CAIN’S CURSE
Gen 4:8-15

Cain represents the attitude of a self-righteous sinner, who will not trust the Lord Jesus Christ, toward saved sinners, who have trusted Jesus and not their own righteousness. He also pictures the Jews.

Cain – The Self-righteous Sinner

1. He was a murderer. Out of envy (Prov. 27:4; 14:30) for Abel, the religious Cain killed him. This is "the way of Cain," (Jude 11), which others in the Bible followed and which religious men will continue to follow until the end.

1. Saul and David – 1 Sam. 18:7-9, 11
   
2. Joseph’s brother’s and Joseph – Gen. 37:3-4, 20
   
3. The chief priests and Jesus – Mk. 15:10, 11-14
   
4. The religious hypocrites against God’s people – Matt. 10:16-22
   

2. He was a liar. When asked where his brother was, he said, "I know not." So, beware of religious hypocrites. They will hate you, desire to see you dead, and lie about it when questioned (Jn. 8:44; Matt. 12:14; Jn. 7:19-20).

3. He was cursed. Actually, he should have been killed (Gen. 9:6; Num. 35:33) because the Bible commands capital punishment for murder. The curse involved three things found in verse 12:

1. He wouldn’t be able to farm
   
2. He would be a fugitive (a run away, as from the law)
   
3. He would be a vagabond (a person without a home; wanderer)
   

4. His reaction was self-pity. He said, "My punishment is greater than I can bear." Religious hypocrites cannot imagine that a righteous God would throw unsaved sinners into hell (Matt. 25:41). They think the punishment is unreasonable. The saved, on the other hand, believe that they have been punished less than they deserve (Ezra 9:13).

Cain – A Type of Jew

1. The Jews were cursed – Deut. 28:15
2. The Jews couldn’t farm – Deut. 28:16-17, 38-40, 42
3. The Jews were fugitives – Eze. 17:21; Deut. 28:63-64
4. The Jews were vagabonds – Deut. 28:25, 65-68; Acts 19:13
5. The Lord hid his face from the Jews – Ps. 10:1; 13:1; Deut. 31:17
6. The Jews have been slaughtered throughout history – Deut. 28:48-53
7. Vengeance would be taken out on their enemies sevenfold – Ps. 79:10-13
8. The Jews will be marked for their protection – Eze. 9:4; Rev. 7:3; 14:1
9. The Jews will not be exterminated – Mal. 3:6; Ps. 89:33-34

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