14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.
Cain gets punished for killing his brother Abel. He loses everything that is stable in his life. He loses his place in the land, his stopping grounds. Those of us in the military know what it is like to move from the familiar and comfortable on a regular basis. We have moved away from family, High Schools, and hangouts. Every two to three years we completely uproot and move on to another place. We put down roots, make some friends, enjoy life and then get ready to move on again. This of course is now made more difficult because of the multiple deployments. Cain is forced to lose the stability he has known. All his present relationships will be severed. This includes access to God. The text says that God will be hidden from him. He will become unable to keep on a straight course in life. Instead of being able to start a course of action and accomplish it expeditiously, he will get sidetracked easily. Perhaps he gets ADHD, unable to stay on task! He also loses a sense of purpose. He really doesn’t have a goal in life anymore. He aims at one thing and then another, never really able to find a good goal. If you read the text it almost appears as if there are only three people on earth at this time, Adam, Eve and Cain. But Adam and Eve have had many other children, perhaps generations of children. These many other people, some of whom don’t know Cain, could become a threat to Cain. That is why he is worried about being found and killed. He does not want to share the fate of his brother whom he has killed. Does this sound like your life, losing friends, stability, persistence and purpose? If it does, God wants to restore these to your life. Draw in close, confess your sins, and receive forgiveness. Then continue to draw in close. God will restore!
The Arnold Journey 