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© 2009 John D. Brey
Genesis 4:7 is as disturbing a passage as we’re likely to find throughout the Torah (and there are no small few disturbing passages). We can’t deny the Torah’s presentation of YHVH's “lust” (if that word is not inappropriate when speaking of YHVH) for blood. At nearly every turn He's requiring blood as something like the coin of the divine realm. --- He desires the blood of Isaac, and only the "angel of the Lord" (and not YHVH Himself) stays the hand of Abraham from delivering on YHVH's demand. He tells the Israelites to kill every man, woman, child (and animal) in the various lands they conquer (spare not a single living soul).
He requires blood sacrifice at the temple. Every liturgical article is to be sanitized with blood. Even the life-giving organ of the male Jew is not sanctified, or sanitized (is not fit for use), until it has been bled. Moses sprinkles the congregation with blood . . . blood here, blood there. . . blood, blood, blood . . . till we see red and it's coming out our ears.
. . . And yet with that said, Genesis 4:7 may take the cake.
In the lead up, Abel offers YHVH the blood of the finest of his flock. Cain offers only agricultural products. No blood. . . YHVH is not impressed. ----- But He's delighted with the blood offering from Abel. ----- Cain is brooding about YHVH's snub of his bloodless offering when lo and behold YHVH appears and raises the hair on the back of our necks:
johndbrey@gmail.com
© 2009 John D. Brey
Genesis 4:7 is as disturbing a passage as we’re likely to find throughout the Torah (and there are no small few disturbing passages). We can’t deny the Torah’s presentation of YHVH's “lust” (if that word is not inappropriate when speaking of YHVH) for blood. At nearly every turn He's requiring blood as something like the coin of the divine realm. --- He desires the blood of Isaac, and only the "angel of the Lord" (and not YHVH Himself) stays the hand of Abraham from delivering on YHVH's demand. He tells the Israelites to kill every man, woman, child (and animal) in the various lands they conquer (spare not a single living soul).
He requires blood sacrifice at the temple. Every liturgical article is to be sanitized with blood. Even the life-giving organ of the male Jew is not sanctified, or sanitized (is not fit for use), until it has been bled. Moses sprinkles the congregation with blood . . . blood here, blood there. . . blood, blood, blood . . . till we see red and it's coming out our ears.
. . . And yet with that said, Genesis 4:7 may take the cake.
In the lead up, Abel offers YHVH the blood of the finest of his flock. Cain offers only agricultural products. No blood. . . YHVH is not impressed. ----- But He's delighted with the blood offering from Abel. ----- Cain is brooding about YHVH's snub of his bloodless offering when lo and behold YHVH appears and raises the hair on the back of our necks:
And YHVH
said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou
doest well, shalt thou not be accepted, and if thou doest not do well, well a
sin offering lieth just outside the door.
This
is pretty incredible even in the context of all the other episodes of blood
lust. YHVH tells Cain not to be so upset about not bringing Him a
blood-offering the first time. He says you can atone for that deficiency easily
enough. There's a perfect blood-offering lying right outside your door. Present
me that blood-offering and I'll overlook the yams and sunflower seeds you
brought the first time.
Who’s lying right outside Cain's door? Abel.
We know this to be the case since the Hebrew word used for "sin offering" (chat'a) is in the feminine, while "lieth" is masculine, making the correct reading: "At the entrance [a male] is lying, a sin offering."
Furthermore, YHVH's claim that a sin offering is lying right outside the door is followed immediately by verse 8 telling us that Cain stepped outside and talked with Abel his brother as they went for a walk . . . at which time Cain required his brother's blood as a “sin offering”. ---- The end of verse 7 is distressing to anyone with an inkling of Jesus' love for Israel, and Israel's final response to Jesus’ desire. It’s particularly chilling when we remember that Jesus equated the Jewish authorities with Cain, and thus himself with Abel:
Who’s lying right outside Cain's door? Abel.
We know this to be the case since the Hebrew word used for "sin offering" (chat'a) is in the feminine, while "lieth" is masculine, making the correct reading: "At the entrance [a male] is lying, a sin offering."
Furthermore, YHVH's claim that a sin offering is lying right outside the door is followed immediately by verse 8 telling us that Cain stepped outside and talked with Abel his brother as they went for a walk . . . at which time Cain required his brother's blood as a “sin offering”. ---- The end of verse 7 is distressing to anyone with an inkling of Jesus' love for Israel, and Israel's final response to Jesus’ desire. It’s particularly chilling when we remember that Jesus equated the Jewish authorities with Cain, and thus himself with Abel:
. . . a
sin offering lieth just outside the door. And unto thee shall his desire be,
but you shall rule against him.
Translation:
Abel loves you. But if you want atonement for your unrighteousness you know
what you’ve got to do.
Someone is going to protest that YHVH would never be this bloodthirsty. . . And yet we have a frightening justification for this interpretation when we remember that YHVH desired the blood of Isaac, and indemnified Abraham for the future taking of that innocent blood with the same "sign" he gave Cain after the fact.
In other words, in two critical narratives within the Torah, YHVH asks for innocent blood. And in the first case he redeems the taker of innocent blood with a "sign" (saying this murderer is my murderer; leave him alone). . . While in the second case, having already set precedent, YHVH gives Abraham the indemnifying sign prior to asking him to murder an innocent family member.
As if we needed more exegetical support for YHVH's modus operandi throughout the Torah we have Isaiah 53:9-10:
Someone is going to protest that YHVH would never be this bloodthirsty. . . And yet we have a frightening justification for this interpretation when we remember that YHVH desired the blood of Isaac, and indemnified Abraham for the future taking of that innocent blood with the same "sign" he gave Cain after the fact.
In other words, in two critical narratives within the Torah, YHVH asks for innocent blood. And in the first case he redeems the taker of innocent blood with a "sign" (saying this murderer is my murderer; leave him alone). . . While in the second case, having already set precedent, YHVH gives Abraham the indemnifying sign prior to asking him to murder an innocent family member.
As if we needed more exegetical support for YHVH's modus operandi throughout the Torah we have Isaiah 53:9-10:
He had
done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it brought great
pleasure to YHVH to bruise him; he has put him to great grief . . ..
*
* *
To redeem YHVH (if that word is not inappropriate when speaking of YHVH) we need to understand His obsession with blood.
We could note that it appears the "redemption" of Cain is dependent on the death of Abel . . . Abel's innocent blood contains redeeming qualities. . . So that even though Cain is cursed by the earth, and made a vagabond, the wearing of the Signature of God (the "sign" aleph-vav-tav) means that Cain's relationship with God after the murder of Abel, is actually better than it was before the murder.
In other words, if the conception of Cain is the genesis (so to say) of original sin, then Cain was born a murderer even before the murder of Abel made that apparent. The murder of Abel only manifest what Cain really was from the get-go.
But it appears in the context of the narrative that the redeeming quality of Abel's innocent blood cleansed Cain from the mark of his birth, and gave him the mark of God's signature in its place. ---- Cain was “born” a murderer (even as we are all born murderers by reason of our relationship to the serpent.) But through the shedding of innocent blood, all murderers have a means of redemption through that blood.
In other words, Cain was going to die a murderer whether he actually committed a crime or not. ---- But . . . ironically . . . by killing Abel and shedding innocent blood he was able to be redeemed from the libelous mark of his birth, through the redeeming qualities of innocent blood.
Of course for Abel's blood to truly be innocent, he would have to have been fathered not by Adam or the serpent (like Cain and the rest of us), but directly by YHVH . . . which requires a major revision of the Masoretic interpretation of the Torah text.
The Masoretic text covers up all of these concepts by one stroke of the pen. By placing the period in the wrong place in Gen. 4:1-2, they eliminate the kerygma that’s engraved in Cain’s name, and in his very flesh (since we have reason to believe his was the first instance of the “sign” latter given to Abraham).
If the conception of Cain is part and parcel of original sin . . . then, per the apostle Paul, Cain is born already condemned and on his way to hell. ---- But if Abel is born as a result of YHVH's breath causing a virgin conception in Eve ("I have produced a male with YHVH"), then Abel is not born under sin, even as Jesus was not born under sin (Abel -- like Jesus -- is born from the breath of YHVH).
God accepts Abel's offering because Abel is born righteous, but rejects Cain's offering because Cain is contaminated with the original sin that is his very conception. ----- Cain is SOL (as they say) until YHVH comes to Cain and offers his only-begotten-son ---Abel --- as the "sin offering" that will appease His righteous claim against Cain's sinful birth.
Christian evangelists are forevermore claiming that God would have offered up his only begotten son to purchase even one sinner from hell. ---- YHVH offers up his only begotten Son Abel, even to purchase the freedom of the first person born under original sin: Cain.
When YHVH encourages Cain to murder His only-begotten Son, it’s not to see if Cain is what YHVH already knows him to be (a murderous son of a Murderer) . . . it's a gracious act on YHVH's part . . . offering up his only begotten Son on behalf of Cain . . . so that Cain can join Abel in the World To Come . . . a world where Cain and Abel will ever wonder at the unthinkable wisdom of the one's Father, and the others Savior.
To redeem YHVH (if that word is not inappropriate when speaking of YHVH) we need to understand His obsession with blood.
We could note that it appears the "redemption" of Cain is dependent on the death of Abel . . . Abel's innocent blood contains redeeming qualities. . . So that even though Cain is cursed by the earth, and made a vagabond, the wearing of the Signature of God (the "sign" aleph-vav-tav) means that Cain's relationship with God after the murder of Abel, is actually better than it was before the murder.
In other words, if the conception of Cain is the genesis (so to say) of original sin, then Cain was born a murderer even before the murder of Abel made that apparent. The murder of Abel only manifest what Cain really was from the get-go.
But it appears in the context of the narrative that the redeeming quality of Abel's innocent blood cleansed Cain from the mark of his birth, and gave him the mark of God's signature in its place. ---- Cain was “born” a murderer (even as we are all born murderers by reason of our relationship to the serpent.) But through the shedding of innocent blood, all murderers have a means of redemption through that blood.
In other words, Cain was going to die a murderer whether he actually committed a crime or not. ---- But . . . ironically . . . by killing Abel and shedding innocent blood he was able to be redeemed from the libelous mark of his birth, through the redeeming qualities of innocent blood.
Of course for Abel's blood to truly be innocent, he would have to have been fathered not by Adam or the serpent (like Cain and the rest of us), but directly by YHVH . . . which requires a major revision of the Masoretic interpretation of the Torah text.
The Masoretic text covers up all of these concepts by one stroke of the pen. By placing the period in the wrong place in Gen. 4:1-2, they eliminate the kerygma that’s engraved in Cain’s name, and in his very flesh (since we have reason to believe his was the first instance of the “sign” latter given to Abraham).
If the conception of Cain is part and parcel of original sin . . . then, per the apostle Paul, Cain is born already condemned and on his way to hell. ---- But if Abel is born as a result of YHVH's breath causing a virgin conception in Eve ("I have produced a male with YHVH"), then Abel is not born under sin, even as Jesus was not born under sin (Abel -- like Jesus -- is born from the breath of YHVH).
God accepts Abel's offering because Abel is born righteous, but rejects Cain's offering because Cain is contaminated with the original sin that is his very conception. ----- Cain is SOL (as they say) until YHVH comes to Cain and offers his only-begotten-son ---Abel --- as the "sin offering" that will appease His righteous claim against Cain's sinful birth.
Christian evangelists are forevermore claiming that God would have offered up his only begotten son to purchase even one sinner from hell. ---- YHVH offers up his only begotten Son Abel, even to purchase the freedom of the first person born under original sin: Cain.
When YHVH encourages Cain to murder His only-begotten Son, it’s not to see if Cain is what YHVH already knows him to be (a murderous son of a Murderer) . . . it's a gracious act on YHVH's part . . . offering up his only begotten Son on behalf of Cain . . . so that Cain can join Abel in the World To Come . . . a world where Cain and Abel will ever wonder at the unthinkable wisdom of the one's Father, and the others Savior.