on October 21, 2023
And so the picture of substitutionary death, the substitutionary death of an innocent, has already been established by God and apparently was what God required in sacrifice. Those who are sinners, those who are broken over their sin, those who confess the need for sacrifice and substitution and a covering, those who realize they deserve nothing and must receive a righteousness not their own, those who are therefore blessed by God are always hated by the self-righteous because the self-righteous are not accepted by God, theyre not accepted as equals. I mean we all come into the world like Cain did, as sinners, but we have a choice. Minor Prophets Why doesnt God just kill Cain? The Bibles Tab is found in the Tools feature on Bible pages: Note: MLA no longer requires the URL as part of their citation standard. Interestingly enough, Cain must have married his sister, which was, in the early plan and purpose of God, not the problem that it would be today in the decline of the gene pool and intermarriage in a family. Cain told his brother (could be talked with, spoke with his brother) and the conversation either occurred in the field or set up a meeting in the field. He loved his sin and he was fulfilled by his sin. Pentateuch Well, of course, there were only two people in the world. Their feet are swift to shed blood. God had given him a curse and yet protected him from death, which would have given him an opportunity to say, Im sorry. And God said He would take away the anger and the bitterness of his heart, and He would lift up his face, and Cain said, Sorry, I dont want your righteousness, I dont want your forgiveness, I dont want a relationship with you, I want my sin. So he plotted it all. Has a hopeful beginning but soon offers unacceptable worship in his self-styled religion. And then he says, Am I my brothers keeper? Like, I dont have any responsibility for him. What hes saying to God is, Your questions arent even appropriate. of Scripture. . Oh, how I pray for any who are in the way of Cain. 9:9; 2 Cor. Thirdly, the doomed resent the true people of God. He was angry and his face slumped in despair and in fury. Its reasonable to assume he died somewhere in his teenage years when everybody else potentially lived to be eight or nine hundred years old, so his life was very brief. He lured him in and killed him. Because they were all related to Abel. Youre thrown out, you go out on your own. What have you done? You understand that expression, even in Hebrew. Accordingly, we have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions in order to comply with GDPR. That is Gods common grace. 22:14). Those are the wonderful, wonderful promises of the Bible in many scriptures, but the one that always comes to my mind when I think about that is the sixth chapter of Romans, verse 12. Even though sin is inherited and actual, it can be defeated- but only as we come to God on His terms, embracing His sacrifice for us, with no hope of self-righteousness. Though its not recorded in the book of Genesis, we can certainly assume that it happened, that Cain is responding to some command and some direction to worship God. Grace Pulpit. God is literally offering the sinner the opportunity to be delivered from his sin. It spoke nothing of his need for a sacrifice, it spoke nothing of his sin, nothing of his deserving death. Theological foundations are revealed which include God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, man, sin, redemption, covenant, promise, Satan and angels, kingdom, revelation, Israel, judgment, and blessing. Author and Date. Look at this in verse 15. Since the UK is now no longer a member of the EU, you may be charged an import tax on this item by the customs authorities in your country of residence, which is beyond our control. Woe to them, meaning false teachers, who have gone the way of Cain, who have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam and perished in the rebellion of Korah. Error: Passwords should have at least 6 characters, Error: Usernames should only contain letters, numbers, dots, dashes, or underscores. Since the UK is now no longer a member of the EU, you may be charged an import tax on this item by the customs authorities in your country of residence, which is beyond our control. If you try, youre going to get absolutely nothing. Subscribe and Get Sermons and Live Streams by John MacArthur DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX! He flees the scene of his crime, carries on the ruse of his self-righteousness. He said to the Lord in verse 13, My punishments too great to bear. Youre not fair. 42:6). The doomed protest their judgment- the doomed protest their judgment. The Gospels The modern definition of sin is righteousness. Blue Letter Bible is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Verse 14, Behold, thou hast driven me this day from the face of the ground, and from thy face I shall be hidden, and I shall be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth. Hes reciting it as if in Gods hearing it, He somehow will reconsider. Wisdom Literature Study with him the Genesis of the Gospel to find the answers not only to those big cosmic questions, but also to discover the extraordinary privileges God has given women, what strong male leadership looks like, and how that all ties in to God's ultimate triumph over the tragedies that began in the garden. So the doomed have hopeful beginnings but offer to God unacceptable worship. No compelling reasons have been forthcoming to challenge Mosaic authorship. In fact, He becomes the protector of the killer, becomes the protector of Cain. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select a Beginning Point And I agree with capital punishment. He put some mark, some visible mark on Cain, so that everybody would know thats the mark of God, and if you kill him, you will receive the vengeance of God. range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed Verse 1, The man had relations with his wife. The actual Hebrew word, he knew his wife, Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.. Cain did. Email / username or password was incorrect! As the years develop and as people populate the world, theyre all going to know the story about you. And God says, You did it. The curse was on the woman. So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Pauline Epistles Nod is an unknown place, but it symbolizes the place where God is not considered. Please see Blue Letter Bible's Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. They offer God unacceptable worship, and they inevitably resent those who truly worship God as He desires to be worshiped and are therefore blessed. Just believe me, just do what I told you to do with a right heart. Thank you for registering. He was humiliated. Luke-Acts And that, too, pictures the ultimate sacrifice for sin, Jesus Christ, the very best of the very best, the perfect, spotless, Lamb who was offered for sinners in order that they might be covered by His righteousness. And he couldnt resist it. A standard was established by God at some point. This is the providential common grace of God. The completed registration allows us to send order and donation receipts to the email address you provided. For those of you visiting with us, we are in a study of origins, and Genesis is the book of origins. But were going to seek the goodness of God to allow us to do that as we come to this most significant and important chapter in Genesis chapter 4. Series (High Quality) Series (Low Quality) She knew that this child was a gift from God, as are all those precious little ones that come into the world, some of whom we have celebrated even tonight in our parent dedication. 21, 22 where the eternal kingdom of redeemed believers is gloriously pictured. Without exception, in each account God increased the manifestation of His grace. The Whole Bible And we havent said the half of what should be said but can only pray that weve at least begun to understand the greatness of this passage. And its desire is for you; you must master it. Sermons from the Book of Genesis | Grace to You - SermonAudio For details about this sermon and for related resources, click here: https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/90-379 To receive John MacArthurs monthly letter, as well as free resources by mail, click here: https://www.gty.org/home/newtogty/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gracetoyou Twitter: https://twitter.com/gracetoyou Google +: https://plus.google.com/+gracetoyou Copyright 2009, Grace to You. The heart of Cain wasnt right, it was self-righteous, and the offering, therefore, was not right, either. Adam was a believer, as we've learned, Eve was a believer, and this passage indicates to us that Abel was a believer. Genesis chapter 4. conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy He let him live. You dont have to be in this condition. Genesis 2:4-7. Here is demonstration that somebody innocent has to die in the sinners place, and thats what substitutionary death was all about. Genesis 2:13, Ministry: Sermons from the Book of Genesis | Grace to You - SermonAudio Thats why David in Psalm 51 said, Against thee, thee only have I sinned. He knew that every sin reaches God. We are in Genesis chapter 4. But really, in the end, there are only two possibilities. Now lets pick it up where we left off. Pastor John MacArthur. 3:15) ascribe this composition to Moses, who is the fitting author in light of his educational background (cf. He knew it was God speaking to him. Therefore whoever kills Cain- or whoever would kill Cain- vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold. Seven is sort of the number of completion. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select an Ending Point My punishment is too great to bear. That is not repentance, folks. If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? Founded in 1969, Grace to You is the nonprofit organization responsible for developing, producing, and distributing John MacArthur's books, audio resources, and the "Grace to You" radio and television programs. And why has your countenance fallen? Cant, right? He has been the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, California since February 9, 1969 and also currently is the president of The Master's College in Newhall, California and. Johannine Writings The doomed try to hide their sin or hide from their sin. The customs of Genesis often differ considerably from those of our modern day. Everybody is a worshiper. And this describes the curse, which is the conflict of marriage. God Himself, then, slays the first animal to make the first covering to cover the sinner. The New Testament And the answer is, Who knows? Have absolutely no idea what it is. Maybe she believed that this was the fulfillment of that promise from God, that this was the one who would come and would bruise the serpents head. And he adds this: Itll come about that whoever finds me will kill me. I know whatll happen. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering. Nothing they ever touch has any eternal value, nothing they ever touch has any lasting meaning. I dont know what it is. And thats the final verdict, that Cain is the killer, by the way. He loved the world, so the love of God was not in him, 1 John 2. God would have still applied the sacrifice of Christ to Cain and forgiven him if he had repented. Enter your email address and we will send you instructions on how to reset your password. At that time, they will partake, wearing robes washed in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. JOHN MACARTHUR EXPLAINS GENESIS 1 1 - YouTube Thats how youre going to live your life- unsuccessfully. And thats the curse. All Sermons | Grace to You - SermonAudio So essentially, his self-righteous, impenitent, disobedient response will make him vulnerable to the deadly power of sin. Doesnt matter where the land of Nod is, it only matters that it was out of the presence of the Lord. They are ultimately indicted by God and under judgment and, inevitably, they protest divine judgment. That was Abel. You dont have to be brooding, you dont have to have lust conceiving greater deadly sin in your heart. You can copy the order of your preferred Bible translations from the Bibles Tab to the Version Picker (this popup) or vice versa. John MacArthur-The First Sacrifice (Genesis 3:20-24) Published in John MacArthur. He hated the fact that Abel was righteous, and the righteous are always a rebuke to the self-righteous. Because they were preparing to enter Canaan and dispossess the Canaanite inhabitants of their homes and properties, God revealed their enemies background. In Johns own words, And there shall be no more curse (Rev. If youre going to let me live, then I repent. He doesnt do that. Not only let him live, He protects him by marking him with a sign, sort of like blood on the doorposts in Egypt that made the death angel pass over. He is himself able to approach God without a sacrifice. Your partnership makes all we do possible. Again, here is a sinner who is a fixed sinner, affirming his rebellion. God then, by willful act and divine Word, spoke all creation into existence, furnished it, and finally breathed life into a lump of dirt which He fashioned in His image to become Adam. Wisdom Literature Servicios en espaol, Grace Community Church Here is the first example of self-righteousness. He had a right heart attitude of the sinner who knew he needed and deserved death and needed a substitute to die in his place. Please be aware that these items are sent out from our office in the UK. Cain had absolutely no appreciation for that whatsoever- absolutely none. The curse is further explained in verse 12. Gods people came to understand not only their ancestry and family history, but also the origins of their institutions, customs, languages, and different cultures, especially basic human experiences such as sin and death. Blue Letter Bible is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Now, the man had relations with his wife, Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. We began last Lords Day, and let me remind you that only the first point is positive. One final theme of both theological and historical significance sets Genesis apart from other books of Scripture, in that the first book of Scripture corresponds closely with the final book. He is the original apostate who, when confronted by God with the opportunity for forgiveness and the opportunity for deliverance, refuses. So God says to Abel, Either you come to me and do whats right or you lose the battle your whole life. And it came about when they were in the field that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him. Youre the only- theres only a few people. The voice of your brothers blood is crying to me from the ground. Im not surprised that through the history of the world Gods people have been killed, slaughtered, persecuted, and that its going on even today. And may they turn and seek forgiveness and not just in anger settle finally into the world out of your presence. 33:2; Josh. John MacArthur is the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, as well as an author, conference speaker, president of The Masters University and Seminary, and featured teacher with the Grace to You media ministry. He will hold onto that sin even if it means he has to live an unfulfilled life of a wanderer under a divine death sentence. The Old Testament Copyright 2023 Grace Community Church. Verse 6, Then the Lord said to Cain- now this is direct from God. MacArthur explains Genesis 1:1, and correlates this verse with the 5 areas of the "knowable" from notes 20th century s. The English title, Genesis, comes from the Greek translation (Septuagint, LXX)1 meaning origins; whereas, the Hebrew title is derived from the Bibles very first word, translated in the beginning. Genesis serves to introduce the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the OT) and the entire Bible. He didnt say, Oh, God, Im sorry, forgive me, I cant bear this curse. He just said, Youre not fair. Theres no repentance, theres no contrition, theres no desire to overcome sin, theres no longing for forgiveness. Sun Valley, CA 91352, MF 8:00 am5:00 pm Genesis 1250 (patriarchal history) explained to Israel how they came into existence as a family whose ancestry could be traced to Eber (hence the Hebrews; Gen. 10:24, 25) and even more remotely to Shem, the son of Noah (hence the Semites; Gen. 10:21). And then again, in verse 2, she gave birth to another son. This is direct revelation from God, God speaking pointedly, specifically, to no one but Cain. He is the first unbeliever who ever lived. Why are you angry? Sin is in us, but its not inevitable that we be always mastered by sin unless we choose not to do whats right. And Abel, on his part, also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. This article is also available and sold as a booklet. Would you prayerfully consider a gift of support today? Historical Books And because of what you did, theyre going to seek to kill you. They cannot draw anything out of life that matters eternally. And judge. Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Thats the story of Cain. Did you find incorrect or missing information related to a sermon? GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select a Beginning Point And the last point is the doomed settle defiantly outside the presence of God. Amen. So he denies any knowledge of his brothers whereabouts, he denies any killing, he rejects any responsibility for his brothers well-being, and you begin to see, folks, at this point, what terrible progress sin has made since the fall. If we lived in a society without government, without police, if we lived in an anarchy, murder would be going on all the time. So the unbelievers have a hopeful beginning. Individual instructors or editors may still require the use of URLs. Solid Joys. And to reinforce his resentment, he recites the curse, as if such a recitation in Gods ears is going to make God change His mind. I repent. When Adam and Eve sinned, there was a sort of a timid hiding in the garden. Pastor John MacArthur tells of reading a book that told of a pastor who had been sent to prison for robbing 14 banks to finance his numerous engagements with prostitutes. Cookie Notice: Am I my brothers keeper? And He said, What have you done? Boy, He says, youve got a choice. Blue Letter Bible study tools make reading, searching and studying the Bible easy and rewarding. He hated his brother and he loved his sin. And it works feverishly and angrily to obliterate the God of the Bible and the people who proclaim the Bible from social influence and public discourse. He didnt say, Hes over there, just where I left him after I killed him. He says, I dont know. Oh, the sinner, in his need for self-righteousness, runs from the scene of his crime, tries to hide his sin. After clicking 'Register', you will receive an email with a link to verify your account and to complete your registration. Yes, it is. Sin is crouching at the door. And sin is depicted like a beast of prey, like a rapacious lion. Your partnership makes all we do possible. Now let me tell you something, folks, thats where the sinner ends up. Theres no getting around it, theres no equivocating. He sees into the heart of Abel and recognizes that Abels heart is right toward God, that he comes as a penitent, humble sinner, and not only is his heart right, but therefore his sacrifice is right. Lesson 40: The Tragedy Of Worldly Believers (Genesis 19:1-29) So, God, I cant get anything out of the ground, youve cursed me. Prophets And to let it be seen what life is like for those who reject God. Cassuto, the Hebrew commentator, translates it that way. Abel was lured into a trap set by his evil brother, Cain. Throughout the Bible, you read about that, too. Usernames should only contain letters, numbers, dots, dashes, or underscores. God doesnt have to do this, He could have killed him. I need to die, I deserve to die, I thank you that you will provide someone to die in my place, even as you slew an animal to cover my parents. So his attitude was right and his act was right. When your kids do something terrible, What have you done? Again, God is not asking for information. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select a Beginning Point The Gospels God had already pled with him to make a right choice. In the book of Revelation, the paradise which was lost in Genesis will be regained. In verse 5, it says Cain became very angry and his countenance (or his face) fell. Ultimately, the Jewish nation would understand a selected portion of preceding world history and the inaugural background of Israel as a basis by which they would live in their new beginnings under Joshuas leadership in the land which had previously been promised to their original patriarchal forefather, Abraham. You either worship the true God in the true way or you have a damning worship, a worship that is rejected by God. Together, they have become useless, none who does good, not even one. That is the final statement. You will never stop anywhere. People say to me so often, you know, Why doesnt someone come to Christ? God is saying to them, I do not accept you. 1405 B.C.). They are wandering stars for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.. So hes saying, Im not only going to have to hide from you, Im going to have to hide from everybody else. And that opens us up to another mark of an apostate, a mark of a doomed man. The Lord then said to Cain, Where is Abel, your brother? And again, remember, God doesnt need information. Major Prophets 13:1; Dan. 8:4; Mark 12:26; Luke 16:29; 24:27, 44; John 5:46; 7:22; Acts 15:1; Rom. The sinner resents what God says. He doesnt allow blood revenge. - Universal Beginnings (Chuck Missler), The Generations of the Heavens and the Earth (, The Generations of Shem, Ham, and Japheth (, The Generations of Shem: Genealogy of Shem to Terah (, The Abrahamic Covenant: His Land and People (, Esaus Reunion and Reconciliation with Jacob (, Events and Deaths from Shechem to Mamre (. Pentateuch The influence of Genesis in Scripture is demonstrated by its being quoted over 35 times in the NT and hundreds of allusions appearing in both Testaments. Donate Now; Automatic Giving; Legacy Giving; Ways to Give; Unleashing God's Truth, One Verse at a Time . Wisdom Literature Apparently, Cain doesnt feel he needs a substitute, he doesnt feel that death needs to occur on his behalf. He brings what God wants, he comes in obedience, he offers God the sacrifice, which is a way the sinner can say, Im not good, I know Im a sinner. While it is difficult to pinpoint precisely the historical moment for which this book was written, Israel first heard Genesis sometime prior to crossing the Jordan River and entering the Promised Land (ca. He chooses to live apart from God. Starting in chapter 2, verse 4, you start to follow the history of man. With their tongues, they keep deceiving. Thats the saddest comment yet- no repentance. 2090 B.C. Either you come to God and your sins are forgiven and youre delivered out of that realm of sin into the world of righteousness or you spend your whole life in a losing war, trying to master this lion that wants to chew you up and spit you out. Questions and answers with John Piper. You are cursed from the ground. This, by the way, is a direct commentary on the offering of Cain.
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