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.” Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.
God Shows Mercy to the Wicked
Cain is a picture of wickedness. Cain was the fist murderer. Cain took his own brother’s life (Abel). He do so out of envy. When Abel had prepared a sacrifice that was acceptable to God, Cain was angry because his was not. Abel became the first believing martyr. As a result of Cain’s sin and wickedness, God punished him by rejecting him and putting a curse on him. Here is what God said to him:
Genesis 4:11-12 (ESV Strong's)
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.”
God punishes Cain, but, Cain complains that the punishment is too harsh. Cain cries for mercy and receives it. God gives him a mark that warns the world around him that Cain is “protected” by God. Most readers of the above passage focus on the “mark” God gave him; trying to identify what it was and/or what it looked like. However, the real point of the passage is that, even in wickedness, God grants mercy. Cain was being punished for killing his brother. But, God still shows mercy. The fact that wickedness is not destroyed immediately on the earth demonstrates that God is a God of mercy. He withholds the punishment wickedness deserves, always showing His marvelous character. God is a God of mercy. The irony is that God gives Cain the mercy that Cain refused to give to his brother. This may be the most striking lesson in this passage. Mankind seldom wants to give mercy to their fellow mankind. Yet, God, who is perfectly just, does so, without fail. God is a great God of mercy. So, too, should we be. Cain killed his brother. Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount that holding anger toward someone is the same as murder (Matthew 5:21,22). When we don’t show mercy to those who wrong us we are not acting like God, we are acting like Cain. God is a God of mercy.
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