Good Morning.
And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him. (Genesis 4:15)
Embedded within this statement are several mysteries. First of all, considering that the Bible has not heretofore mentioned any other humans other than Cain’s immediate family, who would be looking for him? It would seem there are other people in the world or else why would Cain be concerned about someone finding him and killing him.
The other mystery is the mark itself. The Hebrew word אות ote indicates that it was some type of “sign” that God placed upon him in order to preserve him from harm. What is not clear is whether this sign was visible to all or something that only God could detect. Either way, we are left to conclude that the mark on Cain had its intended affect.
There are other instances in Scripture where God placed marks upon people. In the book of Ezekiel, God had a mark placed upon the foreheads of those men in Jerusalem who were crying “over all the abominations that are done within it” (Ezekiel 9:4). In this verse the Hebrew word for “mark” is תאו tav — also the name of the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Reading this account in Ezekiel, it becomes clear that the mark placed upon these men of Jerusalem saved their lives. That is interesting because in Ezekiel’s day, the tav would have resembled a cross. In other words, the cross served as God’s sign of protection and deliverance.
We are told that in the end of days, 144,000 of the tribes of Israel will be marked with the “seal of the living God” in their forehead (Rev. 7:1-4). I can’t help but think that this will be similar to what we see in Ezekiel — a mark resembling the cross that preserves them from harm. Even more remarkable is the fact that, presently, you and I have the assurance that, because we are in Messiah, we have been sealed “with the Holy Spirit of promise“ until the redemption (Ephesians 1:13).
Though we’re not guaranteed a life void of trials, we are guaranteed victory over those trials because we have placed our trust in the one who suffered on the cross. We who are His have been marked (sealed) by the blood of Messiah and have the promise of eternal life.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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