Genesis 4:14

After God announced the punishments that Cain was to endure for having murdered his brother, Cain spoke to God and said in Genesis 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.” Cain was afraid that he had been given a death sentence. He had no sorrow for what he had done, but he had plenty of concern for his own life. A murderer is a very selfish person.

But the Lord did not give the death penalty for the first of all murders. There are some penalties that are worse than death. Cain knew that his was a terrible penalty. Cain said in Genesis 4:13, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.” But for the crime of murder there is no punishment that is great enough to pay back what is due. One reason for hell is to make people pay what is due. Jesus said about hell, “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” Hell is a living death, where the unforgiven will twist and turn forever in the torment of what they have done.

Perhaps the Lord did not give the death penalty to Cain as a means of reinforcing the value of life. Of course, later on in the Old Testament the death penalty is instituted by God. A similar thing happens in our society from time to time. Some people give the argument that life is so precious that we should not even put the murderers to death. Others point out that there are worse punishments than death. But these types of arguments fade away when a mass murderer comes on the scene and the murders become even more heinous. Those who commit murder forfeit the right to live. The Bible says in Exodus 35:31, “Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.”

The Bible says in Genesis 4:15-24, “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 shall kill him. And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begot Mehujael; and Mehujael begot Methusael; and Methusael begot Lamech, And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech, for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.”

It says in Genesis 4:16 that “Cain went out from the presence of the Lord.” Cain had his chance to repent, but he did not turn to the Lord. Cain started out in a certain direction and he kept going in that direction: away from the presence of the Lord. What direction are you heading spiritually? No one is standing still. You are either going towards the Lord, or you are going away from Him. Jesus said in Matthew 12:30, “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.”

Anyone who goes out from the presence of the Lord will see negative consequences as a result. Cain saw such consequences, not only in his own life, but also in the lives of family members and their descendents. The most notable person mentioned is Lamech. Lamech was violent, selfish and arrogant. He is a typical example of unregenerate man. Lamech’s violence is demonstated in Genesis 4:23 when he said, “I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.” Lamech was the second murderer, and Lamech was the first polygamist. It says in Genesis 4:19 that he “took unto him two wives.” Perhaps Lamech was trying to intimidate his wives when he boasted to them about his murder. It states in Genesis 4:23-24, “And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech, for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.” Lamech knew that Cain had committed murder. Instead of learning a lesson from it, Lamech boasted. Unless people turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and receive a new life and a new heart, they will be characterized by violence, or by selfishness, or by arrogance, or by all three just like Lamech was.

But no matter how wicked man becomes, God is always at work in the lives of some. It says in Genesis 4:25, “And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth; For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.” This is very revealing about Eve and the type of person that she was. She was a person of faith. Only a person of faith sees the hand of God in the events of his or her life. It is a terrible thing to lose a child. It is one of the worst sufferings of life. But God is able to heal every wound, and God is able to restore that which the enemy has destroyed. God gave to Eve “another seed instead of Abel.” Notice carefully that Eve used the word “seed” when she spoke about her newest son. This time Eve did not forget the Word of the Lord. It was the Lord God who had used the word “seed” when He promised in Genesis 3:15 that the “seed” of the woman would bruise the head of Satan. The promise of the Messiah was being fulfilled through Eve and her newest son. God is at work in the world, using those who put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord will provide. The Lord will guide His children. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” These are words of the person of faith.

We saw negative results in the generations that followed when Cain went away from the presence of the Lord, and now we see positive results when Eve lived by faith in God. The Bible says in Genesis 4:26, “And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos; then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.” It is very important to call upon the name of the Lord. If you call upon the name of the Lord in truth, it means that you are seeking the Lord and seeking fellowship with Him. A very similar phrase to this one is found in the New Testament in Romans 10:13 that says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Notice that in Genesis 4:26 that the word “LORD” means “Jehovah,” and the word “Lord” in Romans 10:13 is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is just one more bit of evidence that the Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus of the New Testament. They are one and the same. That is why Jesus said of Himself, “Before Abraham was, I am.”

The Bible says in Genesis 5:1-5, “This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.” Notice the phrase in Genesis 5:3 that says that Adam “begat a son in his own likeness, after his image.” We are related to Adam. That is the problem that we all have now. We received from Adam his likeness, and it is the likeness of a sinful man. Why do men and women do all of the bad things that we read about and see around us each day? We are sinners because of our relationship with Adam. Adam was the first man, and we have all inherited the same sinful human nature from him.

We inherited something else from Adam: the consequence of sin, which is death. It says in Genesis 5:5 that Adam lived for nine hundred and thirty years, and then “he died.” God warned Adam that he would die, and so Adam died because of sin. Sin brings death. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Adam was the first of all human beings, and we have all followed his pattern of sin. It is a terrible pattern, and it leads us all to destruction. But there is a new man who starts something new. His name is Jesus Christ. Adam gave us the way to death, but Jesus gave us the way to life. It says also in First Corinthians 15:21-22, “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

As far as physical life is concerned, death rules in the world now. Death follows life, and then life follows death, one generation after another. This cycle of death following life will continue to rule until Jesus Christ returns and changes all things. Those who believe in Jesus will not die, but will live forever with Him. Concerning those who followed Adam in the cycle of life that he gave them, the Bible says in Genesis 5:6-24, “And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died. And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died. And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel: And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died. And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died. And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”

An amazing statement is made about Enoch in Genesis 5:24. It says, “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Only two people mentioned in the Bible did not die. One was Elijah and one was Enoch. Sometimes we say that Enoch and Elijah were exceptional people, but in reality they lived a life of faith that we should all live. What did Enoch do that was so exceptional? He “walked with God.” The truest service to God is to simply walk with Him. It was true in the book of Genesis, and it is true today. It says in First John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

You are walking with God if your sins are confessed and forgiven. You are walking with God if your heart is surrendered to Jesus. You are walking with God if you are living by faith in Jesus Christ. Enoch walked with God, and then God had Enoch walk right into heaven.

Even though Enoch and Elijah were the only believers recorded in the Bible to have gone to heaven without passing through death, there will be an entire generation who will do so at the return of Christ. The Bible says in First Thessalonians 4:16-17, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

___________________________________________________