The Curse Upon Cain
A Devotional Series from Genesis
Online Bible Audio/Readings Links (ESV)
4/17 Reading Portions: Leviticus 21; Psalm 26-27; Ecclesiastes 4; 1 Timothy 6
Genesis 4:11-12
“And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
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).