“Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’ While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ ‘I don’t know,’ he replied. ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ The LORD said, ‘What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth’” (Genesis 4:8-12, NIV).
We know that Covid 19 caused the death even of good people.
Did you know someone who suffered trouble, pain, difficulties, or whatever affliction that was not the cause of their own wrong doing?
Have you experienced something bad you felt you didn’t deserve?
This time, we see in our text that though a man did the right thing, yet he suffered evil. In fact, that could also happen to us, even though we are… RECIPIENT OF GOD’S FAVOR… as portrayed in Genesis 4:8-12.
So, if you are recipient of God’s favor, what else could you expect?
In verses 1-7, we found out that at least two things happened when God looked with favor on you. First, you would be able to do what is right. Or, your action or in the case of Abel, his offering, was acceptable to God. For not every work or accomplishment, though it is praised by men, is acceptable to God.
Second, when God looked with favor on you, you would be able to rule over sin, or you would be able to overcome sin. Because God did not look with favor on Cain, he was not able to rule over the temptation and committed sin. He succumbed to it by killing his own brother Abel.
Now, in our text, if you are recipient of God’s favor, you could further expect at least two things. What are those?
I – YOU COULD SUFFER EVIL (verse 8).
Verse 8 states, “Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’ While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.”
Though Abel was recipient before of God’s favor, God allowed an evil thing to happen in his life. His own brother killed him.
In previous verses, we learned that Abel enjoyed favor from God. As he received faith, he was able to offer a better and acceptable sacrifice to God. The text did not show that there was a need for Abel to be disciplined, yet God allowed his own brother not just to hurt him, but to end his life.
In the Bible, we read instances that men of God suffered harm, though they did nothing wrong. Think of Job, Joseph, John the Baptist, Stephen (Acts 6-7). And we should not forget the truly blameless Man, who suffered the greatest pain and horrible death from wicked men – Jesus Christ.
God did not promise the believers a comfortable, convenient life -- free from suffering in this world.
God’s Word tells us that those whom He looked with favor, whom He granted faith or belief, He also allowed them to suffer. We read in Philippians 1:29, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him…”
Paul told the Christians in Philippi, who faced persecutions, they were given the gift of faith – granted the privilege to believe in Christ, but they were also granted the pain of suffering.
So, believers or lovers of Jesus – is there any one of us in pain right now – emotional, physical or whatever? Do not entertain the idea that God withholds His favor on you. His promised to His people: “I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them…” (Jer. 32:40A.)
If you have genuine faith in Christ, you are not exempted even to suffer evil. Do not forget, however, that no matter how painful you suffer, it is not because God is no longer pleased with you and He is punishing you. Actually, He is pleased with you, treating you as His child, giving you discipline or transforming you to be conformed to the image of Christ.
We can just pray to our Heavenly Father, “deliver us from evil.” And if in His wisdom, He allowed us to remain in pain, remember the words of Paul, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Cor. 4:17).
According to Paul, whatever suffering we are going through, it’s just light and momentary compared to the “eternal glory” that will be revealed to us.
Remember the words of Joseph to his brothers, who had planned and performed evil to him: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Gen. 50:20).
Others could plan and inflict us with evil, or our situations could be evil, but there is good intention for the Sovereign God to allow it to happen.
In the New American Standard bible, we read Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
If you are a lover of Jesus, you could also suffer evil. But it is intended by God for your own good.
What else could you expect from God, if you are recipient of His favor?
II – YOU WOULD BE AVENGED (verses 11-12).
We read verses 11-12, “Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth’”
Though there was no human witness and Cain could easily get away from the crime, yet Abel got justice.
God Himself confronted the guilty one. And pronounced the righteous punishment for Cain. He told Cain, “Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
God could allow His children to suffer evil from others, but they would be avenged by Him.
Even in our time, you may have in your mind someone who was vindicated or avenged later on after he suffered unjustly. Personally, I know of some cases when the victim of wrong doing was ultimately vindicated.
And we can be certain that if not during this time, God Himself will execute His vengeance in the future. We read in 2 Thess. 1:5-7 –
“All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.”
Believers or lovers of Christ, if we are doing what is acceptable to God and yet we suffer, we should not lose heart. What matters is God looked with favor on us. If someone is causing us pain, the Bible tells us:
“Do not say, ‘I’ll pay you back for this wrong!’ Wait for the LORD, and he will avenge you” (Proverbs 20:22).
In Romans 12:19—21, we read:
“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Instead of thinking revenge, we need to remember the prayer taught by our Savior in Matthew 6:12, “…forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
On our own, we cannot truly forgive those who offended us. We need to ask God to give us the heart to do so. And be able also to obey His words in Luke 6:27-29:
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.”
And finally, what do we read in Romans 8:31?
“…If God is for us, who can be against us?” If you are a recipient of God’s favor, for He is for you, though you suffered injustice, harm or whatever pain from others, surely, you will be avenged.
CONCLUSION:
As we close, remember God’s Word for His people in Jeremiah 32:42, “For thus says the LORD: Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them.”
Our eyes should not dwell on any great disaster or whatever evil happening around us and to us. Our eyes should look beyond and be expectant on the fulfillment of the good purpose intended by the Good God.
Also, the writer of the Hebrews encouraged us, “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).
Truly, our Savior is the only Good Being who does not deserve any pain, yet suffered the greatest evil, even the death on the cross. He endured it and despised the shame, as He anticipated the joy of bringing and seeing those who are recipient of His grace in His Kingdom!
