Genesis 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the  image of God made he man.  

Sometimes it seems that our world is getting worse and worse. Listening to the news, you would think that there is nothing but wickedness and evil to be found. But, really, there is nothing new under the sun. Think about it, everything that is a sin was addressed in the Bible, so man had already done every evil deed thousands of years before there was a CNN or Fox News. 

In fact, the very first baby born on earth grew up to be a murderer. That does not say much for the human race! Cain killed his brother, Abel. God punished Cain in two ways. Cain loved tilling the ground and making it produce, and God took that natural ability away from him and made it difficult for Cain to raise crops. (Genesis 4:12a  When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength) 

The second part of Cain’s punishment was to be forced to leave his home and become a vagabond. Everyone knows that a farmer is tied to his land; therefore, becoming a wanderer must have seemed like a huge punishment to Cain. (Genesis 4:12b a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.) When Cain told the Lord that others would try to kill him, God actually put a mark on him, protecting him from the violence of others. 

Why did God not kill Cain for killing Abel? We know that the law in the Bible is a life for a life. But the Lord had not yet given that law. In fact, capital punishment was established by God many years later, when God spoke to Noah. (Genesis 9:6) 

Our God is, above all else, a just God. He would not require punishment for a crime before He had given a law against that crime. Now Cain knew he had done wrong.  He would not even look up when the Lord asked him about his brother. But God had not given a command yet about murder. Therefore, Cain was not killed for his crime. 

When my former pastor, Dr. Jack Hyles, started our Christian school and Hyles Anderson College, these schools had almost no rules. Now, each school has a thick rulebook! Why? Year after year, students have come up with new and creative ways of misbehaving, and more and more rules have been added. The Lord started the human race with one rule- do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Unfortunately, man broke that rule and was punished because of it. God watched as man became more and more sinful. Before long, He could not stand what man had become, and he destroyed mankind in the flood. One of the main reasons for the flood was the abundance of violence on the earth. (Genesis 6:13) It started with Cain and exploded with each generation. When Noah got off the ark, the Lord was quick to establish the law of bloodshed for bloodshed. 

There is a great lesson here for any of us with authority. If you have children, students, bus kids, or employees, you should take heed to the way that the Lord made and enforced rules. God never punished a person for a law that had not yet been explained. No matter how wrong the attitude was of the offender (Cain for example), that person was given punishment according to the rules. Notice that the Lord did 

not lose his temper with Cain’s bad attitude and say, “Fine! You want to give me that attitude, then good luck! Don’t blame me if you get killed!” The Lord was very merciful to Cain and very patient. How many times has a child, or a student set you off, and you meted out a harsh punishment because you hated their rotten attitude?  We’ve all been there. That is not the right way to lead people. No matter what the attitude, only punish according to rules that have been previously set and are well explained. 

The principal of our high school, Dr. James Woosley, tells our teachers that “you train an attitude and punish disobedience.” There is so much wisdom in that. Have well established rules that are well-understood, and only punish for those things. Work with attitudes. Getting mad and flying off the handle is never the right answer toward a negative attitude. First of all, an individual’s attitude is a hard thing to perceive. A young person who is not feeling well can seem to show disrespect; a poor spirit may be nothing more than a child who is intimidated or confused. Have patience with those whom you lead. Seek to understand why an employee is reacting to you in a negative manner. 

Also, it would be good for us to follow the Lord’s example in making rules. As stated, God started with just one rule. He did not greet Adam and Eve on the morning of creation with a list of 947 things that they should not do. Try to simmer down your rules to a short, easy-to-understand list. A knew a pastor and his wife that raised their children with a list of 7 rules that would bring about punishment. This list was placed on the refrigerator. The children could easily comprehend what was expected of them. We never, never want to punish those whom we lead simply because they make us angry!  

Making a list of rules will keep you from punishing a child, student, or employee simply because they embarrass you, break something, or “tick you off.” These occasions require training. Disobedience to an understood rule requires punishment.  

Patience is the number 0ne virtue in leadership. Mercy is right behind it. Let’s strive never to break the spirits of those who follow us by “bossing them into submission.”  Love and grace will help us win the hearts of our followers. If we lose their heart, all the punishment in the world will not turn them into the productive adults we are  

trying to produce. If God can protect a murderer in Cain, and use a murderer in  Moses, then we can work through the weaknesses in those who look to us for leadership. Aren’t we glad that He still has patience with us?!