IF we have sown unto you spiritual things,
Is it a great thing if we shall reap from you carnal things? 1Corinthians 9:11
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Pt.9
The Way of Cain (Gen 4:11-24)
In looking at the life of Cain and Abel and by direct reference to Abel’s Excellency over Cain in giving , Heb_11:4 had revealed that this situation was divided by a threshold of faith, that is true trust in YHWH God, a situation which in fact happened at a time of worship dictated by YHWH God in some way, to the people of Adam. It was the dividing line of Faith that reckoned Able as Righteous and reckoned Cain as wicked. It was a lack of Faith that appears to be un subdueable and un ruleable that drove Cain to respond with killing the righteous Abel. Qain was the firstborn, Qain was offered acceptance if he divided rightly. This division could have been an illustration of the division of the gift he gave, and the inferiority of his gift, or it could be a division of Qain’s faith, or both, that is not specified. Yet, what is specified and that which we have dwelt on was the difference between Able and Qain being distinguished by Faith. In other words, it does not matter if Qain gave the absolute best gift of the best of his crop, but he did so before men, perhaps his parents or his brother, if by doing so and using a person’s thoughts and judgment as his back drop, and in compare to that person he gave a better, more abundant, more in number, or better tasting gift of his crop before men and not before YHWH as an act of Faith, because without Trust it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must TRUST YHWH and YHWH a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.Heb_11:6
This is as well if Qain didn’t give his best, but gave an inferior offering, the worst, so that he could selfishly keep the best for himself, and he divided the line in his own selfishsh favor, reasoning like many anti-spiritualist do that it is non-sense to give an gift to YHWH, as it seems as no one benefits from that offering, (of course most of those anti-spiritualists allow for some spiritualism when it seems to favor them… that is). So, it does not matter if Qain gave better materially or not, the dividing line was at the threshold of Faith just as it always has been, in dealing with the people of YHWH’s covenant.
It was nevertheless it was Abel’s excellence of faith that provoked Qain to murder his brother. It was also ones witness or testimony that comes by faith that establishes a standard fr righteousness, the evidence of things not seen. And that evidence of witness, when it is lacking is the literal definition of sin, no-witness / a-martia / αμαρτια G266) Often when we need to show a person a quick and accurate definition of sin we go to a chapter where sin or amartia is defined for us, this is 1Jn_3:4, 1 John 3 is a chapter that speaks plainly concerning this first record of the word for sins usage, right beside the story of Qain and Abel.
1Jn_3:4 Whosoever committeth sin (no-witness / a-martia / αμαρτια G266) transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law…
The English just say sin, but in the Greek, again, the word for sin, a-martia is made equivalent to a-nomia (ανομιαG458) no-law, that is as we say it in English: “lawless”. thereby, this lesson by John the beloved disciple of Christ and Apostle of the Gospel, teaches us that one who is Law-less is witness-less, they are with out evidence to show they are a child of GOD, that is of YHWH.
And this what becomes evidently clear concerning Qain in relationship to his own brother, that his lack of Faith opens his door and makes the division of sin and acceptance irrelevant to him, or he becomes ignorant to it. Sin lay on the other side of the threshold, Qain seems to think that by removing his brother it fixes the problem he has. And so Qain becomes Law-less exposing his lack of evidence of faith by the evidence of his law-less deeds.
1st John speaks concerning the incident of Qain and Abel in a comparison to brotherly love after we are told the definition of ‘sin’ or a-nomos.
1Jn_3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
1Jn 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
1Jn 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
1Jn_3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
1Jn 3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
1Jn 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
This is not a study of 1st John 3, but it is an important thing to notice that righteousness made manifest in ones life as that mans evidence, his testimony or witness in repulsion of sin is a dividing line John lays out. The remaining of God’s seed is manifest righteousness in ones life, this means that Qain as well as Abel has the seed, remember the likeness and image YHWH GOD made Adam in, it was one of total trust unto obedience to the commands anf ways of YHWH, but the fall began a degeneration of that perfect nature in our Father Adam and them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, and unto us this dayRom_5:14. But the remainder of the seed in being a Son of God, as Adam was is the law upon our heart as and mind as his people, by this verse Qain had this seed, but it did not remain in him because he embraced sin, he embraced his lawlessness and gave up his witness to being righteous, all of this is a division made manifest in Faith; Qain was given by YHWH to Eve by Adam knowing his wife in the natural way children our procreated, they passed on that seed of GOD, given in his likeness and image, spiritually and physically, but that seed did not remain by this standard laid out by John. It is no different for we who claim YHWH GOD to be our Father as well, don’t think for a moment that your natural generation will save you, it is your spiritual generation made evident in your body that will matter on that day For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 2Co_5:10
So let us now consider Qain the faithless, Qain the selfish, Qain the killer’s Judgment:
Gen 4:11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
Gen_4:12 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.
(LXX: thou shalt be groaning and trembling on the earth.)
Gen 4:13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Gen_4:14 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.
Gen_4:15 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.
I think there is a simplified understanding of this portion of Scripture which is specific to the normalcy we yet understand concerning such situations that occur with murderers when society has a health morality (unlike today where we facilitate flesh in larders called prisons). Notice Qain has recognized that murderers are put to death (another example of the Law imbued in Adam); the LXX offering the fugitive and vagabond state as one of fear by groaning and trembling, thus implying a state of fear as is common to one who’s life is hunted for his crime. And as for the mark or sign given that Qain should not be killed it seems as though the answer lay in the seven generations of Qain found until the destruction or end of Qain’s posterity, assuming that the mind set of Lamech had come to fruit as a sign upon Qain’s folk, “give ear to my saying: For a man I have slain for my wound, Even a young man for my hurt; For sevenfold is required for Cain, And for Lamech seventy and sevenfold.’ Gen_4:23-24 In other words, while this is a subject of much discussion and opinion as to what the ’sign’ of Qain is the text seems to offer as the best answer to what this sign is in his postponed judgment, is the violence in the earth that arises from Qain’s way of life, propagating with the increased knowledge of the war-craft of Adam, using the lack of Qain’s death for a way of life, a sign or wonder indeed fulfilled in the less prolific, yet more violent acts of the people of Qain- this is simply my understanding of the exposition of this text and the evidence offered therein. That is that in understanding the language used by YHWH revealed in the Hebrew and the Greek, the mark or sign placed of Qain was in relationship to time, not that the word owth in Hebrew must every time indicate a timing, yet it is always to be marked in time by that sytem, even a memorial miracle, yet in this case of Qain, Judgment is differed and vengeance in lit. Gk carrying our justice is disabled or literally in the Greek, paralyzed seventimes in the placing of the mark or sign and so after Qain says “every one that findeth me shall slay me in Gen 4:15 the LXX says God said to Cain: Not so, all killing Cain [3seven times 2 punishing 1will be paralyzed]. And [3put 1 the LORD 2God] a sign to Cain [4to not 5do away with 6him 1 for all 2finding 3him].
So it is my opinion, at this time that this is the only exegetical approach to this section of scripture of what the mark and punishment of Qain was, and to mention this also agrees the thoughts of Josephus in the Antiquities, Book 1, Chapter 2, v.1, meaning that a Hebrew reader would have understood these words in like manner.
Qain’s position
Qain’s position in light of this judgment, which is truly better than he deserves is, Gen_4:13 “…My punishment is greater than I can bear”, Which is entirely indicative of an unrepentant heart, as well it is the sin of blasphemy of the holy spirit, that is the unforgivable sin, which disallows Qain to repent from his heart and soul, Qain represses the Holy Spirit even present in the world and in the lives of the son’s of Adam, this Spirit which moved the waters of the cosmos to create all things including Adam as Good, is the same Spirit which calls one to repentance and gives Faith as a gift, it brings the soul change which Qain represents in his statement, as the LXX as well helps us understand Qain by translating it “My crime is too great for me to be forgiven. (Brenton)”. , this is the start of contacting a suppressed and repressed Spirit of God, the seed needed to be God’s Child.
For truly All of our crimes against God and man are too great to be forgiven, we all receive condemnation found in natural death distributed from birth, the life cycle of the prolific beast, as creature which is born to reproduce and die, and in some instances simply to die this is the way of all flesh, but for those who humbly understand this reality the Faith in the Word of God and of His witness or testimony which we hold, the evidence in our hands while we live and move and have our being is our hope of forgiveness, a life wrought in God.
We all should guard against the life of Qain, the blasphemy of one who stands in the presents of YHWH GOD while he lives and is given time to repent either unto a just punishment or to and un-deserved continuance of life, regardless of the sentence, in Fact the Faithfull are resolved to YHWH’s judgment, I think Psa_130:3-4 speaks of this sentiment to help, If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
A point for us to learn here to instruct us and to correct us in this situation of Qain’s judgment is that in a Righteous society a murder is judged by 2 or more True witnesses, which is not present here at this trial, reality dictates to us that the LORD is not want to execute every sinner in the world even the first born son of Adam and Eve, Rather YHWH’s Heavenly Law revealed to men on Earth demands true and provable Witnesses made of real flesh. This is because it is the normative principal of Judgment in Adamic society, that is that it is YHWH the judge’s will for men of GOD to judge every matter, we as Godly are to be logical, rational men of Judgment as.
1Co 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
and
1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?
Further in the holistic testimony of Scripture.
Gen 4:16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
Gen 4:17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
Gen 4:18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.
Gen 4:19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
Gen 4:20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.
Gen 4:21 And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
Gen 4:22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.
Gen 4:23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
Gen 4:24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
And so here we end with the line of Qain, as it is mentioned in scripture directly, there people’s later in the testimony of Scripture which could indicate that this tribe had lived beyond this point, however, it is striking that upon the 7th generation we see Qain’s posterity become a vengeful people, slaying even those who harm them a little, a people of no brotherly love, thus a people who do not have the seed of God remain in them. This in contrast to the teachings of our Lord, the head Son of Adam/ the son of man in his lesson to Peter when he asked:
…Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.Mat_18:21-22
and as well how the Lord taught to all of his disciples:
Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. Luk_17:3-4
Of course in a righteous society it is not the will of GOD for men to deliver a murderer from judgment in this life on account of forgiveness which comes by GOD alone, and it a matter of Faith, yet between brothers of like Faith we forgive when we are sinned against, even if they are lawful violations against us, that is true sin, a-nomos, and / a-martia, that is our brother loses his witness of Faith at a time and we are the object of that transgression, it is impingent upon the disciples of Christ to Forgive one and other when a brother asks for forgiveness, of course a forgiveness which will be accompanied by restitution and repentance not only before GOD Alone, but before the brother who he trespassed against. It is our call to up lift, and never keep each other down, never to justify the way of Qain or by actions to suppress forgiveness, but it is our witness one to the other that we love our brother as our selves, according to the love which witnesses if we love God, that is by keeping his commandments.Joh_14:15; Joh_14:21; Joh_15:10.
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