6 January | Youth
«And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.» Genesis 4:15
Have you ever imagined if you had been marked for death? If someone chased you across land and sea, forcing you to become a fugitive across the world? With Cain, it was the opposite! God 'marked' him so that he would not have to live protecting himself all the time like a cornered animal. That was a mark of grace.
This is a little different from what happens with certain creatures in nature. Horned lizards, for example, are small reptiles, but skilled in the art of defending themselves. Their mark is “blood in the eye.” When they feel intimidated by a predator, the pressure in their eyeballs increases, and their eyes turn red. Then they squirt blood towards those who threaten them in order to avoid the attack. This defense mechanism facilitates the survival of the species.
Cain did not have that blood in his eye. In fact, we do not know what his mark was. He was a sinner, like you and me, in need of God's grace and mercy. We know that he would carry a mark on his body for the rest of his life, and people who found him would easily identify him.
However, more important than discussing what this mark was like is understanding what God intended with it. The Bible says it was a mark of protection. God used it to spare Cain's life and protect him from any vigilantes interested in avenging the death of Abel, his brother. Cain was cursed for the crime he committed; the mark protected him from the hatred resulting from his condition.
With this mark, God wanted to teach all generations after Cain that it is not revenge that brings justice, but divine grace (James 1:20). Revenge begets revenge, violence begets violence.
However, love begets life, and forgiveness covers a multitude of sins (1 Pet 4:8). No one, no matter how wronged they may have been, should believe that taking the law into their own hands is a safe path.
As He did with Cain, God also wants to protect us from hatred and revenge of evil people. The mark of Cain is a motivation to practice mercy towards those who make a mistake; to trust less in our own justice and more in the Lord’s justice.