Cain was affected by his choices
In this section we shall examine how Cain was affected by his sinful choices. We will also note how focusing on self can be extremely detrimental to ourselves and those around us. Before commencing this section, however, see if you can answer the questions below.
1. Why couldn't Cain see the goodness of God?
2. How does sin spread to affect those around us?
3. How can self hinder God's church today?
CAIN'S FACE WAS DOWNCAST
'Downcast' - 'wayipluw' - from the root 'to fall', a Jewish idiom (idiom -a form of speech peculiar to a particular people) meaning 'he put on a sad face', 'he took on an ugly look. ' Literally, 'his face became bad.'
The word 'face' can be a substitute for the entire person (Ex 33:14-15) or a reflection of the person's mood or attitude (eg Joyful, Job 29:24; defiant, Jer 5:3). It can also be used to indicate direction (Gen 31:21) or purpose (Jer 2:15,17).
"The human face, and especially the eyes are not just additional physical objects in space. We say that the eyes are the windows of the soul, and there is much truth to it.Interestingly, 'growing up' is largely a matter of learning to hide our spirit behind our face, eyes and language so that we can evade and manage others to achieve what we want and to avoid what we fear. By contrast, the child's face is a constant epiphany because it doesn't yet know how to do this. It cannot manage its face."
Prof D Willard, 'The Divine Conspiracy', p 87.
'Cain's face was downcast; his mind was walking into a no-man's land of confusion. Yet this need not have been the case.
O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. Daniel 7:9
Daniel contrasts God's righteousness with man's 'confusion of faces,' this speaks of shame or disgrace. Isaiah sets a similar tone in chapter 59; as does Ezra 9 and Nehemiah 9.
When the ego gets in the way we are shut away from the author of life, and the ability to live in the freedom He alone can provide. We no longer view fellow man as a participator in life, but see him as a competitor. We are unable to receive God's love and reach out to others in love.
"Sin - a falling away from the divine eternal life for which man was made, and to which by his very nature, he is called. Sin is committed first of all in the secret depths of the human spirit but its consequences distort the whole individual.sin will, inevitably, pass beyond the boundaries of the sinners' life to burden all humanity and affect the fate of the whole world."
E. Irwing, 'Christ and the Spirit', p 110.
God wants to be known
The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."' "So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless then. Numbers 6:24f
The above verse speaks of God's desire to be with His people, the 'face of God' speaking of the personality of God turned towards man. God wants to be known. Yet Cain was not willing to accept what God had to say.
Cain knew something about God (where to bring his sacrifice, etc), but he did not really know God. In Hebrew thought knowing speaks of engaging with what is known. Therefore, an intellectual knowledge needs to be acted upon before a person is spoken of as really knowing.
A modern day example could be a drug addict who knows the dangers of drugs but does not give up. Such a person, (in Hebrew thought), does not really know! This also explains why James can say, "faith without works is dead" ,(James 2:26).
How much do we really know - in the Hebrew sense - about God's word? Do we just read it, or is it lived out in our lives?
Cain's mind was being darkened by his own thinking, yet as the Psalmist informs us, God is willing to open the mind and help us deal with all difficulty.
Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God. Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God. Psalm 43:3-5
The heart of the covenant is God's Spirit within man. It is the goodness of his presence enabling us to find our real place in Him. Sadly, in mind and heart, Cain was already far from home. He could not see the goodness of God.
Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?" "Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:6-8
Note also the words of Psalm 119:33-38 and how it speaks of receiving.
Cain was slowly becoming separated from the only person who could help him.
"Once separated from God and the spiritual world man loses his independence and his spiritual individuality; he is subject to the laws of the animal world, becomes the instrument of the racial principle, and is condemned to live dominated by tradition and in families and states in which this principle is a preponderating factor."
N. Berdyaev, 'Freedom and the Spirit', page 202.
Cain's way of thinking was passed down to subsequent generations in his family. Cain's seed speaks of those involved in unrestrained living and having little or no interest in spiritual matters as taught by God. Such people are like the servant who seeks to look after his own needs:
But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards"Matthew 12:48
Such people are like a son whose life choices put him far from home and amongst pigs (Luke 15:15). Life choices made apart from the teaching of God ultimately hinder and imprison the very life they seek to feed and liberate. Cain thought his way was better than God's and would bring him greater freedom.
Cain was a selfish man seeking to build on his own ideas, no matter what. He had no regard for those around him.
Ego
"Ego - I use this word in an unsophisticated and non-technical way to describe the internal force that prompts most people to act in a self-aggrandizing manner much of the time, regardless of whether this behaviour is at the expense of other people or at the expense of society itself."
Dr D. Ehrenfeld, 'The Arrogance of Humanism', page 238.
The 7th from Cain was Lamech, a man who boasted of taking life, and of his own importance.
"The tendency to spread evil beyond oneself: I still have it. Beings and things are not sacred enough to me. May I never sully anything..sully nothing, even in thought. Even in my worst moments I would not destroy a Greek statue or a fresco by Giotto. Why anything else then? When, for example, a moment in the life of a human being who could have been happy for that moment."
Simone Weil
Compare the words of Lamech with those of Enoch, seventh from Adam via Seth.
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage" Jude 14-16
There are three words translated as ungodly from the Greek in the above verse: 'asebeis,' 'psuchen' and 'eesebeesan.' Together these words speak of people who in their mind and heart have no fear or reverence for God. This does not mean that they are irreligious, but that they actively practice the opposite of what the real fear of the Lord demands.
As already mentioned, Cain's ego was getting in the way.
Today the 'old Adam' often rules the church.
Meeting 'felt needs' is one of the main objectives instead of 'seeking first the kingdom of God.' Cain was seeking to meet his needs in his own way. We are encouraged to believe in methods and strategies rather than the leading of the Holy Spirit. In a real sense we are encouraged to believe in self, as one secular advert for Avia trainers puts it.
"Is fitness a new religion? This is not about guilt. It is about joy. Strength. The revival of the spirit. I come here seeking redemption in sweat. And it is here I am forgiven my sinful calories. Others may never understand my dedication. But for me, fitness training is something much more powerful than exercise. It is what keeps my body healthy. It is what keeps my mind clear. And it is where I learn the one true lesson. To believe in myself."
Quoted by Dr John Steel in his essay on 'Modernity and Evangelicals'.
Concerning today's church, Dr Steel in his essay on 'Modernity and Evangelicals' writes:
"As this (marketing) has entered the church we have progressively created institutions with such organisational potential that an awareness of the invisible spiritual reality, the need for prayer, or even God himself is no longer needed to achieve maximum results."
A copy of this essay may be found in 'Faith and Modernity, p 303. Ed P. Sampson, V. Samuel and C. Sugden.
Cain don't you realise?
Cain - sin is universal, yet it is also a chosen act for which you are personally responsible.
Cain - in your sin you deny the relationship with God that you were created for, and hide your great need for divine grace. You are saying 'no' to the outstretched hand of your heavenly Father.
Cain - your sin is a refusal to anchor yourself in the Lord and find security in Him. It is a refusal to see that freedom can only be received as a gift.
Cain - although sin is lawbreaking, it is not primarily lawbreaking or a code violation; your sin is a rejection of God and His love for you.
Against you and you alone have I sinned Psalm 51:4
Cain - death is present with you and there is no influence that you will ever have where death does not (though perhaps unrecognised), make its influence felt. Look at what happens to those around your life, when sin reigns in your heart.
"To harm a person is to receive something from him. What? What have we gained when we have done harm? We have gained in importance. We have expanded. We have filled an emptiness in ourselves by creating one in somebody else."
Simone Weil.
What does this session tell us about God? Can you add to the answers you recorded at the beginning of this session?