DWDP: Gen 4, 12 -15 Jesus Bore our Shame that Paralyzes

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Shame can be a powerful prison. In this intimate devotional episode, we dive deep into the aftermath of humanity's first murder through the lens of Genesis 4:12-15. The story of Cain's punishment reveals profound truths about our own struggles with sin, shame, and separation from God.

What happens when the weight of our actions becomes too heavy to carry? Cain's lament that "my punishment is too great to bear" echoes through time into the hearts of many today. Drawing from his experiences ministering to men in prison, Dr. Papa illuminates how this ancient cry mirrors what he's witnessed firsthand—the paralysis that comes when shame overwhelms us. Even believers who intellectually understand Christ's redemptive work find themselves trapped in this self-imposed exile, separated from God, family, and purpose.

The contrast between Cain and his parents offers a striking lesson. While Adam and Eve understood that blood sacrifice pointed toward a future Messiah, Cain rejected this path to restoration. His story serves as a powerful warning about the consequences of unconfessed sin and rebellion against God's design. Yet even in judgment, we glimpse God's mercy through the mysterious protective sign placed on Cain.

The message culminates in a soul-stirring invitation: Will you continue wandering as a vagrant in your shame, or will you run into the loving arms of Jesus, who bore your sin and shame on the cross? "He who believes in Him will not be ashamed, will not be disappointed." The choice is yours—continued separation or complete restoration through Christ, who waits with open arms to receive you. Subscribe to "Devotions with Dr. Papa" for more biblical insights that bring ancient truths to bear on our modern struggles.

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Episode Transcript

Dr. Jackson (00:03):
Welcome to More Than Medicine, where Jesus is
more than enough for the illsthat plague our culture and our
country.
Hosted by author and physician,Dr Robert Jackson.

Dr. Robert Jackson (00:16):
Papa, can you tell me a story?

Dr. Jackson (00:19):
Do you really want me to tell you a story?
Well, you go, get your brotherand your sisters and I will tell
you a story.
Well, you go, get your brotherand your sisters and I will tell
you a story.
Welcome to Devotions with DrPapa.
Gather around, grab your Biblesand let us look into the
written Word, which reveals tous the living Word, which is our

(00:42):
Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, today we're at Genesis,chapter 4, verses 12 to 15.
Let me read to you.
God is speaking to Cain and hesays when you cultivate the
ground, it will no longer yieldits strength to you.
You will be a vagrant and awanderer on the earth.
Cain said to the Lord mypunishment is too great to bear.

(01:05):
Behold, you have driven me thisday from the face of the ground
and from your face.
I will be hidden and I will bea vagrant and a wanderer on the
earth, and whoever finds me willkill me.
So the Lord said to him.
Therefore, whoever kills Cain,vengeance will be taken on him
sevenfold.

(01:25):
And the Lord appointed a signfor Cain so that no one finding
him would slay him.
So we are only halfway throughthe fourth chapter in the first
book of the entire Bible andalready the first couple have
openly rebelled against God,hidden from him, and cast blame

(01:49):
on others.
They have been cursed by Godand cast out of the idyllic
garden, then their son murdered.
His brother, spoke defiantly toGod and lied to God's face
regarding his personalculpability.
Apparently, god, who is theauthor of Scripture, doesn't

(02:14):
hold back in describing theiniquity of man.
In verse 12, we see that thejudge of all the earth always
does right.
He renders an equitablejudgment upon Cain.
In fact, listen to what he saysin verse 12.

(02:35):
When you cultivate the ground,it will no longer yield its
strength.
To you, you will be a vagrantand a wanderer on the earth.
You, you will be a vagrant anda wanderer on the earth.
I remind you that the deathpenalty is not instituted until
after the flood, in Genesis,chapter 9 and verse 6.
Let me read that verse to you.

(02:56):
In Genesis 9 and verse 6, itsays whoever sheds man's blood
by man, his blood shall be shedFor in the image of God.
God made man.
So the death penalty is not aninstitutional entity, it's not a
law of God until after theflood.

(03:17):
So in this instance, god'sequitable judgment against Cain
is number one.
The ground will not yield itsproduce and he's condemned to be
a vagrant and a wanderer.
In verse 13,.
Some translations read myiniquity, not my punishment, but

(03:40):
my iniquity is too great tobear.
Now, as I've told you inprevious podcasts, I have a
ministry to men who are inprison and I'll tell you the
honest truth.
I've heard that exact statementmany times, as anguished men in

(04:02):
prison exclaim that theirpunishment is too great to bear
or their sin, their iniquity, istoo great to bear, and I would
submit to you, very respectfully, that what they really mean is
that the shame of their sin, theshame of their iniquity, is too

(04:26):
great to bear.
Just like my friend in my, myfriends in prison, many of my
patients and many of myChristian friends are paralyzed
by shame.
Even though they acknowledgethat on the cross, jesus took
our sin and our shame,nevertheless they allow the

(04:50):
shame of their previous sins toparalyze them and that shame
keeps them from their friends,keeps them from their families
and keeps them out of Christianministry.
Cain's parents, adam and Eve,understood that the bloody
sacrifice that covered theirnakedness, that covered their

(05:15):
sin, that covered their shame,pointed toward a future perfect
sacrifice.
It pointed towards a futureMessiah, a future Savior.
Just like you and I lookbackwards to the perfect

(05:35):
sacrifice.
They looked forward to theperfect sacrifice.
They looked forward to theMessiah.
Unfortunately, however, caindidn't avail himself of that
proffered sacrifice which, byfaith, could have been available

(05:57):
to him.
I speak to prisoners and topatients and to friends who were
paralyzed by their sin andtheir shame, who wander like
vagrants through this life andtheir shame, who wander like
vagrants through this life,frustrated, impotent, separated
from God and family and friends,in a self-imposed exile,

(06:22):
muttering to themselves.
My punishment is too great tobear, which is exactly what Cain
said in verse 14.
Behold, you have driven me thisday from the face of the ground
and from your face.
I will be hidden and I will bea vagrant and a wanderer on the

(06:42):
earth, and whoever finds me willkill me.
They became wanderers andvagrants, and vagrants just like
Cain.
Their sin and shame drives themfrom the face of God, from the

(07:06):
presence of God, and unconfessedsin always separates us from
God.
If I nurture sin in my heart,it will eventually drive me away
from family and friends.
The Bible tells us the way ofthe wicked is hard.
In verse 14, cain knew that hehad been exiled from productive
work.
He'd been exiled from thepresence of holy God and exiled

(07:26):
from polite society and exilefrom polite society.
Consequently, he feared for hislife, saying Whoever finds me
will kill me.
Well, in verse 15, let me readthat verse again.
So the Lord said to him.
Therefore, whoever kills Cain,vengeance will be taken on him

(07:48):
sevenfold.
And the Lord appointed a signfor Cain so that no one finding
him would slay him.
So God placed a sign on Cain.
No one knows exactly what thatsign was.
Some translations use the wordmark, causing us to think that
he may have had a physical marklike a tattoo on his person, but

(08:14):
that is incorrect, since thecorrect word is sign.
It makes one think of NathanielHawthorne's book the Scarlet
Letter, in which his femaleprotagonist, hester Prynne, is
made to wear a scarlet letter.
The scarlet letter was theletter A around her neck,

(08:36):
because she had born a child outof wedlock in Puritan America,
the early years of America.
The letter A, of course,symbolized adultery.
What sign might God have givenCain?
No one really knows for certainand we can only speculate, but

(08:58):
the sign was for his protection.
It protected him well enoughthat he was able to eventually
survive long enough to found acity and become the ancestor of
a large number of descendants.
Now let me close by saying thisCain had the same opportunity as

(09:19):
his brother, abel, to offer anacceptable sacrifice, but he
rebelled in his heart againstGod's order.
Cain had a truth-tellingbrother who warned him
repeatedly, but he rejected thatadmonition.
Cain, in his anger andrebellion, rose up and struck

(09:41):
down his own brother inpremeditated murder.
Cain then defied God to hisface and lied about the
whereabouts of his brother.
He lied to the judge of all theearth and then he whined that
his judgment was too great tobear and covered his face with

(10:03):
shame.
Does that sound like anyone youknow?
Does that sound like you?
Have you rebelled against God'sorder, against God's word,
ignored the truth teller in yourlife and now you suffer the
paralysis of shame because ofwhat you've done?
Listen to me carefully.

(10:24):
Jesus took your sin and yourshame upon the cross that you
need not bear it any longer.
The Scripture says Behold, Ilay in Zion a choice stone, a
precious cornerstone, and he whobelieves in him will not be

(10:49):
ashamed, will not bedisappointed.
Jesus is our sin bearer, ourshame bearer.
He takes away sin and he takesaway shame and he takes it out
of the way and nails it to thecross and he sets us free.
Dear listener, you may need tomake a choice.

(11:11):
Do you want to wander like avagrant, like Cain, in the land
of Nod, always away from theface of God and away from the
presence of your family andfriends, or do you want to
confess and repent and run intothe loving arms of Jesus, your

(11:32):
Savior?
Trust me, jesus is waiting foryou.
You're listening to Devotionswith Dr Papa.
For you, you're listening toDevotions with Dr Papa.
If you like what you hear,follow like share, tell your
friends and family about it andI'll be back again next week.
Until then, may the Lord blessyou real good.

Dr. Robert Jackson (11:53):
Thank you for listening to this edition of
More Than Medicine.
For more information about theJackson Family Ministry or to
schedule a speaking engagement,go to their Facebook page,
instagram or webpage atjacksonfamilyministrycom.
Also, don't forget to check outDr Jackson's books that are
available on Amazon His thirdbook Turkey Tales and Bible

(12:14):
Truths, and his father'sbiography on Laughter Silvered
Wings the story of a countrydoctor, a family man, a patriot
and a political activist.
This podcast is produced by BobSlone Audio Productions.