4/30 Reading Portions: Numbers 7; Psalm 42-43; Song of Solomon 5; Hebrews 5

Genesis 5:6-20

MERCY

Some new believer may read all the names in Genesis 5 and go away scratching his or her head. Such a person may have thought ‘why?’ when reading the progeny of Cain in Genesis 4:18. If that’s the case, Genesis 36 recording the descendants of Esau will certainly befuddle the babe in Christ. My believing father passed away in 1963 and left behind his King James Version personal Bible. At 12 years of age, I decided to read his Bible, as an unsaved adolescent. By the time I got here, I put his Bible down and didn’t pick up another Bible until the Lord saved me in 1985, several weeks before my 25th birthday. Nevertheless, if the Holy Spirit ordained this portion of God’s Word important enough to be preserved for you and me, then it would behoove us not only to read the portion, but also to consider it each year we read it. So, what can we glean from this passage?

First, as we have considered from Genesis 4:26, profane defilement of God’s name had already begun during the days of Seth at Enosh’s birth, provoking godly men of faith to call upon the name of God Almighty. This lineage of Adam’s, via Seth unto Noah presents God’s longsuffering and mercy to bring about the promised Messiah (Gen 3:15), and salvation to His creation. Were other men and women of faith born during this 1,656-year period besides those named here? Most certainly. Yet by the time the floodwaters came upon the earth, there were only eight souls saved (1 Pet 3:20), because God was gracious to Noah (Gen 6:8), just as He was gracious to all of Noah’s forefathers, listed here in Genesis 5.

The length of the days of these men’s lives expresses God’s glorious grace, giving these souls the opportunity to worship Him for so long, as well as the stewardship of raising sons and daughters in the fear and admonition of the Lord (Eph 6:4).

On the other side of this, we should also consider God’s merciful longsuffering in maintaining a Messianic witness in the lives of these men for a light to shine in the darkened lives of all those wretches who were cursing the name of God, who lived in continual evil like those who lived prior to the day of hydraulic judgment (Gen 6:5).

Jesus Christ, our Lord, has done the same for you and me. Though our names and brief histories may not have been written in the Sacred Pages of His written Word, our names are certainly written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. And being there, we are blessed with the stewardship of Christ’s gospel, to be the testimonies of His gracious light to a lost and dying world that is just as evil as the days of Cain and Seth. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

4/29 Reading Portions: Numbers 6; Psalm 40-41; Song of Solomon 4; Hebrews 4

Genesis 5:4-5

GRACE

The death of Adam at 930 years fulfills the absolute certainty of YHVH God’s judgment in pronouncing the death of Adam by his disobedience. YHVH Elohiym said to him, as it is written:

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17

Surely, Adam died spiritually the moment he disobeyed, as mentioned in an earlier devotional, fulfilling what the LORD God said, “for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Yet when Adam died physically at 930 years of age—being made perfect but now cursed because of his sin, taking a while for his deterioration and demise—it still fulfilled God’s judgment, his death occurring on the day he sinned. It is written,

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 2 Peter 3:8 (see also Psalm 90:4).

These verses are also another proof of Adam’s salvation by the sovereign grace of God. By Adam’s gracious redemption through faith in a promised Messiah (Gen 3:15), and by God’s continued grace, he was able to partially fulfill God’s commandment in his life. Adam and his wife were commanded to…

“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth…” Genesis 1:28

By God’s grace, they were able to fulfill this part of the command, having had other sons and daughters. It is likewise for you and me as redeemed saints in Christ. Because of the corruptions that remain in our mortal flesh, we can never fully and perfectly fulfill God’s commands. That’s why Jesus, the God-Man, must come in the first place, to live the perfect sinless life on our behalf, a life that you and I cannot possibly live. Nevertheless, it does not make us void of good gospel works given in worship to our Redeemer. In humble contrition and brokenness (Psa 51:17), obedience (1 Sam 15:22), praise to God, good deeds, sharing with others what we have (Heb 13:15-16), we present our bodies as living sacrifices to God in Christ (Rom 12:1), for we are to die daily as Christ’s disciples (Luke 9:23; Gal 2:20). Hallelujah! What a Savior!

4/28 Reading Portions: Numbers 5; Psalm 39; Song of Solomon 3; Hebrews 3

Genesis 5:3-4

SETH

Being the “generations of Adam” (Gen 5:1) as a narrative of truth in the history of mankind, once again we have prophetic foreshadows of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We already know from the previous chapter, and devotional thought therein, that the death of Abel and the murderous hatred of Cain provoked a more active faith in Adam and Eve, appointing “life” in Seth for the “substitutionary” death in Abel (Gen 4:25, see devotional from 4/24/26). And from the devotional thought two days ago, we see that Adam’s being created in the likeness of God (Gen 5:1) was also a prophetic foreshadow of the gospel intent of salvation through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 8:29). Yet Seth was not born in the likeness of God, but in the likeness of fallen Adam. It is written,

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23

The doctrine of total depravity did not come from Charles Spurgeon, nor from the Reformers of the 16th century, neither from John Calvin nor Augustine of Hippo, nor even the apostle Paul, though they all spoke upon it. It comes from the truth that Adam sinned and we are all his descendants. Total depravity doesn’t mean that Seth was as bad and evil as Cain. It means that the corrupt DNA of Adam was passed on to Seth, as well as to you and me. It means that as good as we may be, by God’s grace in Christ, our good deeds, our heavenly utterances, and even the most glorious of our thoughts, will never match the superlative goodness, the supreme holiness, and the sinless perfection of the Lord Jesus of Nazareth. This is what makes the good news good: that there is bad news first—you and I have no hope of life unless our Hope is built upon Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

At the risk of sounding redundant, from the Department of Redundancy Dept., I shout this proclamation again: God’s salvation through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Messiah was not a reflexive response to Adam’s sin; it was our Creator God’s plan, purpose, and sovereign design from before He commanded “Light be!” Hallelujah! What a Savior!

4/27 Reading Portions: Numbers 4; Psalm 38; Song of Solomon 2; Hebrews 2

Genesis 5:2

MAN

It’s amazingly insane that some minister concluded his prayer to open a session of the U.S. House of Representatives a couple of years ago by praying to “the monotheistic God… and God known by many names by many different faiths.” First, by that statement, he is praying to a polytheistic god; but even more shocking was that he concluded his prayer with “amen and awoman.” Forget about the idiocy of forsaking simple word etymology so one may be “woke” in America, today’s devotion is modest but blessed. God literally called the man and the woman “Adam” (KJV), translated “Man” from our text (ESV). While male and female, or man and woman, are distinctive by their genders as persons, as created beings we are man, mankind, or literally from the Hebrew, אָדָם (a-DAM). When the Scriptures speak of the sin of man or the salvation of men, it does not exclude women or children; and most especially, in salvation, as it is written,

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

Why is this so blessed? Though our sinful condition came through Adam’s disobedience as a man (1 Cor 15:22), the rewards of salvation in, by, and through Jesus Christ are unto all who trust in Him. In Christ’s kingdom, there are no second-class citizens. Christ’s reward at His return is with Him because our reward is Himself. Jesus is eternal God who became perfect Man to save sinful men. You and I are sinful men whom Jesus the God-Man saved by His grace so we may spend eternity with Him. Amen is of Hebrew origin, meaning “faithful” or “truly.” Therefore, for souls saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, the “Amen” of God (Rev 3:14), both men and women are included when it is said.

“But man, proud man,
Drest in a little brief authority,
Most ignorant of what he’s most assured,
His glassy essence, like an angry ape,
Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven
As make the angels weep.”

Wm. Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

4/26 Reading Portions: Numbers 3; Psalm 37; Song of Solomon 1; Hebrews 1

Genesis 5:1

LIKENESS

As the generations of Adam are now considered, the account begins with the creation of man, and specifically with our verse reminding us of what the Creator God had revealed in Genesis 1:26. In our devotional thought concerning that verse, we considered the council of the Triune God in man’s creation, as well as the composition of man created in God’s image—in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. Today, we consider mankind’s creation in God’s likeness.

בִּדְמוּת (bid-MOOT), translated into English as “in the likeness,” means “in the shape,” “in the similitude,” “in the resemblance,” or “in the fashion.” It should be fairly obvious that though Adam was made “like” God, he did not have all the attributes of God. God is all-knowing, omniscient. If Adam was omniscient, he wouldn’t have been duped by Satan. God is also omnipotent, all-powerful. If Adam was all-powerful, he would have been strong enough to resist the devil and his temptations thereby. Adam’s design and creation came from the prototype of the pre-incarnate Christ. Though Jesus was not yet born, Jesus was the model by which Adam was made physically. But Jesus was also the prophetic model spiritually of what Adam was meant to be, technically speaking. I say “technically speaking” because we already covered that in our gospel devotional series in Genesis 3 when Adam fell in the garden; that perfect, sinless man, living in the perfect environment, given the perfect companion, and granted perfect dominion upon the earth and all its creatures, apart from faith in Jesus Messiah all he will succeed in doing is be deceived, dishonor God, disobey God, and bring about his death and the death of others. Nevertheless, Adam was created to be like Christ, because that’s what you and I were re-created to be when we were saved by God’s grace. It is written,

For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:29

And one day, when Christ returns, we will be like Him. It is written,

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

4/25 Reading Portions: Numbers 2; Psalm 36; Ecclesiastes 12; Philemon 1

Genesis 4:26

ENOSH

Seth named one of his sons Enosh. He had many sons and daughters (Gen 5:7). The name he had given this son, אֱנוֹשׁ (en-ŌSH), means “mortal.” It comes from a Hebrew root, אָנַשׁ (a-NASH), which means “frail,” “feeble,” or “sick.” Was the infant sick, feeble, or frail at birth? Possibly, but as his name is recorded in God’s Word seven times in the Old Testament, therefore I suggest that the name presents a gospel truth for you and me. Being born after Cain’s murder of Abel, Adam raised Seth to have an understanding of God’s promised gospel through a coming Messiah, as mentioned in yesterday’s devotional thought. With the truth of the gospel in his hearing ears, and touching his heart by God’s grace, Seth named his son “mortal” as a testimony of the times he lived in. Men were frail and feeble. By this third generation, descendants of Adam did not possess faith in the promise of God’s salvation through a Messiah. This is evidenced by the next sentence in the verse,

Now, this second sentence contains a word that can be translated two ways. The word translated “began” in both the ESV and KJV comes from the Hebrew root, חָלַל (cha-LAL). It can be translated “begin,” or “began,” the latter of which is used here. But chalal can also be translated “profane” (ESV) or “defileth” (KJV), as it is in Exodus 31:14; or it can be translated “profane” (ESV) or “prostitute” (KJV), as it is in Leviticus 19:29. These are just two of several examples of the Hebrew word’s 142 occurrences in the Old Testament. Even in some of the verses where it is translated begin or began, you will find it interesting if you interpret the verse as something vile and profane occurring (see Genesis 6:1; 9:20; 10:8; 11:6 as just a few examples).

Yes, in the days of Seth’s adulthood, at the birth of his son, Enosh, the name of God was called upon because the name of God was profaned by a growing number of the population.

Indeed, God’s Messiah was needed desperately by the time of the birth of Seth’s son, Enosh.

Yet this is occurring today. The name of Jesus is profaned around the world, so it would behoove us—you and me who are redeemed by God’s grace through faith in Christ—to call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.

4/24 Reading Portions: Numbers 1; Psalm 35; Ecclesiastes 11; Titus 3

Genesis 4:25

ORDAINED

If you recall, Eve’s utterance from the first verse of this chapter was an expression of Adam and Eve’s faith, trusting in the promise of God to save mankind through a Messiah (Gen 3:15). They believed that their firstborn, Cain, was that Messiah, naming him קַיִן (QA-yeen), from the Hebrew root קָנָה (qa-NAH), which means “gotten,” or “possession,” because she had received a possession, or rather they now possessed salvation from God. In other words, they believed that they had “gotten” saved. If Cain was the promised Messiah, what were they to do? They may have thought that they need not do anything. After all, why would the Messiah need their help? In their thinking, God, by His grace, had already fulfilled his promise. But Cain was not that promised Messiah. His selfishness and self-absorption would become evident in the work and the wickedness of his hands.

Now, Adam and Eve may have had other children before the murder of Abel by Cain. So, perhaps the first male child conceived and born after the death of Abel was Seth. Eve’s utterance again demonstrated their faith in God’s promise of a Messiah, since she named the child שֵׁת (shāt), which means “appointed,” “substituted,” or “ordained.”

With Seth, their faith was not passive, but instead active. Although they believed in God’s promise of a Messiah to come, they must raise this child in the fear and admonition of God Almighty. They must take up their personal responsibility with their offspring and not let the rest of their children go the way of Cain. This gospel responsibility is entrusted to every parent, especially to the fathers, as it is written,

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

Why does this responsibility exist? Why can we not just let God’s sovereign grace run its providential course? Because the parents are blessed when they exercise gospel responsibility in raising children, since we receive the blessed opportunity to be as our heavenly Father (as much as sinners saved by grace are able), ministering to our children in the same way our everlasting Father ministers unto us. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

4/23 Reading Portions: Leviticus 27; Psalm 34; Ecclesiastes 10; Titus 2

Genesis 4:18-24

GENEALOGY

More than likely, these were not the only sons of Cain. Except for Lamech, we have names with no details, not even their ages, as will be given the descendants of Adam until Noah in Genesis Chapter Five. Beginning with Cain, this lineage goes from bad to worse, from murder to mayhem. In Cain’s case, and in the case of his progeny, not only have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23), but by the time the generations of Cain come to Lamech, his life may very well coincide with the days of Noah, or at least very near to those days when the corruptions on the planet have reached their worse, as it is written:

The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5

The genealogy of Cain had grown so bad that Lamech felt he had no need of God whatsoever—he had two wives, he had a son who tended livestock, another son who entertained him with music, and a third son who forged metal instruments. Moreover, he was a murderer, and according to some expositors, Lamech may have been twice the murderer that Cain was, slaying a man and a young man. But to top it all off, whereas Cain received mercy from God, protecting him against anyone who would seek vengeance for Abel’s murder, Lamech presumes to take the place of God, pronouncing his own justice himself.

But the evil in the world did not start with Lamech. Men were profaning God Almighty since the days of Seth’s son, Enosh, as we will see in the last verse of this chapter (Gen 4:26). Stay tuned.

4/22 Reading Portions: Leviticus 26; Psalm 33; Ecclesiastes 9; Titus 1

Genesis 4:17

INITIATED

“Who did Cain marry?” is a question often asked by both believers and unbelievers alike. If Adam and Eve had many other sons and daughters over Adam’s 930 years on the planet (Gen 5:4-5), Cain could have chosen a sister, or possibly a cousin from a conservative estimate of possibly several hundred other people.

Cain named his son, Enoch. Enoch’s name in Hebrew, חֲנוֹךְ (chen-ŌK), means “initiated.” It comes from a Hebrew root that means “discipline,” “train up,” “dedicate,” or “initiate.” But departing from the presence of the LORD (Gen 4:16), Cain cannot raise a good and godly son. There are no exploits given in this narrative to Moses from God concerning Enoch as an individual. Therefore, taking into consideration the rest of the chapter, and coupled with what we know since the beginning of the chapter, Enoch has been “initiated” into being a slave to the land (see devotional from Gen 4:2); in other words, initiated into the things of the world, trusting in the works of the flesh—which is what Cain was guilty of (Gen 4:2).

Because of Cain’s curse—the ground not yielding its strength to him (Gen 4:12)—Cain changes occupations—he attempts to build a city. But he will not be able to finish it because the curse for his murderous ways ran deeper than his mere growing of crops: it was a curse upon the lustful labor of his hands. Thus, the city was “initiated” but never complete. So, he called the city Enoch, the same name he had given to his son.

Without the gracious, saving presence of YHVH God, Cain’s progeny and his productivity may be initiated (started), it may be dedicated (honoring another), and it may be undertaken with a modicum of discipline, but the fruit of his loins and the fruit of his labors would always be incomplete. The thread of this spiritual truth runs throughout the Scriptures, all the way to Christ’s return: that apart from the presence of Christ (Heb 13:5), you and I may start many things, but only in Christ Jesus will they ever be complete; for we are complete in Him (Col 2:10), and only complete in Him and through Him (John 15:5).

4/21 Reading Portions: Leviticus 25; Psalm 32; Ecclesiastes 8; 2 Timothy 4

Genesis 4:16

WANDERER

If you’ll remember back a few days ago to our devotional thought from Genesis 4:13-14, we discovered that the land of Nod gets its name from the same Hebrew root word that one of Cain’s curses comes from, נׇד (nad), translated into English, “wanderer” (ESV), or “vagabond” (KJV). Settling in the land of Nod is not only the disposition of Cain, departing from the presence of the LORD, but this also serves as a warning to you and me as redeemed sinners saved by God’s grace. Because of the corruptions that remain in our mortal flesh, we have a propensity to wander from God—a tendency toward instability, an affinity to doubt, an inclination to act unwisely, and a susceptibility toward a lapse in faith. While you and I are not eternally condemned like Cain, Scripture warns us not to doubt what has certainly been revealed to us in God’s Word. It is written,

for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:6b-8

How does doubt and wandering from faith arise in the redeemed believer saved by grace? It begins in the same way it started for Cain. Instead of trusting explicitly in the gospel promise of Messiah (in Cain’s case), or trusting in the salvation offered by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, for God’s glory alone (in our case), we trust on and delight in the labors of our own hands (see the devotional from Gen 4:2).

The wonderful thing for you and me is to simply apply these verses:

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, James 1:5-6b

We’re prone to wander; and wandering is an unwise activity. But when we ask for wisdom, faithfully standing upon the truth of salvation by trusting in Christ crucified and risen, our precious God and Savior will strengthen us with that wisdom to act wisely upon His gospel truth. The truth of Calvary’s tree is not a means to an end; it is the very source, stay, and goal of the Christian life. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

4/20 Reading Portions: Leviticus 24; Psalm 31; Ecclesiastes 7; 2 Timothy 3

Genesis 4:16

DEPART

Cain departed from the presence of YHVH and settled or “dwelt” or literally “sat down” in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Cain’s going out, his departure, his leaving Yehovah’s presence may be more a declaration of God’s longsuffering nature than the depraved character of Cain; yet both are true. First, let’s address the longsuffering grace of God. Despite Cain being a worldling, with his head, his heart, and his hand given over to the land (Gen 4:2), the gracious presence of God had not departed. Despite his pitiful, unfaithful offering before God (Gen 4:3-5), the gracious presence of God had not departed. Despite his hatred for his brother, and his murderous hand against his brother, the gracious presence of God had not departed (Gen 4:6-15). Why? What does this prophetically speak of? This entire episode, among other things, demonstrates the condemnation of the wicked. After everything, even through the pronouncement of judgment upon Cain for his hateful, murderous heart and actions, the longsuffering and gracious presence of YHVH God was there to move Cain’s soul to repent in godly sorrow unto salvation. But Cain would not repent. Cain would not trust in the Messiah to come. He continued to trust only in the efforts of his own hands—for he was a religious man. Yet his religion was not pure and undefiled. His religion did not possess a true testimony of faith in Christ. It is written,

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27

When Christ is our trust, we will think, say, and do as Jesus did by His incarnation: visit heavenly Fatherless orphans like us sinners; visit widowed sinners who do not have Christ the Bridegroom; and as Christ was sinless, we surrender to the Holy Spirit to keep ourselves unstained by the world, in the power of Christ (Eph 6:10), as much as a sinner saved by grace is able.

But Cain’s departure is prophetic of every religious person who trusts, not in Christ, but in the works and efforts of their own hands. In that Day, Jesus will command the Cains of this world to depart from His presence. Jesus said,

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Matthew 7:21-23

Tomorrow, we will meditate upon the warning Cain’s episode gives to Christ’s redeemed sinners, you and me, who are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

4/19 Reading Portions: Leviticus 23; Psalm 30; Ecclesiastes 6; 2 Timothy 2

Genesis 4:15

MARK

As mentioned in an earlier devotional thought for this chapter, capital punishment for murder of a human being would not be instituted by God until after the flood in Noah’s day (Gen 9:6). Here, YHVH God expresses grace and mercy. Why? Because the gospel of Jesus Christ was God’s plan before He uttered “Let there be light” (Gen 1:3). As we have considered in an earlier devotional from this chapter (Gen 4:8), every single one of us is guilty of the murder of Jesus Messiah. Moreover, from this verse here, we also find the prophetic fulfillment of the sparing and salvation of Saul of Tarsus, who was guilty of the murder of hundreds of Christian believers, possibly thousands (Acts 9:1; 22:4; 26:11).

So, what was this mark placed upon Cain? There are a few commentators who suggest that this may have been some physical mark. There are those who suggest otherwise. In his commentary on Genesis, Dr. Robert Jamieson states:

“…not any visible mark or brand on his forehead, but some sign or token of assurance that his life would be preserved.” Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary, 1871 (emphasis in original)

Mark is translated from the Hebrew word אוֹת (ōt), which is often translate as the word “sign” in English (Gen 1:14), or “token” (Gen 9:12, KJV). Yet sometimes in the Old Testament, when a “sign” was given by God, although it may have been something that literally took place, that sign was not seen by the person it was given to, neither was it something witnessed by everyone. For example, here was a sign given that must be taken by faith:

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

Perhaps this mark was not anything visible to other men at all, but the power of our sovereign and almighty God to protect His gospel witness until its fruitful fulfilment. This, we’ve seen from the gospel account of the ministry of the Lord Jesus, whereas he could not be harmed or arrested until His time. It is written,

When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove Him out of the town and brought Him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw Him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, He went away. Luke 4:28-30

And again,

So they were seeking to arrest Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. John 7:20 (see also John 8:20; 10:39)

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

4/18 Reading Portions: Leviticus 22; Psalm 28-29; Ecclesiastes 5; 2 Timothy 1

Genesis 4:13-14

WANDERER

By this time, the population of the earth was considerably denser than many realize. Adam and Eve had been having more children while Cain and Abel were growing up. And their children were marrying and having children, so there were those around who could take vengeance in their own hand—at least in Cain’s mind. As a wanderer or “vagabond” (KJV), Cain was, in the Hebrew, נׇד (nad), which in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance gives the primitive root the same definition as that which is translated fugitive, “to waver,” as mentioned in yesterday’s devotional thought. But the “wavering” of the first, as a fugitive, was a fear and instability within Cain’s mental and emotional character. The “wavering” of the latter, as a wanderer, was how that fear and instability was manifested in his actions and attitudes. It did not mean that he could not put roots down. He eventually settled in the land of Nod (Gen 4:16), the name of which is derived from the same primitive Hebrew root as that which is translated wanderer. Cain’s fear and instability were not merely internal, but they extended to how he reacted, responded, and coped with his environment, which included his perceptions of those things. He saw others as being as evil, wicked, and murderous as himself (whoever finds me will kill me). As he hated God and hated Abel his brother, he was void of love (1 Jn 3:15; 4:7-8), and he could not perceive or comprehend the love, grace, or mercy of God, or that which was in others by God’s grace. Because he was dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1-2), void of the Spirit of God, the things of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23)—were foreign to him. It is written,

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14

We should recognize this to be true of Cain, and every unbeliever since Cain, because he was more concerned with his temporal situation than his eternal soul. Nevertheless, the blessed truth of the gospel and God’s grace in Christ abound through this episode, as we will see in YHVH God’s answer to Cain in tomorrow’s devotional thought. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

4/17 Reading Portions: Leviticus 21; Psalm 26-27; Ecclesiastes 4; 1 Timothy 6

Genesis 4:11-12

FUGITIVE

When we consider the curse upon Cain, we must remember his occupation and the offering made to the LORD God by the labor of his hands (Gen 4:2), which we considered in an earlier devotional thought. When he worked the ground and brought its yield before YHVH God, he did not do it by faith (Heb 11:4); that is, it was as if he said to God, “Look what I’ve done for you. You couldn’t have done this without me.”

When an unfaithful soul continues with a hardened heart against the providence and provision of Christ through God’s common grace and mercy, God gives such persons enough rope to hang themselves with, so to speak. It is written,

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. Romans 1:24-25

Cain was a created being. He worshiped his own labor and efforts. His love for self and hatred of God resulted in the murder of his brother (1 Jn 3:11-15).

There were three elements to Cain’s curse, and these elements are heaped upon anyone who opposes Christ outright. First, whatever they apply their lives to will no longer please or satisfy them (When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength). As a slave to the cursed ground, the ground was an idol to Cain wherein he received his greatest delight. Yet with this curse, he would no longer enjoy its toil or the fruit of its labor. We’ve seen this in Hollywood among wealthy unbelievers. All their fame and riches cannot bring them true love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, or self-control because they are void of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). Next, Cain was now a fugitive on the earth. “Fugitive” comes from a primitive Hebrew root that means “to waver.” Cain was unfaithful before murdering his brother, but afterward he would be “unstable in all his ways” (Jas 1:8). Finally, Cain was now a wanderer, or “vagabond” (KJV), its root in Hebrew meaning “to flee” or “to disappear.” The land of Nod gets its name from this Hebrew root (Gen 4:16). Not only did Cain live a life of dissatisfaction and instability, but he also lived a life of fearful dread and doubt. This last part of the curse we will explore a little further in Cain’s lament (Gen 4:13-14).

4/16 Reading Portions: Leviticus 20; Psalm 25; Ecclesiastes 3; 1 Timothy 5

Genesis 4:10

BLOOD

Because of the precious shed blood of Jesus, shed blood has a voice, metaphorically speaking. The writer to the Hebrew Christians said:

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. Hebrews 11:4

How did Abel’s faith speak? By the voice of his shed blood. It pointed to the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. In that Day of Judgment, every evil deed of the unrepentant, unredeemed soul will be condemned by the testimony of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. While for the redeemed soul, salvation through the forgiveness of sins must come by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb 9:22), apart from Christ’s soul cleansing blood, there will be no peace, no propitiation, no promise of hope, and no purging of man’s wicked perversions of life. The murder of Christ, by His shed blood, is the indictment for every evil deed, every wicked thought, and every sinful utterance.

Yet to you and me who have been saved by God’s grace through the substitutionary death of our Lord Jesus Christ, though we may not have heard the testimony of Christ’s blood in our ears when we were first saved, the shed blood of Jesus did testify on our behalf for our salvation. It is written,

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12:22-24

Abel’s shed blood had indeed cried from the ground. But his shed blood was merely a prophetic foreshadow of the better, precious, perfect testimony of our Friend, Brother, and Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Messiah, whose shed blood eternally speaks to the heavenly Father on your behalf and mine.

You see, when the Law of Moses stated that…

…the life of the flesh is in the blood… Leviticus 17:11

…it wasn’t speaking of the formation of blood for the child in the womb. It was speaking of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Apart from His shed blood, we would be dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1-2).

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

4/15 Reading Portions: Leviticus 19; Psalm 23-24; Ecclesiastes 2; 1 Timothy 4

Genesis 4:10

DONE

YHVH God does not answer Cain’s question (Gen 4:9). Neither does He entertain it for a moment. In the Judgment of that Day, no one will ask the Lord Christ frivolous presumptions. Especially those who have not been washed in the blood of the Lamb. The holiness of the crucified and risen Lamb of God will be so awesomely terrifying to the unredeemed that their loins will loosen, their knees will smite together, and their jaws will hang limp in speechless horror. Then the sober question comes from the Lord Jesus Messiah, the incarnate YHVH God:

The unredeemed, unrepentant sinner will be confronted by the Lord Jesus Messiah in that Day with every evil they have committed, every sin that violated the holiness of Christ, every good and holy commandment omitted from their lives, and even how utterly wicked were those “good deeds” done in their lifetime, accomplished for their own selfish gain and their own sordid glory. Moreover, they must face the evil of their deeds in the light of Christ’s shed blood (which we will consider in tomorrow’s devotional thought).

You and I will face that same question at the Judgment Seat of Christ (“What have you done?”). Yet every sin committed and every holy command omitted from the deeds of our lives, past, present, and future, have been washed in the blood of the Lamb (again, which we will meditate upon more particularly tomorrow). What we have done in Christ will be all that remains (1 Cor 3:12-15). In that Day, standing before the crucified and risen Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Messiah, He will reveal to you and me those things we have done by His grace, much of which we had not realized was accomplished by the Holy Spirit working all things together for good (Rom 8:28-29). Of that Day, the Lord Jesus said,

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.’” Matthew 25:37-40

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

4/14 Reading Portions: Leviticus 18; Psalm 22; Ecclesiastes 1; 1 Timothy 3

Genesis 4:9

LIES

Of the Holy Spirit, our Lord Jesus said,

“And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:” John 16:8

We, as redeemed sinners saved by grace, when confronted by God’s Word where sin is concerned, we are convicted of sin. A heavenly grace takes place and fulfills the Scripture that says:

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10

Our sorrow for sin is not worked up from the corruption remaining in our mortal flesh. It is a grace from above by the Holy Spirit’s conviction, which produces repentance for that sin that makes us overjoyed for that godly grief and repentance. We don’t regret having sorrowed nor regret having repented because the sorrow and repentance affirm our salvation by God’s grace through Christ. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Worldly sorry produces death, as in the case of Judas Iscariot (Matt 27:4-5); yet that death may not always be physical but will certainly always be spiritual. In Cain’s case, his heart was so hardened with hatred so that he lied when confronted with God’s Word (I do not know). Yesterday, we read this of Cain:

We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. 1 John 3:12

Cain was a murder and a liar because he was of the evil one. In other words, Cain was a minister of Satan. While the Lord Jesus was indicting the religious leaders who opposed Him, He gives us insights into the work and character of Satan when He said:

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44

As Satan was a murderer from the beginning, murdering Adam and Eve through his deception and murdering Abel through Cain, Cain lied to God because his will was to do the desires of his father, the devil. Cain could not therefore be his brother’s keeper, protector, or guard since he was a minister of Satan. For it is written:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.1 John 4:7-8

4/13 Reading Portions: Leviticus 17; Psalm 20-21; Proverbs 31; 1 Timothy 2

Genesis 4:8

MURDER

As we have seen and considered from Genesis chapters one through three, because of Adam’s fall by his original sin in the garden, all descendants of Adam are guilty of that sin—as if you and I had committed that sin ourselves. And surely, as we’ve considered in past devotionals, if you or I were there, we would have done the same thing. Cain’s history gives us further insight into sin that crouches at the door (Gen 4:7). Apart from the grace of God through the Lord Jesus Christ, you and I are not merely guilty of Adam’s original sin, we are also no different from Cain, whose hatred resulted in the murder of his brother. In his first epistle, John tells us:

We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 1 John 3:12-15

In his hatred, Cain took Abel out to the field—the field often being a prophetic and allegorical type of the world, which is uncultivated and unworked, growing wild without the efficacious grace of God. How does this apply to you and me? By God’s grace, we have been saved from the hateful heart of an evil murderer. Every soul who has not been saved by grace, which includes you and me before our salvation, is a murderer. Even religious “good deed” doers are murderers. Why? Because rejection of, opposition to, or indifference toward the Lord Jesus Messiah, makes every rejector, every opposer, and every indifferent, non-committed life guilty of Christ’s murder upon Calvary’s tree—even though His murder was accomplished by the hands of jealous religious Jews and ignorant Roman pagans. Jesus said,

“so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.” Matthew 23:35

While this indictment was given specifically to the religious scribes and Pharisees of the Lord Jesus’ day, its guilt is levied upon every individual since and including Adam. All mankind is guilty of breaking every one of the Ten Commandments, including murder, in the murder of Jesus Messiah.

Yet in Christ, trusting in His substitutionary atoning death and resurrection from the dead, we are raised in newness of life and unto life everlasting in Christ. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

4/12 Reading Portions: Leviticus 16; Psalm 19; Proverbs 30; 1 Timothy 1

Genesis 4:7

TEMPTATION

Today, we look at the last part of verse seven. This is warning from the LORD can be understood by what our Lord Jesus gave us when He taught this model prayer in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 6:9-13). In that prayer, He told us to pray in this way:

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Matthew 6:13

Now, recognizing that Jesus, as an itinerant preacher, preached this similar sermon in many of the towns and villages He entered. The Sermon on the Mount was the Lord Jesus’ stock sermon with slight variations, depending on the audience, as seen in the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17-49). But as far as the model prayer goes, the disciples may have thought that the Lord Jesus would give them something special, something different from what He had preached to the multitudes from town to town and from mountain to plain. So, when they asked Him (Luke 11:1), Jesus gave them the same model (Luke 11:2-4). And in that prayer, Jesus included the portion concerning temptation:

“And lead us not into temptation.” Luke 11:4

When Jesus preached this on the mount, it had not been long since He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness (Matt 4:1-11). Jesus’ temptations did not end there. It is written,

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

Every temptation Jesus withstood in the wilderness, and every temptation He encountered along the way, stayed with His perfect mind and His perfect memory, yet He withstood it constantly, sinning not. He did what you and I cannot do, taking every withstood temptation all the way through the wrath of God He suffered on the cross, right up to His death on that tree.

You and I would be foolish to be led into temptation like Jesus was. Therefore, we pray as He told us to pray. When we pray this portion of the prayer, it is as if we are saying to our heavenly Father, “I am not perfect like Jesus. I cannot withstand the temptations He withstood. Father, allow me to only go as far as a sinner surrendered to the Holy Spirit is able, by Your grace.” Only in Christ is where the real power lies (1 Cor 10:13).

When we fail to recognize this, we become like Cain, exalting the work of our hands and the intellect of our minds over the grace of God; and sin therefore, crouches at the door, desiring our downfall. But, by God’s grace in Christ, we rule over such temptations by being strong in the Lord Jesus and the power of His might (Eph 6:10). Hallelujah! What a Savior!

4/11 Reading Portions: Leviticus 15; Psalm 18; Proverbs 29; 2 Thessalonians 3

Genesis 4:6-7

FALLEN

Our faith, as fallen human beings, as descendants of fallen Adam, is fickle, even if we are recipients of God’s grace through Jesus Messiah. As considered in yesterday’s devotional thought, Cain’s offering was not accepted by YHVH God because it was not offered by faith (Heb 11:4). We should keep in mind that the context of these questions posed to Cain by the LORD are in the context of worship—Cain and Abel brought offerings before God (Gen 4:3-5). Its New Testament application presents the importance of gathering as believers in corporate worship (Heb 10:24-25). Moreover, because of the questions posed to Cain, inviting unbelievers to church is not only appropriate, but it also has biblical support, merit, and power; so that the unbeliever, through the preached Word, and by the witness of the worshiping redeemed, those unredeemed souls may hear questions posed to them, like those posed to Cain. Now for those questions.

The first question:

Sin is anything that does not proceed from faith in Christ (Rom 14:23). When we are unfaithful in what we do, instead of peace, there is violence in our souls. Instead of joy, there is anger. Instead of comfort, there is turmoil and anxiety. Anger is only heavenly and appropriate when there is no corruption attached to it (Eph 4:26), as exemplified in the Lord Jesus Christ (Isa 53:9; 2 Pet 2:22). When we worship, and everything we do is worship before God (1 Cor 10:31), are we angry without a cause (Prov 15:1)?

The second question:

Or, “Why has your presence fallen?” Or less literally and more interpretive, “Why have you turned away from Me?” Because of his anger, Cain turned away from God. We should recognize the effects of sin, which cause us to turn from God. This is why godly sorrow and repentance are intrinsically attached to and cannot be separated from biblical faith (2 Cor 7:10).

The third question:

What is well for us, and what is acceptable? Jesus, through the apostle, tells us what is acceptable:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1

This is what Cain missed when he presented his offering before the LORD. It was not the fruit of the ground that YHVH God receives, but the faith that whatever we do must be because the Messiah has fulfilled all that we cannot do in sinless perfection and holiness—which is anything and everything. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Is it well with your soul?