Category: Daily Devotionals

And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD. Genesis 4:25-26 ESV

People of Adam and Eve’s time lived 800-900 years. That’s a long time to labor on a newly cursed earth. That’s a long time to live with the memory of a martyred child, and an interminable amount of time to watch the descendants of Cain mock God and propagate an evil race. 

What’s astounding is that they recognized God’s redemption. They looked for His goodness and welcomed His comfort when Seth was born. With the inception of this child of promise, a new line of descendants began to worship God again. Every time one called upon the name of the Lord, I can imagine their deep joy.

Their sin in the garden didn’t kill Adam and Eve’s faith. Self-condemnation didn’t keep them from looking for a covenant keeping God. The hope of Genesis 3:17, the prediction that a Savior would come from Eve, was not abandoned. As soon as they saw the face of their newborn and named him ‘Seth’, which means ‘appointed’, they recognized the faithfulness of God. The memory of what God was like in the garden had not left them. It served as a foundation for the years of personal famine. 

Their testimony challenges me to look at how I deal with my own sins and failures. If I know the nature of God’s forgiveness, then I look for second chances. I know that my life isn’t ruined and that His mercies are new every morning. He is gracious and will craft another test where my faith can shine. I must anticipate its arrival, or I won’t recognize the face of it when it comes. I’ll wonder if God is mocking me when, instead, He’s giving me the grace and wings to get it right this time. My ‘Seth’ will be staring me in the face, begging the laughter of one who can see God’s prevailing love. 

If you only blessed me when I deserved it, it wouldn’t be redemption and your love wouldn’t be all that different from how I love others. Help me believe in your radical forgiveness and mercy. Amen

Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Cain knew his wife, and she conceived…. Genesis 4:16-17 ESV

Cain was ambitious. After the murder of his brother, and with the protection of God’s seal, he went on to accomplish some noteworthy things. He settled in Nod and built a city. That earned him fame among the people of his time but he couldn’t see that history would not remember him for his city, but for his sin. Cain never turned back to God.

Depravity isn’t always obvious, even when it’s in front of our faces. Cain’s descendants were civilized. They were craftsmen, even musicians, but despite their skills, they were like their father. Restless, driven, with no amount of achievement bringing them peace.

One of his descendants was named Lamech. He was the first bigamist.  He dominated his wives, even with poetry. He told them, in verse form, that they should live in fear of him because he had committed murder. He used his notorious reputation to subjugate.

He also mocked his Creator. God had said that anyone who shed the blood of Cain would be avenged seven times. How merciful!  Lamech should have worshipped God out of gratitude. Instead, he boasted that ‘he did not need God’s protection, that if anyone came after him for murder, He would take revenge on them, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times.’

We live in a world that celebrates great achievers like inventors, entrepreneurs, intellectuals, and artists. We wrongly believe that education runs counter to the rise of evil. But was any civilization more educated than WWII Germany? And isn’t it Putin, the educated tyrant, who could (and should) be tried for war crimes? Evil is found in the hearts of those who live in a palace as well as those who cry out from a paupers tent.  

Andrew DelBanco, a Columbia University professor, wrote a book called The Death of Satan. He responds to our modern culture that seeks to find an explanation for atrocities like the Columbine Massacre. “A gulf has opened in our culture between the visibility of evil and the intellectual resources to cope with it.” A people without God try to make sense of it but Jesus gave us answers long ago. Educated or uneducated, rich or poor, black or white, the heart is desperately wicked. No amount of achievement can mask the hidden sin of mankind. The only thing that matters is what each of us does with Jesus. What will it profit a man if he changes the world with his invention but ends up in Hell! Cain speaks to us from beyond the grave.

Oh Lord, let my faith resound beyond the days my life – in the lives of my descendants! In Jesus’ name, Amen

“If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.” Genesis 4:15 ESV

An orphan is one who must see to his own needs. He is not under the care and protection of anyone. As a child of God, I often live like, and feel like, an orphan. I forget that God’s seal has been put on me for all eternity; a mark of ownership. God has placed Himself in a position to meet all of my needs.

Cain murdered his brother, Abel. Now, God banishes him from his land and sends him away. He fears retribution from the rest of his family and expresses his fear to God. In the midst of judgment, God shows mercy to Cain and puts a mark on him that will prevent anyone from attacking him. Theologians suggest that it is a tattoo of some kind.

This is what a king does. He decrees, wills, and seals it with a stamp of authenticity. In the ancient world, a seal could be found on a ring, or it hung from someone’s neck on a string. The seal was covered with ink and used like a present-day stamp. A document might be sealed, or a seal might be put on the door of a house or tomb to show that it had been secured and visited by someone of authority.

King Darius even put his seal on the stone that trapped Daniel in the den of lions. It showed all who passed by that his purposes for Daniel’s execution couldn’t be changed.

Lest I feel alone today, uncared for in any way, I need only remember that I am marked in a way that the whole spiritual world can see. I’ve been stamped, imprinted with a seal that no one can revoke. God has made sure that all my enemies know that I am His property and nothing can change my status. Even though I sin, God is not tempted in any way to banish me. I am not Cain! Jesus paid the price for all my sins and gave me His Spirit as proof of my adoption. I may often feel like an orphan but I am not!

Does this change my emotional response to sin? Oh yes! Paul said, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30  Why would I want to injure my relationship with the Spirit of God when His seal upon me is the most wonderful thing I’ve ever received!

The enemy can’t kill me, because I’m your property. When He comes to accuse me and stir up hopelessness, I’ll remind him to take a good look at my mark of redemption! Amen

Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.  Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden.  I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”  Genesis 4:13-14  ESV

The pain Cain expressed had more to do with what he would suffer rather than what God would suffer.  There was no thought that God’s heart was broken because he killed his brother for doing something holy.  What was missing in Cain’s response to God was a real apology!  He only considered the ways he would faint under God’s punishment.

Do you know someone who expresses no remorse?  They are simply, because of the state of their heart, unable to recognize what their sin against another causes.  Many wives and husbands are cruel to each other.  Hurtful things are said.  Treacherous things are done.  When the one who feels betrayed speaks up, and backs up, remorse is absent.  But when the pain of consequences is felt, a token “Sorry!” can be offered.  Considering this to be a proper apology, there is often an expectation that everything should be back to normal. 

All throughout Israel’s history, God qualified the kinds of tears they cried.  God laid out the ground rules from the beginning.  “Obey me and you’ll be blessed.  Disobey and you’ll be led into captivity.”  They did well under the leadership of righteous kings for short periods of time.  Eventually though, they regressed and began to worship idols, throw their infants in the fire, and act disgracefully toward God.  The consequences were felt.  God used enemies, like the Babylonians, to take His people as slaves.  In their great distress, they cried out to God to deliver them.  But God said, in essence, “You are not crying because you agree with me about your sin.  You’re crying because you hate captivity.”  Is this not like Cain?

I bring the message home to my own heart today.  How often have I said, “Father, I blew it.  I did ‘this’ and now I’ve lost what I treasured.  Forgive me.”  My apology was all about me and about what I lost.  I did not picture the face of my heartbroken Father. 

Only You, LORD, can give me a true heart of repentance.  Amen

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” Genesis 4:9 ESV

When asked a question that hits too close to home, skirting the issue is always a temptation. “Where were you last night?” The answer can be short and evasive. “Out!” The one who asked gets the message that the subject is closed. But when God is the One asking the question, the truth should come spilling out. Most often, it does not. Defensiveness runs deep in our carnal nature. 

Cain knew God. God was intimate with his family. Cain knew God’s nature.  He was love but He was also holy. He was powerful but He was also approachable. Did Cain tremble when God came to ask him Abel’s whereabouts? Not at all. The first words of sarcasm in scripture are found in Cain’s retort. “What? Am I my brother’s keeper?”

When I’ve sinned and the Spirit of God inquires, “What have you done?” The only option available to a child of God who is honest and humble is this, “Oh God, I have sinned.  Forgive me!”  True repentance is specific. In the story of Hosea, God said . . . Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously.” Hosea 14:2

When I receive an apology from someone, it is most effective when the other person is specific as to their offense. It’s not helpful at all to hear generalities. “Guess I was a bad friend.” That does nothing to heal the fracture.  It is the same with God. Offering a defense, the likes of ~ “I am human and a failure” ~ brings no freedom and little restoration of the fellowship. The sin was specific; should be the confession.

You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Psalm 139:1-3

Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.  Genesis 4:8  ESV

What did Cain speak to Abel?  They had words ‘in the field’ which means they were away from home with no parental restraints. Whatever the nature of their conversation, I’m sure it was not the first time hostile words had ever been spoken.  One does not murder a brother without a history of conflict.

Cain’s conscience had long been seared by the little choices he had made along the way.  Jealousy didn’t start with this particular argument.  Had Adam and Eve seen it when the boys were small?  Just because it ended in murder doesn’t mean they had turned a blind eye to Cain’s animosity for his brother.  Wickedness is often bound up in the heart of a child and good parents grieve when they see it.  Good training doesn’t always guarantee a changed heart.  

God gives me opportunities throughout mid-life to deal with issues I never dealt with as a child or as a young woman.  He re-parents all areas that were stunted.  He knows that each seed of unrighteousness that I ignore will be a seed that grows over time.  Whatever issue I turned a blind eye to at 40 will be exacerbated by the time I’m 80.  If I privately nursed my fears for a lifetime, I will be known as a fearful person in the senior years of my life.  Anxiety won’t be concealed because issues only intensify with time.

But ah, so does righteousness.  Whatever I choose to nurture will be multiplied.  Cain’s seeds of jealousy evolved into a murderous rage.  A holy simpatico could have flowered into a righteous alliance.  There’s nothing more beautiful than when one brother gives his life for the other.  How stunning are God’s ways.  How ugly is the fruit of sin!.

Make me holy.  Hide nothing from me when You search my heart.  Amen

“If you [Cain] do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”  Genesis 4:7  ESV

After Cain brought a grain offering, one that God did not accept, it was not too late for him.  Sinning against God didn’t close the door for restoration.  If he changes the direction he is going and brings an acceptable blood sacrifice, all will be well.  God’s heart of mercy was extended so graciously, giving Cain every chance to avoid the consequences.

God did not stop speaking.  The wisdom that followed would echo down through the ages to land at the door of every disciple’s heart.  “Christine, you’ve sinned.  Now what will you do?  Sin will consume you unless you rise up to master it.  Will you repent or allow your sin to progress to the next level?” 

What I do at the pivotal point of temptation is crucial.  Satan may tempt me but he can’t make me sin.  He may offer me a quick way out of pain but the long-term pain I would take on is never mentioned.  He makes false promises to sweeten the deal but I should know better.  The proposition of feeling better, of getting out of confinement and ending my dilemma, is so appealing that I abandon waiting on God.  I trade His promises for the fodder of a liar.

Cain’s improper sacrifice was exposed.  Instead of being humble, he got angry.  Satan tempted him to take revenge, to spend his anger in order to feel better.  He killed his brother in rage and jealousy, the one who had made the right sacrifice.  Thus began a holy war that is still being played out. No disagreement has the potential to spawn more hostility than a religious one.

Lord, I know I must prepare ahead of time for these pivotal moments.  Amen

In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. Genesis 4:3-5 ESV

All royals have a protocol. Perhaps they receive visitors only on Tuesdays, require the wearing of certain attire, and expect their subjects to approach with a curtsy or a bow. Upon entering the palace, people are usually instructed on long-held traditions by someone on the sovereign’s staff. Such is the case when entering the presence of Queen Elizabeth, for instance. Anyone who gains an audience with her would expect to defer to what is customary, to what the Queen requires.

Cain and Abel had both been made aware of God and of His holiness. They knew that to approach Him, they needed to make a blood sacrifice. He was God, after all. This was Yahweh’s protocol. Abel respected God and brought what God required, the firstborn of his flock. Cain disrespected God and snuffed protocol. With no intention of making a blood sacrifice, he brought fruits and vegetables instead. When God refused his gift, Cain was incensed, and his face fell. He didn’t think God treated him fairly.

I think of another man, also angry, when God required something that seemed ludicrous. God’s command grated against this sinful man’s sense of justice. Jonah was told to go and preach to the Ninevites, enemies of God’s people. After a detour in the belly of a large fish, Jonah repented and obeyed. Many came to trust in God but Jonah did not celebrate. God asked him, “Do you have a right to be angry?” At that moment, Jonah and Cain were similar.

I have strained against God’s ways. My elevated opinion of myself and my distrust of the way He ruled my world fractured my relationship with Him for a time.  I was brought low as I was eaten alive by isolation and fear, the undesirable harvest of unjustified anger.

I often live as though I have the right to rule my life. I don’t. I follow Jesus today who only did what His Father led Him to do. Though perfect, He didn’t have a full understanding of every step He was to make. He wouldn’t have God’s complete perspective until He rose from the dead. Yet, my perfect Brother, Jesus, made no autonomous decisions. As a result, He took no wasted steps, enjoyed peace, and learned perfect obedience. That same result is mine as I humble myself to defer to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

When I don’t understand You, anger is inappropriate. I extend my faith to trust in You. You are omnipotent and omniscient and when I walk with You, I know perfect peace. Amen

In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard.  Genesis 4:3-5 ESV

Considerable time has elapsed since Cain and Abel were babies. Apparently, instruction was given by their parents on how to approach a holy God. Their kids heard a tearful account of what life had been like in the garden and how wonderful it was to be near God. Both young men knew about why their parents were banished from paradise and what was required for them approach God. One respects the terms of the sacrifice, and the other does not. Cain treats God casually and decides that he is going to offer what he believes God should accept. The results are catastrophic.

Mankind has always been tempted to make Cain-kinds of offerings. He decides that God should be happy with charitable acts, with token sacrifices made in the temple on holy holidays. With the illusion that God has been bought off, many live with an illusion of eternal security. All the while, God’s requirement has not changed, and they believe this lie to their peril.

Both Cain and Abel needed a blood sacrifice – a symbolic look ahead to the Lamb of God who would shed His own blood. For every man and woman since then, it has also required a blood sacrifice, but ever since Jesus’ death, we don’t bring our own lamb to the altar. We trust in the one God provided in 33 A.D. He will reject any offering other than the blood of His Son.

Many marriages fall apart because a husband or wife refuses to express love in a way that the other says they need. Token gifts are given to buy affection; gifts that end up being resented rather than cherished. Our holy God is the spurned Lover anytime I decide what I am going to give Him instead of what He requires. Even after salvation, I can still be stubborn to give everything but a surrendered heart. And then I wonder why my heart is not warmed. May it not be!

I pray for those I love today who have wrongly assumed that You have been appeased by their good deeds. Amen

And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. Genesis 4:2 ESV

When Eve gave birth to her second child, he was named Abel. The meaning of his name fit his destiny. ‘Abel’ means ‘breath or vapor’. As the story of his life unfolds, his life is short, just a vapor. He is to be the first martyr for the Christian faith and will be remembered in the great hall of faith chapter in Hebrews.

Names are interesting things. Oftentimes, the meaning of someone’s name holds great spiritual meaning. It’s something we can grow into. I believe God often handpicks names though parents think they made the decision. Names so often seem to fit the child.

In a loving and stable home, a girl named ‘Joy’ will be a bubbly child, full of sunshine. A boy, whose name means ‘man of courage’, will grow up to have spiritual grit. He will go on to surmount daunting challenges. But, let the home be a wasteland and Satan will make sure the child grows up to believe the exact opposite of their name. ‘Joy’ will be visited by depression. ‘Courage’ will experience affliction that causes him to live fearfully.

Can God change our story, our nature, and our name? Consider Naomi. Her name meant ‘pleasant and agreeable’ and for a while, she was those things. Then her husband took her, and their two sons, to Moab. She watched all three of the men in her life die. Her story took on bitter elements so she renamed herself. Instead of Naomi, she was ‘Mara’, which means ‘bitter’. Eventually, through many redemptive twists and turns, God restored her name. He used a Moabite woman named Ruth, from a godless race, to nurture and provide companionship to her mother-in-law. Ruth made one righteous decision after another and married a holy man, saving Naomi, and filling her senior years with joyful laughter.

God is a God of new names. He wisely, and perhaps playfully, bestows a new identity on one who is willing to follow Him to the land of blessing. It’s not an easy journey, as it will involve the complete shift of a former mindset. It will require courage to leave behind who you were to become who you were not. But deep joy and profound significance will follow any who are willing to believe God for their new identity.

He did it for me. I thought I was stupid. For 40 years I was afflicted with deep insecurity about my intellectual capacity. God healed me. And interestingly enough, He used the meaning of my middle name to do it. ‘Eloise’, the name I disliked and hid for four decades, is a French name that means ‘smart’. I think I heard God chuckle.

I am praying for a girl right now whose name means ‘place of stones’. I am inserting her name into Ezekiel 26:36. God can give her a heart of flesh, replacing her heart of stone with one that feels deeply. Instead of stoicism, she will be responsive. Instead of resigned, she will be proactive. Instead of cold, her heart will beat warmly. Currently, her story is a sad one but there is a Father who is wooing her through the prayers of others. He calls her to Himself and to abundant life. Her ‘place of stones’ will become an altar of worship.

You are a life-changer. When pain is associated with a name, You long to heal the disfigurement. Amen