa 38:3) There is no soundness in my flesh
because of thine anger; neither is there
any rest in my bones because of my sin.
(Isa 57:20) But
the wicked are like the troubled sea,
when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
But Cain knows deep in
his heart that he will suffer greater, he knows and admits to the greatest
punishment in the judgement…
(13)
And Cain said unto the LORD, My
punishment is
greater than I can bear.
Woe is me! Woe is me! How oft we think of how great our punishment is, yet make light our offense! He murdered his brother, and is upset at his recompense. Are we not the same? Do we not feel as though our punishment outweighs our crime? My what a spoiled people we are.
(14)
Behold, thou hast 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.
Here we see revealed the greatest punishment of the judgement… “from thy face shall I be hid” …What condemnation for unrepentant sinners! The message is the same today!
(Mat 4:17) From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say,
Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
(Mar 1:15) And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of
God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the
gospel.
(Luk 13:2-5) And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that
these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered
such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them,
think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell
you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.