# Death of Abel



## D. Paul (Sep 6, 2005)

Why did God, if He required a murderer to be put to death under the Mosaic law, and this moral law was in effect prior to that same law, allow Cain to live after the slaying of Abel?


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## Contra_Mundum (Sep 6, 2005)

It's also interesting that Cain, the first murderer, seemed to realize that he was liable to be killed for justice' sake.

It was God's wisdom to allow Cain to establish a rival seed, and to allow the sons of God (the righteous line) to intermarry with the daughters of Men, and pollute the heritage. Not that Seth's decendants were somehow pristine, but the covenant promises were rejected for lust's sake. So, we are permitted to see what a world looks like with less and less common grace. "And the earth was filled with violence."


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Sep 6, 2005)

This is an interesting question. Although civil government was not yet established on the earth and capital punishment was not instituted until Gen. 9.6, yet God certainly could have taken the opportunity to execute Abel [Cain] himself, as he did Onan later on (Gen. 38) and others, because the killing of one made in the image of God himself warrants no less than death. Matthew Henry points out the great mercy extended to Abel [Cain] which is designed to lead to repentance, but yet we see Abel's [Cain's] quarrelling with God over the equity of his punishment. It is also noteworthy that God prohibits vigilanteism wrt to Abel [Cain], though Abel's [Cain's] disgrace is always upon him. Whether the end of the wicked comes suddenly (like Onan or Nadab and Abihu, for example) or the wicked is allowed to live out his days (like Abel [Cain] or the wicked who seem to prosper in Ps. 73), yet God's justice and mercy both work out to his glory and ought to make us consider what our own sins deserve and what goodness and forbearance has been shown to us to lead us to repentance.

{edited for clarity by moderator to replace all the "Abel's" with "Cain's"}

[Edited on 9-7-2005 by Contra_Mundum]


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## Peter (Sep 6, 2005)

In Bahnsens lectures on War, the 1st lecture, Bahnsen begins to speculate though the quality of the audio file at that point deteriorates breifly, he says something about not wanting to exterminate the human race (though presumably Adam had other children and Seth was yet to be born). So I think something along the lines of what Bruce said. Also as Andrew said civil government wasn't instituted yet (Kuyper also links the institution of civil gov't with the mandate of capital punishment). Without God's appointed avenger (Ro 13:4) there is no human means for God to execute vengence (Ro 12:19),


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## pastorway (Sep 6, 2005)

> _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> This is an interesting question. Although civil government was not yet established on the earth and capital punishment was not instituted until Gen. 9.6, yet God certainly could have taken the opportunity to execute *Abel* himself, as he did Onan later on (Gen. 38) and others, because the killing of one made in the image of God himself warrants no less than death. Matthew Henry points out the great mercy extended to *Abel* which is designed to lead to repentance, but yet we see *Abel's* quarrelling with God over the equity of his punishment. It is also noteworthy that God prohibits vigilanteism wrt to *Abel*, though *Abel's* disgrace is always upon him. Whether the end of the wicked comes suddenly (like Onan or Nadab and Abihu, for example) or the wicked is allowed to live out his days (like *Abel* or the wicked who seem to prosper in Ps. 73), yet God's justice and mercy both work out to his glory and ought to make us consider what our own sins deserve and what goodness and forbearance has been shown to us to lead us to repentance.



{moderator note}

in this post quoted above, please substitute *Cain* for Abel.

hehehe


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Sep 6, 2005)

> _Originally posted by pastorway_
> 
> 
> > _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> ...



ooops, thanks to the mods for catching this (and being a good "brother's keeper"  ). I need to go to bed. It's been a long day...

[Edited on 9-7-2005 by VirginiaHuguenot]


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## JKLeoPCA (Sep 7, 2005)

I'd simply add that there was a judgment passed, and carried out, just not immediately. The Flood took care of Cain. 

1 Peter 3:20, "because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water." -ESV


2 Peter 2:5-9, "*5* if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; *6* if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; *7* and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked *8* (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); *9* then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment" -ESV




[Edited on 9-7-2005 by JKLeoPCA]


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