Good Morning.
And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face.” (Genesis 4:13-14)
After God confronted Cain with his sin and sentenced him to a life of wandering, the world’s first murderer bitterly complained about the penalty. That’s pretty typical of humans; do something you know to be wrong and then protest when there are consequences. It’s almost as if Cain is telling God, the punishment — to be a wanderer and a vagabond — doesn’t fit the crime. But it’s what he says next that is most interesting: “I shall be hidden from your face.”
As written in Hebrew, it could be implied that Cain was saying, “I’m going to hide from you.” The Almighty never told Cain that he should hide; this was a conclusion Cain came to on his own. The question is, “Why?” It might be connected to the same sentiment his father Adam displayed when he tried to hide from God among the trees of the garden after eating the forbidden fruit — shame. Or it might be that this was Cain’s way of saying, “I never want to see you again.” Whatever the motivation, the reality is no one can’t hide from God.
“For His eyes are on the ways of man, and He sees all his steps. There is no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.” (Job 34:21-22)
Again, no one can hide from God nor should we want to. There are always consequences for our actions; there is no way around that. However, when we find ourselves being corrected by our Heavenly Father, we should not hide from Him whether it be due to shame or anger. We must embrace His correction and determine not to turn away from Him. As Solomon wrote:
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.” (Proverbs 3:11-12)
Discipline — no matter how severe — is a sign that He cares for us and wants us to be the people He has created us to be. May we always be willing to receive His correction.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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