Murder is Bad

 

Murder is Bad

Genesis 4: ¹⁰ And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. ¹¹ So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”

 

¹³ And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! ¹⁴ Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”

 

¹⁵ And the Lord said to him,  “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.

 

============

 

After GOD said “It is very good”, humans chose opposite of what was good. GOD made a peaceful existence with only a few things to do for humans, namely be fruitful, multiply, name animals and tend to the garden. That was it. Satan disrupted this easy, harmonious lifestyle, causing humans to be thrown from paradise.

 

Cain, seeing paradise off in the distance, may have wanted to build his own. But after being corrected for his offering, Cain became jealous and unstable. He killed Abel, his brother and tried to hide it. But the ground told JESUS.

 

My Observations:

• JESUS knew Cain killed his brother Abel.
• JESUS explained to Cain, that murder is bad and he would have to be punished.
• JESUS was still graceful and granted Cain a request of protection.

 

Cain shows me just how far humans can fall and how fast. From correction to stewing to rage to murder, Cain went down a path caused by his own selfishness and possibly insecurities. “What about me?” was his question, never once saying he was sorry for what he did.

 

What a mess, was my first thought, but then I had to ask “What am I to learn from this?” I can see that sin can lead me on a path that can cause me to hurt myself and other people. I have to set my mind on the truths of GOD rather than following the rumors of my heart.

 

Challenge

• Why do you think GOD tells Moses about this conversation in detail?
• Have you ever disliked someone so much that you stewed over him or her and talked about him or her with no peace in sight?
• Can you release the person or people you dislike so it will not turn into hatred, causing you to sin?