Mercy

"Cain said to the Lord, 'My punishment is too great to bear! Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.' So the Lord said to him, 'Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.' And the Lord appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him." -Genesis 4.13-15

Cain has sinned by committing murder, and in spite of trying to cover it up, he cannot keep the secret from God. God is just, and He passes judgment on Cain, punishing him to be a restless wander, unable to grow anything. He has no home, and the only life he has known is now over. Add to that that God rejected the last offering he presented, and now he has probably cut himself off from his family due to killing his brother. Needless to say, he's a bit overwhelmed, probably scared, and maybe breaking down in panic.

He has earned what he has gotten. His punishment is fitting, he took a life, and the life he has known is over. However, God demonstrates His mercy in dealing with Cain. First off, God allows Cain to live. Second, God promises to protect Cain, further sparing his life. He puts a mark on Cain so that anyone he encounters will see it and know that God will bring vengeance on anyone who kills him.

God did not have to extend mercy to Adam and Eve, but He did. He made them garments of animal skin and merely kicked them out of the Garden. Cain is punished, but not put to death. God looks after Cain, and still desires a relationship with Him. The wandering that he is sentenced to is a chance to fully trust God and grow closer to him. Sadly, this was not the response Cain had. He abused God's mercy, and in that mercy further disobeyed God. And still, God does not kill him, but allows him to live, have a family, and build a city.

God is a god of mercy, even when we take advantage of it. However, there will come a time when, after being abused and rejected for so long, mercy is exhausted. God offers mercy that He is not obligated show, and yet He suspends justice to extend mercy.

TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!

Peace be with you