Scripture

Genesis 4:10-13
[10] He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground.
[11] "Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
[12] "When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth."
[13] Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is too great to bear!


This is the 86th Lecture on Genesis.
God the Father tried to give Cain a chance to repent of murdering his brother, Abel.
God wanted Cain to admit it himself and to make a confession to God.
And so, God said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?"
Then, Cain said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
He lied to God as he was busy hiding his evil act, and he answered to God with an arrogant attitude.
Then, God revealed that He knew Cain killed Abel.
In Genesis 4:10, God said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground."
God already knew all the facts that Cain killed Abel; where he did it, how he did it, and why he did it.
Yet still, God asked Cain a question first to give him a chance to repent by himself.
But Cain didn't grab the chance.
Then, God began to talk about the curse that would be upon Cain.
God said in Genesis 4:11-12, "Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth."
It shows that the law of the spiritual realm that dictates a man reaps what he sows shall be applied to Cain.
Romans 2:6 also says, "[GOD] WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS."
There were two curses that were brought upon Cain.
The first is that 'Even when he cultivates the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to him.'
Cain learned and mastered from his father, Adam, how to farm.
Since the knowledge and wisdom that Adam had back then was outstanding, Cain also knew farming very well.
It was safe to say that Cain was an expert in farming; a skillful farmer.
Even though Cain was an excellent farmer, he couldn't harvest good fruit 'if the ground doesn't yield its strength.'
What does it mean by saying 'the ground doesn't yield it strength'?
It doesn't mean that the ground has cognitive ability and discriminates against Cain.
Even if a farmer sows good seeds in the good ground and takes a good care of them, he can reap good fruits only when God helps him.
That is, only when God gives rain, wind, and sunlight, can plants grow well.
Of course, the farmer should be wise and diligent, but it is fundamental that God should provide a good environment.
Now, Cain had to receive retribution for his evil act according to justice.
If God had provided Cain with a good environment for farming, it would have been against justice.
Therefore, God couldn't protect Cain's crops from natural disasters or blight.

As its result, no matter how much wisdom Cain would apply to his farming, he couldn't harvest good fruits with his own ability.
That is, he could no more enjoy rich and abundant life since he couldn't be protected in the grace of God.
As said, the verse, 'the ground doesn't yield its strength' means that he cannot live an abundant life since the grace of God leaves from his livelihood.

Before Cain committed sin, the ground yielded its strength to him.
His farming went well, he harvested abundantly, and enjoyed an affluent life.
Any one can receive God's guidance and protection if he obeys the word of God.
He can also harvest abundantly in his livelihood.