The Lord continues with His marvelously picturesque language here. His ability to turn a phrase, to describe things in such a meaningful way, is incredible. He made language, and knows all the possible ways to use it. This is just one of those things that people can’t begin to grasp. The human authors God used were often very bright themselves - though not always. People were shocked at the mighty, powerful words which simple fishermen like Peter and John used in Acts, for instance. God can speak through anyone with words that move, if they totally trust Him to, for the word of God is powerful, sharper than any twoedged sword. (Heb. 4:12)
He uses such language here, when He says Cain is “cursed from the Earth.” The Earth had already been cursed, when sin entered into it. Death had come by that sin, as well. The curse of evil and suffering was so complete, that all of Creation groaned in agony. (Rom. 8:22) It continues to do so, and will till evil is purged from this world.
So, the Earth was quite separate from the perfection with which God made it. And yet, Cain was to be cursed from even that!
A picture of grace can be missed if we’re not careful, though. The Earth is said to have received the blood of Abel. When one receives Christ’s redemptive work by simple faith, that person believes that the perfect blood of Jesus Christ can wash away their past, present, and future sin. The Earth had ‘received” the blood of Abel, in the same way that we would one day be freed from the curse of sin by the blood that Christ shed on the cross.
Of course, nobody can get saved for us. We must each receive Christ on our own, once we reach the age of accountability. Even before, it is only Christ’s finished work on the cross which allows one to get to Heaven. Remember, He doesn’t want anyone to be able to boast of anything to get there. That includes being old enough.
Instead, God is saying that Abel is a type of Christ. His life featured something that would later be done by Jesus Christ Himself. Abel wasn’t killed because he did something wrong. He was killed for following the Lord. Abel’s death didn’t remove the curse from the earth. However, it was one of many little pieces of the puzzle that the disciples finally understood, after Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead.
Cain was cursed from the Earth. Those who reject Christ can’t be part of Him. They are separated because they have not allowed the blood of Jesus Christ to wash away their sins. However, those who crucified Jesus were offered a second chance, such as on the Day of Pentecost. (Acts 2) Cain could still have been forgiven, too, if he’d simply repented. Sadly, there’s no record that he ever did. He appears to have simply gone further away from God’s perfect love.
