Bible Questions Answered:
Genesis tells us that Cain was in great sorrow, did God forgive him? Over half of our class says yes, God is in the forgiving business, while some don't know.
Bible Answer:
Text: Genesis 4:8-16 KJV
8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
10 And He said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto Me from the ground.
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
13 And Cain said unto the Lord, my punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid;
and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
15 And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
16 And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
We know of no “sorrow, over sin,” on the part of Cain.
Sorrow, and grief as to his sentence by God, yes, but we cannot, must not mistake the two.
Genesis 4:13 And Cain said unto the Lord, my punishment is greater than I can bear.
Cain, was facing great loss, and about to be turned out into the wilderness, a place where the kinsman of Abel, could lay in wait for him.
His sorrow was a “selfish,” sorrow!
This story is reminiscent of Judas Isacriot.
Judas betrayed his Lord.
Matthew 26;14-16 KJV
14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver Him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.
Matthew 27:1-5 KJV
1 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death:
2 And when they had bound Him, they led Him away, and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
3 Then Judas, which had betrayed Him, when he saw that He was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
Had Judas been repentant?
No!
Not according to the Disciples.
Acts 1:23-26 KJV
23And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Acts 1:23-26 NLT
23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.
24 Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen
25 as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.”
26 Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven.
Judas had, “Great Regret,” yes, but repentance for sin, no.
Is it possible for a person to make the following confession....
Matthew 27:3,4 KJV
3 Then Judas, which had betrayed Him, when he saw that He was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood.
And not be repentant to the Lord?
Judas, had every opportunity to present himself in sorrow over his sin, to the Lord, and yet did not!
Regret, yes, repentance to the Lord, no!
Acts 1:25 KJV
“...that he might go to his own place.
Acts 1:25 NLT
“...for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.”
Another example of regret, is found in the Old Testament, and is the story of Esau.
It is the story of Esau, having sold his “Birthright, and lineage to the coming Messiah,” for a mess of pottage, at the hands of his brother, Chef Jacob (Genesis 25-28.)
Genesis 25:27-34 NLT
27 As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home.
28 Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry.
30 Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means “red.”)
31 “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.”
32 “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?”
33 But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.
Genesis 27:30-40 NLT (Jacob had tricked his father Isaac for his blessing.)
30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and almost before Jacob had left his father, Esau returned from his hunt.
31 Esau prepared a delicious meal and brought it to his father. Then he said, “Sit up, my father, and eat my wild game so you can give me your blessing.”
32 But Isaac asked him, “Who are you?” Esau replied, “It’s your son, your firstborn son, Esau.”
33 Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably and said, “Then who just served me wild game? I have already eaten it, and I blessed him just before you came. And yes, that blessing must stand!”
34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he let out a loud and bitter cry. “Oh my father, what about me? Bless me, too!” he begged.
35 But Isaac said, “Your brother was here, and he tricked me. He has taken away your blessing.”
36 Esau exclaimed, “No wonder his name is Jacob, for now he has cheated me twice. First he took my rights as the firstborn, and now he has stolen my blessing. Oh, haven’t you saved even one blessing for me?”
37 Isaac said to Esau, “I have made Jacob your master and have declared that all his brothers will be his servants. I have guaranteed him an abundance of grain and wine—what is left for me to give you, my son?”
38 Esau pleaded, “But do you have only one blessing? Oh my father, bless me, too!” Then Esau broke down and wept.
39 Finally, his father, Isaac, said to him, “You will live away from the richness of the earth, and away from the dew of the heaven above.
40 You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. But when you decide to break free, you will shake his yoke from your neck.”
Hebrews 12:14-17 KJV
14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
This issue was not over Esau's salvation, but his birthright.
He had treated it as nothing, in light of his hunger, but lived to regret it.
But his regret, was not that he was a “profane,” person, treating sacred things as nothing, but that he would not have all the blessings associated with it.
His fleshly appetites had cost him his “Birthright,” and all it's blessing.
But he had given it away, because he had no regard for eternal spiritual things.
His regret, was not repentance, over his earthy nature, and so the blessings of father Isaac, were forever passed down on his son Jacob.
Romans 2:4 NLT
Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you?
Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
A dying man, may have all the sorrowful regret in the world, with tears, and yet, regret never saved anyone!
Repentance, and turning to the Saviour, does!
John 6:37 KJV
All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.
Cain's sorrow, was not over having slain his brother, but over his own personal loss, and sense of terror that others would be looking to kill him.
Judas' may very well indeed experienced sorrow having betrayed an innocent man, but not over his own personal sins, of ….
Greed:
Matthew 26:14, 15 KJV
14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
Hypocrisy:
John 12:5,6 KJV
5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?
6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
An Evil Heart:
Mark 14:10 KJV
And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray Him unto them.
Luke 22:47,48 KJV
47 And while He yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve,
went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss Him.
48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?
Dishonesty:
John 12:3-6 KJV
3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
4 Then saith one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray Him,
5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?
6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
Regret, does not grant salvation!
Regret, true sorrow over sin, that brings one to the Saviour, leads to salvation.
II Chronicles 7:14 KJV
If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Isaiah 55:6,7 KJV
6 Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
