Thy Brother's Blood Crieth Unto Me

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And he said, What hast thou done?
The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground

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Adam and Eve brought sin into the world through their acts of omission, from the conscience. Sin begins to manifest itself into acts of commission, as we see that Cain has murdered his brother, as he has no guilt or repentance towards his wanton judgment; the intentioned slaying of his brother. We see Cain questioned by God as he responds with a lie; "I know not". Moreover, we find several important and foundational truths concerning murder. From the sins of conscience, that of desire; from Eve then to Adam, we now find that sin progresses towards lying, to murder - acts of commission.

It is hatred

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 1 John 3:15

A work of the flesh; those who reject the authority of God

Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:21

Comes from the heart

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man. Matthew 15:19-20

The flood will now come and judge the people for their wickedness and hatred. In this pre-flood world no law was given to man and without law to reveal sin, man continues towards the downfall of his own soul, demonstrating the true fact that man is a sinful being, that which comes from the heart.

Yet as well, we have found through Abel, that righteousness was taught the children of Adam and Eve. That the Lord Jesus began to work with mankind early in the beginning, demonstrating that by faith they can be forgiven of their sinful ways. Adam and Eve knew this and taught their children that One would come and redeem their transgression of innocence, their willful act to turn from God and listen to a malevolent being, which lied to them and succeeded into deceiving them. By this very act, Adam lost his rightful headship of dominion over this earth to that of the Serpent, who is now lord of this earth.

Yet redemption was given to those who loved God, and who chose to repent of their sins, to accept the mercy and grace of God, for He loved them. They needed to know what transgression was in order to have the justified decision to choose God. Not through force or through fear, but that of love. We have seen that Cain chose not to listen, and therefore, represents those who will reject God because of their envy, jealousy, rage and ultimately, their hatred of that which is Godly, that which is righteous, to choose that of their own way - the way of Cain. He is that which Satan showed to him; a liar and a murderer. This is idolatry at it's purist form, and this is the ultimate in the practice of divination and that of choosing to listen to a spirit world which seeks to deny the Lord God and his truth. It is from Cain that we find those who choose Satan; Woe to them, for they have gone in the way of Cain.

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Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary Genesis 4:10-15

• Baker's Evangelical Dictionary/Nave's Topical Bible
  

And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

• Represents a sin crying to heaven and cries for vengeance.
  

And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. Hebrews 12:24

And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? Revelation 6:10

Now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

Now art thou cursed from the earth
A curse superadded to the general one denounced on the ground for Adam's sin.

• A curse of God, and curses those guilty of
  

For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. Isaiah 26:21

Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these. Jeremiah 2:34

Curses made; denounce

• Against the serpent (Gen:3:14-15)
  
• Against Adam and Eve (Gen:3:15-19)
  
• Against the ground (Gen:3:17-18)
  
• Against Cain (Gen:4:11-16)

The next curse that will come (discussed in next article; part 12)

• against Canaan; the son of Ham, the son of Noah (Gen:9:24-27)

A fugitive
condemned to perpetual exile; a degraded outcast; the miserable victim of an accusing conscience.

• Wanderers and vagabonds, flee from God’s presence
  

Dave Marr Dan of Israel states:

Essentially, the earth itself cursed Cain. The earth received a dead man’s blood by a murderer, so it would punish the criminal, through God’s edict. It will no longer be subdued under Cain’s hand, and yield him crops. Taken in context, Cain would be “a fugitive and a vagabond” in his relationship to the earth, not in relation to other men. Indeed, Cain wasn't a farmer; instead, he built the world’s first city.

Yet, Cain was also a fugitive of his family, and was alienated from them-- but nowhere in the verses does it say “perpetually” or “forever”. Even so, the former interpretation is the primary meaning of the Genesis 4:12 - Dave Marr

Proverbs 6:16-19 Six things the Lord hates; in fact, seven are detestable to Him: arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet eager to run to evil, a lying witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up trouble among brothers.

My punishment is greater than I can bear
What an overwhelming sense of misery; but no sign of penitence, nor cry for pardon.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:21

When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will refuse to look at you; even if you offer countless prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. Isaiah 1:15

Every one that findeth me shall slay me
This shows that the population of the world was now considerably increased.

• Fearful and cowardly
  

because their feet run toward trouble and they hurry to commit murder. Proverbs 1:16

Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Romans 3:14-18

Whosoever slayeth Cain
By a special act of divine forbearance, the life of Cain was to be spared in the then small state of the human race. set a mark: not any visible mark or brand on his forehead, but some sign or token of assurance that his life would be preserved. This sign is thought by the best writers to have been a wild ferocity of aspect that rendered him an object of universal horror and avoidance.

For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Romans 5:13

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Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology Murder by Mark W. Chavalas

Jesus interpreted the sixth commandment differently than the contemporary Jewish scholars (who had a narrowly literal view), and agreed with the spirit of the Old Testament law on homicide (Matt:5:21-22). He pointed out a spiritual cause for murder;

• its root was internal anger.
  
• Characteristic of the Devil (John:8:44)
  

One was not righteous by simply refraining from homicide;

• an angry person was also subject to judgment
  

He thus contended that hating one's brother was in the sphere of the command against murder, as it was part of a process leading to a potential murderous act (Lev:19:17-18)

• Jesus' words were in effect a full summary of the murder law (Ex:21:12; Deut:17:8)
  
• The intention as well as the act came under God's judgment.
  

He condemned the evil disposition of the heart that lay at the root of the transgression.

• The beginning of the outward act of murder was sinful anger or hatred, an attitude that was a sin against the sixth commandment
  
• James added that the cause of murder was a consequence of frustrated desire (4:2; 1Kings:21)

The death of Christ was the supreme example of murder in the Scriptures (Matt 27:20; Mark:13:12; 14:55)

• His murder was predicted in the Passion narratives (Mark:8:31; 9:31; 10:34)
  
• The Jews sought to murder him (John:7:1, 19; 11:53)
  
• His violent death was recounted by Peter (Acts 5:30) and Paul (Acts:26:21; Eph:2:16 — Christ was murdered in hostility)
  
• Christ was symbolized as the slaughtered Lamb, signifying his humble obedience and innocence (Rev:5:6-12; 13:8)
  
• Slain martyrs were likewise labeled (Rev:6:9)

Willful murder was distinguished from accidental homicide, and was invariably visited with capital punishment.

• This law in its principle is founded on the fact of man's having been made in the likeness of God (Gen:9:5,6; John:8:44; 1John:3:12-15)
  

End of part 6
Thy Brother's Blood Crieth Unto Me

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Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain

part 1 They Were Morally Corrupt and Destitute
part 2 The Two Divisions of Mankind
part 3 In Due Time Christ Died For The Ungodly
part 4 The Revelation of Two Mysteries
part 5 Am I My Brother's Keeper?
part 6: Thy Brother's Blood Crieth Unto Me

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Copyright Wendell Leahy
published by Suite101.com