I was sharing with my coworkers that I could not sleep Wednesday night, stating that “I fought with the Sandman all night!”. It was awful.
Perhaps you have been there; done that. I was exhausted. It had been one of the hottest days of the year. When I got home that day it was about 4pm and I had 101 at my place; it was just too hot to water. I hunkered down inside with the air conditioner and an iced tea and a comedy show and waited.
Finally, at 8pm the temp had dropped to about 85 and I started watering and finished about 10pm.
I had a very busy week leading up to this moment and frankly I felt exhausted.
I dropped into bed and closed my eyes…and nothing. I found a more comfortable spot and…nothing. 11pm. 12am. 1am. 2am. 3am…what is going on?? And then it dawned on me: you drank something you had no business drinking at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. I did not even consider the caffeine in the tea. No more!
The Sandman.
I have found memories of my mom washing my face in the morning and telling me how the Sandman had visited, as she wiped the grit from my eyes.
The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. (there are also much more sinister versions of this story, but I did not know them until well into my adulthood, thankfully)
How very strange. And of course, the Sandman lives in the land of Nod. I found this poem online. It’s title, “The Land of Nod”.
From Breakfast on through all the day
At home among my friends I stay,
But every night I go abroad
Afar into the land of Nod.
All by myself I have to go,
With none to tell me what to do--
All alone beside the streams
And up the mountain-sides of dreams.
The strangest things are there for me,
Both things to eat and things to see,
And many frightening sights abroad
Till morning in the land of Nod.
Try as I like to find the way,
I never can get back by day,
Nor can remember plain and clear
The curious music that I hear. – Robert Louis Stevenson
The Land of Nod, did you know this expression comes from the Bible?
The land of Nod was on the east of Eden according to Genesis 4:16. And it is the place where Cain was exiled after he murdered his brother, Abel.
After the Bible, the “Land of Nod” was first used by Jonathan Swift in 1738 when his character, Colonel Atwit, stated “I’m going to the Land of Nod” as he retired for the night. But let’s get back to the source of the idiom and the story behind it.
Adam and Eve had been evicted from their, gorgeous, perfect, garden-home.
The last verse of Genesis chapter 3 says, “He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” ESV
Their lives are about to get really hard!
We are told nothing of what happened in those days immediately following their forced removal. Chapter 4 begins by telling us they eventually had two sons; Abel was a keeper of sheep; Cain a worker of the ground.
And then verse 8: “And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.” ESV
Why did he kill his own brother? Jealousy?
Verses 3-5: “In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.” ESV
Yes, perhaps Cain is jealous that God accepted Abel’s offering and not his. But why? Why was the offering an issue? And why would God accept one man’s offering and not another? Is seems harsh. I think I would be hurt as well. But we need to look at Hebrews 11:4 for the answer. It was a heart problem.
“By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.” ESV
Abel gave his very best to God WITH the right attitude.
From best daily prayer dot org, “Cain was enraged that his offering wasn’t accepted and Abel’s was. This anger soon gave way to resentment for his brother and eventually, hatred. God saw the evil in Cain’s heart and in His mercy tried to give him a warning in Genesis 4:7. He said, “You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
“Sadly, despite God’s warning, Cain eventually gave in to the sin that sought to control him. In Genesis 4:8, he lured Abel into the fields with an innocent front and killed him. When God asked him about Abel’s whereabouts in Genesis 4:9, he replied with the famous words, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” forgetting that God saw and knew everything that happened before then.
“In verse 10, God let Cain know that what he did wasn’t hidden from His eyes by telling him that his brother’s blood cried out to him from the ground. Then He cursed Cain saying, “Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood. No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.”
“Once again thinking about himself, Cain told God that because he had been banished from His presence and made to be a wanderer, he would be killed at the hands of people who saw him. God then promised Cain that he would punish whoever killed him seven-fold. He then marked Cain with a sign that told everyone that he had God’s divine protection. (Source bestdailyprayer. org)
After that, Cain left God’s presence and went to the land of Nod.
There is so much more to this story, but for today, what can we learn from Cain and Abel?
For one, we see Cain was never repentant.
Secondly, Cain wasn’t just expelled from his property, but from God’s presence as well! And it was that disconnection from God, plus his brother’s spilled blood, that ensured that the ground he tilled never did yield fruit.
Cain may not have had the freedom to approach God’s throne to seek mercy, but through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, we do today. And it is vitally important that we repent when we sin.
God loved Cain regardless, He wouldn’t have given him the mark of protection if He didn’t. He also loves us too regardless of our sins. Never let guilt or shame drive you away from God into Nod, but into repentance, knowing that we will obtain mercy when we ask for it.
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 ESV
by Jeanette Stark – Friday, July 7, 2023
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