November 13, 2022
Passage Read: Genesis 1-4
Meditation Verse: 4:16
Thought
Cain was cursed and sent away from the ground that accepted his brother's blood and from the presence of the Lord. He would be a restless wanderer and the ground would not produce fruit for him. He had to become a hunter-gatherer instead of a farmer, though he wasn't supposed to kill animals and eat meat. Yet the next thing we see him doing is building a city. He tried to overcome his curse and build a permanent settlement rather than wander. He was sent out from the presence of the Lord, which implies that the Lord chose to dwell at or in Eden, and men need to come to Him to worship Him. He did go out among men, at least those living nearby, Adam's family. But Cain would not be near the Lord, and Cain appears to have completely checked out and gone his own way, no longer thinking of the Lord. So he fought against the Lord's curse and built a city. Surely the ground refused to provide for him and he would still have to go far afield to seek food, perhaps the land around him became the first barren wilderness or desert. But his family was able to settle down and learn music and metalworking, so God was not completely against his descendants. But having gone out from the presence of the Lord, they must have assumed God would never accept any of them back, and that God was only good for cursing people.
Application
God did not go silent or hide Himself in the pre-flood world. He had a presence, but men would have to seek Him. He interacted with those who remained near Him, and anyone could go to the Garden of Eden and see the cherubim with the flaming sword. So the world still had access to know God and walk in His ways. Some did, but Cain and his descendants seem to have completely rejected the Lord. Cain made a choice to defy the Lord in regards to his brother, and he defied the Lord again in regards to his curse to wander. He could have sought forgiveness and likely even found it, but instead he chose bitterness and rejection. He adamantly chose to go his own way. How frightening. Those who sin need to know that forgiveness is still available, but some refuse to submit themselves to God, even when the offer of peace is presented. God is God no matter what I think or want. What He says, I must do; it is foolhardy to choose otherwise. People need to hear that peace can be made with God, but I shouldn't be surprised when they reject the offer.