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The Mark of Cain
What Is the Mark of Cain?
God branded
the Bible's first murderer with a mysterious mark
by Mary Fairchild
The mark of Cain is
one of the Bible’s earliest mysteries, a strange incident people have wondered
about for centuries.
Cain, the son of Adam and Eve,
killed his brother Abel in
a fit of jealous rage.
Humanity’s first homicide is recorded in chapter 4 of Genesis,
but no details are given in Scripture as to how the murder was committed.
Cain’s motive seemed to have been
that God was pleased with Abel’s sacrificial offering but rejected Cain’s.
In Hebrews 11:4, we get the hint that Cain’s attitude ruined his
sacrifice.
After Cain’s crime was
exposed, God imposed
a sentence:
"Now you
are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive
your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no
longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the
earth." (Genesis 4:11-12, NIV)
The curse was twofold: No longer
could Cain be a farmer because the soil would not produce for him, and he was
also driven from the face of God.
Why God Marked Cain
Cain complained that his
punishment was too harsh. He knew others would fear and loathe him, and
probably try to kill him to get his curse out of their midst.
God chose an unusual way to
protect Cain:
"But the
Lord said to him, 'Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven
times over.' Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him
would kill him." (Genesis 4:15, NIV)
Although Genesis does not spell
it out, the other people Cain feared would have been his own siblings.
While Cain was Adam and Eve’s
oldest son, we are not told how many other children they had in the time
between Cain’s birth and Abel’s slaying.
Later, Genesis says Cain took a wife.
We can only conclude she must have been a sister or niece.
Such intermarriages were banned
in Leviticus,
but at the time Adam’s descendants were populating the earth, they were necessary.
After God marked him, Cain went
to the land of Nod, which is a wordplay on the Hebrew word "nad,"
which means "wandering."
Since Nod is never mentioned
again in the Bible, it is possible this may have meant Cain became a lifelong
nomad. He did build a city and named it after his son, Enoch.
What Was the Mark of Cain?
The Bible is purposely vague
about the nature of the mark of Cain, causing readers to guess what it may have
been. Theories have included such things as a horn, a scar, tattoo, leprosy, or
even dark skin.
We can be sure of these things:
· The mark was
indelible and probably on his face where it could not be covered.
· It was
instantly understandable to people who may have been illiterate.
· The mark would
have struck fear into people, whether they worshipped God or not.
Even though the mark has been
debated through the ages, it is not the point of the story.
We are to focus instead on the
seriousness of Cain’s sin and
God’s mercy in letting him live.
Further, although Abel was also
the brother of Cain’s other siblings, Abel’s survivors were not to retaliate
and take the law into their own hands. Courts had not been established yet. God
was the judge.
Bible scholars point out that
Cain’s genealogy listed in the Bible is short.
We do not know whether some of
Cain’s descendants were ancestors of Noah or
his sons’ wives, but it does seem that Cain’s curse was not passed on to later
generations.
Other Marks In the Bible
Another marking takes place in
the book of the
prophet Ezekiel, chapter 9.
God sent an angel to
mark the foreheads of the faithful in Jerusalem. The mark was a
"tau," the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in the shape of a
cross.
Then God sent six executioner
angels to slay all people who did not have the mark.
Cyprian (210-258 A.D.), bishop of
Carthage, said the mark represented the sacrifice of
Christ, and all who were found in it at death would be saved.
It was reminiscent of the lamb’s
blood the Israelites used to mark their doorposts in Egypt so the angel of
death would pass over their
houses.
Yet another mark in the Bible has
been hotly debated: the mark of the
beast, mentioned in the book of
Revelation.
The sign of the Antichrist,
this mark restricts who can buy or sell. Recent theories say it will be some
sort of scanning code or embedded microchip.
Without doubt, the most famous
marks mentioned in Scripture were those made on Jesus Christ during
his crucifixion.
After the resurrection,
in which Christ received his glorified body, all the injuries he received in
his scourging and death on the cross were
healed, except for the scars on his hands, feet, and in his side, where a Roman
spear pierced his heart.
The mark of Cain was put on a
sinner by God.
The marks on Jesus were put on
God by sinners.
The mark of Cain was to protect a
sinner from the wrath of men.
The marks on Jesus were to
protect sinners from the wrath of God.
Cain’s mark was a warning
that God punishes sin.
Jesus’ marks are a reminder that
through Christ, God forgives sin and
restores people to a right relationship with him.
Mary Fairchild
Introduction
Christian minister since 1988
with General Biblical Studies and Missions degrees
Full-time writer and editor
specializing in Christianity, Bible study, and Christian living since 2005
Author and general editor of
"Stories of Calvary"
Experience
Mary Fairchild has worked full
time in Christian ministry since 1988. While in Bible School, she worked for a
major city church as the assistant to the dean of Christian education. Next,
Mary served on the foreign mission field in Brazil from 1990-1994. Upon
returning to the States, Mary became a pastoral assistant and office manager
for a large intercity church.
Mary worked as the general
editor on several Christian books and booklets for Calvary Chapel St.
Petersburg from 2006 until 2017. Recently, Mary joined the team of writers for
GotQuestions.org, where she provides responses to questions related to the
nature of God, the Scriptures, salvation, and other spiritual topics.
Education
Mary received a General
Biblical Studies degree from an Interdenominational Christian Training Center
in Central Florida. She also holds a Missions degree from Youth With A Mission
Discipleship Training School.
Publications
"Stories of Calvary"
(2008, Winepress Publishing)
"Exposing
Samson" (General Editor, 2009, Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg)
A Message from Mary Fairchild
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