This week we are listening to a class by Bro. Wilfred Allyene titled “Cain and Abel” that was given at the Idyllwild Bible School in 1982.

We hope this strengthens your Faith and brightens your day!

Thank you for listening, God bless, and talk to you next week.

Send talk suggestions or comments to: [email protected]

For Show Notes, visit our website: ⁠GoodChristadelphianTalks.com⁠

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Welcome to Good Chris Selfie and
talks.

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I’m Levi.
And I’m Chris.

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And I’m Brian.
Thank you for joining us this

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week.
On this podcast, we select one

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talk a week to help us get the
Bible in our Daily News feed.

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We post a new episode at the
start of each week with the

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short intro beforehand to kind
of set the stage for the talk

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you’re about to listen to.
And now, let’s talk more about

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this week’s talk.
Hey everyone, this is Jason

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Hensley and this week we are
going to be listening to a talk

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by brother Wilfred Aileen.
Further, Wilfred, I think, was a

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school teacher, if I got that
right.

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And at least if he wasn’t, he
very much presents information

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like a teacher.
So I think you’re going to enjoy

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it.
I want to just give you a little

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bit of background here on what
it is you’re going to listen to.

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This is Cain and Abel and one of
the things that I really love

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about it is he often does what
he referred to as reading

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between the lines.
What I mean by that is he will

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often say, now I want to suggest
this to you, brothers and

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sisters, and he’ll present
evidence for why he thinks we

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should understand the story in
that way.

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I don’t always agree with him
and I think that’s fine.

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We don’t have to agree on
everything.

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But what’s really good about it
is this.

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Reading between the lines I
think helps us remember these

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stories are real.
So as we listen to him on Cain

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and Abel, I hope that that’s
something that we can really

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take from this.
This happened.

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And when we read these stories,
we do want to read between the

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lines.
We want to spend time thinking

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about how did this play out?
How did this actually happen?

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So this is Brother Wilfred,
Eileen on Cain and Abel.

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It’s originally given yet
Idlewild Bible School 1982.

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I hope you enjoy it.
I understand, relative sisters,

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that there have been a large
number of inquiries as to just

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where I come from, who I am and
what I do.

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So, so perhaps to save you
asking too many more questions,

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perhaps I can just tell you
briefly who I am.

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My name’s Wilfred Ali.
I was born in the West Indies in

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a country called British Guyana.
As was it’s now called Guyana.

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It’s on the North Coast of South
America.

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I lived for about 8 years in
Trinidad, two more years or

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thereabouts in Barbados, and for
the last 10 or so years I’ve

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been living in Birmingham in
England with my wife Sue, who’s

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sitting over there looking very
red.

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So I hope that settles any
questions in your mind.

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Remember that South America is
just below North America.

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Over on that, on that side, this
morning we are going to deal

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with Cain and Abel.
But first of all, I’d just like

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to recover or recapitulate a few
of the things we said yesterday.

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We saw that the Garden of Eden I
suggested to you, was a temple

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to the living God.
We suggested that Adam was God’s

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high priest, that Eve and the
children that they would later

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have would have been the people
of God.

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We suggested that the fault or
the main sin in the in this

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unhappy incident in Genesis
chapter three was really Adam’s

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fault and God himself puts the
blame on Adam 10 times in Romans

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chapter 5.
And All in all, you have

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probably gathered that I don’t
have a particularly high opinion

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of Adam himself.
I have a far higher opinion of

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Eve in this particular instance
here, because notice that to her

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is the promise of the Messiah
between thy seed and her seed.

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And if that’s not a blessing,
I’m not quite sure what is.

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And my impression of Adam is
rather confirmed.

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When we come into the 4th
chapter of the Book of Genesis.

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We find in the first verse this
simple statement, perhaps to

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which you’ve not given due
weight.

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And Adam knew Eve his wife, and
she conceived and bare Cain, and

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she said I have gotten a man
from the Lord.

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Now there’s a problem in the
translation of that verse.

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Many of the versions have have
it in different ways, and the

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problem arises from one peculiar
fact about Hebrew.

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In Hebrew there’s a particle, a
small word, which cannot be

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translated into English, and
it’s the word is and it always,

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or very, very, very, very often,
marks out the object of a

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sentence.
So when we read that, she said I

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have gotten a man from the Lord.
The problem in translation is

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that it really says I have
gotten a man is the Lord.

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In other words, the word the
Lord is the object of that

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sentence.
Which means, I suppose, that

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what she is really saying, that
I have gotten a man, and that

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man is the Lord.
That Eve is really saying.

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That this man Cain, who I have
now begotten, is probably the

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one who God promised me back in
Genesis chapter 3, Thy seed and

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her seed, who is going to bruise
thy head.

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And if you accept that concept,
then you see that Eve is

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exercising the greatest faith in
the promise of God in Genesis

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chapter 3.
And it’s it’s another little

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mark, another little pointer in
the direction that this woman

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really was a woman of faith.
And you notice it’s not her

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husband that names a child.
He doesn’t seem to be

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interested.
He doesn’t seem to care.

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Maybe that’s pitching it too
strongly, but certainly it is

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Eve who does the naming of Cain.
But now, brothers and sisters,

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let’s leave that point there for
a moment and we’ll return to it

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later on.
And now let’s have a look at the

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other concepts that there was a
very great amount of knowledge

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of God and of his laws in the
book of Genesis.

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Remember I suggested to you
yesterday that the Garden of

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Eden was a temple.
A temple is not without its

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rights.
A temple is not without its

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laws, its regulations, and the
instructions which govern the

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behavior of those who go into
it.

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Now we also notice in chapter
three that there is the

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institution of sacrifice because
the Lord God makes coats of

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skins and clothes them to cover
their nakedness, to cover their

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skin.
And in that one verse, we also

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have the institution of animal
sacrifices, as distinct from

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plant sacrifices, that the
sacrifice of an animal, the

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shedding of blood, would put
away sin.

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I think sometimes we do, the
people in the book of Genesis

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particularly, a great injustice
in thinking that they were,

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well, they didn’t have quite as
much understanding as we have.

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I think that’s completely wrong.
These men in the book of Genesis

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described from the very
beginning here and coming down

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to our time.
These men were our fathers, and

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the children are very nearly
greater than their fathers.

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And since we, with our brains
and modern technology, our

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inventions and so forth, have
produced all of these wonderful

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things we see in our cities,
then the potential at least,

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must have been present in the
brains of these men.

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They weren’t fools.
They were intelligent, logical,

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reasonable people.
Wicked, yes, but none.

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Not thick, not stupid.
And now let’s have a look when

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it says through the book of
Genesis.

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Just a quick scamper through the
book of Genesis, let’s look at

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some of the indications of how
much was known about the

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sacrifices and the demands of
God.

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Have a look with me for instance
at verse 16 of chapter 4.

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And Cain went out from the
presence of the Lord.

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Now how can you go out from the
presence of the Lord?

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The presence of the Lord is
everywhere.

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God is everywhere by his Spirit.
Therefore this expression, the

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presence of the Lord, must mean
something else.

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And what I take it to mean is
that it means the place where

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God had put his name, where God
was worshipped, where God met

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with men, the place where the
Lord was present.

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King goes out from the presence
of the Lord.

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Let’s go down a bit into chapter
14 of Genesis and notice there

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the description of Melchizedek,
Genesis chapter 14 and verse 18.

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And Melchizedek, king of Salem,
brought forth bread and wine.

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And he was priest of the Most
High God, and he blessed him.

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And he blessed and said, blessed
be Abram of the Most High God,

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possessor of heaven and earth.
And blessed be the Most High

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God, which hath delivered thine
enemies into thy hand.

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So there were priests.
Melchizedek was a priest.

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Abraham, you recall the Psalm
says was also a prophet.

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Look down a bit further and we
see there in the Where are we in

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the 14th verse?
I’m sorry, the 24th verse.

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I’m sorry, I’ve lost my
reference.

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Verse 21 and the king of Sodom
says to Abraham give me the

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persons and take the goods to
thyself.

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I’m sorry.
I’ve really lost this verse

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where it says that Abraham gave
him tithes.

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He paid him tithes of all that’s
he had taken from these men.

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Verse 20 That’s right.
I’m sorry.

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Thank you very much.
And blessed be the most high

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God, which has delivered thine
enemies into thine hand.

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And he gave him tithes a 10s of
all.

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So they had the practice of
tithing as well.

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Let’s think also of Noah
offering up the sacrifices after

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he came out of the ark.
Let’s think also of Abraham

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offering sacrifices unto God.
Let’s think into the book of

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Exodus, where Jethro is
described as a priest of Midian.

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Let’s think also of Tamar, who
was threatened with being burnt

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because she was an adulteress,
and you begin to see that there

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are a great deal.
There’s a great deal more to

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suggest that these people
worship God in the way that is

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appointed in the Law of Moses
than perhaps you would first

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thought.
And at this point I’d like to

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suggest to you that you have a
good look at Blunt’s undesigned

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scriptural coincidences.
He goes into great detail there

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and collects a lot of this
information into a very short

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space and I couldn’t do a better
job than he has done.

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Blunts on Design Scriptural
Coincidences is a book which is

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highly recommended reading for
every Christadelphian who

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believes that this is the word
of God.

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It is a most wonderful
compilation, but let’s go back

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to the story of Cain and Abel,
back to Genesis Chapter 4.

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Now let’s put ourselves into the
picture correctly here.

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It says in verse one that she
bare Cain and said I have gotten

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a man, even the Lord who is the
Lord.

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She thought that Cain was the
seed who would deliver them from

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the sins.
Verse two, she again bare his

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brother Abel.
And Abel was a keeper of sheep,

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but Cain was a tiller of the
ground.

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So Abel was a shepherd.
Cain was an agriculturalist, a

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farmer.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with

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being an agriculturist, a
farmer.

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There’s nothing wrong with being
a shepherd.

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There’s nothing, no great virtue
in being a shepherd over being

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someone who deals with produce
from the ground.

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There is no great virtue in it,
but what there is expressed very

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clearly, I think, in this story,
is the principle of obedience to

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the will of God.
Let’s read the next verse.

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It came to pass in the process
of time that Cain brought of the

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fruit of the ground an offering
unto the Lord.

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Now when it says in the process
of time, if you have a look in

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your margin there, it helps us.
Where it says at the end of

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days, it means at the end of the
year, the days of the year.

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A year had gone round and it had
come to its end.

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What’s so special about the end
of a year?

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Well, brother, sisters, think
back with me into the love of

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Moses.
Now, you recall that the first

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month was the month that the
Passover took place, the month

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of Nissan.
So in the seventh month was the

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Day of Atonement, the Feast of
Tabernacles, the feast of in

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gathering the Feast of Trumpets
in the seventh month.

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And the 7th month was also the
first month of the Jewish civil

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year.
So it was the beginning of a new

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year and the end of an old one.
And I suggest to you, this is

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what’s happening here.
It is at that time of the year

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00:15:05,920 –> 00:15:09,280
round there in that part of the
calendar that the feast of

215
00:15:09,280 –> 00:15:13,920
Ingathering or a feast of
Ingathering is taking place.

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00:15:14,280 –> 00:15:18,360
And they’re all coming to the
Lord with these fruits of the

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00:15:18,360 –> 00:15:21,880
ground on Cain’s part.
And Abel bringing the flocks

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00:15:21,880 –> 00:15:24,200
that he had, he had brought,
that he had reared.

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00:15:25,760 –> 00:15:29,600
But there’s trouble, trouble in
the family.

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00:15:30,680 –> 00:15:37,320
Cain is the older brother.
Abel is the younger, now the

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00:15:37,360 –> 00:15:39,560
older brother.
In all of the families of

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00:15:39,560 –> 00:15:43,480
Scripture, going down up to the
time of the time that God chose

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00:15:43,560 –> 00:15:47,920
Levi, the eldest brother was
always the one who was the

224
00:15:47,920 –> 00:15:52,320
priest of the family.
Remember, God took Levi instead

225
00:15:52,320 –> 00:15:55,880
of the first born.
The eldest, the eldest brother,

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00:15:56,000 –> 00:16:00,840
was the priest of the family.
So in this case here, Cain is

227
00:16:00,840 –> 00:16:05,000
the priest of the family, Abel
is less than him.

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00:16:05,280 –> 00:16:09,080
Abel is inferior.
But since Cain is the priest of

229
00:16:09,080 –> 00:16:11,680
the family, and the priest S
lips should keep knowledge and

230
00:16:11,680 –> 00:16:13,640
he should know about the
regulations that God has

231
00:16:13,640 –> 00:16:17,720
commanded, Cain knew.
Cain should have known that God

232
00:16:17,720 –> 00:16:22,920
did not want vegetable
sacrifices instead of animal

233
00:16:22,920 –> 00:16:25,320
sacrifices for the putting away
of sin.

234
00:16:26,280 –> 00:16:28,080
He knew.
There’s no doubt about it.

235
00:16:28,080 –> 00:16:30,720
In my mind.
He knew full well that that was

236
00:16:30,720 –> 00:16:35,600
the case.
And he brings of the fruit of

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00:16:35,600 –> 00:16:40,080
the ground and offering to the
Lord here God, this is what I’ve

238
00:16:40,080 –> 00:16:42,640
got.
You take it or you leave it.

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00:16:44,200 –> 00:16:46,160
Abel, on the other hand, is
different.

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00:16:46,800 –> 00:16:54,680
Notice that fourth verse.
And Abel he also brought, and I

241
00:16:54,680 –> 00:16:58,240
think you should read that as
meaning that Abel brought.

242
00:16:58,480 –> 00:17:03,080
In addition to the firstlings of
the flock, he also brought the

243
00:17:03,080 –> 00:17:06,760
fruit of the ground.
It’s two sets of things that are

244
00:17:06,760 –> 00:17:09,720
being described here.
He also brought of the

245
00:17:09,720 –> 00:17:13,440
firstlings of his flock, and of
the fact thereof.

246
00:17:14,599 –> 00:17:18,599
Notice, brothers and sisters,
the firstlings of his flock,

247
00:17:18,800 –> 00:17:22,440
that which was demanded for that
which was demanded by God in

248
00:17:22,440 –> 00:17:25,800
sacrifice.
Notice the fat thereof.

249
00:17:26,160 –> 00:17:29,840
Remember, in the law of Moses
the fat was specially holy to

250
00:17:29,840 –> 00:17:32,240
the Lord, and you they were it
was not to be eaten.

251
00:17:32,480 –> 00:17:37,080
Abel brings animal sacrifices
and the fat thereof, clear

252
00:17:37,080 –> 00:17:40,080
evidence that they knew what God
wanted and that God had told

253
00:17:40,080 –> 00:17:43,720
them what he wanted to.
Abel is careful.

254
00:17:44,160 –> 00:17:47,960
Abel brings exactly what God
demands, and a bit more.

255
00:17:48,680 –> 00:17:51,600
Cain.
Who cares, says Cain.

256
00:17:52,080 –> 00:17:55,840
I don’t.
And it says in the fifth verse,

257
00:17:56,040 –> 00:17:57,680
I’m sorry, the end of the fourth
verse.

258
00:17:58,160 –> 00:18:03,840
And the Lord had respect unto
Abel and to his offering.

259
00:18:03,840 –> 00:18:07,920
And one of the versions, one of
the ancient versions, translates

260
00:18:07,920 –> 00:18:13,200
that as he sets it on fire, he
sets it on fire, as it were.

261
00:18:13,200 –> 00:18:16,680
The opposite, on the altar and
down from heaven comes fire

262
00:18:16,960 –> 00:18:20,600
consumes the offering of Abel,
and there’s the offering of Cain

263
00:18:20,600 –> 00:18:23,480
sitting there in his baskets.
And God doesn’t really want to

264
00:18:23,480 –> 00:18:28,360
know.
And so to Cain verse 5, and to

265
00:18:28,360 –> 00:18:31,160
his offering, he had not
respect.

266
00:18:31,160 –> 00:18:34,840
He didn’t want to know.
And so Cain is angry.

267
00:18:36,400 –> 00:18:42,040
And Cain was very Ross, and his
countenance fell.

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00:18:43,480 –> 00:18:45,840
I think, brothers and sisters,
that this is what we might

269
00:18:45,840 –> 00:18:49,400
describe as a public humiliation
of Cain.

270
00:18:50,720 –> 00:18:54,200
Don’t think for one moment that
these are little boys.

271
00:18:54,400 –> 00:18:58,240
They are not little boys.
They are in their 30s.

272
00:18:58,240 –> 00:19:01,120
I’m fairly sure they are grown
men.

273
00:19:01,320 –> 00:19:05,360
And by this time Adam and Eve
must have had other children as

274
00:19:05,360 –> 00:19:07,400
well.
And those children must have had

275
00:19:07,400 –> 00:19:09,240
children.
And I would not be surprised in

276
00:19:09,240 –> 00:19:11,920
the slightest to find out that
Cain had got children and that

277
00:19:11,920 –> 00:19:13,840
Abel had had children.
I don’t know.

278
00:19:14,440 –> 00:19:16,760
But I would not be surprised at
all to find that out.

279
00:19:17,560 –> 00:19:20,360
And everybody’s gathered, as we
are today, perhaps, to worship

280
00:19:20,360 –> 00:19:22,080
the Lord.
There’s Cain bringing his

281
00:19:22,080 –> 00:19:24,240
offering there, and Abel
bringing his offering there.

282
00:19:24,240 –> 00:19:28,000
And down from heaven comes the
fire, burns up the sacrifices

283
00:19:28,120 –> 00:19:31,600
and leaves Cain untouched.
And everybody says to

284
00:19:31,600 –> 00:19:36,720
themselves, well, God doesn’t
want Cain’s offering, And Cain

285
00:19:36,720 –> 00:19:40,960
is very wroth, and his
countenance fell.

286
00:19:42,520 –> 00:19:46,080
And the Lord said unto Cain, Why
art thou wroth?

287
00:19:46,840 –> 00:19:51,800
Why is thy countenance fallen?
If thou doest?

288
00:19:51,800 –> 00:19:56,440
Well, if you do the right thing,
That which I have commanded you,

289
00:19:57,080 –> 00:20:03,840
shalt thou not be accepted.
And that doesn’t make sense.

290
00:20:04,720 –> 00:20:07,240
But if we look at the marginal
rendering of that, you’ll see it

291
00:20:07,240 –> 00:20:15,760
says, If thou doest well shalt
thou not have the Excellency.

292
00:20:17,760 –> 00:20:19,480
And that doesn’t make much sense
either, does it?

293
00:20:21,080 –> 00:20:24,400
But if you turn with me now to
the 49th chapter of the book of

294
00:20:24,400 –> 00:20:33,880
Genesis, to Genesis, chapter 49,
and the third verse, you’ll see

295
00:20:33,880 –> 00:20:38,080
another instance of the Law of
Moses, or the Law which was

296
00:20:38,080 –> 00:20:43,560
codified in the Law of Moses, in
operation here, Genesis 49 and

297
00:20:43,560 –> 00:20:49,160
verse 3.
Reuben, Thou art my first born,

298
00:20:49,440 –> 00:20:56,120
my might, and the beginning of
my strength, the Excellency of

299
00:20:56,120 –> 00:21:02,800
dignity, and the Excellency of
power unstable as water.

300
00:21:03,000 –> 00:21:08,760
Thou shalt not revised version,
have the Excellency, because

301
00:21:08,760 –> 00:21:13,360
thou wentest up to thy father’s
bed, then defileth thou it.

302
00:21:13,880 –> 00:21:18,000
He went up to my couch.
In other words, Reuben had

303
00:21:18,000 –> 00:21:21,840
defiled his father’s bed, and
had been thrown out from being

304
00:21:21,840 –> 00:21:24,240
the first born.
He had been thrown out from the

305
00:21:24,240 –> 00:21:26,920
privileges of being the eldest
son.

306
00:21:26,960 –> 00:21:29,840
He had lost it, and they had
been transferred to Joseph and

307
00:21:29,840 –> 00:21:32,800
to Judah.
Now, in Genesis Chapter 4, it’s

308
00:21:32,800 –> 00:21:37,400
the same thing.
If thou doest well, shalt thou

309
00:21:37,400 –> 00:21:43,560
not have the Excellency be the
first born, be the priest, be

310
00:21:43,560 –> 00:21:46,360
the one that I accept the one
that has all the rights and the

311
00:21:46,360 –> 00:21:48,360
privileges.
So of course you would.

312
00:21:48,360 –> 00:21:51,280
Of course he doesn’t want to.
He doesn’t want to know.

313
00:21:52,600 –> 00:21:55,040
Next bit of the sentence makes
even less sense.

314
00:21:55,880 –> 00:22:05,560
And if thou doest well, If thou
doest not well, sin lieth at the

315
00:22:05,560 –> 00:22:09,120
door.
That’s the most difficult piece

316
00:22:09,120 –> 00:22:12,680
of Scripture to understand.
But let’s see what it means.

317
00:22:13,520 –> 00:22:19,360
First of all, if he doesn’t do
well, sin is lying at the door.

318
00:22:19,600 –> 00:22:22,880
What door?
Answer the door of the

319
00:22:22,880 –> 00:22:24,920
Tabernacle.
The door of the place where they

320
00:22:24,920 –> 00:22:28,320
were meeting, the door described
Of the place, the door of the

321
00:22:28,320 –> 00:22:30,800
place described as the presence
of the Lord.

322
00:22:31,120 –> 00:22:35,560
There’s a door.
What about sin lieth at the

323
00:22:35,560 –> 00:22:38,800
door?
Well, I understand that in

324
00:22:38,800 –> 00:22:44,840
Hebrew, the word for sin can
just as easily be understood to

325
00:22:44,840 –> 00:22:51,080
mean a sin offering.
And what this could mean is that

326
00:22:51,080 –> 00:22:57,040
if thou doest not well, a sin
offering is lying at the door.

327
00:22:58,040 –> 00:23:03,160
In other words, Abel, his
brother, had brought sheep to

328
00:23:03,600 –> 00:23:05,560
and put them, and left them
outside the door of the

329
00:23:05,560 –> 00:23:09,320
sabonacle, out there as a sin
offering, as a possible sin

330
00:23:09,320 –> 00:23:13,160
offering for his brother, if
only his brother would accept

331
00:23:13,160 –> 00:23:17,520
it.
If thou doest not, well, there’s

332
00:23:17,520 –> 00:23:21,760
a wave to cleanse your sin.
It’s outside there, lying at the

333
00:23:21,760 –> 00:23:23,800
door.
You’ve got to take it.

334
00:23:25,680 –> 00:23:31,280
And unto thee shall be his
desire.

335
00:23:31,480 –> 00:23:34,600
Abel’s desire.
Abel will look up to you,

336
00:23:34,600 –> 00:23:39,560
because once more you are the
high priest instead of him, and

337
00:23:39,560 –> 00:23:45,360
thou shalt rule over him.
Abel, because of your iniquity,

338
00:23:45,360 –> 00:23:48,000
Kane, you are in this miserable
position.

339
00:23:48,160 –> 00:23:50,800
I have rejected you.
But there’s a way back.

340
00:23:51,520 –> 00:23:55,640
Take it and you will have the
Excellency once more.

341
00:23:56,680 –> 00:23:59,720
Well, there are some people you
can talk to like that, and there

342
00:23:59,720 –> 00:24:02,880
are some people you can’t.
And Cain is obviously one of

343
00:24:02,880 –> 00:24:07,760
those that you can’t.
And Cain, verse 8 talked with

344
00:24:07,800 –> 00:24:14,320
Abel his brother, and it came to
pass when they were in the field

345
00:24:14,480 –> 00:24:19,200
that Cain rose up against Abel
his brother, and slew him.

346
00:24:20,000 –> 00:24:22,120
Brothers and sisters.
If ever you needed proof that

347
00:24:22,120 –> 00:24:24,400
these were not little boys, here
it is.

348
00:24:24,680 –> 00:24:28,000
Little children don’t get up and
smash stoned into the skulls of

349
00:24:28,000 –> 00:24:31,920
their brothers.
But this is a grown man, full of

350
00:24:31,920 –> 00:24:36,320
hatred, full of anger, full of
wrath, picking up a stone or a

351
00:24:36,320 –> 00:24:39,200
knife or something and smashing
his brother into the ground with

352
00:24:39,200 –> 00:24:43,880
it, breaking his skull in.
There’s Abel, lying on the

353
00:24:43,880 –> 00:24:47,920
ground, quite dead.
But Kenny isn’t a fool.

354
00:24:48,960 –> 00:24:51,320
He buries him.
He must bury him.

355
00:24:51,320 –> 00:24:53,280
Can’t leave him to lie out in
the field like that.

356
00:24:54,040 –> 00:24:56,120
And we know this because of the
10th verse.

357
00:24:57,480 –> 00:25:03,600
Thy the voice of thy brother’s
blood crieth unto me from the

358
00:25:03,600 –> 00:25:08,440
ground brackets where you have
buried him, and dug a hole, and

359
00:25:08,440 –> 00:25:13,960
stuck him, stuck him in Cain.
Where is Abel, thy brother?

360
00:25:14,760 –> 00:25:19,080
As if God didn’t know.
Brothers and sisters, this is a

361
00:25:19,080 –> 00:25:22,320
consistent feature of Scripture.
All the way through that God

362
00:25:22,320 –> 00:25:26,120
gives them a chance to turn
round and to repent.

363
00:25:26,880 –> 00:25:31,280
Cain, where is Abel thy brother?
Where is he?

364
00:25:31,800 –> 00:25:35,200
God knew Adam.
Where art thou?

365
00:25:36,520 –> 00:25:39,280
He knew where he was.
Saul.

366
00:25:39,760 –> 00:25:46,600
Saul, why persecutest thou me?
He knew, but he’s not asking him

367
00:25:46,600 –> 00:25:50,640
to improve his knowledge.
He’s asking him to give him an

368
00:25:50,680 –> 00:25:55,080
opportunity to repent.
Where is Abel thy brother?

369
00:25:55,280 –> 00:26:01,520
Had Cain said I have slain him,
then you can see that the

370
00:26:01,520 –> 00:26:02,960
relationships would have been
different.

371
00:26:04,200 –> 00:26:06,760
But not Cain?
I don’t know.

372
00:26:07,880 –> 00:26:13,480
Am I my brother’s keeper?
And he said, What hast thou

373
00:26:13,480 –> 00:26:15,120
done?
He’s still asking.

374
00:26:15,600 –> 00:26:18,880
I know what you’ve done.
What hast thou done?

375
00:26:19,160 –> 00:26:24,280
Confess.
The voice of thy brother’s blood

376
00:26:25,280 –> 00:26:31,600
crieth unto me from the ground.
I can hear him crying, says God.

377
00:26:32,160 –> 00:26:35,520
I can hear him.
He’s dead, and I know that

378
00:26:35,520 –> 00:26:40,480
you’ve killed him.
And now cursed art thou from the

379
00:26:40,480 –> 00:26:45,320
ground, which has opened her
mouth to receive thy brother’s

380
00:26:45,320 –> 00:26:50,760
blood from thy hand.
When thou tillest the ground, it

381
00:26:50,760 –> 00:26:54,720
shall not henceforth yield unto
thee her strength.

382
00:26:55,600 –> 00:26:59,920
A fugitive and a Vagabond shalt
thou be in the earth.

383
00:27:02,320 –> 00:27:05,560
And now then, sister, we come to
the strangest, I think, quite

384
00:27:05,560 –> 00:27:14,040
the strangest part of the story,
This 13th and 14th verse, I

385
00:27:14,040 –> 00:27:16,160
think.
And I may be pitching it too

386
00:27:16,160 –> 00:27:19,040
strongly, and I hope you’ll
forgive me if you think I am.

387
00:27:19,800 –> 00:27:27,120
I think that in this verse Cain
confesses, and Cain is forgiven.

388
00:27:29,680 –> 00:27:36,000
Look at the proof of this, Cain
said unto the Lord margin.

389
00:27:37,520 –> 00:27:45,040
My iniquity is greater than that
it may be forgiven.

390
00:27:46,840 –> 00:27:53,720
My iniquity is greater than that
it may be forgiven.

391
00:27:54,320 –> 00:27:59,200
He admits to God the enormity of
the crime that he has committed.

392
00:27:59,800 –> 00:28:03,840
I have killed him, and it’s too
much to expect forgiveness for

393
00:28:03,840 –> 00:28:07,280
this.
Behold verse 14.

394
00:28:07,880 –> 00:28:11,400
Behold, thou hast driven me out
this day from the face of the

395
00:28:11,400 –> 00:28:14,680
earth.
And from thy face shall I be hid

396
00:28:14,840 –> 00:28:17,880
because I’ve sinned.
You will not turn your face

397
00:28:17,880 –> 00:28:19,960
towards me.
You will turn away from me, your

398
00:28:19,960 –> 00:28:25,800
God, and I shall be a fugitive
and a Vagabond in the earth.

399
00:28:27,320 –> 00:28:30,320
And here now in the next verse,
and the next part of the verse,

400
00:28:30,760 –> 00:28:35,440
is another illustration of the
law of Moses, that it shall come

401
00:28:35,440 –> 00:28:40,680
to pass, that everyone or
revised version, whosoever

402
00:28:40,960 –> 00:28:45,040
findeth me, shall slay me.
It’s an element of the law of

403
00:28:45,040 –> 00:28:48,640
Moses.
When someone was slain, the

404
00:28:48,640 –> 00:28:52,520
avenger of blood went after him
to kill him.

405
00:28:53,320 –> 00:28:56,280
And he says, this is the avenger
of blood that Cain’s worried

406
00:28:56,280 –> 00:28:58,480
about here.
Maybe Abel’s children, I don’t

407
00:28:58,480 –> 00:29:03,600
know.
And God says this is not going

408
00:29:03,600 –> 00:29:07,320
to be so.
Now, my sisters, we have this

409
00:29:07,320 –> 00:29:14,360
question mark of this sign or
this mark that is put upon Cain.

410
00:29:15,280 –> 00:29:19,520
What exactly was it?
Well, just before we try to

411
00:29:19,560 –> 00:29:23,640
answer that question, can I just
review briefly the elements of

412
00:29:23,640 –> 00:29:26,200
the Law of Moses that we found
in this chapter so far?

413
00:29:27,760 –> 00:29:32,840
There’s blood sacrifice, there’s
fat, there’s a priesthood.

414
00:29:33,320 –> 00:29:34,880
There’s the law of the first
born.

415
00:29:35,200 –> 00:29:37,040
There’s the law of the avenger
of blood.

416
00:29:37,520 –> 00:29:40,560
There’s the law of displacing
the first born if he didn’t

417
00:29:40,680 –> 00:29:44,640
behave himself.
We see sin offerings, we see a

418
00:29:44,640 –> 00:29:47,280
Tabernacle.
We see the law against murder.

419
00:29:47,760 –> 00:29:51,960
We see punishment of crime.
All these things are elements of

420
00:29:51,960 –> 00:29:55,400
the Law of Moses.
And now can it be a surprise

421
00:29:56,000 –> 00:29:59,680
that this last fifteenth verse
here that we’ve come to contains

422
00:29:59,680 –> 00:30:03,560
another one?
When a man was going to flee

423
00:30:03,720 –> 00:30:07,000
from the avenger of blood, where
did he go?

424
00:30:08,040 –> 00:30:11,760
Answer.
He went to a city of refuge.

425
00:30:12,440 –> 00:30:15,360
And I think this is what is
happening here, that God

426
00:30:15,360 –> 00:30:21,440
appoints a place of refuge for
Cain where he would be safe from

427
00:30:21,440 –> 00:30:25,520
the avenger of blood, so that he
would not be slain by that man

428
00:30:25,560 –> 00:30:28,920
who had come after him.
And where is that place likely

429
00:30:28,920 –> 00:30:31,760
to be?
There weren’t any cities, or not

430
00:30:31,760 –> 00:30:35,280
that we’re told of.
There weren’t any cities, but

431
00:30:35,280 –> 00:30:38,600
there is.
Where was a place verse 16.

432
00:30:39,840 –> 00:30:45,800
And Cain went out from the
presence of the Lord.

433
00:30:48,000 –> 00:30:54,560
You remember when Solomon sent
his captain to slay Joab?

434
00:30:54,560 –> 00:30:58,800
Do you remember what Joab did?
Joab fled.

435
00:30:59,200 –> 00:31:03,200
Joab ran where to the Tabernacle
and took hold of the horns of

436
00:31:03,200 –> 00:31:06,000
the altar.
And Solomon said, go and get him

437
00:31:06,000 –> 00:31:10,200
out of there and kill him.
Because the horns of the altar,

438
00:31:10,280 –> 00:31:13,800
the Tabernacle, was one of the
places of refuge, one of the

439
00:31:13,800 –> 00:31:17,400
cities of refuge.
And therefore I suggest that

440
00:31:17,400 –> 00:31:20,720
what’s happening here is that
God has God says to Cain, right?

441
00:31:20,720 –> 00:31:25,200
Cain, I will appoint a place of
refuge for you, but it is in my

442
00:31:25,200 –> 00:31:27,680
Tabernacle.
You have got to stay there.

443
00:31:27,840 –> 00:31:31,280
If you go out, you will be
slain, and your blood will be on

444
00:31:31,280 –> 00:31:36,360
your own head.
Well, the Tabernacle is the

445
00:31:36,360 –> 00:31:39,440
Tabernacle.
It’s the place of worship of

446
00:31:39,440 –> 00:31:41,680
God.
It is the place where those

447
00:31:41,680 –> 00:31:46,520
whose hearts are right before
God we will find some rest and

448
00:31:46,520 –> 00:31:48,480
some ease, and be glad and
rejoice.

449
00:31:50,360 –> 00:31:54,880
But Cain, the atmosphere of
holiness is far too much for

450
00:31:54,880 –> 00:31:58,640
people like him.
He can’t stand it, and he stays

451
00:31:58,640 –> 00:32:02,760
there for a while, and then he
can’t stand and he goes out.

452
00:32:02,920 –> 00:32:06,840
Verse 16.
And Cain went out from the

453
00:32:06,840 –> 00:32:11,160
presence of the Lord and dwelt
in the land of Nod on the east

454
00:32:11,160 –> 00:32:14,640
of Eden.
And Cain knew his wife, and she

455
00:32:14,640 –> 00:32:19,120
conceived and bare Enoch.
And he builded a city.

456
00:32:20,920 –> 00:32:24,640
Why does he build a city?
It’s his own city of refuge

457
00:32:24,720 –> 00:32:27,280
where he thought he was going to
be safe.

458
00:32:28,040 –> 00:32:32,440
And he calls the name of the
city after his son Enoch.

459
00:32:34,240 –> 00:32:39,760
And so, brothers and sisters,
another sorry story, a man

460
00:32:39,880 –> 00:32:44,400
forsaking willfully,
deliberately, with malice

461
00:32:44,400 –> 00:32:47,960
aforethought, the privileges
which God has given to him.

462
00:32:49,960 –> 00:32:55,760
Let us, as I said yesterday,
take time out once a week, or

463
00:32:55,760 –> 00:33:01,360
twice a week or more, if
possible, to sit down and reckon

464
00:33:01,360 –> 00:33:06,080
up our privileges before God and
say to ourselves, just how much

465
00:33:06,320 –> 00:33:10,240
do we value these privileges,
and let us act as if we do.

466
00:33:12,200 –> 00:33:15,960
And what about Abel, the blood
of the Lord Jesus?

467
00:33:15,960 –> 00:33:20,680
It says, speaketh better things
than that of Abel.

468
00:33:21,520 –> 00:33:25,720
I just to this point that I’d
like to diverge a bit for the

469
00:33:25,720 –> 00:33:28,720
rest of this session, for the
next 10 minutes or so.

470
00:33:31,200 –> 00:33:34,720
Abel was a shepherd.
So was the Lord Jesus.

471
00:33:35,280 –> 00:33:40,280
Out of thee shall come forth he
that shall be ruler or shepherd

472
00:33:40,680 –> 00:33:46,200
of my people.
Israel and those in the New

473
00:33:46,200 –> 00:33:49,080
Testament are also called
shepherds.

474
00:33:49,920 –> 00:33:55,560
Can we turn to the first of
Peter and look briefly at some

475
00:33:55,560 –> 00:34:03,760
of the functions of shepherds?
Look briefly at that which the

476
00:34:03,760 –> 00:34:14,120
shepherds had to do first of
Peter, Chapter 5 and verses one

477
00:34:14,880 –> 00:34:20,360
to four has a profound
exhortation that come from this,

478
00:34:22,840 –> 00:34:29,840
and some which need to be drawn
out at length The elders verse

479
00:34:29,840 –> 00:34:35,960
one, which are among you.
I exhort who I’m also an elder

480
00:34:36,440 –> 00:34:42,199
and a witness of the sufferings
of Christ, and also a partaker

481
00:34:42,520 –> 00:34:45,239
of the glory that shall be
revealed.

482
00:34:45,920 –> 00:34:49,840
Now notice carefully that this
is to the elders, the senior

483
00:34:49,840 –> 00:34:55,960
members of the meeting.
The arranging brethren feed the

484
00:34:55,960 –> 00:35:04,880
flock of God which is among you,
taking the oversight thereof.

485
00:35:05,560 –> 00:35:09,240
Not by constraint, because
somebody’s twisting your arm to

486
00:35:09,240 –> 00:35:16,240
do it, but willingly, not for
filthy Luca, because you’re

487
00:35:16,240 –> 00:35:20,240
getting paid for it, but of a
ready mind because you want to

488
00:35:20,240 –> 00:35:25,360
do the job.
Neither as being Lords over

489
00:35:25,360 –> 00:35:31,640
God’s heritage, but being
examples to the flock.

490
00:35:32,960 –> 00:35:36,640
And when the chief shepherd
shall appear, ye shall receive a

491
00:35:36,640 –> 00:35:39,800
crown of glory that fadeth not
away.

492
00:35:41,520 –> 00:35:43,840
Those words need serious
thought.

493
00:35:44,840 –> 00:35:48,000
The elders are being called the
shepherds.

494
00:35:49,800 –> 00:35:53,120
What’s a shepherd?
A shepherd is somebody who looks

495
00:35:53,120 –> 00:35:56,480
after his sheep.
Another instances, a shepherd

496
00:35:56,480 –> 00:36:02,560
must be a man or a woman who
knows the state of the flock.

497
00:36:03,280 –> 00:36:05,360
Who cares about the state of the
flock?

498
00:36:05,560 –> 00:36:08,640
Who cares about his or her
brethren and sisters.

499
00:36:08,720 –> 00:36:12,160
We are all, when it boils down
to it, somebody’s shepherd or

500
00:36:12,160 –> 00:36:16,080
the other.
Look around your meeting.

501
00:36:17,240 –> 00:36:20,160
There are those there who are
strong in the faith.

502
00:36:20,560 –> 00:36:23,640
They’ve been there for years.
They are firm.

503
00:36:23,760 –> 00:36:26,680
They can resist all manner of
temptations and problems.

504
00:36:27,360 –> 00:36:29,680
They are the pillars of the
meeting.

505
00:36:31,280 –> 00:36:37,080
Those need to turn in their turn
now and help others, Those who

506
00:36:37,080 –> 00:36:41,760
are young in the faith, those
who have marital problems, those

507
00:36:41,760 –> 00:36:45,440
who have difficult children,
those who have teenage children

508
00:36:45,560 –> 00:36:47,040
that are pre presenting
problems.

509
00:36:47,360 –> 00:36:51,480
All of these and many more
situations arise which need the

510
00:36:51,480 –> 00:36:56,320
compassionate eye of a shepherd.
Which shepherd do you think

511
00:36:56,560 –> 00:36:58,400
would say to himself?
Right?

512
00:36:58,560 –> 00:37:04,520
This sheep of mine is sick.
Kick him out of the flock.

513
00:37:05,200 –> 00:37:07,360
I have done well.
I’m.

514
00:37:07,400 –> 00:37:11,160
My flock is now safe.
Which shepherd would do that?

515
00:37:12,400 –> 00:37:16,040
It would be a grievous loss to
him if he did such a thing,

516
00:37:16,040 –> 00:37:20,200
brothers and sisters.
And so it should be when one of

517
00:37:20,200 –> 00:37:23,600
our brethren is sick.
He wants to leave the meeting

518
00:37:23,600 –> 00:37:27,080
because he has believed
something that is not we think

519
00:37:27,080 –> 00:37:30,640
is not true.
What’s the first step that we

520
00:37:30,640 –> 00:37:33,920
should take?
The last step that we should

521
00:37:33,920 –> 00:37:36,400
take is to kick him out of the
door.

522
00:37:37,160 –> 00:37:40,640
The first step should never ever
be that.

523
00:37:41,120 –> 00:37:44,360
It should be to go to him with
the attitude that we are a

524
00:37:44,360 –> 00:37:47,160
shepherd, we are shepherds.
We care about this man or this

525
00:37:47,160 –> 00:37:48,840
woman.
We are interested in your

526
00:37:48,840 –> 00:37:52,240
problems.
Let’s talk about it, discuss it

527
00:37:52,240 –> 00:37:55,640
sympathetically rather than with
a rod.

528
00:37:56,440 –> 00:38:00,320
I very rarely read in scripture
anywhere else about a shepherd

529
00:38:00,320 –> 00:38:02,480
taking a rod and beating his
sheep.

530
00:38:03,360 –> 00:38:05,520
Very, very rarely and yet so
often.

531
00:38:05,520 –> 00:38:09,400
This is our attitude.
That’s the very first sign of

532
00:38:09,400 –> 00:38:13,840
trouble.
We cut off, we chop, we shove to

533
00:38:13,840 –> 00:38:19,120
one side, we act, we we do
everything that a shepherd would

534
00:38:19,120 –> 00:38:23,120
never do.
Yes, there comes a time when the

535
00:38:23,120 –> 00:38:26,760
infection is too great, when it
does need cutting off.

536
00:38:27,320 –> 00:38:31,920
But it should then be done, if
at all, with love, with great

537
00:38:31,920 –> 00:38:36,360
sorrow, with regret, rather than
saying to ourselves, ah well,

538
00:38:36,360 –> 00:38:38,160
he’s gone.
Now problems are finished.

539
00:38:39,200 –> 00:38:42,960
We can get on with the business
of being in the truth too often.

540
00:38:42,960 –> 00:38:47,320
Is it like that brother and
sisters tend the flock of God,

541
00:38:47,520 –> 00:38:52,520
which is among you.
Feed them, heal them, give them

542
00:38:52,520 –> 00:38:56,960
water to drink, look after him.
Because sheep are basically

543
00:38:56,960 –> 00:39:01,120
stupid.
And if it’s doesn’t please you

544
00:39:01,120 –> 00:39:04,680
to be liking to a sheep, then
please rest assured it’s not me

545
00:39:04,680 –> 00:39:06,400
that’s doing it.
It’s the word of God.

546
00:39:07,120 –> 00:39:11,680
Sheep are basically stupid and
those who have intelligence need

547
00:39:11,680 –> 00:39:15,480
to be the ones that take great
care of these sheep.

548
00:39:16,520 –> 00:39:19,640
I’m very much minded brothers
and sisters of the 40th chapter

549
00:39:19,640 –> 00:39:22,360
of the book of Isaiah.
Perhaps I can just draw your

550
00:39:22,360 –> 00:39:25,880
attention briefly to them to
that passage.

551
00:39:26,960 –> 00:39:34,040
Isaiah chapter 40 needs a bit of
serious meditation concerning

552
00:39:34,040 –> 00:39:38,800
the Lord Jesus Christ with
wonderful passage dealing with

553
00:39:38,840 –> 00:39:44,640
Jesus verse 10.
Behold, the Lord God will come

554
00:39:44,720 –> 00:39:48,720
with strong hand and his arm
shall rule for him.

555
00:39:49,040 –> 00:39:51,800
Ah, there we have it.
We’re going to beat them.

556
00:39:51,800 –> 00:40:00,680
Black and blue is it.
Behold, his reward is with him

557
00:40:01,280 –> 00:40:07,040
and his work before him.
He shall feed his flock like a

558
00:40:07,040 –> 00:40:10,640
shepherd.
He shall gather the lambs in his

559
00:40:10,640 –> 00:40:14,080
arm, because they’re too little.
Their legs just won’t hold them

560
00:40:14,080 –> 00:40:15,560
up for the journey that they’re
going.

561
00:40:16,560 –> 00:40:22,040
He shall carry them in his
bosom, and he shall gently lead

562
00:40:22,280 –> 00:40:27,320
those that are with young.
Is that a description of the

563
00:40:27,320 –> 00:40:30,320
way?
You shepherd your particular

564
00:40:30,320 –> 00:40:36,480
flock, your you husbands, your
wife and your children, you

565
00:40:36,480 –> 00:40:40,600
mothers, your children and your
neighbours and acquaintances,

566
00:40:41,360 –> 00:40:43,960
you preachers.
Is this how you preach to the

567
00:40:43,960 –> 00:40:46,160
outside?
Or do you take the stick and

568
00:40:46,160 –> 00:40:48,680
beat them over the head with it
until they see the truth?

569
00:40:49,000 –> 00:40:52,240
Or at least see stars, brothers
and sisters?

570
00:40:52,560 –> 00:40:59,800
Is is this is so totally removed
from that sort of spirit, isn’t

571
00:40:59,800 –> 00:41:04,160
it?
He shall feed his flock like a

572
00:41:04,160 –> 00:41:07,080
shepherd.
When they need food, he’ll take

573
00:41:07,080 –> 00:41:10,120
them to the right place where
they can get some grass that

574
00:41:10,120 –> 00:41:14,240
they might enjoy and eat.
He shall gather the lambs in his

575
00:41:14,280 –> 00:41:18,400
arm and carry them in his bosom.
There’s a picture of a of a

576
00:41:18,400 –> 00:41:21,320
shepherd with one lamb there,
perhaps another lamb there,

577
00:41:21,480 –> 00:41:25,360
walking along, going to back to
the fold or wheresoever but

578
00:41:25,360 –> 00:41:29,240
taking care of them, so that the
big, the Rams and the others

579
00:41:29,240 –> 00:41:33,040
won’t trample on them won’t but
them won’t shove them to one

580
00:41:33,040 –> 00:41:38,800
side.
He shall gently lead those that

581
00:41:38,800 –> 00:41:45,440
are with young the pregnant use
the ones who are bearing

582
00:41:45,520 –> 00:41:49,280
children, the ones who are
preaching in our midst, the ones

583
00:41:49,280 –> 00:41:50,920
who are about to give birth to
children.

584
00:41:51,240 –> 00:41:55,840
You can’t treat the mother who’s
just about to have a baby seven

585
00:41:55,840 –> 00:41:59,440
months along and you can’t treat
her like a long distance runner.

586
00:42:02,520 –> 00:42:07,600
He shall gently lead those that
are with young, push them if

587
00:42:07,600 –> 00:42:11,880
they need help, but certainly
help you see the spirit of it.

588
00:42:12,280 –> 00:42:18,120
It’s not at all one of beating,
pushing, pounding, kicking,

589
00:42:18,680 –> 00:42:23,800
biting, gouging, scratching.
It’s loving.

590
00:42:24,600 –> 00:42:26,480
That’s the word, I think, that
describes this.

591
00:42:26,920 –> 00:42:30,880
He loves his sheep.
He laid down his life for his

592
00:42:30,880 –> 00:42:34,440
sheep, Our brothers and sisters,
before you cut one of those

593
00:42:34,440 –> 00:42:39,360
sheep off, before you amputate
them, before you throw them to

594
00:42:39,360 –> 00:42:44,760
the wolves outside there, think
once, twice, 10 times, because

595
00:42:44,760 –> 00:42:48,200
that is a person for whom Christ
died.

596
00:42:48,360 –> 00:42:51,000
You didn’t die for them.
Maybe if you died for them, you

597
00:42:51,000 –> 00:42:54,600
could throw them out.
But think.

598
00:42:55,960 –> 00:43:00,280
Feed the flock of God which is
among you.

599
00:43:01,360 –> 00:43:05,160
Let us each look round in our
own circles and see those for

600
00:43:05,160 –> 00:43:08,800
whom we are shepherds.
Let us see whether we are giving

601
00:43:08,800 –> 00:43:12,080
them the appropriate and correct
instruction, whether we are

602
00:43:12,120 –> 00:43:15,720
building them up rather than
tearing them down.

603
00:43:16,800 –> 00:43:20,120
Brothers and sisters, the theme
of a shepherd is a wonderful

604
00:43:20,120 –> 00:43:23,240
one.
It demands much more meditation

605
00:43:23,240 –> 00:43:24,560
than, unfortunately, we can
give.

606
00:43:24,560 –> 00:43:31,320
This morning, Cain killed his
brother because his brother was

607
00:43:31,320 –> 00:43:33,920
good.
Let us follow the example of

608
00:43:33,920 –> 00:43:38,600
that man and the Lord Jesus, and
do good to our brethren, however

609
00:43:38,600 –> 00:43:43,000
ungrateful and ungracious they
might be as a result of it.

610
00:43:44,400 –> 00:43:45,680
That’s what God would have us
do.

611
00:43:47,400 –> 00:43:49,360
We’ll conclude with a word of
prayer.

612
00:43:51,520 –> 00:43:57,360
Oh Lord, the Almighty, our
shepherd, our keeper, our guard,

613
00:43:58,040 –> 00:44:02,000
our guide, and our friends, We
raise our hearts to Thee this

614
00:44:02,000 –> 00:44:06,640
morning in thanks, and in love,
and in adoration for the wonders

615
00:44:06,640 –> 00:44:09,840
of thy word, and for the beauty
that is in his pages.

616
00:44:10,560 –> 00:44:13,400
And thanking thee for the love
that thou hast shown to us, the

617
00:44:13,400 –> 00:44:17,520
sinful sons of men to call us
thy children.

618
00:44:18,560 –> 00:44:23,000
Help us, O Lord, to value or
write our privileges, that we

619
00:44:23,280 –> 00:44:28,280
should take them up with strong
hands and walk with faith and

620
00:44:28,280 –> 00:44:33,120
with love and with hope before
thee in the paths of

621
00:44:33,120 –> 00:44:35,680
righteousness all the days of
our life.

622
00:44:36,960 –> 00:44:40,920
Hear our prayer, O Lord our God
and our shepherd, and accept our

623
00:44:40,920 –> 00:44:44,000
Thanksgiving through Christ
Jesus who died for us.

624
00:44:44,840 –> 00:45:00,960
Amen.
Thank you for listening to the

625
00:45:00,960 –> 00:45:02,600
good Crystal Adelphian Talks
Podcast.

626
00:45:03,400 –> 00:45:05,840
We hope this talk helped you in
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627
00:45:05,840 –> 00:45:08,200
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628
00:45:08,200 –> 00:45:09,960
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629
00:45:10,320 –> 00:45:13,560
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