f how God wants humans to act. Cain sins again by lying to God about not knowing where Abel might be after he had killed him. God punishes Cain for his sin and he was driven from the community. By not obeying God, we are misbehaving. God wants us to hold values which He would approve of. God banishes Cain to be a wanderer on the earth. Cain fears he will be harmed by other humans so he is given a mark. This myth also conveys another important fact. It shows the origin of nomads, which are wandering people, and established people. The mark gives a distinction between him and other people. Because Cain did not obey God and went against him, he could no longer work the land and was punished to wander the earth. “You shall become a restless wanderer on the earth.” (Gn 4: 12) This was Cain’s punishment for not behaving as God would like him. Nomads of the Eastern deserts at the time often used tattooing as a tribal mark. Later, Cain settled in the city of Nod with his wife. Nod meant “the land of the nomads”. From there, he founded the first city, Enoch. The founding of this city showed the origin of established people. The Cain and Abel myth explains the origin of established people and nomadic people. Noah and the Flood portrays the theological function of myths. In the theological function of a myth, it tells what God is like and how he relates to us. God had become displeased with man because he had become sinful and corrupt and wanted to start over. God was upset with the actions of people on earth. God felt that man had become so evil that he could no longer relate to humanity except for one man and his family who stood out from the rest. This man was Noah and his family. Noah was chosen by God because he was righteous and loyal. The cause of the flood was the wickedness humans on earth portrayed. God was willing to give humans everything, but in return wanted them to obey him s...
