THE SAD, SAD DECISION OF CAIN, THE FIRSTBORN OF ADAM AND EVE (EXPANDED) – GENESIS CHAPTER 4 Jude 1:12
There was an earlier massage that contained Cain and Korah together. Now Cain alone is expanded. Today we look at Cain.
{{Jude 1 v 11 “Woe to them for they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay, they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.”}}
[A]. INTRODUCTION
There are three parts to verse 11, different episodes at different times, but all having one thing in common. These three were examples of being separated from God, and rebelling against the declared will and direction of God, disobedient in every way. Jude uses these examples because they are all applicable to the problems false teachers were bringing to the churches of his time. In verse 10, a description is given of these base men who were so self-willed, they acted like animals of instinct. Things they did not understand, they reviled. These men were intemperate, proud, and headstrong, following their own determinations, without any recourse to others, or to God. In his letter, Peter adds they count it a pleasure to act riotously in the daytime, and are stains and blemishes. They revel in their deceptions, patting themselves on the back for how clever they are. He says their eyes are full of adultery and they do not cease from sinning. They entice unstable souls, and they have trained their hearts in greed. Then Peter says they are accursed. Jude is reflecting on his description in verse 10, and begins the next part with “Woe to them”. These false teachers have a woe pronounced on them. The Lord used “woe” several times in the Gospels; and in Revelation, it is used 15 times. Between the Gospels and Revelation, it is used just twice – one by Paul when he said, “Woe be to me if I do not preach the gospel,” and this occasion by Jude.
[B]. EXPLANATION
In this message, and the next one, we are going to be looking at both murder and rebellion. These two words are applied to Satan who is described in the following way – {{John 8 v 44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.”}} Before sin entered the world, it was the devil, Satan, who led the rebellion in heaven against Almighty God. These 2 sins go way back to the very foundation of sin, and with pride, make up the three, initial deadly sins.
Those who are murderers and rebellious, follow Satan’s nature, and are of the devil. Reprobate people are associated with the aspects of Satan’s foundation of sin, and they do what is natural to them – they sin through murder, rebellion and pride.
WHAT IS THE WORST SIN OF ALL?
It is sometimes asked, “What is THE very worst sin?” Many people when asked this question say “murder”. However murder and any other sin that might be suggested, are all outflows from the initial sin. That initial sin was Satan’s downfall and why he was cast from heaven. Look at this – {{Isaiah 14:12 “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! Isa 14:13 But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven, I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will make myself like the Most High.”}} Did you notice the use of “I” there – five times? Satan’s pride was the beginning of it all.
In this sinful world many have becomes desensitised to sin, (numb to sin) and fail to see these evils as God would see them. We should be outraged by murder, but we accommodate this practice as if it has no affect on us. How many, including me, watch murder dramas on TV, and these include the “maybe better ones” such as Midsomer Murders, Death in Paradise, Homicide, NCIS, Inspector Morse, Frost, and probably the best produced of them all, Poirot. Killing pervades much of children’s cartoon drama. There are many more, much worse than the ones I quoted, and it would be fairly accurate to say that over 60% of all dramas and films, are based on, or contain murder. Television would struggle to find content to broadcast if all murders shows were removed. They would then resort to more fake reality TV shows, and cooking and fishing programs and sport.
Rebellion feeds on many ancestors. In its family tree, there is dishonesty, lying, scheming, deception, hate, arrogance, egotism, resentment, jealousy, greed and selfishness. This rebellion and its inherited DNA is what activates the unconverted man in politics, the workplace, and in general living. With that background, we are going to look at where Jude mentions a murderer (this time) and a rebel (next time).
[B]. GONE THE WAY OF CAIN
“for they have gone the way of Cain,” but what way is that? What is the way of Cain? We need to look at the familiar story of Cain –
{{Genesis 4:2 “Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel and Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.”}} We must realise that Cain’s problem was not his occupation. Both Abel and Cain had noble professions. One had a heart problem though. As were his parents, so Cain followed the path of disobedience.
{{Genesis 4:3 “So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground”}} Here there was a specified time for both to bring an offering to the Lord, so Cain brought the labour of his hands. I believe what Cain brought was the best he was able to make the ground produce. It was not like picking a bunch of wildflowers, but it was the fruit of hard work and lots of effort. He brought his offering along with great satisfaction, and proudly presented it to the Lord. There is much satisfaction in achievement and hard work. Lazy lay-abouts are a disgrace. Cain could be very satisfied with his good work, but it was not the Lord’s way for sacrifice.
{{Genesis 4:4 “and Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions, and the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering,” Abel brought an offering from the firstlings of his sheep, and the fat portions as a savoury smell to the Lord. It says that the Lord accepted Abel’s offering by showing it respect. I would even go as far as to say that Cain put more effort into his produce. It is hard work preparing the land. Sheep just grow naturally. Why was Abel’s sacrifice accepted and Cain’s rejected?
Some say Abel came with faith and Cain came in disbelief. It really had nothing to do with that. What Cain did was to bypass sacrifice. That was disobedience for sacrifice was God’s decree.
It all goes back to the requirements of God and doing what He has expressed. Adam and Eve became sinners and that passed on to their sons. God showed Adam a remedy for sin because the Lord took a sheep, and it died that it might provide a covering for the guilty pair who had sinned. The blood of that lamb was shed in order that Adam and Even might have a covering of the Lord’s provision.
Thus, God introduced a very important concept here, two in fact. The first was SUBSTITUTION where one dies in the place of another. The second is ATONEMENT where a covering is made for man’s sin. It was not that Cain and Abel were ignorant of that; they knew that very well, and Abel brought along the sacrifice of the lamb. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, and is the Substitution for our sins, and He is the Atonement for our sins. In regard to the sacrifice to God, Abel came in obedience to the Lord.
{{Genesis 4:5 “but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard, so Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.”}} The Lord did not respect Cain’s offering. It is important to note that the Lord did not tear strips off Cain, or condemn him. The verse simply says that Cain’s offering was rejected, but the disappointment quickly led to anger and a threatening face, for he was not accepting of the Lord’s rejection. Now Cain would have known the correct way to approach God, and what was required, but it was his decision to do it his way. O, the strife we get into when we do things our way in disregard of dependence on the Lord.
Cain became very angry. All the passion wells up inside and will always lead to further sin. Resentment, hatred, revenge, and murder are all on the list. As we will see, Cain probably had all those.
{{Genesis 4:6 “Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry and why has your countenance fallen?”}} This was not chastisement or “you’re in serious trouble”. What God was doing was to get Cain to think about his action and his feelings, in the hope that Cain would realise that there is only one way to God, and that is through what He has revealed and declared. Cain was a free agent and God laid it out for proper process by Cain.
{{Genesis 4:7 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up, and if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door, and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”}} This is a critical verse, not only for Cain and for us, but in particular for the false teachers who had gone the way of Cain. Remember all this is about the false teachers Jude was battling. What is the way of Cain? In Cain’s case, he had not done well, so sin was crouching at the door ready to spring on him the moment he opened to door to proceed with sin. Sin’s desire was for Cain, and is for us, and for every one on this planet. That comes by way of temptation, and the appeal to, and activity rising from our old natures. Let us think of Cain. He stands before the Lord who is speaking to him, and he is angry and downcast and threatening, and the Lord has just said that sin is crouching for him and its desire it to take control of him.
The next part is vital. God said to Cain, “but you must master it”. That is an extremely important statement for the Lord places into the hand of man, the responsibility for his own sin. Whatever revenge Cain might have been planning, he had to master it. Be it lying, swearing, gambling, drinking, sexual or whatever, the ball is in our court and we must master it. Of course, Christians have the ability to do this with the Spirit’s help, but it is us who must master it. It was in Judas's hands to leave the Passover table to betray the Lord, but he did not master it. He never even tried. These false teachers are controlled by sin and eagerly go along with it with no thought of mastery over it.
{{Genesis 4:8 “Cain told Abel his brother, and it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”}} When you shut out the God’s word to you, and go your own way, then sin will master you and you will be self-willed, and sin will lead you along like a bull with a ring in its nose pulled by an iron cord. Cain had a personal encounter with God, and God warned him in encouragement, but he rejected God’s authority, followed his own natural instincts, and reviled God’s declarations.
I still have not decided what it was that Cain told to his brother Abel. It may have been that his offering was rejected but not that he was planning murder.
GUILTY CAIN BEFORE GOD
{{Genesis 4:9 “Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” and he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”}} The false teachers are liars, like the false shepherds who don’t care for the flock, but only for their own position, their own importance, the fame, the money, and the feeding off the flock of God. Cain was evasive and lying. The “way of Cain” is one of deception, rebellion and disobedience.
{{Genesis 4:10 He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.”}} This is a very serious verse. In those churches of Jude’s time, and the same throughout history, millions have gone to a lost eternity through the actions of the false teachers such as the Roman priests who deliver a false salvation and false hope. Their actions have not been forgotten by God, and the blood [as it were] of those people, cries for retribution, and it shall have retribution. The very strong language used by Peter and Jude will testify to that. These ones, these false teachers, have “murdered” in the way of Cain, and God will hold the strictest judgement over their heads in the day of judgement.
Our God is a God of retribution. God is not mocked – ever.
In {{1John 3 v 12 “not as Cain who was of the evil one and slew his brother, and for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.”}} This is the division between good and evil. Cain belonged to the evil one. Cain’s deeds were evil and Abel’s were righteous. Those following the way of Cain produce evil deeds. These wicked men who had been brought into the churches by the devil’s sowing, did not pursue righteousness or the exaltation of Christ, but followed sensual and worldly pursuits. Abel represents the man of God, the one led by the Spirit and not the flesh. The flesh will always oppose the Spirit, and in the churches, it was the fleshly, false teachers, who opposed the things of God by teaching their own righteousness, and their own devices, and their own inventive doctrines. The way of Cain is revealed – self-willed, full of error, and sensual.
Cain’s act of murder outraged nature. It was against all that upheld the decency of nature. We must remember that when God created this world, every part of it, and every act, had its rightful place. God instituted the boundaries of right and wrong, and to cross over from right to wrong, is an outrage against God’s laws of nature. What made Cain’s sin so bad is that it outraged God’s declared laws based upon His own character of righteousness and goodness.
That is why a “woe” is announced. In Jude verse 7, another group is mentioned, the ones we considered at the time. They were the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and they are in Jude because they too, outraged the laws of nature. In other words – unnatural. Murder is unnatural. Rebellion is unnatural. Homosexuality is unnatural. Many are rising up these days who intimidate all those who speak out about homosexuality, casting at them homophobic charges. Yes, nature has been turned upside down in these last days.
Because murder is associated with Satan, the murderer from the beginning, then God’s penalty for murder is very severe. Severe punishment was meted out on Cain and he was made a vagabond. It is a wonder, actually, that God did not take the life of Cain. God was certainly entitled to do so.
Later on, after the flood, when God established His first covenant with man, murder was especially noted. Let us look at {{Genesis 9 v 1 “God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, Gen 9:2 and the fear of you and the terror of you shall be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea - into your hand they are given. Gen 9:3 Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you. I give all to you, as I gave the green plant, Gen. 9:4 only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. Gen 9:5 Surely I will require your lifeblood - from every beast I will require it, and from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man. Gen 9:6 Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man. Gen 9:7 As for you, be fruitful and multiply. Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.”}}
That covenant has not been rescinded or altered. God has never revoked it. What we have here is the death penalty for murder and it predates the Law of Moses which also upheld the death penalty for murder. To the 21st century mind, imposing penalties for crimes is hardly acceptable for some idealists, yet alone considering a death penalty, which the go-gooders call barbaric and excessive. What God instituted, He has never revoked. In Revelation 9 v 21, one of the 4 stated reasons for the Tribulation which is happening at that time, is murders.
The false teachers Jude is writing about are no better than murderers, ones who are indoctrinated with the attitudes of Satan who was a murderer from the beginning. False teachers lead astray people and send then to hell. They have murdered their souls. Listen to what the Lord said – {{Matthew 23 v 15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel about on sea and land to make one proselyte and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”}}
I will finish with this – always be on guard against false teachers who bring to you another gospel! Always be on guard for those who would distort biblical doctrines. Always be on guard for those who are rebellious, disobedient and troublemakers.
The Lord bless you all.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
