Justice, Mercy and Punishment: A Sermon on Genesis 4:2b-16 on the Occasion of the 5th Anniversary of September 11th

(Genesis 4:2b-16): “And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 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: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 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. 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. And the LORD said unto Cain, Where [is] Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: [Am] I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now [art] thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 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. And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment [is] greater than I can bear. 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. 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. And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.”

I begin with the well-know statement of the apostle Paul:

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God … But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;” (1 Cor 1:18, 23)

“And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 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: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect."

Both of these professions are perfectly fine to the Lord. In no way is the writer of this story giving any preference to one profession over the other. Indeed, Adam’s original job was to tend the earth (a job picked up by his eldest son). In times past, some Christians have taught a theory that the Lord did not “honor” the offering of Cain because it was produce, fruit or vegetables instead of a lamb. The idea here has been that the Lord only honors animal sacrifices and not plants, but such an idea is completely missing from this passage. In of themselves, both of these sacrifices would have been completely fine to the Lord. Cain was a farmer and brought an offering of farm produce to the Lord. Abel was a herder and brought an offering of his herd to the Lord. Both of the offerings were in of themselves fine. So the question remains: why did the Lord not honor the offering of Cain like he did with Abel?

"And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell."

In this passage we get the answer to our question. The offering of Cain was completely fine and befitting a farmer, but it was the attitude of Cain that made the Lord not honor the offering. For whatever reason, Cain’s heart was far from the Lord and he was making his offering in a manner of disrespect to the Lord. Often times in the OT, the Lord will speak to the people of Israel through His prophets stating that their offerings are repellant to Him because they are not made out of love. Again, the offering in of itself is not the point but the heart of the one making the offering.

Recall the widow who gave all that she had where others with far more gave only a tithe (Mark 12:41-44). Now there was nothing wrong with what the others tithed. Nothing! However, the gift of the widow was greater because she gave all that she had and it was an expression of love.

Recall the story of Ruth in the OT book of the same name. Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi loses her husband and two sons while in a strange land – leaving her only with two foreign born daughters in law (Rth 1:8-18). The first daughter in law, Orpah, did what she did and she followed the customs of her time. She did the right thing. Ruth, on the other hand, went above and beyond the call of duty. Orpah did good; Ruth did better. And, as you read the rest of the story, such devotion on the part of Ruth helped bring happiness both to her and Naomi (Rth 2:5f., 11f.; 4:13-17).

God wants mercy, not sacrifice (Hsa 6:6; Matt 9:13; 12:7). God wants love and not animals and vegetables. God created plants and animals and there are more where they came from. God wants the love and devotion of man. God wants man to love and have devotion for other men. He wants people to show the love of the widow to Him. He wants people to show the love of Ruth for Naomi to all others.

The Christian Faith is not about doing what is right or what is expected. It is about doing more than what is expected. It is about going above and beyond the call of duty (Matt 5:38-42). It is about mercy upon those who do not deserve it. What is the teaching of Jesus upon this? Love your neighbors as yourself? Yes, that is it. The greatest commandment is about loving God who does deserve it (Matt 22:37f.), but the second greatest commandment is about loving our neighbors who may or may not deserve it (Matt 22:39). Of course, even non-Christians love their friends and family. Jews and Muslims are wonderful people who show great kindness to each other and to outsiders. And that is the point: The Christian faith is about loving our enemies (Matt 5:44). It is about showing kindness, mercy, love, joy, patience and tolerance to our enemies and to those who do not deserve kindness, mercy, love, joy, patience and tolerance (Gal 5:22; Eph 5:9). I hear you say: “Love that completely annoying jerk at work who makes my life a living Hades? He is as mean as sin! He’s worse! He doesn’t deserve that kind of compassion! He needs to learn to be nice!” Exactly! And this is the gospel. This is the love of God in Christ. That guy is your neighbor. Who is your neighbor? The Samaritan who helped his Jewish ethnic enemy and not only saved him from death but went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure that this Jewish man was healed (Lk 10:30-37). Why should we be gracious and kind to the jerks of the world? Because we have all been jerks to others and to God and God was kind, merciful, loving, joyful, patient and tolerant with us.

"And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 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."

Now the Lord knows that Cain’s heart is not right and this is why the offering is not honored. The Lord sees disaster on the horizon. The Lord is reaching out to Cain. The Lord knows what Cain is thinking and knows that the temptation to horribly sin is at the door. Again, see what the Lord is doing here: He is reaching out to Cain and warning him to beware of sin.

This reminds me of the Last Supper. Jesus knows that Judas is seeking to betray Him. Jesus knows the thoughts of Judas and that his heart is far away. What does Jesus do? He gives Judas the choice seat. He gives Judas a choice portion of food. Though out this meal the only two people who know the thoughts and intensions of Judas are Judas and Christ. It is Christ the one who is about to be extremely wronged by Judas who is reaching out to his eventual betrayer. “It’s not too late. Come back and it will be forgiven” (Matt 26:20-29; Mark 14:18-25; Jhn 13:21-30).

Part of loving one’s enemies is going out of our way to be of help to them. It is about not simply being nice to our enemies but going that extra mile, giving the shirt off our backs, in order to make peace and hopefully reach them for Christ. Those who are our enemies (whether deservingly or not) need that kindness, mercy, love, joy, patience and tolerance. Why? Because when we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That can be just as easily stated as “when we were still enemies of God, God sent us Christ to die for us.” If God loves us that much to be so kind, merciful, loving, joyful, patient and tolerant, then he is just as kind, merciful, loving, joyful, patient and tolerant to our enemies and, therefore, we should also be kind, merciful, loving, joyful, patient and tolerant to our enemies.

"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 is interesting about this story is that Cain is angry both and the Lord and his brother. He is angry at his brother for being honored by the Lord and he is angry at the Lord for honoring his brother and not honoring Cain. Of course, the problem is neither with Abel or the Lord: the problem is with Cain. And, naturally, that fact that it is Cain is probably making Cain all the more mad at everyone else.

The Lord’s warning to Cain finally comes to fruition. Cain’s unchecked sin, “fallen countenance”, his distant heart has lead Cain to kill his brother. More on this in a moment.

"And the LORD said unto Cain, Where [is] Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: [Am] I my brother's keeper?"

The answer to Cain’s question “[Am] I my brother's keeper?” is “Yes! You are your brother’s keeper!”

The principle here is not simply in reference to biological brothers (and sisters) or step-brothers (and step-sisters). Recall the numerous times in the NT where Paul refer to fellow Christians as “brothers and sisters”. Recall Jesus’ answer to the question of “Who is my neighbor?” Your neighbor is the one in need. Your brother or sister is the one in need. Such an idea is more evident in this story since both Cain and Abel are the first generation of children born from Adam and Eve. We thousands of years later are quite distant from Adam and Eve but we all share the same original parents and we are all in this since siblings and family. Everyone is your brother and sister. Everyone is your aunt and uncle. Everyone is in your family.


"And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now [art] thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength;"

We should probably take the idea of “thy brother’s blood cries to me from the ground” as a poetic expression of the seriousness of Cain’s crime. However, it does provide evidence that the ancient Israelites held to a belief that when a righteous man or women died their bodies laid in “Sheol” or the death in ground. There is no idea of an intermediate state of “heaven”. When a man dies his body returns to the ground from which it came. As we approach the NT, this same idea is present in the thought of Paul. When a man dies his body (and soul) return to the ground and remain there until the resurrection. There is no intermediate state of the soul or spirit in heaven. The human soul is in the grave (“sleeping” if you will).

Of particular interest in this passage is the similarities with the curses of Cain’s father Adam’s sin.

“cursed [is] the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat [of] it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Gen 3:17b-19)

Both of their respective sins contains an ironic punishment. Adam is made from the ground (‘adamah) (Gen 2:7) and thus his sin causes him to return to the earth to which he came: Adam from ‘adamah back to ‘adamah (Gen 3:19). And because Cain has killed his Abel, his brother’s blood (dam) cries from the ground (‘adamah), the ground is cursed for Cain and will not yield its fruit as easily as it once had.

Both Cain’s and Adam’s sin results in an increase of labor to their work. Adam was made from the ground and was given the task to till the ground for its fruit. His sin resulted in increased difficulty his work. Like his father, Cain had the task of tilling the earth for its fruit. However, the consequence of his sin of fratricide and the blood of his brother falling to the ground, has ironically left Cain in a state similar to that of his father, the ground will now be difficult to work.

Just as in the story of Adam and Eve (Gen 2-3), the writer is stressing the reality of the consequences of sin. Such consequences are extremely real and exist even if we are forgiven. God can forgive sin, does forgive sin, and will forgive sin but many of our sins’ consequences remain even when we are forgiven.


"a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment [is] greater than I can bear. 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."

The weight of the his sin is catching up to Cain. He realizes the consequences of his sin and fears the banishment from the presence of God. Just as Adam was withdrawn from the presence of God in the garden of Eden, so Cain is now being withdrawn from the presence of God. Sin causes this separation between Man and God.

There is an age-old question from this passage about who were the ones which caused Cain to fear. Such a question falls into the same category of where Cain’s wife comes from (Gen 4:17). For those who hold to the biological evolutionary theory of human origins, such a question is not difficult to answer. For those who reject this theory there is a solution that could be offered. It is possible that Adam and Eve had many children other than Cain, Abel and Seth who are not named because they are not necessarily a part of the unfolding story. Thus, Cain could be afraid of his other siblings or could even be afraid of his future nieces and nephews. If Cain understands “where babies come from” it is not difficult to postulate that he anticipates an increase in population of men who, like him, could kill other men. Those who hold to a biological evolutionary theory would hold to a similar theory but without the necessity of incest.

Interestingly, Cain, who has taken the life of his brother, now fears that someone will take his life. He greatly fears “eye for an eye” vengeance and now calls to the Lord for mercy.

"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. And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.”

Sin causes separation between Man and God. However, in both cases of Adam and Cain, complete separation is not the result. Both Adam and Cain confessed and sought mercy from the Lord. The Lord hears their confession and calls for help and is quick to forgive and give mercy (or grace). Again, Cain, who has taken the life of his brother, now fears that someone will take his life. He greatly fears “eye for an eye” vengeance. What is so unbelievably unfair to the modern and postmodern mind (not to mention the Ancient Near Eastern and pre-historical mind) is the idea here of grace.


CAIN DESERVES TO DIE. He killed. He killed another human being made in the image of God. He killed a human being who was a member of his family. He killed another human being who was a member of his family who was his brother. And not just his brother, but his little brother. Cain killed his little brother not because his life was threatened but because he was jealous at the spiritual life his little brother had with the Lord. Not only is this the first murder recorded in Scripture but it is one of the most heinous murders. Again, CAIN DESERVES TO DIE. “Eye for an eye” justice (Ex 21:24; Lev 24:20; Deut 19:21). For Cain to die as a result of his sin is perfectly justifiable. Death is the correct and appropriate punishment. CAIN DESERVES TO DIE.

But God has mercy on Cain. Even though he totally does not deserve it, God gives Cain mercy and Cain does not receive his just punishment.

It has often been thought that the mark the Lord gave Cain was a stigma, not unlike the scarlet letter “A” that the woman caught in adultery was forced to wear in Hawthorne’s book The Scarlet Letter. But actually, this was a mark of grace. It was a mark given to Cain by God that protected Cain from his just retribution. All those who have turned to God in repentance have that same mark. All those who have turned to God in repentance have been granted mercy from our deserved punishment. Not everyone will kill their baby brother and sisters but we all have been offered the same mercy as ones who have.


Assyrians at Nineveh (Jonah 1-4)

Recall the story of Jonah.

The Assyrians were one of the most evil people who have ever lived. They were extremely brutal and blood-thirsty war mongers that make the Nazis look like boy scouts. They were evil and they were the enemies of Israel and Israel hated them and with good reason. Israel lived in fear that the Assyrians would one day attack them and destroy them. Thus, when Jonah gets the divine commission to go the Assyrians city of Nineveh to preach to it, the prophet goes the other way. He disobeys the Lord. We learn in the last chapter that Jonah knew that the Lord would forgive Nineveh if it repented. Jonah knew that the Lord is gracious and merciful and would spare the Ninevites if they turned to the Lord in faith. And, sure enough, the Ninevites to repent to the Lord at the preaching of Jonah and the Lord grants them mercy ... even though they do not deserve it.


The Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32)

Recall the Parable of the Prodigal Son. When the prodigal son had wasted his inheritance with riotous living, he returned to his father hoping to get a job as a servant because he knew he should no longer be called a “son”.

“But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put [it] on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on [his] feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill [it]; and let us eat, and be merry:” (Lk 15:22f.)

When the faithful older brother learned what was going on, he said to his father:

“Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.” (Lk 15:29f,)

The father responded:

“Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” (Lk 15:31f.)

The younger son had sinned and everyone knew it. He came back crawling to his father hoping to at least survive as a hired servant because that is what he deserved. The prodigal son deserved to be a servant; he did not deserve to be a son. Justice would have dictated that he not be given such a pass. The older brother was justified in his complaint that the son was getting such a pass.

Yet, despite all of this, the prodigal son was given mercy by his father.


Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matt 18:23-35)

Recall the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.

"Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took [him] by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses" (Matt 18:23-35)

Read this verse again: "But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." (Matt 18:35; Mark 11:26)

All those who have turned to God in repentance have that same mark as mercy. All those who have turned to God in repentance by faith in Christ Jesus have that same mark of mercy. All those who have received that mercy are required to be just as merciful. Jesus' parable makes the reason for this perfectly clear.

My understanding of the true meaning of this story about Cain and Abel is the basis for my rejection of capital punishment and the death penalty. My understanding of the grace and mercy of God as presented in this chapter (and the story of Jonah and teachings of Jesus) caused me to identify the death penalty as incompatible with my understanding of the Christian Faith. For me, to advocate both the mercy of God and the death penalty is untenable.

However, I am in no way an activist on this position of mine. I am not an activist of this belief because governments work under the rubric of justice and the death penalty for murder is justifiably correct. Technically, what they are doing is correct. It is justice. It is fair. Thus for people (including believers) to advocate the death penalty is not an injustice. It is not unfair. It is a reasonable and correct position to have. However, I do not believe it to be the position advocated by God in Christ. Thus, while I certainly do not look down my nose at those who do advocate such a system of justice, I cannot myself honestly support that system.

Furthermore, I think that we as Christian believers need to be tolerant of the non-Christians who do not share or even understand the mercy and forgiveness of God in Christ. How could they understand such things? We are Christian believers and we are still trying to grasp these truths!

I go back to Ruth and Orpah. What Orpah did was correct. The first daughter in law did what she did and she followed the customs of her time. She did the right thing. Ruth, on the other hand, went above and beyond the call of duty. Orpah did good; Ruth did better. Again, the Christian Faith is not about doing what is right but about doing what is better. We as believers are not called to fulfill our duties of the status quo; we are called to go beyond the call of duty. We are called to be like God in Christ, who went beyond the call of duty and justice. We are not called to see punishment meted out to the guilty. We are called to forgive the sins of the guilty just as God forgave us when we were guilty. We are called to follow Christ, who is the Way. It is a slow process. It is not an immediate process, but it is a process we are called to. Some of you may be believers and some of you may not be. For those who are not believers: turn towards God in repentance by faith in Christ. Ask God for the forgiveness he is offering and ask God to help you. For those who are believers: continue on your journey by continued repentance and faith in Christ. Examine yourself and seek God in how you can be improved. Ask God how you can improve yourself and ask God to help you do so.

Everyone should seek the forgiveness of God. Everyone should seek to forgive others. Everyone should seek the mercy of God. Everyone should seek to be merciful towards others.

Amen.