What I Wish Someone Had Told Me

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me - Part 2

I wish someone had told me that it’s possible to know God this side of eternity!

Almost everyone knows the story of Adam and Eve, and maybe even Cain and Abel, but does everyone know that God spoke to Cain? Not only before he hurt his brother but afterwards as well! This conversation stuck out to me when I first read it, because if God talked to Cain of all people, outside the Garden of Eden, this meant that God could also talk to me! This conversation encouraged me to keep reading and searching, to learn how to draw near to God and how to hear him, like Cain once did!

Genesis 4:2-24 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 are you wroth? and why is your countenance fallen? (7) If you do well, shall you not be accepted? and if you do not well, sin lies at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and you shall 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 have you done? the voice of your brother's blood cries unto me from the ground. (11) And now are you cursed from the earth, which has opened her mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand; (12) When you till the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto you her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shall you be in the earth. (13) And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. (14) Behold, you have driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from your face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that everyone that finds me shall slay me. (15) And the LORD said to him, Therefore whosoever slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. (16) 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 instructer 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.

Note that it was Cain, and not the Lord who said, "from your face shall I be hid". Cain was afraid of being murdered for what he had done to his brother, and so to protect him, the Lord placed a Mark on Cain. Notice how merciful this act was, allowing Cain to go on to build a city which he called after his son Enoch. Note that 6 generations from Adam through their other son Seth a son was born, and he too was called Enoch. This suggests that there was possibly some contact between Cain's family and the descendent of Seth. There was possibly forgiveness within the family, that led to one of Seth's son's being named after his distant relative Enoch. Seth's Enoch is described as having walked with God and thus did not see death:

Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

Many people often ask the question, who did Cain marry? In another non-canonical book it claims that Cain married his sister. In this following Youtube Short, a man gives an explanation as to why the Lord eventually introduced the Restriction of marrying your sibling in the Law of Moses:

YOUTUBE SHORT = Who Was Cain's Wife

I share this all to highlight the fact that the Lord was very merciful to Cain, allowing Cain to go on to have a family with his sister who had done no wrong. No doubt she wouldn't have wanted to lose contact with her parents and other siblings and relatives. I have often heard the theory of Cain's descendants being the Serpent's Seed, as if only evil could have come from Cain's descendants. But notice how in the verses above in verse (20), it mention's one of Cain's descendants being a Keeper of Cattle, just like Cain's brother Abel. I believe it's very wrong to assume that the child of someone who has committed a crime is only capable of evil, we wouldn't accept this thinking today, but this is what the Serpent Seed Theory assumes. I believe it's a theory that needs to be chucked out and rejected!

Like what the Lord said to Cain, the same is true of us all today, If you do well, shall you not be accepted? and if you do not well, sin lies at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and you shall rule over him.

The New Testament tells us:

Ephesians 6:11-18 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places. (13) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having your loins girded about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (18) Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

The New Testament also speaking of Cain, says:

1 John 3:11-18 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. (12) 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. (13) Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. (14) We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loves not his brother abides in death. (15) Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (16) Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (17) But whoso has this world's good, and sees his brother has need, and shuts up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwells the love of God in him? (18) My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

I feel it important to say that where it says who was of that wicked one, is not a word-for-word translation but has a few additions which make it sound like Cain was of the Devil. I think this is a wrong attitude to have towards anyone, despite how bad a person might be, because it fosters suspicion of people in general. Whereas like that verse earlier tells us, we wrestle not against flesh and blood...but against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places. We have always been privy to a voice that tries to sow discord, distrust, fear and hatred between people. We've got to learn to rise above it, no matter how bad we think people are. It's only because they have succumbed to the wrong voice, just like Cain. So when it says who was of that wicked one, it should really say something like who held to evil.

It stunned me the first time I read this verse that Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him for it told me that I had been guilty of this a few times because I had hated a few people in my lifetime. It also taught me that I really didn't have eternal life dwelling in me, while I was dwelling with hate in my heart. But that all changed when I accepted the Lord Jesus into my life, who is described as that Eternal Life. My hate for people melted away and I found I had love for everybody and wanted the best for everyone. This brings me back to the opening statement of this post, which says:

I wish someone had told me that it’s possible to know God this side of eternity!

I have learned that following after love, and finding it in my heart to love all people, including my enemies and those that might wish me harm, is the sure true way of coming to know God this side of eternity, and becoming the child of God that he always intended me to be:

Matthew 5:43-45 Ye have heard that it has been said, You shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy. (44) But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (45) That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Luke 6:27-35 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, (28) Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. (29) And unto him that smites you on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that takes away thy cloke forbid not to take your coat also. (30) Give to every man that asks of you; and of him that takes away your goods ask them not again. (31) And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. (32) For if ye love them which love you, what grace do you have? for sinners also love those that love them. (33) And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what grace do you have? for sinners also do even the same. (34) And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what grace do you have? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. (35) But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

WHY DID THE LORD HAVE RESPECT FOR ABEL'S OFFERING BUT NOT CAINS?

I thought it might be helpful to address this question. It seems very obvious from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden that the Lord was trying to teach us all something important. Note that after Adam and Eve sinned, they sewed fig leaves to cover their nakedness, but this didn't take away their fear of the Lord. They still hid themselves from the presence of the Lord:

Genesis 3:7-10 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. (8) And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. (9) And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where are you? (10) And he said, I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Note that it wasn't the Lord who hid from Adam and Eve after they sinned, but them who hid from the Lord! Eventually they come out from hiding and explain to the Lord what had happened. And eventually the Lord replaces their fig leaves with garments of animal skins. These animals would have been the first creatures to lose their lives to cover Adam and Eve's nakedness (or sin). I'm inclined to think that they must have noticed a difference in how they felt toward the Lord God and that they no longer feared him. I'm inclined to think that what they experienced as shame for their nakedness, was actually a guilty conscience. I imagine it being similar to when one of our children is caught in the act of doing something they know they shouldn't. This reminds me of one of the descriptions given to Satan. He is called the Accuser! It almost seems that once he had enticed them to sin that he immediately poked fun at them and told them they had sinned, and see, they were naked. Notice it wasn't the Lord who told them they were naked, or to be ashamed of it. It's something they felt within themselves and rather than telling them to take the clothes off, he clothed them with garments he deemed of better quality than the fig leaves.

So as I was saying, it seems that these skins helped to remove their fear of the Lord and they were able to continue having fellowship with him without fear. This seems evident by the very fact that Adam and Eve's two sons later got the urge to give an offering to the Lord. Note however, that while Cain's offering was of the fruit of the ground because he was a farmer, Abel offered a firstling of his flock, carrying on the tradition he had maybe learned from his parents. No doubt Adam and Eve must have witnessed the Lord kill the animals that later clothed them. And thus Abel did in similar fashion. The Lord respecting Abel's offering over Cains:

There was obviously something the Lord was trying to communicate through his respect to animal sacrifice, but it's not made obvious to us until later in the Scriptures, when Abraham says the following to Isaac:

Genesis 22:7-8 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? (8) And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

This can be read one of two ways. The Lord was going to provide an animal for them to sacrifice, which he did. And the Lord would provide Himself as a Lamb for a burnt offering. And this is exactly what we find God promised he would do in the Old Testament and that he did in fact do, in the New Testament:

OLD TESTAMENT Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

NEW TESTAMENT John 1:29 The next day John seeing Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God....John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Note that Scripture tells us that animal sacrifice didn't actually have the power to take away our guilty conscience for our sin, which is why in the Old Testament, they had to make a remembrance of sin every year by offering animal sacrifices. (Hebrews 10:1-10) But the New Testament tells us, that once the Lord God came and died for our sins, that now we had a sacrifice that actually had the power to cover our sins and ultimately cleanse us of them, completely:

1 John 1:5-10 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (6) If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: (7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. (8) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

I'm reminded of how the Lord Jesus said the following:

Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work lawlessness.

It seems like it is possible to do miracles in the name of the Lord Jesus, without ever actually knowing him, or more importantly him knowing us. And I only had this thought today while writing about Cain. Is this equivalent to offering fruit of the ground to the Lord like Cain did? And not actually acknowledging that it is only because of the Sacrifice of the Lord's life that these miracles are even possible? As I said, it seems possible to do these miracles without the Lord ever knowing us! I pray that I am never guilty of doing this. This reminds me of another story the Lord told:

Luke 17:7-10 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? (8) And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? (9) Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. (10) So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

I find that no matter what (I think) I do for the Lord, I never feel a sense of self-confidence. I might have a brief moment where I feel the Lord is pleased with me, but it's never lasting. I always return to a state of feeling like an unprofitable servant, who has only done what was my duty to do. I guess this is the thing about loving other people, it's not something that we ever complete doing, but something that requires our constant attention and effort. It seems that the Lord wants it to be a way of life, just who we are by nature. Not something we do for reward or gain, but that we do because we know it's God's nature to be like this, and because we seek to be one of his children and like him, to be close to him and he with us, so we can emanate his nature:

1 John 4:7-21 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knows God. (8) He that loveth not knows not God; for God is love. (9) In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. (10) Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the PROPITIATION for our sins. (11) Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (12) No man haS seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us. (13) Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. (14) And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. (15) Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God. (16) And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. (17) Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. (18) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear hath torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. (19) We love him, because he first loved us. (20) If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? (21) And this commandment have we from him, That he who loves God love his brother also.

PROPITIATION = An expiator, a person who atones for or makes amends for a wrongdoing or sin.