THE TRAGEDY OF UNREPENTANCE-IV—Genesis 4:1-24
Attention:
Repentance is vital to a true Christian. Repentance is necessary to anyone really seeking God.
Need:
Why do I feel guilty when I’ve done certain things? Is there really a right & wrong? How can I know?
Why don’t I have the relationship to God that others seem to have? Where is the power of God in my life?....Does God even hear me?
Unrepentance always ends badly, in a loss. It is always tragic.
Isa. 59:1-2—“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”
Cain’s lack of repentance & subsequent grudge, ended in his brother’s murder.
Willful unrepentance opens the door to tragedy.
What is the tragedy of unrepentance?
13 losses experienced thru the tragedy of unrepentance.
We have seen previously that...A tragedy of unrepentance is a Lost...
1. AUTHORITY/Importance/Position(:1)
2. LIVELIHOOD(:2(:11-12))
3. WORSHIP(:3, 5)
4. RESPECT(:4-5)
5. COUNSEL(:6-7a)
6. ACCEPTANCE(:7a)
7. CONTROL(:7b-c)
8. LIFE/Purpose(:8)
9. CONCERN(:9)
10. COVER(:10)
Furthermore we find that:
11—A tragedy of unrepentance is a Lost...
BASE(:11-12)
Explanation:(:11)Where you are meant to be
:11—“So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.”
As a result of the sin manifested thru Cain, YaHWeH is indeed gracious. Rather than taking Cain’s life, God “curses” him from the very “earth”(“ground”-:10) by which Cain sustains himself as “a tiller of the ground”(:2). This is a curse on top of the curse(same word) for Adam’s sin(3:17-19). Cain is doubly cursed in regard to the ground. Its strength is lessened plus Cain’s ability to put it to use is removed.
He is cursed because the ground itself has been forced to receive that which was never intended. It is as if the ground has effectively been made to inappropriately ‘drink’ Abel’s blood.
The blood has a voice & the ground has a mouth. Thus one can never look upon them as a silent witness.
The ground has drunk in Abel’s blood specifically because Cain’s “hand” brought it about. Cain is indeed responsible for the working of his own hand. He does not question that.
“Cursed”—rra aw-rar’—1) To curse—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To curse, 1a2) Cursed be he (participle used as in curses), 1b) (Niphal) To be cursed, cursed, 1c) (Piel) To curse, lay under a curse, put a curse on, 1d) (Hophal) To be made a curse, be cursed. Strong—To execrate:-- X Bitterly curse.
“Mouth”—hp peh—1) Mouth. Strong—The mouth (as the means of blowing), whether literal or figurative (particularly speech); specifically Edge, portion or side; adverbially (with preposition) According to.
:12—“When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive & a vagabond you shall be on the earth.””
The specific meaning of being “cursed form the earth” is clarified here.
The explanation assumes that Cain will indeed “till the ground.” However, when he does till it, its already diminished “strength” will “no longer” be “yielded” to him. Cain will personally experience a further degree of separation from the earth’s “strength” than Adam(3:17-19).
As a result of the added curse upon the ground, Cain will continually wander about no matter where he goes upon “the earth.” He will find sustenance only from what naturally occurs or by the hand of others who may express the compassion upon him which he himself was unwilling to grant to his own brother.
Cain is “the miserable victim of an accusing conscience.”—JFB
“Till/Cultivate/Work”—dbe aw-bad’—1) To work, serve. Strong—To work (in any sense); by implication, To serve, till, (causatively) Enslave, etc.
Same as 2:15(“Tend”)—Adam’s original purpose in the Garden.
“No longer/Not henceforth”—Poy yaw-saf’—1) To add, increase, do again. Strong—To add or augment (often adverbial, to continue to do a thing):-- Add, X again, X any more, X cease, X come more, + conceive again, continue, exceed, X further, X gather together, get more, give more-over, X henceforth, increase (more & more), join, X longer (bring, do, make, much, put), X (the, much, yet) more (& more), proceed (further), prolong, put, be [strong-] er, X yet, yield.
“Yield”—Ntn naw-than’—1) To give, put, set. Strong—To give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.).
“Strength”—xk ko’-akh —1) Strength, power, might. Strong—from an unused root meaning To be firm; Vigor, literally (Force, in a good or a bad sense) or figuratively (Capacity, means, produce); also (from its hardiness) a large lizard:-- Ability, able, chameleon, force, fruits, might, power(-ful), strength, substance, wealth.
“Fugitive/Vagrant”—ewn noo’-ah—V.—a primary root—1) To quiver, totter, shake, reel, stagger, wander, move, sift, make move, wave, waver, tremble. Strong—To waver, in a great variety of applications, literally & figuratively. (CONT...)11—A tragedy of unrepentance is a Lost...
BASE(:11-12)
“Vagabond/Wanderer”—dwn nood—V.—1) To shake, waver, wander, move to & fro, flutter, show grief, have compassion on. Strong—A primitive root; To nod, i.e. Waver; figuratively, To wander, flee, disappear; also (from shaking the head in sympathy), To console, deplore, or (from tossing the head in scorn) Taunt:-- Bemoan, flee, get, mourn, make to move, take pity, remove, shake, skip for joy, be sorry, vagabond, way, wandering.
“Earth”—Ura eh’-rets—1) Land, earth. Strong—from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; The earth (at large, or partitively A land):-- X common, country, earth, field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.
Argumentation:
Mat. 25:41 -46—““Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil & his angels: ‘for I was hungry & you gave Me no food; I was thirsty & you gave Me no drink; ‘I was a stranger & you did not take Me in, naked & you did not clothe Me, sick & in prison & you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, & did not minister to You?’ “Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.””
1Cor. 6:9-11—“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus & by the Spirit of our God.”
2Cor. 5:1-5—“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”
Eph. 2:11-13—“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands-- that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel & strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope & without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
Titus 3:3-7—“For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts & pleasures, living in malice & envy, hateful & hating one another. But when the kindness & the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration & renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
1Pet. 2:9-12—“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners & pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
Illustration:
Earlier in Rev. Chris Williams(Now pastor of Woodleaf BC) life he ended up court-martialed & jailed/He was a menace to society/He lost his destiny...his purpose/Chose aberrant ways of approaching each situation/Result=Alienated himself from society & society from him/Jails & prisons are full of people like he was/Churches are too!/Lost BASE
A TV show detailing a mouse infestation in Australia/They say it happens with some regularity every 5-10yrs. or so/The mice overpopulate & take over any planted crop & every attempt at feed storage/Farmers have to burn all their contaminated silage/They literally lose their base for living/Lost BASE
Application:
?Your God-intended BASE lost to Unrepentance?
?Your see your Unrepentant life as the Tragedy it is?
12—A tragedy of unrepentance is a Lost......
REMORSE (:13-14)
Explanation:(:13-14)
:13—“And Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear!”
‘Remorse’—Deep regret or gnawing distress over wrong committed.
Cain now responds to the cursing he has received for killing his brother(:11-12).
He cannot imagine what it will be like to be banned from mankind in general(wander aimlessly) & having lost his relationship with the ground. He cannot entertain even the mere thought of it.
*The wages of sin are traumatic for those who will not approach God in the power of His forgiveness.
Poor Cain! He cannot “bear” such horrific consequences even as the cost for the life of his brother.This says much about Cain’s character & the blindness of sin.
‘What an overwhelming sense of misery; but no sign of penitence, nor cry for pardon.”—JFB
“Punishment”—Nwe `avon—1) Perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity— 1a) Iniquity, 1b) Guilt of iniquity, guilt (as great), guilt (of condition), 1c) Consequence of or punishment for iniquity.
“Bear”—asn naw-saw’—1) To lift, bear up, carry, take. Strong—a primitive root; To lift, in a great variety of applications, literal & figurative, absolute & relative.
: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 & a vagabond on the earth, & it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.””
Cain still speaks with God. However he accuses YaHWeH of driving him out, possibly with the intent of making God feel sorry for the perceived stiff punishment. Cain never seeks forgiveness during this whole episode. He instead seeks to bargain with God in order to have his punishment reduced to terms with which he can tolerate or live out by his own power.
Cain then adds that he realizes he will be “hidden” from YaHWeH’s very “face.” As if this matters to Cain. If this is factual—& it probably is though turned around—then this is a statement that God does not seek the well-being of sinners.
Note that Cain states the exact opposite of the reality. It is God who chooses to hide his face from certain men due to their spiritual choices. It is not as if Cain, by rejecting God, can effectively be hidden from God. Cain is attempting to put the burden upon YaHWeH rather than accepting his sin & personally bearing the burden himself.
*This is also a truth about which mankind in general, has constantly been & will always be at odds with God thru the ages....
Unrepentant man will not accept God’s terms but then complains when God refuses a working relationship with them. Man then invents his own means of communicating or staying in touch with God, otherwise known as ‘humanism’ or ‘humanistic religion.’
Cain reiterates the harshness/hardness/difficulty of the punishment(as if he is undeserving), but not the perverseness which brought it about. He does this in an attempt to soften God’s hand upon his life & states the pressing reason for his real concern.
*The reality of the matter is that Cain is afraid someone (of his own family)—in fact there are no others!—may “kill” him. He is afraid to die. He is not willing to accept death for murder. See Gen. 9:5-7(after the Flood—a new beginning) where this principle is stated explicitly. Cain wants to enjoy his sin without consequence or repercussion.
“Driven...out”—vrg gaw-rash’—1) To drive out, expel, cast out, drive away, divorce, put away, thrust away, trouble, cast up. Strong—To drive out from a possession; especially to Expatriate or divorce:-- Cast up (out), divorced (woman), drive away (forth, out), expel, X surely put away, trouble, thrust out.
“Hidden”—rto saw-thar’—1) To hide, conceal. Strong—To hide (by covering), literally or figuratively:-- Be absent, keep close, conceal, hide (self), (keep) secret, X surely.
“Will happen/Shall come to pass”—hyh haw-yaw—1) To be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
“Kill”—grh haw-rag’—1) To kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand. Strong—To smite with deadly intent:-- Destroy, out of hand, kill, murder(-er), put to [death], make [slaughter], slay(-er), X surely.
:13-14—“Do you notice what is not said here? Nowhere do we see a feeling of remorse for ignoring God’s commands or for killing his brother Abel. All we see is Cain’s remorse over his punishment! Cain still feels like a victim! Cain utters words that contemporary man utters often, "But that’s not fair!" We receive the consequences of our rebellion & we cry out not for our sin but because we resent having to face the consequences of our actions.”—Sermon by: Bruce Goettsche
Argumentation:
Esau:
Gen. 25:29-34—“Now Jacob cooked a stew; & Esau came in from the field, & he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, & sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread & stew of lentils; then he ate & drank, arose, & went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”
Gen. 27:33-41—“Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, & said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game & brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, & I have blessed him--& indeed he shall be blessed.” When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great & bitter cry, & said to his father, “Bless me--me also, O my father!” But he said, “Your brother came with deceit & has taken away your blessing.” And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, & now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” Then Isaac answered & said to Esau, “Indeed I have made him your master, & all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain & wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?” And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me--me also, O my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice & wept. Then Isaac his father answered & said to him: “Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above. By your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless, That you shall break his yoke from your neck.” So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, & Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.””
Esau had no remorse though he regretted the consequences/results of his actions as they effected him personally.
*Jer 6:10, 15-18—“To whom shall I speak & give warning, That they may hear? Indeed their ear is uncircumcised, And they cannot give heed. Behold, the word of the LORD is a reproach to them; They have no delight in it.”.....“Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the LORD. Thus says the LORD: “Stand in the ways & see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’ Therefore hear, you nations, And know, O congregation, what is among them.”
*As a nation, America has lost her ability to “blush” as had Israel! Our society by-&-large disregards God thru Christ & rather trusts humanism.
Rom. 11:8—“Just as it is written: “God has given them[Israel] a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day.””
Mat. 21:28-32—““But what do you think? A man had two sons, & he came to the first & said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ “He answered & said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it & went. “Then he came to the second & said likewise. And he answered & said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. “Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors & harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, & you did not believe him; but tax collectors & harlots believed him; & when you saw it, you did not afterward relent & believe him.”
Illustration:
We were invited to Granny’s house for supper/My wife had earlier announced that it was getting close to time to go—just to prepare me—It takes a while to wrap up my sermonizing/The time arrived & I snapped at her because she was trying to push me out the door/I apologized for my attitude & words/Why?—REMORSE!
Application:
?Your God-intended REMORSE lost to Unrepentance?
?Your see your Unrepentant life as the Tragedy it is?
13—A tragedy of unrepentance is a Lost......
ESCAPE(:15)
Explanation: (:15)From the penalty of your sin/From Hell
: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.”
YaHWeH then responds to Cain’s concern. He does not remove or soften the curse, but He does in fact remove the possibility of Cain’s being killed for his crime.
Thus in effect Cain’s curse is intensified in that his wandering & lack of independence(thru farming) will probably be prolonged. Cain can neither meet his intended end by his own hand nor by YaHWeH. Such a miserable existence is experienced to some extent by any who turn away from the God of the Bible.
YaHWeH declares that anyone who raises their hand against Cain with deadly intent, rather than having ?rightly? exacted vengeance, will themselves instead be the recipients of vengeance. Their chosen vengeance will be received “sevenfold” over that which Cain would have received.
In order to enforce this curse—specifically regarding Cain only—YaHWeH “sets a mark” upon him which will be recognized by anyone who comes in contact with him. Anyone seeing the mark will know the consequences of their desired vengeance.
This speaks to the miniscule population of earth at this time—all of Cain’s own family.
However this immediately plants the question in our minds as to where people who could possibly “find” & seek Cain’s demise would come from. Seeing as Cain would potentially live many hundreds of years(as did the Sethites— 5:1ff) there would have been many more born of his family besides he & Abel. Also there are undisclosed lineages as the focus of the Cainites & Sethites is upon its outworking to both Lamech(4:18ff)) & Noah(5:28-29) respectively.
“Vengeance”—Mqn naw-kam’—1) To avenge, take vengeance, revenge, avenge oneself, be avenged, be punished. Strong—a primitive root; To grudge, i.e. Avenge or punish:-- Avenge(-r, self), punish, revenge (self), X surely, take vengeance.
“Set”—Mws suwm—1) To put, place, set, appoint, make.
“Mark”—twa ’owth—1) Sign, signal; 2) Token, ensign, standard, miracle, proof.
“Finding”—aum maw-tsaw’—1) To find, attain to. Strong—a primitive root; properly, To come forth to, i.e. Appear or exist; transitively, To attain, i.e. Find or acquire; figuratively, To occur, meet or be present.
“Kill”—hkn naw-kaw’—1) To strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill. Strong—a primitive root; To strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively).
Argumentation:
Amos 5:18-20—“Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness, & not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him! Is not the day of the LORD darkness, & not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?”
Mat. 7:18-21—““A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down & thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
Mat. 18:3—“& said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted & become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Heb. 2:3-4—“how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, & was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs & wonders, with various miracles, & gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?”
Jn. 3:3-7—“Jesus answered & said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb & be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water & the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, & that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
Cain’s hard-heartedness & subsequent Loss of Escape, calls to mind the admonition of the writer to the Hebrews:
Heb. 6:4-8—“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, & have tasted the heavenly gift, & have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, & have tasted the good word of God & the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, & put Him to an open shame. For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, & bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns & briars, it is rejected & near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.”
Illustration:
Receiving my ‘Cave Diving’ Certificate at ‘the Blue Hole’ part of the Ichetucknee Springs river system, FL/The only place in the park where scuba is allowed/The spring-cave system has been mapped & has been dived many times for years/Someone had gone ahead of us to install a rope somewhere in the depths of the cave & the other end outside the cave above the water’s surface/We were instructed that any movement would make the cave ‘silt-up’ making it impossible to see, & if that happened we were to follow the rope to the surface/Well sure enough, the confined space of the cave combined with me & my buddy’s movement caused it to ‘silt-up’/I nearly panicked!/But I held onto the rope & signaled with the butt-end of my knife that I was in trouble/If I had neglected the rope, saying ‘I’ll find my way out’, I would have Lost my ESCAPE!
Application:
?Your God-intended ESCAPE lost to Unrepentance?
?Your see your Unrepentant life as the Tragedy it is?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
The tragedy of unrepentance are a Lost......
11. BASE(:11-12)
12. REMORSE (:13-14)
13. ESCAPE(:15) From the penalty of your sin
1. AUTHORITY/Importance/Position(:1)
2. LIVELIHOOD(:2(:11-12))
3. WORSHIP(:3, 5)
4. RESPECT(:4-5)
5. COUNSEL(:6-7a)
6. ACCEPTANCE(:7a)
7. CONTROL(:7b-c)
8. LIFE/Purpose(:8)
9. CONCERN(:9)
10. COVER(:10)
Presented 07/24/2011am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
