Sunday, October 26, 2009
TWO STREAMS OF PEOPLE
Gen. 4:17-5:32
It seems that it is the nature of man to divide and make distinctions. It seems that the living of life requires us to make such distinctions. A week or two ago we had the Apple Festival at High Rolls. Those who grow and process the apples must make distinctions. They grade the apples because some are better than others. The whole system of grading is based on making distinctions. All human beings are involved in making distinctions, organizing, and filing.
This morning we are going to see a very basic distinction, as we look at Genesis 4 and 5. All of mankind is divided into two basic groups. That, in itself, is rather amazing. When we look at the variety among human beings, we would think that there would have to be at least a dozen different groups. Considering the diversity of mankind, surely there isn’t any way to reduce them down to two groups. Oh, but there is, and God does.
Let’s look for this basic twofold division, as we read Gen. 4:16-5:32…
And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. 17. 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. 18. And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. 19. And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. 21. And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. 22. And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. 23. 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. 24. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. 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. 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.
Gen. 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; 2. Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. 3. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: 4. And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: 5. And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. 6. And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: 7. And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: 8. And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died. 9. And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: 10. And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: 11. And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died. 12. And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel: 13. And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters: 14. And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died. 15. And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: 16. And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters: 17. And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died. 18. And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: 19. And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 20. And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. 21. And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22. And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24. And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. 25. And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: 26. And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: 27. And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. 28. And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 29. And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed. 30. And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: 31. And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. 32. And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
We find the root of this division in the sons of Adam and Eve. Who were their first two sons? Cain and Abel. But something happened to Abel. And what happened? Yes, Cain killed his brother Abel. Why? Because the deeds of Abel were righteous, but his own deeds were evil. Out of a heart of jealousy, Cain murdered his own brother and refused to acknowledge it before God. What a scandalous beginning for the human race.
But that isn’t the end of the story. In time, Adam and Eve had another son whom they named Seth. As we will see, Seth became a replacement for Abel. Though other sons may have been born in between (we are not told), Seth was the son whom God appointed as a substitute for Abel (according to the testimony of Eve).
Though it is not true physically, there is a sense in which every person who ever lived is either a Cainite or a Sethite. Physically, we are all descended from Seth, because all the descendants of Cain died in the flood. Nevertheless, the spirit of Cain was reborn and perpetuated after the flood, and his spiritual line will continue until the end of the world. Ever since these early beginnings all people have fallen into one camp or the other – the Cainites or the Sethites.
I. The Society of Cain
Let’s begin where the scripture begins, looking at Cain and his descendants. I refer to this as “the society of Cain,” because we are going to see that Cain and his seed developed a great secular society. We pick up the story where we left off last week. We concluded our study about Cain with the tragic words of verse 16, “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.” Not only did Cain go out from the presence of the Lord physically, but he also departed from the Lord spiritually. He wanted nothing to do with God. And as the word “Nod” means “wandering,” so Cain would be a wandering fugitive, just as the Lord had said.
At this point we might think that would be the end of Cain in the divine record. What more can be said of him, once he has departed from the presence of the Lord? As we can see, plenty is said about Cain, primarily through his descendants. Here in the brief space of verses 17 and 18 we have the record of six generations… Cain/Enoch/Irad/Mehujael/Methusael/ Lamech. We don’t anything about four of those generations except their names, but we are told more about Lamech. By the way, don’t get the idea that these were the only descendants of Cain. No doubt, just as we will see concerning the line of Seth, other children were born to Cain, Enoch, Irad, Mehujael, and Methusael. These are mentioned because they were the firstborn.
Don’t be confused by the names Enoch and Lamech. You probably noticed that these same names occur in chapter 5. The Enoch of chapter 5 is not the same as that of chapter 4, and the Lamech of chapter 5 is not the same as the Lamech of chapter 4. Those in chapter 5 are the descendants of Seth, not the descendants of Cain.
It is also interesting that two of these descendants of Cain have names that end with –el. That is the name for God. You have probably heard the name “Elohim.” “El” is simply a shortened form. We see it attached to names throughout the Bible. “Bethel,” for example, means “the house of God.” “Samuel” means “asked of God.” So why were Mehujael and Methusael given these particular names by people who seemed to have no regard for God? The best guess is that Mehujael means, "God blots out," (or “smitten of God). The meaning of Methusael is debated (MacArthur – “violence of God”). That doesn’t mean that they worshipped God. Rather, at best. it is simply an acknowledgement that they are under the judgment of God.
So in the list of six generations, we are given information about the first, Cain, and the last, Lamech. About Cain we are told that he and his wife had a son Enoch. As we mentioned last time, people often ask where Cain got his wife. The answer is simple – he married one of his sisters, a daughter of Adam and Eve. Hundreds of years later, God would give a commandment forbidding a man to marry his sister, but at this point there was no reason for such a commandment. There was nothing wrong with Cain marrying his sister. Even if there would have been, it wouldn’t have mattered to Cain.
Not only did Cain have a son named Enoch, but he also built a city. More literally, “he was building a city.” The idea seems to be that he was working on it, but he wasn’t too successful. When we think of city, we often think of a Dallas or Chicago or Phoenix, but the word here refers simply to a fenced-in place or a complex of buildings, whether large or small. And why was Cain trying to build a city? Most likely, he was doing it in defiance of God. The Lord had told him that he would be a wanderer and a fugitive, that the soil would not yield him a living. This man who had rejected God at every turn likely had the attitude, “If God says I’ll be a wanderer, I’ll show Him; I’ll establish me a town and settle down in it.” Notice that he named the city after his son Enoch. This may indicate that it was Enoch who finally finished the building of the town. So now we have the beginning of urban society. Men are coming together to live in a town. Cain and Enoch were the originally city dwellers.
After the record of four generations about which we know nothing, we come to Lamech in verse 18. “And Methusael began Lamech.” Then in verse 19 we find that Lamech took unto himself two wives, Adah and Zillah. You will notice that this is the record of a formal arrangement. While the Hebrew word “wives” can be translated “women,” even then we would read, “And Lamech took unto him two women.” He didn’t just decide that he would have relations with these women, but he took them as his own. In other words, there was a formal marriage arrangement.
This is the first record of polygamy in the Bible. At this time, God had not given many laws, as He would later do through Moses. However, there was one thing that was very clear, that God intended one man to have one wife for life. We find this back in Gen. 2:24, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." Bear in mind that there is no reason to believe that Adam was not still alive. You remember that he lived to be 930 years old. We’ll talk about the implications of that later. The presence of Adam and Eve must have been a constant reminder of God’s original plan for marriage. Nevertheless, Lamech dared to defy God’s plan.
Then in verses 20-22 we have three sons of Lamech, along with a daughter. The sons are Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-cain. Without going into great detail, let’s notice that these were very capable men. You notice that the names of each of three sons ends with –bal. That is Hebrew suffix that roughly means “to produce.” The sons of Lamech were very productive. Listen again as I read verses 20-22…
And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. 21. And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. 22. And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron…
Jabal was the original cattle rancher. The word “cattle” here speaks of livestock, rather than sheep. This whole section is about societal progress and innovation. Jabal was an expert in the science of domesticated animals. Jubal was the musician. This is the first biblical record of music of any kind. Can you imagine the invention and cultivation of music itself? But Jubal went so far as to develop instruments. He furthered culture by leaps and bounds. And then there was Tubal-cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of brass and iron. We could say that he was the inventor of metallurgy.
Stop for just a minute and think with me. These are no small accomplishments. We are only down to the seventh generation from Adam, and we are witnessing amazing accomplishments. Can you imagine what is involved in forging tools out of brass and iron? Think of what is involved in getting the brass and iron in the first place. Leading scholars of our day would have us believe that we began as primitive cavemen, but that isn’t what we see here. What we see is not the evolution of man, but the exact opposite. Man began with tremendous capability, which has slowly been eroded away by sin.
Don’t forget the fact that these people lived very long lives. As we will see in chapter 5, there was nothing unusual about living 800 years or more. Imagine what a man could learn in 800 years! What I am suggesting is that there was a highly developed society in that day. And don’t get the idea that there were only a few people around. Remember that people weren’t dying off; they were living hundreds of years. The first natural death recorded is that of Adam, and that was after he had lived 930 years. There are those who estimate that the population of the earth could have been anywhere from 5 to 10 billion. I thought that was a little strange—until I got out a pencil and did the math.
Our reaction is to say, “That could never be.” Why not? Because those people weren’t smart like we are. And besides, if there was such an advanced civilization, why don’t we have any record of it in our archeological records? Because there was this unequaled catastrophe called “the flood.” Some time you meditate on the accomplishments of the sons of Lamech and see what you think.
So what’s the point? Here’s the point. There was an advanced civilization, led by the descendants of Cain. The progress in animal husbandry, music, and metallurgy were wonderful for all mankind. However, there is a problem. There is no mention of God. There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with any of the things they invented and advanced, but there was no place for God in any of it. The judgment of verse 16 was still hanging over all of it – “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord.” They were still going out from the presence of the Lord.
This is seen most clearly in the man Lamech. We find the climax of this whole section in verses 23-24 NIV…
Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
wives of Lamech, listen to my speech.
I have killed a man for wounding me,
even a young man for hurting me.
If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,
then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.
What do we make of this strange speech from Lamech. It has been noted that Lamech was the first poet. If you are reading the NIV, the NASV, or the New King James, you can see that they have set these verses off as poetry. We’re not going to take time to study it carefully, but it doesn’t take a genius to see that this is indeed poetry. Lamech was highly skilled in the use of words.
So what exactly is he saying in this little poem? It seems that Lamech was really a tough guy and he was boasting about it to his wives. Remember that it was a wicked world. We read in chapter 6 that the world was full of wickedness, and it didn’t get that way overnight. And what happens in a wicked world? The same things that happen today – murder, rape, robbery. We men are rather careful about where our wives go, especially at night. Perhaps in that context, one of Lamech’s wives asked, “Are we safe? Do we need to worry about all these things that are going on?” “You wives of mine, listen to me. You have nothing to worry about with me. I kill any man who messes with me, even a young warrior who might injure me.” And what about that last part, Lamech being avenged 77 times? I don’t think he is talking about God taking vengeance. Rather, it seems to be something like this: “If God took vengeance on Cain seven times, you can be sure that I will take ten times as much vengeance. That’s why you don’t have to worry about anyone bothering me.”
Lamech is like his ancestor Cain, but he has carried arrogance and defiance to a new level. He doesn’t deny that there is a God, but he has no use for him, just as Cain didn’t. The most striking thing about this entire section is that these people live as if there were no God.
II. The Society of Seth
I’m glad the story doesn’t end there with Gen. 4:24. As a matter of fact, I’m glad the story of life doesn’t end with what we see around us. Aren’t you? If we don’t continue to fill our minds with the truth of God’s revelation, we can begin to despair pretty quickly. Praise God that the greatest reality is not what we can see with these eyes. Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers with these words, “[I pray that] the eyes of your heart might be enlightened…” And why did he pray that the eyes of their heart might be enlightened? So they would know the hope of His calling and the glory of His inheritance in the saints and ultimately the exceeding greatness of His power to those who believe! When we abide in Christ and His Word, we know the reality which extends beyond what we can see with these eyes.
Back to Genesis 4. Let’s read again 4:25-26…
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. 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.
Abel was no more, because Cain killed him. But now Eve bears another son, whom she says God has appointed to be another seed instead of Abel. We don’t know if she had other sons between Cain and Seth. Don’t get the idea that Seth was born after Lamech. This account is not chronological, but rather thematic. The author (the Holy Spirit through Moses) has given us the account of Cain’s descendants, and now he is going to tell us about Seth’s descendants. In order to do that, he has to begin with the birth of Seth.
Seth had a son named Enos. It is after the mention of this son that we read this enlightening statement: “Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.” What a refreshing refrain. After hearing of no one calling upon the name of the Lord for seven generations of Cain’s descendants, now we find that men began to call on the name of the Lord. Again, we must realize that this did not occur after all the generations we just read about. Chronologically, it would have fit somewhere early in the time frame of Cain’s descendants. Praise God that it didn’t take seven generations before the line of Seth began to call upon the name of the Lord.
What does it mean to call upon the name of the Lord? Your translation may say (or have a footnote that says… NIV) “proclaim the name of the Lord.” The term may speak of praying or proclaiming. In short, it is a way of designating worship. Very simply, men began to worship the Lord. Understand that this is nothing new, for Adam and Eve had called upon the name of the Lord, though we are not told that specifically. They had walked and talked with God in the garden. They had been the recipients of Him clothing them with the skin of the animal, whose blood was killed as a sacrifice and substitute on their behalf. But for some reason, there is a new beginning after the birth of Enos. That is when people began again to worship the Lord. We might say that they had a revival. There was a renewing of the worship of the true and living God.
You might ask, “But why did this happen after the birth of Enos?” I don’t know. We are not told. But let me ask you a question. Is there anyone here that began to do some soul searching after the birth of your first child? I know I did. Perhaps the heavy responsibility of raising this son bore down on Seth. As he began to think about it, he recalled the experience of his parents in the garden. The more he thought about it, God gave him a wake up call, and it all happened after the birth of his son. Maybe that’s the way it came about.
On the other hand, maybe men began to call upon the name of the Lord a good while after Enos was born. Maybe it was Enos himself who was the beginning of this revival. Perhaps when he was 20 years old God began to work in him, and he truly began to worship the living God. He might have had a powerful influence on his own dad and then on those who came after him. We wish we knew the details, but we don’t. What we do know is that men began to call upon the name of the Lord, and it had something to do with Enos.
Now notice the structure of this section – 4:25-5:32. We have this little note in verses 25 and 26 about Seth and his relatives (plural “men”) calling on the name of the Lord. Then beginning in chapter 5 we have a listing of the descendants of Adam through Seth. Before listing this ancestry, the author brings out this contrast between the descendants of Cain and the descendants of Seth. Cain’s children and grandchildren didn’t call on the name of the Lord, but Seth did. Then we back up and take a look at Seth’s line.
Look now at 5:1, "This is the book of the generations of Adam…” The Amplified puts it like this: “This is the book (the written record, the history) of the generations of the offspring of Adam.” He is simply preparing to tell us about Adam’s descendants. This is a very common expressing in Genesis. In Gen. 2:4 we read, "These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens." Then go to Gen. 6:9, "These are the generations of Noah… Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." It is interesting to follow this expression through the book of Genesis, but we won’t take time to do it this morning.
Before we read the record of Adam’s descendants, notice the review in 5:1b-2, “In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed the, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.” He is simply restating what we have already read in chapter 1. When it says that God called their name “Adam,” remember that “Adam” is simply the word for “man.” Though they were Adam and Eve, they were both human beings. They were “man” in that sense.
Now come to verse 3, “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in hiw own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth.” Of course, we have already seen the birth of Seth in 4:25. That was a preview, but now we are beginning to read the official record of Adam’s lineage through Seth. This is very important because it is the lineage of Jesus Christ our Lord. In the third chapter of Luke, this lineage will be given, all the way from Adam to Christ, though in reverse order.
There is a certain tragic note in these first three verses. Adam was made in the likeness of God, but Seth is in the image and likeness of his father Adam. The record doesn’t say that Seth was made in the image of God, but in the image of his father Adam. And what image was that? The image of fallen man. Oh yes, there is a certain sense in which Seth was made in the image of God, but the image is marred; it is messed up. Because of the sin of Adam, this son is not fully in the image of God. From the time of his birth, he is a sinner, just like his dad. Praise God that He is working to restore His image in those who belong to Him, as He conforms ua to the image of His Son.
And then we come to this long listing of the descendants of Adam and Seth. It is very precise. The name of the father is given, then his age at the birth of his firstborn son, followed by the fact that he gave birth to other sons and daughters, and then his age at his death. From Adam to Noah we have listed ten generations.
Now I want you to notice something. This listing is similar to that in chapter 4, where we have recorded the descendants of Cain. But there are some differences. First of all, the listing of Cain’s descendants is not as precise. I believe that is primarily because it is not the ancestry through which Jesus would come. There isn’t the need for such precision. But I also want you to notice that there is nothing about the accomplishments of Seth’s children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. While we were told about the great accomplishments of Cain and his descendants, there is nothing about that regarding Seth. Seth didn’t build a city. None of his descendants can boast of inventing and advancing music. Someone could argue that they did have great accomplishments; they simply aren’t recorded. Even if that is so, the absence of such a record tells us that they aren’t what is important. Accomplishments apart from the Creator ultimately mean nothing.
So what is important with regard to Seth’s line? Let’s just list one thing this morning. Notice that Lamech, the Lamech in the line of Cain, was the seventh generation from Adam. Now who was the seventh generation from Adam in Seth’s lineage? If you don’t want to count them here in chapter 5, you can find the answer in Jude 14, "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam…" In these genealogies, Enoch is parallel to Lamech. Lamech is the seventh from Adam through Cain, while Enoch is the seventh from Adam through Seth. That is not accidental. Lamech is the climax of the wickedness that came through Cain’s line. But what about Enoch? He is the climax of righteousness. Let’s read again about Enoch in verses 19-24…
And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 20. And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. 21. And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22. And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24. And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
Enoch walked with God. Back in 3:8 we read that Adam and Eve heard the voice of the Lord walking in the garden in the cool of the day. Enoch is the first person recorded to have walked with God outside the Garden of Eden. I love the way it is put here: “And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” As one commentator put it, “Enoch went out for a walk with God and walked right into heaven.” Listen to the testimony about Enoch in Heb. 11:5, "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."
What a contrast between Lamech and Enoch. What a contrast between the people of this world and the people of God. The people of this world may not be living immoral lives, may not be committing terrible crimes, but they are still in contrast to the people of God. They do not have a testimony that they please God. And what about the people of God? No, they haven’t reached a place of sinless perfection. They still mess up. Nevertheless, there is a marked difference in them. They have been called out of darkness into the marvelous light of their Lord. They were not a people, but now they are the people of God (I Pet. 2:9-10). They are “looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and their Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for them, that He might redeem them from all iniquity and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Tit. 2:13-14).
Conclusion
Lord willing, next week we will explore chapter 5 more fully and get into chapter 6. For now, let us be firm in our understanding that there has always been two streams of people. And it will continue that way until the coming of our Lord. Even now, there are two streams of people – those who are in the broad way that leads to destruction and those who are on the narrow way that leads to life. There are those who are the servants of sin and Satan, as was Cain, and there are those who are servants of righteousness and the true God.
I want to close this morning by reading the end of the story. Please turn to the 18th chapter of Revelation. We are going to read about Babylon, but understand that Babylon is more than a city. It is a system. It is a society and culture. In short, it is the worldly system that began with the descendants of Cain. Of course, that system was wiped out at the flood, but it was revived again afterward and continues throughout history. But an end is coming. As we read this chapter, I want you to note how the roots of this system are present in Genesis 4. Now let’s read Rev. 18:1-19:3…
And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 4. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 5. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 6. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. 7. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 8. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. 9. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, 10. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. 11. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 12. The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, 13. And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. 14. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. 15. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16. And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! 17. For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, 18. And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! 19. And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. 20. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. 21. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. 22. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; 23. And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. 24. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. Rev 19… And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: 2. For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. 3. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
When we read that, we find a sense of reality. Deep down we know that it’s all going to end this way, but the way of Cain tries to deceive us into thinking that somehow maybe there will be exceptions. No, there will be no exceptions. The end is coming, and it’s coming soon. Let us examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. If we find we are, let us watch and be ready.
I recommend to you the book Intoxicated with Babylon, by Steve Gallagher. It is a timely message that we need to hear. When I stand before you and recommend a book or a sermon, I don’t do that lightly. I know you have plenty to do. I recommend them to you because I believe the Lord will use them in your lives, as He has used them in mine. You will find a copy of this book on the bookshelf in the back. If you need another copy, let us know.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Learning from Cain -- 10/19/08
Sunday, October 19, 2008
LEARNING FROM CAIN
Gen. 4:1-16
Let’s begin this morning by reading Gen. 4:1-15…
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. 2. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4. 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: 5. But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6. And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7. 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. 8. 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. 9. And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 10. And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 12. 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. 13. And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 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. 15. 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.
Now let me ask you a simple question. In this little report, who gets the most press? Who is spoken of the most in this passage – Abel or Cain? In the first 4 and a half verses, there is perfect equality. Cain is born; Abel is born. Abel was a shepherd (rancher, if you prefer), while Cain was a farmer. Cain brought an offering and Abel brought an offering. The Lord had respect for Abel and his offering, but He did not have respect for Cain and his offering. But that is where the equality ends. From that point on, it is the story of Cain. Oh yes, Abel is mentioned, but only as the victim. Abel is snuffed out, but Cain continues on. The righteous man is no more, but the murdered lives on and will have many descendants.
With that introduction, let’s look more closely at this story. Anyone can see that there are three main characters – God, Abel, and Cain. While we will not say as much about Abel as about Cain, he is a principal character here. And as we go through this passage, we will look at three main themes…
1. Cain, as a picture of the person who is lost
2. Sin – give it an inch, and it will take a mile
3. God, who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy (Ps. 103:8)
These three themes are woven throughout the story. Watch them carefully. In Cain we will see the attitude and actions that typify the lost man, the one who does not have God’s life within, the one who has not been redeemed. And in this passage, there is much to learn about the power of sin. There’s an old song that put it like this…
Sin will take you farther than you ever wanted to go.
Sin will leave you longer than you ever wanted to stay.
Sin will cost you more than you ever wanted to pay.
(Slightly adapted from the song by Harold McWhorter)
But praise God that He is merciful beyond understanding and explanation.
In order to get a handle on this story, we will break it down into four sections…
1. The birth
2. The offering
3. The murder and what led to it
4. The resulting conversation between God and Cain
I. The Birth
Up until now we have read about only two human beings – Adam and Eve. By now, we know the story well. God made them and put them in the Garden of Eden, which was a paradise. They lacked for absolutely nothing. Nevertheless, Eve listened to the serpent and disobeyed God’s command concerning the fruit in the middle of the garden. In short, she trusted Satan instead of trusting God. And then Adam, to whom the direct command was given, also ate the fruit.
Instantly the promise of Satan went sour. Instead of being promoted to be like God, their eyes were opened and they were filled with guilt and shame. These two who had walked and talked with God were now cut off from Him, hiding under the fig leaves they threw on themselves. But even in the midst of that situation, God gave them hope. When the Lord spoke to Satan, He said, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:15). God promised to send a deliverer who would crush the head of that lying deceiver.
Not only did the Lord speak, but He also acted. He killed an animal and used the skins to make adequate clothing for both Adam and Eve. Don’t take the killing of that animal lightly. There is a sense in which it was wrong for God to kill that animal. After all, the animal was innocent; it had done nothing to deserve death. So why would God do it? He did it to fulfill His eternal principle: “Without shedding of blood is no remission” (Heb. 9:22). That animal served as a substitute for Adam and Eve. They deserved to die, but the animal died instead. And what qualified that animal to be a substitute for them? It was a substitute in that it represented the ultimate sacrifice and substitute, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). God was looking forward to the death of His Son, upon whom He would pour out all His wrath.
And that brings us to 4:1-2a, “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel.” The KJV says, “Adam knew Eve his wife.” The NASV says, “Adam had relations with his wife.” The NIV says, “Adam lay with his wife.” Yes, that is what it means, but when we discard the language which the Holy Spirit used, we lose something. The word “know” in the Bible has rich meaning. Adam knew his wife in the most intimate way.
As most of you are aware, biblical names had meaning. Eve said, “I have gotten a man from the Lord,” because the name Cain means “acquisition….” Can you imagine the excitement of Adam and Eve, when Cain was born? God had told them to multiply and replenish the earth, but they had messed up. They had disobeyed God. Yes, He had promised that Eve would have a seed, but now the evidence was at hand. They could actually hold this little boy in their hands. What a blessing! What joy! Eve had gotten a man from the Lord (or “with the help of the Lord”).
Eve conceived again and bore a second son, Abel. Some believe that they were twins, but it can’t be proved from the text. At any rate, Cain was the firstborn. The name “Abel” means “breath.” The idea seems to be that Abel was a mere breath. That is why some give it the meaning “frail.” So now Adam and Eve had two boys.
Let’s zero in on Cain for just a moment. What a fabulous beginning. The first child born into this world, a man from the Lord. He had the full attention of his loving parents. We don’t know why they named their second son “frail one.” Perhaps he was small at birth or had some birthmark. We don’t know, but if we were to judge only by what we have read so far, we would have to say that the greatest hopes for the human race were pinned upon Cain, the man acquired from the Lord.
Many think that Adam and Eve believed this first child to be the fulfillment of the promise God had given in Gen. 3:15. God had promised a descendant who would crush the head of Satan. They knew nothing about the long history of generations. They may have believed that this was the descendant. We don’t know this for sure, but it is certainly a possibility. If that was the case, then there were even higher hopes attached to the birth of Cain.
The end of verse 2 tells us that Abel kept the flocks, while Cain tilled the ground. Some have tried to say that because Abel was frail, he was not strong enough to till the soil, but there is no evidence for that in the text. These were the two most basic occupations of the ancient world. The people got what they needed from the ground and from the animals.
II. The Offering
Now verses 3-4a, “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.” “In process of time” is literally “at the end of days.” This may indicate that there was a specific time that God required the bringing of an offering. This tends to be supported by the fact that here at one time we read of both of them bringing an offering.
We see that Abel and Cain did not bring the same kind of offering to God. Cain brought some produce from the ground, while Abel brought an animal from the flock. At first, we might think this was just the natural result of their differing occupations. Cain farmed, so he brought some of what he grew. Abel tended the flocks, so he brought one of his animals. The first thing that would warn us against such an understanding is the fact that it would make God’s acceptance of one offering over the other an arbitrary act. In other words, Abel would be received and Cain would be rejected just because he had the wrong occupation. Such an understanding would be accusing God of injustice. Surely it will be wise to look for some other understanding.
So the question becomes: Did Abel and Cain know what kind of offering God expected? If so, how did they know? In this passage, there is nothing said about the kind of offering that would please God, until after they had offered. But think with me for a moment. Both Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve. Their parents knew what it was like to walk with God. They had enjoyed perfect fellowship with God in the Garden of Eden. They also knew what it was to lose that fellowship, to be cut off from God. And yes, they knew what caused the loss of that fellowship with God. It was their own sin. And finally, they knew what had been done to restore fellowship, to bring forgiveness for their sins. They would never be able to forget how God had spilled the blood of that animal and then clothed them with its skin.
Do you think Adam and Eve loved their sons? Of course, they did. They were parents. As loving parents, the one thing they would want to instill in their boys was the truth about sin and how God had provided a substitute. I can’t imagine loving parents telling them only once. Adam must have gone over this with Cain and Abel many times. Whenever an animal was killed and its skin was used, it would have been another opportunity for Adam to go over the story again, for every killing of an animal must have reminded him of that first death.
The other clue is found in the New Testament. Turn to Hebrews 11. What do we often call this chapter? “The faith chapter,” or “The Roll Call of the Faithful.” Abel is one of the faithful ones listed in this chapter. Let’s read it in Heb. 11:4, "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh." We see that Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.
Come back to the end of Gen. 4:4, “…And the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering.” It has been pointed out that before the Lord had respect for Abel’s offering, He had respect for Abel himself. The same is true of Cain in the next verse. “But unto Cain and his offering He had not respect.” The offerings Abel and Cain offered came out of a certain attitude of heart. Nevertheless, the offering was very important because it accurately revealed what was in the heart. And Abel’s offering was better than Cain’s.
The big question is, “Why?” Why was Abel’s offering better? Because Abel brought what God required. But is there anything here in Heb. 11:4 that tells us? Yes. The key is in the theme of this chapter. Notice the words “by faith.” It was by faith that Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. And what is faith? It is simply taking God at His Word. He who lives by faith hears what God says and obeys. That is the nature of faith. But in order to act by faith, a person has to know what God says. Do you see it? Abel had a word from God. Whether simply through his parents testimony or through an additional direct revelation from God, Abel knew what God required. And the remainder of this passage in Gen. 4 reveals that Cain also knew. That is why God could reject Cain and his offering just as surely as He received Abel and his offering. Abel trusted and obeyed. Cain did not.
Now I want you to note something here. Cain was not an atheist. He was a religious man; he brought an offering. He knew God required an offering and he brought one. But he brought the offering he chose to bring rather than what God required. No doubt, he had some justification for what he did. At the root of it must have been pride. “God has asked for an animal, but I have the fruit of the soil which is much more appealing than a bloody animal. Surely God will accept my offering. Surely He won’t be so picky that He would reject what I bring.” Whatever the details, Cain followed his own agenda instead of God’s. And here is revealed a heart that is departing from the Lord, for he doesn’t trust and obey.
III. The Murder and What Led to It
And now things begin to happen rapidly. Verse 5 again, “But unto Cain and his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.” We don’t know how God indicated the fact that He accepted one offering and not the other, but it was very clear to both Abel and Cain. Many believe that He consumed the offering of Abel by fire, as he did with the sacrifice offered by Elijah on Mt. Carmel (as well as a number of other similar examples).
Notice especially the response of Cain. He got angry, so angry that his face revealed his anger. Perhaps it was an attitude of pouting. Or maybe it was what we would call depression. It was not something he could hide. God rejected Cain and his offering, and Cain was mad.
What an opportunity he missed. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to read, “And when God rejected him and his offering, Cain was brokenhearted. He could not bear the displeasure of his Creator. So he quickly ran to the flock, asking Abel for one of the animals. Then he killed the animal and brought it to God, falling on his knees in repentance. ‘O God, please forgive me for my sin. Will you now accept my sacrifice?’” Do you think the Lord would have accepted Cain and his offering? Surely He would have done so, delighted to see such an attitude. We read in Ps. 34:18, “The Lord is nigh unto them who are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” Unfortunately, that is not what we find here. Instead, we find a rebellious Cain who is filled with anger.
We have the Lord’s response to Cain in verses 6-7, "And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7. 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." Cain, why are you angry? Why are you looking so downcast? Didn’t the Lord know? Of course, He knew. Remember that the Lord never asks questions of man to find out information. The Lord knows all; He doesn’t need any additional information. As John would say about Jesus, “[He] needed not that any should testify of man; for he knew what was in man” (Jn. 2:25). The Lord asks questions like these to help a person evaluate his own motives. Cain needed to think about these things. “Cain, do you really have reason to be angry?”
Then comes another more pointed question: “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” Even now, Cain, if you do right, will I not accept you? So what does the Lord mean by “do well”? He is not saying, “Cain, if you will just be a better man, if you will just try harder to live a good moral life and be kind to others, then I will accept you.” We must read this question in light of the context. The Lord is simply saying, “Cain, if you will repent of your pride and go back and bring me the proper sacrifice, will I not accept you?” What did Abel do to be accepted of God? He trusted God and brought the sacrifice God required. Abel was a sinner just like Cain, but He trusted the Lord and did what He said. That is what the Lord is urging Cain to do.
But what if Cain doesn’t do well? What if he still refuses to repent and bring the proper sacrifice to God? The Lord makes it clear: “And if you do not well, sin lies at the door.” Some translations read, “Sin is crouching at your door,” bringing out the fact that the language here pictures a beast of prey. It is very much like what we read in I Pet. 5:8, “Be vigilant; be sober; for your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” “Cain, if you refuse to do well, to bring the sacrifice I have required, be sure that sin is ready to devour you.” Remember, the subtle increase of sin is one of our themes. Give it an inch, and it’ll take a mile. That is exactly what God is saying to Cain. “Cain, you can deal with your sin right now by trusting me and obeying me. If you don’t, sin is going to do a number on you.”
Down through the years, interpretations of the last words of verse 7 have been varied. The key words are “his desire.” Some take it to mean “Abel’s desire.” “Abel’s desire will be to you, and you shall rule over him.” Adam Clarke suggests that these words were spoken by God to remove Cain’s envy. But surely envy isn’t removed by the outward circumstances. It seems better to take it to refer to sin’s desire. That sin, which is crouching at your door, desires to master you, but you must master it. Either way, it is still a fact that sin lies at the door and is seeking to destroy Cain.
Now we come to 4:8, "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." We are not told what Cain talked to Abel about (though some translations try to supply the subject; Ex. – NIV, “Let’s go out to the field”). I get the sense that Cain was disguising his true feelings toward Abel. He acted like everything was just fine. But when they were in the field together and Abel was not suspecting anything, then Cain quickly murdered him. The word used clearly speaks of murder. This was not some spur-of-the moment action; it was premeditated murder.
But why did Cain kill his brother Abel? Abel hadn’t done anything to Cain. The Bible gives us a direct answer to this question, but not in this passage. We find the answer in I John 3:11-12, "For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." Did you catch that? Abel’s deeds were righteous, while Cain’s deeds were evil. Cain was extremely jealous. Nevertheless, there was nothing to prevent Cain from doing what was right… except his stubborn pride.
Here we see Cain as the prototype of the unbeliever. Unbelievers are against true Christians. They often hate them and are jealous of them. Remember the words of Jesus: "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also" (John 15:20). We find the same theme in Gal. 4:29, "But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now." Cain was not only mad at God, but he was also angry enough with his brother to kill him. How many people in our day would do away with Christians, if there were no restrictions?
IV. The Conversation between God and Cain
So now Cain has committed cold-blooded murder. We can be sure that God knows about it. As a matter of fact, the Lord came to Cain and asked him, “Where is your brother Abel?” (4:9). Again, it wasn’t that the Lord didn’t know, but He wanted to hear it from Cain. Perhaps he would feel the full weight of it when he said, “I killed him.” But that isn’t what Cain said. His reply was simply, “I don’t know.” One sin leads to more sins, and so it is with Cain. Now he tries to cover up murder by lying. Imagine trying to conceal the truth from the Creator of the universe.
Notice the contrast between Adam and Cain. When the Lord confronted Adam, he did indeed try to shift the blame, but in the process he said very clearly that he ate the fruit (3:12). He didn’t try to deny the act itself. But Cain refused to acknowledge that he had killed his brother.
Then Cain added one other note. He had a question for God: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Can you sense the disrespect in Cain’s question? This was not a man who feared God. “Why do you expect me to keep up with him? He’s your problem, not mine.” Do you sense that Cain’s heart is rapidly becoming harder and harder? That is exactly what sin does. Sin never leaves us the same. We either repent and run to the Savior, or our heart becomes harder. Do you see how sin is indeed ruling his life more and more?
Now listen to the Lord’s reply in verses 10-12…
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 12. 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.
The Lord knew what he had done, but He wanted Cain to think about what he had done. He had just killed his own brother over petty jealousy. Now listen to the Lord’s words again: “The voice of your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground.” No one else could hear the voice of that blood, but the Lord could. Cain tried to conceal his act, but Abel’s blood cried out and would not be silenced. That very blood of Abel is mentioned twice in the New Testament (three times if you consider both Matthew and Luke, which are parallel accounts). In Matthew 23, Jesus was strongly rebuking the scribes and Pharisees. In that context, He says in Matt. 23:34-35…
Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35. That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Notice that it is the blood of righteous Abel. But as we see in Heb. 12:24, there is blood that speaks even louder than the blood of Abel: "And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel." Yes, it is the blood of the Lord Jesus, the mediator of a new and better covenant.
In verse 11 we find the first time that a human being is cursed by God. Adam wasn’t cursed, only the ground for his sake, but God says to Cain, “Now you are cursed from the earth.” The curse was related closely to the ground which Cain had tilled. From that point on, his tilling the ground would do no good, because God said that the earth would no longer yield its crops to Cain. And because Cain would not be able to farm, he would be a wandering fugitive on the earth. Cain would have to scratch and claw for a living wherever he could find it.
Now it’s time for an important question. Why didn’t God just kill Cain? Isn’t that what he deserved? Not only had he committed murder and lied to God about it, but he refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing on his part. Surely this guy was a lost cause. Why not destroy him and be done with it? It is here that we see the amazing mercy of the Lord. God could have killed him with a word or with a breath. Instead, he continues to deal with Cain. Even in the pronouncement of this curse, there is mercy, for it was far better than what Cain deserved. What could be a more adequate description of God than the words of David in Ps. 103:8, "The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy." We see that mercy demonstrated in God’s treatment of Cain.
So how would Cain respond to the sentence of the Lord? Verses 13-14, "And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 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." Don’t miss this – Cain was more concerned with his punishment than with his sin. When God rehearsed what he had done to his brother Abel and how serious it was, Cain’s heart was not pricked with the conviction of sin. Instead, he accused God of being unfair.
I remember spending 10 or 12 hours with a man going through the Stranger Study. Most of you have been through that study, and you know how the seriousness of sin is emphasized, along with the grace of God in Jesus Christ. At the end of the study, the response was not at all concerned with the man’s sin, but only with the injustice of hell. Cain pictures beautifully the general attitude of the non-believing world, which sees greater evil in God’s so-called injustice than in its own sin. Cain’s punishment should have been destruction, but God gave him mercy, but Cain could only complain.
In verse 14 Cain restates the Lord’s punishment. It seems to be his effort to emphasize how unfair God was. At the end of verse 14 we see the additional comment from Cain: “And it shall come to pass, that everyone that findeth me shall slay me.” It is obvious that there are other people in the world by now. There is only one explanation – these were other children of Adam. We don’t know what the population was at this time, but there was a population. But why was Cain worried that those people around him would seek to kill him? Because they were all related to him and more importantly to Abel. What would they do to a man who had murdered their righteous relative? Cain had a pretty good idea, and it frightened him greatly.
If you had been the Lord, I could hear you saying, “Cain, you reap what you sow. You live by the sword, and now you will die by the sword. I will not lift my hand against you, but be sure that someone will.” But that is not what we read in verse 15. Instead, Gen 4:15 “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."
God deliberately protected Cain from those who would want to kill him. How did He do that? By announcing a very severe penalty upon anyone who would kill Cain. Such an avenger would be repaid seven fold. But how would the avenger become aware of this deterring threat? God put a mark on Cain. This mark would identify Cain and the danger faced by anyone who would kill him. We don’t know what the mark was. Was it a physical mark on his body? We don’t know. Speculation abounds, but it isn’t very helpful. What the mark was makes absolutely no difference. What is important is that God did indeed identify Cain and warn against killing him.
Now the bigger question: Why would God protect Cain? “O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever” (Ps. 136:1). In Psalm 136, those words “for his mercy endureth forever” occur 26 times. They are in every single verse of that Psalm. Perhaps there is no better commentary on this passage than Psalm 136, which emphasizes the mercy of the Lord.
But doesn’t the Old Testament teach capital punishment. Many times did the Lord not tell His people that certain crimes were to be punished by death? And was not murder one of them? It certainly was. However, it was never personal vengeance. The Lord gave those instructions in the context of some governing authority. In this case, such authority has not yet been established. The Lord guards against Cain’s enemies taking matters into their own hands. So, in His great mercy, God protects this lawless murderer.
What a picture of how God handles the unbelieving sinner. You are here and have not fallen on your face before God in repentance and faith. You continue to rule your own life, even as Cain did. Why doesn’t the Lord go ahead and destroy you and send you to hell, which is what you deserve? Why does He continue to leave you in this world, where you have opportunity to repent of your sin and throw yourself on the Savior? It is because of His great mercy. “He has not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities” (Ps. 103:10). Praise God for His mercy.
And finally, verse 16, “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.” This is the ultimate end of sin’s work – “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord.” He dwelt in the land of Nod. We don’t know where Nod was, except that it was east of Eden. It doesn’t matter where Nod was located. What is important is the fact that it was out of the presence of the Lord. The word “Nod” means “wandering” and it is a picture of any place where God is not considered. Cain went out from the presence of the Lord.
Yes, this is the ultimate end of sin. And what a picture of the unbeliever. He continues to go out from the presence of the Lord. He is a restless wanderer. Unlike Abraham who wandered physically through this world but looked for an eternal city with foundations, the unbeliever is restless wanderer on the inside. And if he does not come to a place of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, he will some day go out from the presence of the Lord for all eternity.
Conclusion
We have seen that Cain paints a striking picture of the unbeliever. However, sin is capable of working in believers too, as we see in the life of a man like David. What we must remember is that sin always starts small. It doesn’t begin with actions, but with thoughts. Wrong thoughts cultivate wrong feelings, which lead to wrong actions. If we tolerate sin in its beginnings, it will devour us.
I remind you of what our Lord Jesus said in Matt. 5:28-30…
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
The immediate context is lust, but it doesn’t stop there. After talking about plucking out the eye, Jesus then speaks of cutting off the hand. The hand has nothing to do with lust. Jesus is dealing with a proper attitude toward sin. It is difficult to read this passage without asking the question, “Does Jesus intend us to take His words literally? If you find yourself lusting, should you literally pluck out your eye?” No, I don’t believe the application is literal. But let me explain that answer. It isn’t because plucking out the eye would be too radical. The problem with plucking out your right eye is that you would still have a left eye, and the left eye is just as capable of lust as the right eye. Jesus didn’t say we should pluck out both eyes. Plucking out the right eye would hinder lust very little. To effectively deal with lust in this manner, you would not only have to pluck out both eyes, but you would also have to destroy your mind as well, because that’s where the real problem is.
So what is Jesus trying to say? He is simply saying that we must cultivate a radical hatred of sin. Don’t wait for physical adultery, but deal with the first beginning of lust. Don’t spare yourself. If you have to avoid every newsstand where there are magazines, do it. If you have to get rid of the TV, do it. But remember that this isn’t just about lust; this is about sin.
What happens when you drop an acorn on the ground? Nothing immediately. But leave it two or three years and see what happens. It is a thousand times easier to pick up the acorn after you drop it than to try to eliminate it after it has sent down its roots deep into the soil. For Cain, it would have been much easier to respond to the Lord’s first rebuke than after he had killed his brother. Ps. 97:10, “Ye that love the Lord, hate evil; he preserveth the soul of his saints…”
As we have seen, Cain got most of the press. He is the main human character in this passage. Abel passes off the scene with a whisper, but Cain will go on to have many descendants. But praise God that isn’t the end of the story. For those of us who have the life of Jesus, we will see Abel in heaven. We will have fellowship with him forever and ever and ever. But there will be no trace of Cain there. Heaven will not tolerate his tolerance for sin. Abel looked beyond the here and now.
Let’s read one more time Heb 11:4, "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh." Even now Abel testifies that God is faithful! Yes, He was faithful to Abel and merciful to Cain. But let us never forget that a person can step beyond the mercy of God. What great hope there was at the beginning of Cain’s life, but when sin had done its work, Cain went out from the presence of the Lord. “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Cor. 6:2).
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I recommend the sermon “The Way of Cain,” by Zac Poonen. You can find it at sermonindex.com
LEARNING FROM CAIN
Gen. 4:1-16
Let’s begin this morning by reading Gen. 4:1-15…
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. 2. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4. 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: 5. But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6. And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7. 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. 8. 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. 9. And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 10. And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 12. 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. 13. And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 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. 15. 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.
Now let me ask you a simple question. In this little report, who gets the most press? Who is spoken of the most in this passage – Abel or Cain? In the first 4 and a half verses, there is perfect equality. Cain is born; Abel is born. Abel was a shepherd (rancher, if you prefer), while Cain was a farmer. Cain brought an offering and Abel brought an offering. The Lord had respect for Abel and his offering, but He did not have respect for Cain and his offering. But that is where the equality ends. From that point on, it is the story of Cain. Oh yes, Abel is mentioned, but only as the victim. Abel is snuffed out, but Cain continues on. The righteous man is no more, but the murdered lives on and will have many descendants.
With that introduction, let’s look more closely at this story. Anyone can see that there are three main characters – God, Abel, and Cain. While we will not say as much about Abel as about Cain, he is a principal character here. And as we go through this passage, we will look at three main themes…
1. Cain, as a picture of the person who is lost
2. Sin – give it an inch, and it will take a mile
3. God, who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy (Ps. 103:8)
These three themes are woven throughout the story. Watch them carefully. In Cain we will see the attitude and actions that typify the lost man, the one who does not have God’s life within, the one who has not been redeemed. And in this passage, there is much to learn about the power of sin. There’s an old song that put it like this…
Sin will take you farther than you ever wanted to go.
Sin will leave you longer than you ever wanted to stay.
Sin will cost you more than you ever wanted to pay.
(Slightly adapted from the song by Harold McWhorter)
But praise God that He is merciful beyond understanding and explanation.
In order to get a handle on this story, we will break it down into four sections…
1. The birth
2. The offering
3. The murder and what led to it
4. The resulting conversation between God and Cain
I. The Birth
Up until now we have read about only two human beings – Adam and Eve. By now, we know the story well. God made them and put them in the Garden of Eden, which was a paradise. They lacked for absolutely nothing. Nevertheless, Eve listened to the serpent and disobeyed God’s command concerning the fruit in the middle of the garden. In short, she trusted Satan instead of trusting God. And then Adam, to whom the direct command was given, also ate the fruit.
Instantly the promise of Satan went sour. Instead of being promoted to be like God, their eyes were opened and they were filled with guilt and shame. These two who had walked and talked with God were now cut off from Him, hiding under the fig leaves they threw on themselves. But even in the midst of that situation, God gave them hope. When the Lord spoke to Satan, He said, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:15). God promised to send a deliverer who would crush the head of that lying deceiver.
Not only did the Lord speak, but He also acted. He killed an animal and used the skins to make adequate clothing for both Adam and Eve. Don’t take the killing of that animal lightly. There is a sense in which it was wrong for God to kill that animal. After all, the animal was innocent; it had done nothing to deserve death. So why would God do it? He did it to fulfill His eternal principle: “Without shedding of blood is no remission” (Heb. 9:22). That animal served as a substitute for Adam and Eve. They deserved to die, but the animal died instead. And what qualified that animal to be a substitute for them? It was a substitute in that it represented the ultimate sacrifice and substitute, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). God was looking forward to the death of His Son, upon whom He would pour out all His wrath.
And that brings us to 4:1-2a, “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel.” The KJV says, “Adam knew Eve his wife.” The NASV says, “Adam had relations with his wife.” The NIV says, “Adam lay with his wife.” Yes, that is what it means, but when we discard the language which the Holy Spirit used, we lose something. The word “know” in the Bible has rich meaning. Adam knew his wife in the most intimate way.
As most of you are aware, biblical names had meaning. Eve said, “I have gotten a man from the Lord,” because the name Cain means “acquisition….” Can you imagine the excitement of Adam and Eve, when Cain was born? God had told them to multiply and replenish the earth, but they had messed up. They had disobeyed God. Yes, He had promised that Eve would have a seed, but now the evidence was at hand. They could actually hold this little boy in their hands. What a blessing! What joy! Eve had gotten a man from the Lord (or “with the help of the Lord”).
Eve conceived again and bore a second son, Abel. Some believe that they were twins, but it can’t be proved from the text. At any rate, Cain was the firstborn. The name “Abel” means “breath.” The idea seems to be that Abel was a mere breath. That is why some give it the meaning “frail.” So now Adam and Eve had two boys.
Let’s zero in on Cain for just a moment. What a fabulous beginning. The first child born into this world, a man from the Lord. He had the full attention of his loving parents. We don’t know why they named their second son “frail one.” Perhaps he was small at birth or had some birthmark. We don’t know, but if we were to judge only by what we have read so far, we would have to say that the greatest hopes for the human race were pinned upon Cain, the man acquired from the Lord.
Many think that Adam and Eve believed this first child to be the fulfillment of the promise God had given in Gen. 3:15. God had promised a descendant who would crush the head of Satan. They knew nothing about the long history of generations. They may have believed that this was the descendant. We don’t know this for sure, but it is certainly a possibility. If that was the case, then there were even higher hopes attached to the birth of Cain.
The end of verse 2 tells us that Abel kept the flocks, while Cain tilled the ground. Some have tried to say that because Abel was frail, he was not strong enough to till the soil, but there is no evidence for that in the text. These were the two most basic occupations of the ancient world. The people got what they needed from the ground and from the animals.
II. The Offering
Now verses 3-4a, “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.” “In process of time” is literally “at the end of days.” This may indicate that there was a specific time that God required the bringing of an offering. This tends to be supported by the fact that here at one time we read of both of them bringing an offering.
We see that Abel and Cain did not bring the same kind of offering to God. Cain brought some produce from the ground, while Abel brought an animal from the flock. At first, we might think this was just the natural result of their differing occupations. Cain farmed, so he brought some of what he grew. Abel tended the flocks, so he brought one of his animals. The first thing that would warn us against such an understanding is the fact that it would make God’s acceptance of one offering over the other an arbitrary act. In other words, Abel would be received and Cain would be rejected just because he had the wrong occupation. Such an understanding would be accusing God of injustice. Surely it will be wise to look for some other understanding.
So the question becomes: Did Abel and Cain know what kind of offering God expected? If so, how did they know? In this passage, there is nothing said about the kind of offering that would please God, until after they had offered. But think with me for a moment. Both Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve. Their parents knew what it was like to walk with God. They had enjoyed perfect fellowship with God in the Garden of Eden. They also knew what it was to lose that fellowship, to be cut off from God. And yes, they knew what caused the loss of that fellowship with God. It was their own sin. And finally, they knew what had been done to restore fellowship, to bring forgiveness for their sins. They would never be able to forget how God had spilled the blood of that animal and then clothed them with its skin.
Do you think Adam and Eve loved their sons? Of course, they did. They were parents. As loving parents, the one thing they would want to instill in their boys was the truth about sin and how God had provided a substitute. I can’t imagine loving parents telling them only once. Adam must have gone over this with Cain and Abel many times. Whenever an animal was killed and its skin was used, it would have been another opportunity for Adam to go over the story again, for every killing of an animal must have reminded him of that first death.
The other clue is found in the New Testament. Turn to Hebrews 11. What do we often call this chapter? “The faith chapter,” or “The Roll Call of the Faithful.” Abel is one of the faithful ones listed in this chapter. Let’s read it in Heb. 11:4, "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh." We see that Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.
Come back to the end of Gen. 4:4, “…And the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering.” It has been pointed out that before the Lord had respect for Abel’s offering, He had respect for Abel himself. The same is true of Cain in the next verse. “But unto Cain and his offering He had not respect.” The offerings Abel and Cain offered came out of a certain attitude of heart. Nevertheless, the offering was very important because it accurately revealed what was in the heart. And Abel’s offering was better than Cain’s.
The big question is, “Why?” Why was Abel’s offering better? Because Abel brought what God required. But is there anything here in Heb. 11:4 that tells us? Yes. The key is in the theme of this chapter. Notice the words “by faith.” It was by faith that Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. And what is faith? It is simply taking God at His Word. He who lives by faith hears what God says and obeys. That is the nature of faith. But in order to act by faith, a person has to know what God says. Do you see it? Abel had a word from God. Whether simply through his parents testimony or through an additional direct revelation from God, Abel knew what God required. And the remainder of this passage in Gen. 4 reveals that Cain also knew. That is why God could reject Cain and his offering just as surely as He received Abel and his offering. Abel trusted and obeyed. Cain did not.
Now I want you to note something here. Cain was not an atheist. He was a religious man; he brought an offering. He knew God required an offering and he brought one. But he brought the offering he chose to bring rather than what God required. No doubt, he had some justification for what he did. At the root of it must have been pride. “God has asked for an animal, but I have the fruit of the soil which is much more appealing than a bloody animal. Surely God will accept my offering. Surely He won’t be so picky that He would reject what I bring.” Whatever the details, Cain followed his own agenda instead of God’s. And here is revealed a heart that is departing from the Lord, for he doesn’t trust and obey.
III. The Murder and What Led to It
And now things begin to happen rapidly. Verse 5 again, “But unto Cain and his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.” We don’t know how God indicated the fact that He accepted one offering and not the other, but it was very clear to both Abel and Cain. Many believe that He consumed the offering of Abel by fire, as he did with the sacrifice offered by Elijah on Mt. Carmel (as well as a number of other similar examples).
Notice especially the response of Cain. He got angry, so angry that his face revealed his anger. Perhaps it was an attitude of pouting. Or maybe it was what we would call depression. It was not something he could hide. God rejected Cain and his offering, and Cain was mad.
What an opportunity he missed. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to read, “And when God rejected him and his offering, Cain was brokenhearted. He could not bear the displeasure of his Creator. So he quickly ran to the flock, asking Abel for one of the animals. Then he killed the animal and brought it to God, falling on his knees in repentance. ‘O God, please forgive me for my sin. Will you now accept my sacrifice?’” Do you think the Lord would have accepted Cain and his offering? Surely He would have done so, delighted to see such an attitude. We read in Ps. 34:18, “The Lord is nigh unto them who are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” Unfortunately, that is not what we find here. Instead, we find a rebellious Cain who is filled with anger.
We have the Lord’s response to Cain in verses 6-7, "And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7. 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." Cain, why are you angry? Why are you looking so downcast? Didn’t the Lord know? Of course, He knew. Remember that the Lord never asks questions of man to find out information. The Lord knows all; He doesn’t need any additional information. As John would say about Jesus, “[He] needed not that any should testify of man; for he knew what was in man” (Jn. 2:25). The Lord asks questions like these to help a person evaluate his own motives. Cain needed to think about these things. “Cain, do you really have reason to be angry?”
Then comes another more pointed question: “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” Even now, Cain, if you do right, will I not accept you? So what does the Lord mean by “do well”? He is not saying, “Cain, if you will just be a better man, if you will just try harder to live a good moral life and be kind to others, then I will accept you.” We must read this question in light of the context. The Lord is simply saying, “Cain, if you will repent of your pride and go back and bring me the proper sacrifice, will I not accept you?” What did Abel do to be accepted of God? He trusted God and brought the sacrifice God required. Abel was a sinner just like Cain, but He trusted the Lord and did what He said. That is what the Lord is urging Cain to do.
But what if Cain doesn’t do well? What if he still refuses to repent and bring the proper sacrifice to God? The Lord makes it clear: “And if you do not well, sin lies at the door.” Some translations read, “Sin is crouching at your door,” bringing out the fact that the language here pictures a beast of prey. It is very much like what we read in I Pet. 5:8, “Be vigilant; be sober; for your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” “Cain, if you refuse to do well, to bring the sacrifice I have required, be sure that sin is ready to devour you.” Remember, the subtle increase of sin is one of our themes. Give it an inch, and it’ll take a mile. That is exactly what God is saying to Cain. “Cain, you can deal with your sin right now by trusting me and obeying me. If you don’t, sin is going to do a number on you.”
Down through the years, interpretations of the last words of verse 7 have been varied. The key words are “his desire.” Some take it to mean “Abel’s desire.” “Abel’s desire will be to you, and you shall rule over him.” Adam Clarke suggests that these words were spoken by God to remove Cain’s envy. But surely envy isn’t removed by the outward circumstances. It seems better to take it to refer to sin’s desire. That sin, which is crouching at your door, desires to master you, but you must master it. Either way, it is still a fact that sin lies at the door and is seeking to destroy Cain.
Now we come to 4:8, "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." We are not told what Cain talked to Abel about (though some translations try to supply the subject; Ex. – NIV, “Let’s go out to the field”). I get the sense that Cain was disguising his true feelings toward Abel. He acted like everything was just fine. But when they were in the field together and Abel was not suspecting anything, then Cain quickly murdered him. The word used clearly speaks of murder. This was not some spur-of-the moment action; it was premeditated murder.
But why did Cain kill his brother Abel? Abel hadn’t done anything to Cain. The Bible gives us a direct answer to this question, but not in this passage. We find the answer in I John 3:11-12, "For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." Did you catch that? Abel’s deeds were righteous, while Cain’s deeds were evil. Cain was extremely jealous. Nevertheless, there was nothing to prevent Cain from doing what was right… except his stubborn pride.
Here we see Cain as the prototype of the unbeliever. Unbelievers are against true Christians. They often hate them and are jealous of them. Remember the words of Jesus: "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also" (John 15:20). We find the same theme in Gal. 4:29, "But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now." Cain was not only mad at God, but he was also angry enough with his brother to kill him. How many people in our day would do away with Christians, if there were no restrictions?
IV. The Conversation between God and Cain
So now Cain has committed cold-blooded murder. We can be sure that God knows about it. As a matter of fact, the Lord came to Cain and asked him, “Where is your brother Abel?” (4:9). Again, it wasn’t that the Lord didn’t know, but He wanted to hear it from Cain. Perhaps he would feel the full weight of it when he said, “I killed him.” But that isn’t what Cain said. His reply was simply, “I don’t know.” One sin leads to more sins, and so it is with Cain. Now he tries to cover up murder by lying. Imagine trying to conceal the truth from the Creator of the universe.
Notice the contrast between Adam and Cain. When the Lord confronted Adam, he did indeed try to shift the blame, but in the process he said very clearly that he ate the fruit (3:12). He didn’t try to deny the act itself. But Cain refused to acknowledge that he had killed his brother.
Then Cain added one other note. He had a question for God: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Can you sense the disrespect in Cain’s question? This was not a man who feared God. “Why do you expect me to keep up with him? He’s your problem, not mine.” Do you sense that Cain’s heart is rapidly becoming harder and harder? That is exactly what sin does. Sin never leaves us the same. We either repent and run to the Savior, or our heart becomes harder. Do you see how sin is indeed ruling his life more and more?
Now listen to the Lord’s reply in verses 10-12…
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 12. 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.
The Lord knew what he had done, but He wanted Cain to think about what he had done. He had just killed his own brother over petty jealousy. Now listen to the Lord’s words again: “The voice of your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground.” No one else could hear the voice of that blood, but the Lord could. Cain tried to conceal his act, but Abel’s blood cried out and would not be silenced. That very blood of Abel is mentioned twice in the New Testament (three times if you consider both Matthew and Luke, which are parallel accounts). In Matthew 23, Jesus was strongly rebuking the scribes and Pharisees. In that context, He says in Matt. 23:34-35…
Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35. That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Notice that it is the blood of righteous Abel. But as we see in Heb. 12:24, there is blood that speaks even louder than the blood of Abel: "And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel." Yes, it is the blood of the Lord Jesus, the mediator of a new and better covenant.
In verse 11 we find the first time that a human being is cursed by God. Adam wasn’t cursed, only the ground for his sake, but God says to Cain, “Now you are cursed from the earth.” The curse was related closely to the ground which Cain had tilled. From that point on, his tilling the ground would do no good, because God said that the earth would no longer yield its crops to Cain. And because Cain would not be able to farm, he would be a wandering fugitive on the earth. Cain would have to scratch and claw for a living wherever he could find it.
Now it’s time for an important question. Why didn’t God just kill Cain? Isn’t that what he deserved? Not only had he committed murder and lied to God about it, but he refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing on his part. Surely this guy was a lost cause. Why not destroy him and be done with it? It is here that we see the amazing mercy of the Lord. God could have killed him with a word or with a breath. Instead, he continues to deal with Cain. Even in the pronouncement of this curse, there is mercy, for it was far better than what Cain deserved. What could be a more adequate description of God than the words of David in Ps. 103:8, "The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy." We see that mercy demonstrated in God’s treatment of Cain.
So how would Cain respond to the sentence of the Lord? Verses 13-14, "And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 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." Don’t miss this – Cain was more concerned with his punishment than with his sin. When God rehearsed what he had done to his brother Abel and how serious it was, Cain’s heart was not pricked with the conviction of sin. Instead, he accused God of being unfair.
I remember spending 10 or 12 hours with a man going through the Stranger Study. Most of you have been through that study, and you know how the seriousness of sin is emphasized, along with the grace of God in Jesus Christ. At the end of the study, the response was not at all concerned with the man’s sin, but only with the injustice of hell. Cain pictures beautifully the general attitude of the non-believing world, which sees greater evil in God’s so-called injustice than in its own sin. Cain’s punishment should have been destruction, but God gave him mercy, but Cain could only complain.
In verse 14 Cain restates the Lord’s punishment. It seems to be his effort to emphasize how unfair God was. At the end of verse 14 we see the additional comment from Cain: “And it shall come to pass, that everyone that findeth me shall slay me.” It is obvious that there are other people in the world by now. There is only one explanation – these were other children of Adam. We don’t know what the population was at this time, but there was a population. But why was Cain worried that those people around him would seek to kill him? Because they were all related to him and more importantly to Abel. What would they do to a man who had murdered their righteous relative? Cain had a pretty good idea, and it frightened him greatly.
If you had been the Lord, I could hear you saying, “Cain, you reap what you sow. You live by the sword, and now you will die by the sword. I will not lift my hand against you, but be sure that someone will.” But that is not what we read in verse 15. Instead, Gen 4:15 “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."
God deliberately protected Cain from those who would want to kill him. How did He do that? By announcing a very severe penalty upon anyone who would kill Cain. Such an avenger would be repaid seven fold. But how would the avenger become aware of this deterring threat? God put a mark on Cain. This mark would identify Cain and the danger faced by anyone who would kill him. We don’t know what the mark was. Was it a physical mark on his body? We don’t know. Speculation abounds, but it isn’t very helpful. What the mark was makes absolutely no difference. What is important is that God did indeed identify Cain and warn against killing him.
Now the bigger question: Why would God protect Cain? “O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever” (Ps. 136:1). In Psalm 136, those words “for his mercy endureth forever” occur 26 times. They are in every single verse of that Psalm. Perhaps there is no better commentary on this passage than Psalm 136, which emphasizes the mercy of the Lord.
But doesn’t the Old Testament teach capital punishment. Many times did the Lord not tell His people that certain crimes were to be punished by death? And was not murder one of them? It certainly was. However, it was never personal vengeance. The Lord gave those instructions in the context of some governing authority. In this case, such authority has not yet been established. The Lord guards against Cain’s enemies taking matters into their own hands. So, in His great mercy, God protects this lawless murderer.
What a picture of how God handles the unbelieving sinner. You are here and have not fallen on your face before God in repentance and faith. You continue to rule your own life, even as Cain did. Why doesn’t the Lord go ahead and destroy you and send you to hell, which is what you deserve? Why does He continue to leave you in this world, where you have opportunity to repent of your sin and throw yourself on the Savior? It is because of His great mercy. “He has not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities” (Ps. 103:10). Praise God for His mercy.
And finally, verse 16, “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.” This is the ultimate end of sin’s work – “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord.” He dwelt in the land of Nod. We don’t know where Nod was, except that it was east of Eden. It doesn’t matter where Nod was located. What is important is the fact that it was out of the presence of the Lord. The word “Nod” means “wandering” and it is a picture of any place where God is not considered. Cain went out from the presence of the Lord.
Yes, this is the ultimate end of sin. And what a picture of the unbeliever. He continues to go out from the presence of the Lord. He is a restless wanderer. Unlike Abraham who wandered physically through this world but looked for an eternal city with foundations, the unbeliever is restless wanderer on the inside. And if he does not come to a place of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, he will some day go out from the presence of the Lord for all eternity.
Conclusion
We have seen that Cain paints a striking picture of the unbeliever. However, sin is capable of working in believers too, as we see in the life of a man like David. What we must remember is that sin always starts small. It doesn’t begin with actions, but with thoughts. Wrong thoughts cultivate wrong feelings, which lead to wrong actions. If we tolerate sin in its beginnings, it will devour us.
I remind you of what our Lord Jesus said in Matt. 5:28-30…
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
The immediate context is lust, but it doesn’t stop there. After talking about plucking out the eye, Jesus then speaks of cutting off the hand. The hand has nothing to do with lust. Jesus is dealing with a proper attitude toward sin. It is difficult to read this passage without asking the question, “Does Jesus intend us to take His words literally? If you find yourself lusting, should you literally pluck out your eye?” No, I don’t believe the application is literal. But let me explain that answer. It isn’t because plucking out the eye would be too radical. The problem with plucking out your right eye is that you would still have a left eye, and the left eye is just as capable of lust as the right eye. Jesus didn’t say we should pluck out both eyes. Plucking out the right eye would hinder lust very little. To effectively deal with lust in this manner, you would not only have to pluck out both eyes, but you would also have to destroy your mind as well, because that’s where the real problem is.
So what is Jesus trying to say? He is simply saying that we must cultivate a radical hatred of sin. Don’t wait for physical adultery, but deal with the first beginning of lust. Don’t spare yourself. If you have to avoid every newsstand where there are magazines, do it. If you have to get rid of the TV, do it. But remember that this isn’t just about lust; this is about sin.
What happens when you drop an acorn on the ground? Nothing immediately. But leave it two or three years and see what happens. It is a thousand times easier to pick up the acorn after you drop it than to try to eliminate it after it has sent down its roots deep into the soil. For Cain, it would have been much easier to respond to the Lord’s first rebuke than after he had killed his brother. Ps. 97:10, “Ye that love the Lord, hate evil; he preserveth the soul of his saints…”
As we have seen, Cain got most of the press. He is the main human character in this passage. Abel passes off the scene with a whisper, but Cain will go on to have many descendants. But praise God that isn’t the end of the story. For those of us who have the life of Jesus, we will see Abel in heaven. We will have fellowship with him forever and ever and ever. But there will be no trace of Cain there. Heaven will not tolerate his tolerance for sin. Abel looked beyond the here and now.
Let’s read one more time Heb 11:4, "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh." Even now Abel testifies that God is faithful! Yes, He was faithful to Abel and merciful to Cain. But let us never forget that a person can step beyond the mercy of God. What great hope there was at the beginning of Cain’s life, but when sin had done its work, Cain went out from the presence of the Lord. “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Cor. 6:2).
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I recommend the sermon “The Way of Cain,” by Zac Poonen. You can find it at sermonindex.com
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Thinking About God's Economy -- 10/12/08
Sunday Morning, October 12, 2008
THINKING ABOUT GOD’S ECONOMY
Anybody here been concerned about the stock market? Or, if not about the stock market, about the economy in general? Lately it seems like the news has been bad news. Just this past week the Dow lost 1875 points. Over the past 8 working days, it has lost over 2,400 points, which is over 22% of its total value. Believe it or not, the Dow has lost over 5,700 points in the last year and has dropped over 40% of its value. No wonder people are beginning to compare it with the Great Depression. The S & P had its worst week since 1933. There are individuals and businesses which are feeling it intensely. Depending on what happens, we could all be affected.
Well, I have some good news for you this morning. This isn’t last night’s news; this is the current report. Brothers and sisters, everything is fine. Our investments are absolutely secure. We have nothing to worry about. We don’t have to worry about our bank failing or the government buying it out. Our savings are safe indeed. 1 Pet. 1:3-5, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4. To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
We have to admit that we don’t know what will happen with the US economy. I am no prophet, but I believe that sooner or later our enonomy will crash – if not now, then down the road. An economy that thrives on people going ever deeper into debt is not built on a firm foundation.
On the other hand, God’s economy will never fail. It is solid and will remain solid. So this morning let’s allow God’s Word to remindus of some of the great principles of God’s economy. Mainly we will read the Word, for there is no lack of biblical materials on this subject.
Before we do, let me say one other thing. Brothers and sisters, what will our attitude be when a severe economic crisis hits this country? When that time comes, we don’t need to be wondering what we are going to do. Rather, we need to be firm in our convictions, strong in our confidence in the Lord, and fearless in our attitude toward affliction. Why? So we can minister to others. We can’t give the bread of life to those in need, if we ourselves are wringing our hands and asking the Lord what is going on. When the world is in crisis, we must be resting calmly in Him, so that we will be ready to give an answer to everyone that asks us a reason for the hope that is in us. But if we don’t understand and live the principles of God’s economy, no one will be able to see the hope that is within us.
So let’s receive the Word with gladness this morning.
I. General Statements about Material Riches
1 Sam 2:7 "The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up."
Psa 37:16 "A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked."
Prov 10:2 "Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death."
Prov 15:16-17 "Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith. 17. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith."
Prov 16:8 "Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right."
Prov 21:6 "The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death."
Prov 28:11 "The rich man is wise in his own conceit; but the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out."
Prov 28:20 "A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent."
Prov 28:22 "He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him."
Prov 30:8-9 "Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: 9. Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain."
1 Tim 6:17-19 "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18. That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19. Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."
II. The Futility of Riches
A. Riches will flee away
Prov 23:5 "Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven."
Psa 49:16-17 "Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; 17. For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him."
Eccl 5:10 "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity."
James 4:13-17 "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14. Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 17. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."
Hag 1:6 "Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes."
B. Fools store up riches in this world
Psa 52:1-7 “A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech. Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. 2. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. 3. Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. 4. Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. 5. God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah. 6. The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: 7. Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness."
Luke 12:13-21 "And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 14. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? 15. And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18. And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21. So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
C. Riches will not deliver anyone from God’s wrath
Ezek 7:19 "They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity."
Zep 1:18 "Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land."
III. A Proper Attitude Toward Riches -- Contentment
Phil 4:10-19 "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. 11. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 14. Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. 15. Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. 16. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. 17. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. 18. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. 19. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
Heb 13:5 "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." [They didn’t have much, as seen in Heb 10:34 "For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance."]
Psa 62:10 "Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them."
1 Tim 6:6-11 "But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."
IV. The Danger of Riches
A. They tend to lead a person to forget God.
Deut 6:10-12 "And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, 11. And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; 12. Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage."
Deut 8:10-18 "When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. 11. Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: 12. Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 13. And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 14. Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15. Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; 16. Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; 17. And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. 18. But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day."
Deut 31:20 "For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant."
Deut 32:15 "But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation."
Job 21:7-15 "Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power? 8. Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes. 9. Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. 10. Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf. 11. They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance. 12. They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ. 13. They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. 14. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. 15. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?"
B. Riches can choke out God’s Word.
* The parable of the sower is found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Here are the key verses in each passage…
Mat 13:7,22 "And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them… He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful."
Mark 4:7,19 "And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit… And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful."
Luke 8:7,14 "And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it… And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection."
C. People most often come to trust them.
Psa 62:10 "Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them."
Mark 10:17-27 "And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18. And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. 23. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 24. And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27. And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible."
** Is the great difficulty for the one who has riches, or for the one who trusts riches? Mark says the difficulty if for
both. The clear implication is that most people who have riches will end up trusting them.
D. Riches cloud the judgment of leaders – both governmental and spiritual leaders.
Ex 18:21 "Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:"
Neh 5:7 "Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them."
Isa 1:23 "Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them."
Jer 8:8-11 "How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain. 9. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them? 10. Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. 11. For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace."
Micah 3:11 "The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us."
Luke 16:14 "And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him."
1 Tim 3:3 "Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;"
Titus 1:7 "For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;"
1 Pet 5:2 "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;"
2 Pet 2:3 "And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not."
Jude 1:11 "Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core."
V. The Seriousness of Covetousness
In the New Testament there are two primary words translated “covetousness” (or “greed”). One means “lover of silver,” while the other means “to want more.”
How serious is covetousness? Is it sin? Is it serious enough to keep a person out of God’s kingdom?
A. Forbidden
Exo 20:17 "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's."
Deu 5:21 "Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's."
B. Keeps very evil company
Mark 7:21-23 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22. Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23. All these evil things come from within, and defile the man."
Rom 1:29 "Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,"
1 Cor 5:11 "But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat."
Eph 5:3 "But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;"
C. Is equal to idolatry
Col 3:5 "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:"
Eph 5:5 "For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
D. Excludes from the Kingdom
Eph 5:5 "For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
1 Cor 6:10 "Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."
E. Chokes out love for God.
Mat 6:19-21 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Mat 6:24-25 "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 25. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"
F. Calls forth stern “woes” from the Lord.
Isa 5:8 "Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!"
Amos 6:1-6 "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! 2. Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border? 3. Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; 4. That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; 5. That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of music, like David; 6. That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph."
Hab 2:9 "Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!"
James 5:1-5 "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 3. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. 4. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. 5. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter."
Luke 6:24-25 "But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. 25. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep."
VI. The Blessing of Using Material Riches for God’s Glory
Mat 6:19-21 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Gal 6:10 "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith."
Eph 4:28 "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth."
Phil 4:17-19 "Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. 18. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. 19. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
Luke 6:38 "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
VII. So Let Us…
Psa 62:10 "Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them."
John 6:27 "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."
Mat 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Mat 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Luke 16:9-11 "And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. 10. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?"
1 Tim 6:8 "And having food and raiment let us be therewith content."
Rev 3:18 "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."
Conclusion
God’s economy will not fail. When the treasures of this world fails, then it will be our privilege to prove that we have the true treasure – the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We long to share this treasure with the world now, but it seems that most in the world don’t want it. But when the fleeting riches of this world begin to vanish, surely some will look to those who are unshaken by the trials of this world. If we are going to be unshaken, we must live by God’s economic principles now.
So let me suggest two primary areas of concern…
1. Prayer.
Let’s be careful how we pray. It is obvious that even the best financial minds are gravely concerned about the US economy and the world economy. And yes, we can sympathize with those who are personally suffering because of what is happening. BUT be careful that you don’t pray that God will fix our economy. Don’t forget what is most important – that God be glorified. Economic distress may be the very thing that causes multitudes of people to question their current system of security and ultimately be driven to repentance and faith in Christ, which brings glory to our blessed Lord. Be careful that you are not praying against the very work of God.
If that seems radical to you, understand that the gospel of Jesus Christ is radical. God didn’t leave us in this world to pray for our comfort and the comfort of others; He leaves us here to point people to Christ, that the Lamb who was slain might receive the reward of His suffering. If He wants to accomplish that through difficult trials, we must be willing to walk with Him in the fires of affliction.
Brothers and sisters, let’s pray that God be glorified and that people be drawn to the Savior.
2. Let us beware of the idolatry of covetousness in our own lives.
Friday night I began to sense that the Lord wanted us to look at these concepts this morning. Saturday morning I received the mission update from Sean Scott. Please allow me to read to you the closing section, just as it appears in the update…
Everywhere you turn here there are idols. There are probably 20 billion idols in this country…maybe more. They are easy to see. They look demonic. They are usually some half man half animal creature with at least 4 arms. Anyone walking into this country would easily agree with Paul when he saw Athens and say this country is “wholly given over to idolatry”. But the bottom line truth is America is the same way! And as many of you know Americas idol ($$$) seems to be in big trouble right now and unable to deliver those who are trusting in it. People think the idolatry here is bad because it SO obvious. It’s easy to look at and see how sick and perverted it is. But the idolatry of money, possessions, comfort, etc. is NO different. God says that covetousness IS idolatry. All idolatry is sin and NO idolater will enter the kingdom of God. Whether you physically bow down on your knees before some demonic statue or with your heart you bow down and serve money, it makes no difference to God. It’s all the same. God lumps them all in the same class and excludes all idolaters from his Kingdom. I don’t know what lies ahead but if things keep going they way they are it’s only going to get worse. And if you’re secretly in your heart trusting in money, seeking possessions, and living for this life - even if you claim the name of Jesus, you’re going to be like the man who built his house on the sand - one who hear the word of God but doesn't obey. (Matt 7). Your ruin will be great, your life will be a disaster, and you’ll end up in Hell. I pray that before things get worse that you will evaluate your heart/life in light of God’s Word. Let the Lord begin to expose any sin in your heart and truly begin to trust and obey Jesus. “For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Romans 10:11)
May the Lord give us grace to no longer be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, to the glory of God.
Prayer
Benediction: 2 Cor 8:9, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."
THINKING ABOUT GOD’S ECONOMY
Anybody here been concerned about the stock market? Or, if not about the stock market, about the economy in general? Lately it seems like the news has been bad news. Just this past week the Dow lost 1875 points. Over the past 8 working days, it has lost over 2,400 points, which is over 22% of its total value. Believe it or not, the Dow has lost over 5,700 points in the last year and has dropped over 40% of its value. No wonder people are beginning to compare it with the Great Depression. The S & P had its worst week since 1933. There are individuals and businesses which are feeling it intensely. Depending on what happens, we could all be affected.
Well, I have some good news for you this morning. This isn’t last night’s news; this is the current report. Brothers and sisters, everything is fine. Our investments are absolutely secure. We have nothing to worry about. We don’t have to worry about our bank failing or the government buying it out. Our savings are safe indeed. 1 Pet. 1:3-5, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4. To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
We have to admit that we don’t know what will happen with the US economy. I am no prophet, but I believe that sooner or later our enonomy will crash – if not now, then down the road. An economy that thrives on people going ever deeper into debt is not built on a firm foundation.
On the other hand, God’s economy will never fail. It is solid and will remain solid. So this morning let’s allow God’s Word to remindus of some of the great principles of God’s economy. Mainly we will read the Word, for there is no lack of biblical materials on this subject.
Before we do, let me say one other thing. Brothers and sisters, what will our attitude be when a severe economic crisis hits this country? When that time comes, we don’t need to be wondering what we are going to do. Rather, we need to be firm in our convictions, strong in our confidence in the Lord, and fearless in our attitude toward affliction. Why? So we can minister to others. We can’t give the bread of life to those in need, if we ourselves are wringing our hands and asking the Lord what is going on. When the world is in crisis, we must be resting calmly in Him, so that we will be ready to give an answer to everyone that asks us a reason for the hope that is in us. But if we don’t understand and live the principles of God’s economy, no one will be able to see the hope that is within us.
So let’s receive the Word with gladness this morning.
I. General Statements about Material Riches
1 Sam 2:7 "The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up."
Psa 37:16 "A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked."
Prov 10:2 "Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death."
Prov 15:16-17 "Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith. 17. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith."
Prov 16:8 "Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right."
Prov 21:6 "The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death."
Prov 28:11 "The rich man is wise in his own conceit; but the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out."
Prov 28:20 "A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent."
Prov 28:22 "He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him."
Prov 30:8-9 "Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: 9. Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain."
1 Tim 6:17-19 "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18. That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19. Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."
II. The Futility of Riches
A. Riches will flee away
Prov 23:5 "Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven."
Psa 49:16-17 "Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; 17. For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him."
Eccl 5:10 "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity."
James 4:13-17 "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14. Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 17. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."
Hag 1:6 "Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes."
B. Fools store up riches in this world
Psa 52:1-7 “A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech. Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. 2. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. 3. Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. 4. Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. 5. God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah. 6. The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: 7. Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness."
Luke 12:13-21 "And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 14. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? 15. And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18. And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21. So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
C. Riches will not deliver anyone from God’s wrath
Ezek 7:19 "They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity."
Zep 1:18 "Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land."
III. A Proper Attitude Toward Riches -- Contentment
Phil 4:10-19 "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. 11. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 14. Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. 15. Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. 16. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. 17. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. 18. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. 19. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
Heb 13:5 "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." [They didn’t have much, as seen in Heb 10:34 "For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance."]
Psa 62:10 "Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them."
1 Tim 6:6-11 "But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."
IV. The Danger of Riches
A. They tend to lead a person to forget God.
Deut 6:10-12 "And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, 11. And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; 12. Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage."
Deut 8:10-18 "When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. 11. Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: 12. Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 13. And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 14. Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15. Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; 16. Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; 17. And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. 18. But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day."
Deut 31:20 "For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant."
Deut 32:15 "But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation."
Job 21:7-15 "Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power? 8. Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes. 9. Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. 10. Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf. 11. They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance. 12. They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ. 13. They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. 14. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. 15. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?"
B. Riches can choke out God’s Word.
* The parable of the sower is found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Here are the key verses in each passage…
Mat 13:7,22 "And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them… He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful."
Mark 4:7,19 "And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit… And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful."
Luke 8:7,14 "And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it… And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection."
C. People most often come to trust them.
Psa 62:10 "Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them."
Mark 10:17-27 "And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18. And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. 23. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 24. And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27. And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible."
** Is the great difficulty for the one who has riches, or for the one who trusts riches? Mark says the difficulty if for
both. The clear implication is that most people who have riches will end up trusting them.
D. Riches cloud the judgment of leaders – both governmental and spiritual leaders.
Ex 18:21 "Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:"
Neh 5:7 "Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them."
Isa 1:23 "Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them."
Jer 8:8-11 "How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain. 9. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them? 10. Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. 11. For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace."
Micah 3:11 "The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us."
Luke 16:14 "And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him."
1 Tim 3:3 "Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;"
Titus 1:7 "For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;"
1 Pet 5:2 "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;"
2 Pet 2:3 "And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not."
Jude 1:11 "Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core."
V. The Seriousness of Covetousness
In the New Testament there are two primary words translated “covetousness” (or “greed”). One means “lover of silver,” while the other means “to want more.”
How serious is covetousness? Is it sin? Is it serious enough to keep a person out of God’s kingdom?
A. Forbidden
Exo 20:17 "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's."
Deu 5:21 "Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's."
B. Keeps very evil company
Mark 7:21-23 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22. Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23. All these evil things come from within, and defile the man."
Rom 1:29 "Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,"
1 Cor 5:11 "But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat."
Eph 5:3 "But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;"
C. Is equal to idolatry
Col 3:5 "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:"
Eph 5:5 "For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
D. Excludes from the Kingdom
Eph 5:5 "For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
1 Cor 6:10 "Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."
E. Chokes out love for God.
Mat 6:19-21 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Mat 6:24-25 "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 25. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"
F. Calls forth stern “woes” from the Lord.
Isa 5:8 "Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!"
Amos 6:1-6 "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! 2. Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border? 3. Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; 4. That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; 5. That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of music, like David; 6. That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph."
Hab 2:9 "Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!"
James 5:1-5 "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 3. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. 4. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. 5. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter."
Luke 6:24-25 "But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. 25. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep."
VI. The Blessing of Using Material Riches for God’s Glory
Mat 6:19-21 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Gal 6:10 "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith."
Eph 4:28 "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth."
Phil 4:17-19 "Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. 18. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. 19. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
Luke 6:38 "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
VII. So Let Us…
Psa 62:10 "Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them."
John 6:27 "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."
Mat 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Mat 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Luke 16:9-11 "And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. 10. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?"
1 Tim 6:8 "And having food and raiment let us be therewith content."
Rev 3:18 "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."
Conclusion
God’s economy will not fail. When the treasures of this world fails, then it will be our privilege to prove that we have the true treasure – the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We long to share this treasure with the world now, but it seems that most in the world don’t want it. But when the fleeting riches of this world begin to vanish, surely some will look to those who are unshaken by the trials of this world. If we are going to be unshaken, we must live by God’s economic principles now.
So let me suggest two primary areas of concern…
1. Prayer.
Let’s be careful how we pray. It is obvious that even the best financial minds are gravely concerned about the US economy and the world economy. And yes, we can sympathize with those who are personally suffering because of what is happening. BUT be careful that you don’t pray that God will fix our economy. Don’t forget what is most important – that God be glorified. Economic distress may be the very thing that causes multitudes of people to question their current system of security and ultimately be driven to repentance and faith in Christ, which brings glory to our blessed Lord. Be careful that you are not praying against the very work of God.
If that seems radical to you, understand that the gospel of Jesus Christ is radical. God didn’t leave us in this world to pray for our comfort and the comfort of others; He leaves us here to point people to Christ, that the Lamb who was slain might receive the reward of His suffering. If He wants to accomplish that through difficult trials, we must be willing to walk with Him in the fires of affliction.
Brothers and sisters, let’s pray that God be glorified and that people be drawn to the Savior.
2. Let us beware of the idolatry of covetousness in our own lives.
Friday night I began to sense that the Lord wanted us to look at these concepts this morning. Saturday morning I received the mission update from Sean Scott. Please allow me to read to you the closing section, just as it appears in the update…
Everywhere you turn here there are idols. There are probably 20 billion idols in this country…maybe more. They are easy to see. They look demonic. They are usually some half man half animal creature with at least 4 arms. Anyone walking into this country would easily agree with Paul when he saw Athens and say this country is “wholly given over to idolatry”. But the bottom line truth is America is the same way! And as many of you know Americas idol ($$$) seems to be in big trouble right now and unable to deliver those who are trusting in it. People think the idolatry here is bad because it SO obvious. It’s easy to look at and see how sick and perverted it is. But the idolatry of money, possessions, comfort, etc. is NO different. God says that covetousness IS idolatry. All idolatry is sin and NO idolater will enter the kingdom of God. Whether you physically bow down on your knees before some demonic statue or with your heart you bow down and serve money, it makes no difference to God. It’s all the same. God lumps them all in the same class and excludes all idolaters from his Kingdom. I don’t know what lies ahead but if things keep going they way they are it’s only going to get worse. And if you’re secretly in your heart trusting in money, seeking possessions, and living for this life - even if you claim the name of Jesus, you’re going to be like the man who built his house on the sand - one who hear the word of God but doesn't obey. (Matt 7). Your ruin will be great, your life will be a disaster, and you’ll end up in Hell. I pray that before things get worse that you will evaluate your heart/life in light of God’s Word. Let the Lord begin to expose any sin in your heart and truly begin to trust and obey Jesus. “For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Romans 10:11)
May the Lord give us grace to no longer be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, to the glory of God.
Prayer
Benediction: 2 Cor 8:9, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."
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