03.22.2026. Sunday Sermon by Rev. Lee Jeungbok
Text: Genesis 4:12–17
Title: The Excuses of a Sinner and the Deferred Judgment
Genesis 4:12–17
“When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you shall be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is too great to bear! Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I shall be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” So the LORD said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him. Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son.
Because Cain shed the blood of his brother Abel upon the ground, God pronounced upon him a judgment fitting for his sin.
First, God caused Cain to be cursed from the ground, which is the source of human life. Even if Cain farmed, the ground would no longer yield its produce to him.
Second, because he failed to protect his brother and instead killed him, Cain was driven out from the protection of his family and was punished by becoming a wanderer.
There are three things we must see through today’s passage:
1. what the characteristics of a sinner are as seen in Cain,
2. why God protects such a sinner, and
3. what the mark is that God has given to His people.
1. Let us examine the characteristics of a sinner through Cain.
1.1) Cain complains by considering his punishment greater than his sin. This is the typical 모습 of a sinner.
Genesis 4:12–13
“When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you shall be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is too great to bear!”
1.2) Cain is insensitive to his own sin.
A characteristic of one who desires to live a godly life before God is deep sorrow over one’s sin. Therefore, if we want to know whether we are living godly lives before God, the first thing we must examine is how sensitively our hearts respond to our own sin.
Human beings were originally created to live with God. Therefore, the life of a created being must please the Creator. This is a godly life and a life that is good in God’s sight. However, Cain shows no sensitivity to the broken relationship with God caused by his sin. In fact, Cain never once expressed regret over killing his brother. He demonstrated a complete insensitivity to his sin.
1.3) The reason it is difficult for a sinner to repent is that there are many excuses regarding sin and punishment.
We can see this through Cain’s response.
First, God asked Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” in order for him to realize his wrongdoing and repent. However, Cain showed the typical response of an unrepentant sinner. He merely made excuses, saying, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Second, when God revealed the weight of sin through the pronouncement of judgment, Cain did not repent for killing his brother but instead complained about his punishment.
Genesis 4:13–14
Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is too great to bear! Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden; and I shall be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
Our proper response, when we receive God’s discipline because of sin, is to endure it with patience and repent. God is merciful and may remove the rod of discipline early. However, trying to avoid that discipline or insisting that it is unfair only causes us to lose the opportunity for restoration.
Finally, sinners like Cain are good at finding ways to avoid punishment.
Genesis 4:17
Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. And Cain had relations with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son.
Instead of living as a wanderer as God had decreed, Cain built a city and settled down. This is like those who, instead of repenting and being corrected in prison, learn worse skills and make worse plans.
1.4) The fundamental characteristic of every sinner is self-centeredness.
At the root of all Cain’s shameless answers is self-centeredness. The fundamental motive behind Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God’s command was their desire to “be like God, knowing good and evil.” This motive of Adam’s fall has now become the root problem of all sinners—to regard oneself as God and to think and act accordingly.
Therefore, beloved saints, when you plan and act, you must be careful of self-centered thoughts and behaviors. If you discover such tendencies, you must not make excuses like Cain or build a city for yourself. Rather, like David, you must repent with deep sorrow for your sin before God.
Psalm 51:1–4
“Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge.”
1.5) Despite the boldness of sinners, the fear in their hearts can never be completely shaken off.
Consider the story of Stalin, the brutal absolute ruler of the former Soviet Union. Stalin changed his bedroom every night so that no one would know where he slept. Though he held absolute power and killed countless people at will, he lived in constant fear of assassination. He could not tell anyone where he slept, and those who entered his room were often killed or sent to labor camps.
When Stalin collapsed from a stroke in 1953, his guards did not enter his room to wake him, even though he did not come out. In reality, they did not know which room he was in, and even if they had known, they would not have entered because doing so could result in punishment. In the end, Stalin died without receiving help from anyone, in the midst of his fear of assassination.
Cain realized that he was no longer under the protection of his family but had become a murderer and a target of revenge. Though he showed no sorrow over Abel’s death, he was filled with fear at the thought that he himself might be killed in retaliation.
This raises the question: “Who would kill Cain?”
In the culture of the ancient Near East, it was considered the duty of the nearest family member to avenge blood. In other words, another member of the family would seek to avenge Abel’s blood against Cain.
God’s expulsion of Cain meant that he would no longer live under God’s protection, nor under the protection of his family. Therefore, someone in the family could carry out the duty of vengeance. This brought fear to Cain whenever he encountered people.
2. Why did God not kill Cain, the murderer, but instead give him a protective mark?
Genesis 4:14–15
“Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden; and I shall be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” So the LORD said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.
2.1) To break the cycle of bloodshed and prevent social chaos and further corruption, so that human multiplication would not cease.
A society filled with murder cannot maintain stable families, and such a society will eventually collapse and cease to prosper.
When I think about why God does not immediately destroy dictators who oppress many people, I consider that it may be because of the chaos that would follow their death. A world without any ruler can be far worse than one under a dictatorship. God will judge such rulers at the appointed time, and His judgment will be perfectly just.
2.2) To reveal that God is the owner of life.
Since God is the sovereign Lord of all life, even the life of a criminal cannot be taken without His permission. Even if social customs allow revenge, humans do not have the authority to take another life. Of course, the state, as God’s agent, has been permitted to carry out capital punishment for severe crimes. This will be addressed later when preaching through Romans (cf. Rom. 13:3–4; 1 Pet. 2:13–14).
What is important here is that God gave Cain a mark to protect him from being killed through personal revenge.
2.3) Most importantly, God gave the mark of protection to grant the sinner an opportunity to repent.
Romans 2:4–5
“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”
By receiving the mark from God, Cain was freed from the fear of death and could live among people. Therefore, Cain should have clearly understood the meaning of this mark.
This mark was not given to a righteous man but to a sinner. To bear this mark meant that although he deserved to die for his sin, he was receiving a postponement of judgment by God’s mercy. It was a strong sign that he needed to repent and live according to God’s will.
However, Cain did not repent of his wrongdoing despite the opportunity God gave him. Instead, he built a city for his own security. Cain ultimately rejected even the last opportunity given by God. This is the 모습 of those who depart from God.
3. Finally, all people are those who have departed from God like Cain. However, God has given us a far better mark than the temporary mark given to Cain. Let us examine the signs God has given for the salvation of sinners.
First, there was the blood of the Passover lamb applied to the doorposts. The houses marked with this blood were spared from the judgment of the death of the firstborn.
Second, there is circumcision, the sign of being God’s covenant people. The Israelites bore in their bodies the sign that they belonged to God, and they worshiped Him with joy on the Sabbath and at Passover.
Third, there is the mark placed on the foreheads of the righteous in the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel 9:4 commands that a mark be put on the foreheads of those who grieve over sin in Jerusalem, distinguishing those who would be protected from judgment.
Fourth, there is baptism given to those who accept Jesus Christ as Savior. Baptism is a sign before the gathered community that we are saved.
Fifth, there is the sealing of the Holy Spirit given to those who believe in Jesus Christ. The sealing of the Holy Spirit is the mark that we belong to God, the certification of salvation, and the sign that God is always with us. All believers have received this sealing.
This mark is far more precious and valuable than the mark given to Cain. Cain’s mark only protected his physical life, but the Holy Spirit works in us to make us righteous and to lead us to live rightly, helping us grow into maturity in Christ.
Finally, there is the mark given to God’s people at the end times. In the last days, not every mark should be accepted. Satan will deceive people into worshiping the beast and the image, causing them to receive a mark on their forehead or hand. However, believers will receive the mark described as “having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads” (Rev. 14:1).
4. Application.
Beloved saints, you must not act like Cain during the period of deferred judgment that God granted him—making excuses and building a city for himself. Rather, like David, you must repent with deep sorrow arising from a true awareness of sin.
God has given us a far better mark than the one given to Cain. Through the sealing of the Holy Spirit, God is helping us to become more like Christ.
I pray that all of you will live in repentance of all sin, so that on the last day you may stand as God’s people bearing the mark of the Lamb’s blood and dwell with Him forever.
Let us pray. (End)