 Monday: Action and Reaction
And Cain said to the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold,
you have driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from your
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 finds me shall slay
me.
Genesis 4:13-14
Consequences can be difficult to appreciate until they are experienced
personally. Unfortunately, personal experience is not available until decisions
have been made and actions have been taken. We can try to predict outcomes.
We can prepare for different possibilities. But the true consequences for
any action are rarely known in advance.
When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they sinned against God. As a
consequence, they were separated from God. Cain murdered his brother, Abel.
This was different. It was an unprecedented action and it led to unprecedented
consequences. By killing his brother, Cain sinned against God and he also
sinned against man. As a consequence, Cain was separated from God and he
was also outcast from all other people. He would be a nomad and a wanderer;
he would be a person scorned by all.
The patterns of action and reaction in Cain's life hold countless lessons
for us today. His reaction to the consequences for committing murder is no
exception. Rather than expressing any remorse or accepting responsibility
for Abel's death, Cain complained that his punishment was too much to bear.
Ironically, even though there is no indication that he hesitated in killing
Abel, Cain despaired because other people might kill him. In God's infinite
wisdom and mercy He placed a mark on Cain to protect him, but there is no
indication that Cain ever sought to reconcile himself with God or with other
people. A short lineage of Cain appears in the fourth chapter of Genesis.
His descendants were destroyed in the flood. His name never appears again
in the Old Testament. In the New Testament he is seldom mentioned, and only
negatively.
In contrast, a thief hanging on a cross acknowledged that he had done wrong
and deserved punishment-even the punishment of death. He asked Jesus to remember
him. To a repentant soul, Jesus promised paradise.
We are all human. On our pilgrimage to the foot of the cross we will make
mistakes. How will we react to God's correction? Will we complain about our
punishment, or will we repent from evil and seek God's glory? The choice
is ours to make.
Holy, pure, and perfect God, I come to you knowing that I am a sinner.
I sin against you, and I sin against people. I know that your judgment is
just. I also know that your mercy is great. Lord, I do not want anything
to separate us. I desire only to be with you and to share in fellowship with
your children. I am sorry for the wrong I have done. By your grace, I will
seek to walk only on your path so that one day I may know your paradise.
Amen.
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