"And Cain went away from the Lord's presence and lived in a land called "wandering" which is East of Eden" (Gen 4:16, GNV) As much as the Bible tells us stories of people who experienced the awesome glory of God's presence and benefited from it; it also tells us of people who for one reason or the other departed from that presence... People who missed a lifetime privilege of dwelling in God's presence... people who departed from that glory; people who for one reason or the other were robbed of that glorious manifestation of God's presence...and how ill they fared. The story of Cain is a heartbreaking tragedy. Cain was the first human being to come out of another human being. He was the first conception that ever occurred on earth. He was the world's first baby. He wore the first diaper. He had the first birthday. As much as we believe that we are descendants of Adam, I usually like to think that in the practical sense, we are the actual descendants of their children being Cain, Seth and the others. I couldn't imagine the joy of Adam and the wife Eve, when they noticed for the first time as Eve's stomach started to protrude. I couldn't fathom the joy Eve experienced as she felt the baby's first kick. I couldn't imagine their joy as they realized that another human would be joining them. That it wasn't going to be just the two of them. And more so, this third human being was going to come out from her. I could only imagine the anticipation as they counted the trimesters. But this wonderful young man... this bundle of joy that came into their lives... that began their actualization of the command to bear fruit and multiply; this first son of the world's first parent was going to suffer a terrible tragedy in His life. He was going to be responsible for the total departure of God's presence on earth..
In our lives we must be careful. The devil is always out to destroy what is good about us. When we think that we are standing, we must watch lest we fall. Cain was supposed to be the most celebrated human being on earth. He was supposed to be a living example and proof of God's perfect workmanship. Fact is he was a living miracle- that a tiny invisible seed from a man would unite with another invisible seed in a woman and produce a living visible human being after nine months of gestation in the womb of another human being. But the devil destroyed that wonderful story and turned it into a tragedy. As we continue on this study of the life of Cain and His departure from God's presence, we must use it as a mirror to examine our own lives and intentions.
To be continued...