Genesis 4:15

"But the Lord said to him, 'Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.'  Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him."  Genesis 4:15

God is reassuring Cain that he still has God's protection and as a reminder of that protection he is given a mark.  What does that say about our God that he still loved Cain even after Cain committed the first murder and killed his own brother?  Cain did something wrong - something terrible, but that doesn't make it okay to commit that same act on him. 

The "vengeance seven times over" is curious.  The first time seven was used, was God resting on the seventh day and now here it is again.  The number seven signifies perfect completion.  So is this saying whoever would kill Cain would receive the perfect vengeance?  It would be coming from God.

Can we ask or expect this same love from God for ourselves now?  Yes, God, I know I <stole, lied, gossiped, (insert sin)>, but now I'm afraid someone else will do the same to me.  Will God still protect us from the same sins we ourselves are guilty of committing?  Or is he saying no matter what sin is sin.  Don't fight fire with fire.  If I steal from a thief, lie to a liar, gossip about a gossiper, or kill a killer, I am still guilty of those sins and will be punished.  Don't fall into the "he did it first" or the "teaching them a lesson" trap, instead, let's recognize that we all have our own sins without becoming guilty of someone else's. 

God, please forgive me of my sins.  Amen.