He is Mercy
I started on a new Bible reading plan last week and I love it!
For the past 3 years I have been trying to read through the Bible within a years time - I wasn't always diligent, but God still led me through some pretty amazing stuff while reading His Word. The first year I read through the Bible in Chronological order which was incredible! I highly encourage you (if you already haven't) to try this reading plan out. It gave me such a different view point on the layout of God's Word.
The second plan I did was a 52 Week Bible Reading Plan. I really enjoyed this one because every day it was something different and I felt like I covered a lot of ground.
The third plan (and the most recent) was one that had me read the Old and New Testament together (click here to view the PDF). I enjoyed reading back to back from the old and the new, but found that I was reading quickly so that I could get it done faster...I hate admitting that but it's 100% truth.
So now with having finished three years and three different plans, I'm on a new "path", different but still familiar. "What plan are you using?" You may ask. Well, it's called Every Word in the Bible and it takes, *inhales deeply* three years to complete! I wanted a plan that had the reader soaking in each word - now I know that I could have been doing that with the last plan, but I wasn't. I felt overwhelmed. With this new reading plan I read one chapter a day (some of the smaller chapters are combined into one big chapter) for three years...that's a big commitment, at least for me it is, but it IS what I'm doing...
Believe it or not, but that wasn't the main reason for my post this morning. No, it was going to start out with a verse I found simply amazing. But it seems that I have bunny-trailed. :-p
So now. On to the reason for this post. :)
Genesis 4 came alive to me the other day while reading (it's one of my favorite books of the Bible). I knew that it was the chapter in which Cain takes his brother, Able's, life. But also, it's a chapter that reveals more than that. It reveals God's mercy towards a murderer - Cain. But before we learn of this mercy, let us first go back to the beginning and read about Cain and Able; what their roles were and how they pleased (and didn't please) their Maker.
Gen 4:2 ... And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Gen 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
Gen 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Gen 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
I sense a bit of sibling jealously brewing, don't you? I can just see Cain's face twisted with a pouting expression because his offering wasn't as good (or better) than his brothers was. "But mom, I wanted MINE to be better!"
Gen 4:6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
What I find interesting is that Cain spoke with Able BEFORE he killed him. I tend to ask questions like, "What did he talk to him about? " "Did Cain bribe his brother to follow him out into the field...alone?" I'm always left to wonder.
So there it was. The first murder in the history of the world. Brother kills brother. I've heard people say that Cain killed Able with a rock, then it was a sword, even a stick. "Slew" means to smite with deadly intent: - destroy, out of hand, kill, murder put to [death], make [slaughter], slay...
What does "smite" mean, then? To "smite" someone means to strike (lightly or severely) literally, beat...
The word "beat" struck me. The way I always understood it was that Cain beat his brother with his bare hands out of pure hatred and jealously. However, he may have used something. But in the end it doesn't matter because a life was taken.
Gen 4:9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
How long did it take? How long was Cain standing over his brothers lifeless body before the Lord spoke to him? How long before he had any remorse? I think maybe long enough for him to try and "cover up" his sin. Interestingly, this passage kind of mirrors Adam and when he and Eve hid themselves from the presence of God because they were naked. When God asked him "Where art thou?" (Gen. 3:9) What was Adam's response? "...I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." (Gen 3:10) Maybe it doesn't mirror Genesis 3, but for me it seemed to jump out with familiarity.
Gen 4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
Gen 4:11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
Gen 4:12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
The Young's Literal Translation says of verse 12,
when thou tillest the ground, it doth not add to give its strength to thee -- a wanderer, even a trembling one, thou art in the earth.
Can you imagine what that's like? Cain's one of a few people and God tells him that he shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the ENTIRE earth!
Gen 4:13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
I don't imagine Cain crying this response to God, but rather hanging his head in shame while breathlessly telling God that this burden is greater than he can seem to cope with. Kind of like the feeling you have when the air is knocked out of you. Ever have that?
Gen 4:14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
I think the realization has hit Cain. "I'm going to be kicked out." Ouch. More than ouch, this is a lifelong sting. Couple the sting with fear and that's where I think you'll find Cain. He feared for his life and I can't say that I blame him.
Gen 4:15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
So what Cain did was bad. More than bad, it was pure evil! He not only took a life, but he took his own flesh and blood's life! Cain (to me and what I've gathered from Scripture) had an attitude that needed major adjusting, and instead of doing that, he goes and kills his brother. Now think on that. On all that sin and wrong doing. He deserved death, correct?
I realize that one can "die" without actually dying. Being told that you'll be like a fugitive to your family, to your land, is probably worse than being put to death. I realize that. But think on this: God still kept Cain safe. He still protected him - even after ALL that he had done! Reading this the other day I was hit by how marvelous and full God's mercy towards me really is. I'm just as bad as Cain. For the record, I've not killed anyone! But, I have had hateful thoughts towards people and that's JUST as bad as if I've killed them.
1 John 3:15 says, Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
I think that there's another verse in the Bible somewhere that talks about hate being just as bad as murder, but I can't seem to remember it. Maybe it's 1 John 3:15, but still I can't recall the reference. Feel free to comment if you know it!
Gen 4:16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
That's it. Cain left with a dirty past and yet still God had a plan for him. He still had His hand over him. Wow. It just amazes me at His goodness towards us sinners.
To kind of wrap it up I wanted to share something I heard while listening to Chuck Missler's exhortation on the book of Jude (if you've not heard it, I encourage you to look it up on YouTube!).
"Grace - getting something you don't deserve; Mercy - not getting that what you DO deserve"
I deserve death. But God put that death penalty to death on the cross with His Son, Jesus Christ. Saying "thank you" just doesn't seem like it's enough anymore - maybe it never was!
How can I give thanks? By giving Him my life; every little bit of my life I must hand over to God - the Maker of Heaven and Earth.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Romans 12:1
May you always remember His never ending faithfulness towards YOU!
~Sarah~
For the past 3 years I have been trying to read through the Bible within a years time - I wasn't always diligent, but God still led me through some pretty amazing stuff while reading His Word. The first year I read through the Bible in Chronological order which was incredible! I highly encourage you (if you already haven't) to try this reading plan out. It gave me such a different view point on the layout of God's Word.
The second plan I did was a 52 Week Bible Reading Plan. I really enjoyed this one because every day it was something different and I felt like I covered a lot of ground.
The third plan (and the most recent) was one that had me read the Old and New Testament together (click here to view the PDF). I enjoyed reading back to back from the old and the new, but found that I was reading quickly so that I could get it done faster...I hate admitting that but it's 100% truth.
So now with having finished three years and three different plans, I'm on a new "path", different but still familiar. "What plan are you using?" You may ask. Well, it's called Every Word in the Bible and it takes, *inhales deeply* three years to complete! I wanted a plan that had the reader soaking in each word - now I know that I could have been doing that with the last plan, but I wasn't. I felt overwhelmed. With this new reading plan I read one chapter a day (some of the smaller chapters are combined into one big chapter) for three years...that's a big commitment, at least for me it is, but it IS what I'm doing...
Believe it or not, but that wasn't the main reason for my post this morning. No, it was going to start out with a verse I found simply amazing. But it seems that I have bunny-trailed. :-p
So now. On to the reason for this post. :)
Genesis 4 came alive to me the other day while reading (it's one of my favorite books of the Bible). I knew that it was the chapter in which Cain takes his brother, Able's, life. But also, it's a chapter that reveals more than that. It reveals God's mercy towards a murderer - Cain. But before we learn of this mercy, let us first go back to the beginning and read about Cain and Able; what their roles were and how they pleased (and didn't please) their Maker.
Gen 4:2 ... And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Gen 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
Gen 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Gen 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
I sense a bit of sibling jealously brewing, don't you? I can just see Cain's face twisted with a pouting expression because his offering wasn't as good (or better) than his brothers was. "But mom, I wanted MINE to be better!"
Gen 4:6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
God asked Cain why is was acting the way he was. "Countenance" means the face (as the part that turns). You know what that's like, having your mom or dad ask you why you're acting the way that you are and you DO NOT want to answer so you turn your face away.
Gen 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
What I find interesting is that Cain spoke with Able BEFORE he killed him. I tend to ask questions like, "What did he talk to him about? " "Did Cain bribe his brother to follow him out into the field...alone?" I'm always left to wonder.
So there it was. The first murder in the history of the world. Brother kills brother. I've heard people say that Cain killed Able with a rock, then it was a sword, even a stick. "Slew" means to smite with deadly intent: - destroy, out of hand, kill, murder put to [death], make [slaughter], slay...
What does "smite" mean, then? To "smite" someone means to strike (lightly or severely) literally, beat...
The word "beat" struck me. The way I always understood it was that Cain beat his brother with his bare hands out of pure hatred and jealously. However, he may have used something. But in the end it doesn't matter because a life was taken.
Gen 4:9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
How long did it take? How long was Cain standing over his brothers lifeless body before the Lord spoke to him? How long before he had any remorse? I think maybe long enough for him to try and "cover up" his sin. Interestingly, this passage kind of mirrors Adam and when he and Eve hid themselves from the presence of God because they were naked. When God asked him "Where art thou?" (Gen. 3:9) What was Adam's response? "...I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." (Gen 3:10) Maybe it doesn't mirror Genesis 3, but for me it seemed to jump out with familiarity.
Gen 4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
Gen 4:11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
Gen 4:12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
The Young's Literal Translation says of verse 12,
when thou tillest the ground, it doth not add to give its strength to thee -- a wanderer, even a trembling one, thou art in the earth.
Can you imagine what that's like? Cain's one of a few people and God tells him that he shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the ENTIRE earth!
Gen 4:13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
I don't imagine Cain crying this response to God, but rather hanging his head in shame while breathlessly telling God that this burden is greater than he can seem to cope with. Kind of like the feeling you have when the air is knocked out of you. Ever have that?
Gen 4:14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
I think the realization has hit Cain. "I'm going to be kicked out." Ouch. More than ouch, this is a lifelong sting. Couple the sting with fear and that's where I think you'll find Cain. He feared for his life and I can't say that I blame him.
Gen 4:15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
So what Cain did was bad. More than bad, it was pure evil! He not only took a life, but he took his own flesh and blood's life! Cain (to me and what I've gathered from Scripture) had an attitude that needed major adjusting, and instead of doing that, he goes and kills his brother. Now think on that. On all that sin and wrong doing. He deserved death, correct?
I realize that one can "die" without actually dying. Being told that you'll be like a fugitive to your family, to your land, is probably worse than being put to death. I realize that. But think on this: God still kept Cain safe. He still protected him - even after ALL that he had done! Reading this the other day I was hit by how marvelous and full God's mercy towards me really is. I'm just as bad as Cain. For the record, I've not killed anyone! But, I have had hateful thoughts towards people and that's JUST as bad as if I've killed them.
1 John 3:15 says, Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
I think that there's another verse in the Bible somewhere that talks about hate being just as bad as murder, but I can't seem to remember it. Maybe it's 1 John 3:15, but still I can't recall the reference. Feel free to comment if you know it!
Gen 4:16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
That's it. Cain left with a dirty past and yet still God had a plan for him. He still had His hand over him. Wow. It just amazes me at His goodness towards us sinners.
To kind of wrap it up I wanted to share something I heard while listening to Chuck Missler's exhortation on the book of Jude (if you've not heard it, I encourage you to look it up on YouTube!).
I deserve death. But God put that death penalty to death on the cross with His Son, Jesus Christ. Saying "thank you" just doesn't seem like it's enough anymore - maybe it never was!
How can I give thanks? By giving Him my life; every little bit of my life I must hand over to God - the Maker of Heaven and Earth.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Romans 12:1
May you always remember His never ending faithfulness towards YOU!
Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.
Psalm 36:5
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