“I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer.”
The wandering mind is a sign of unrepented anger and envy. “There is nothing more disposed to render the spirit inclined to desertion than troubled irascibility.” [Evagrius, Praktikos 21] It is notable that, when the murder of Abel is discovered, Cain issues no apology to God. Indeed, he challenges God and implies that God did nothing to stop him from committing murder. Cain’s wandering is a further consequence of his own willfulness, rather than an ad hoc punishment devised by God. As usual, the punishment is simply the effect of the sin upon the sinner.
Even without Cain’s repentance, God is merciful and listens to his plea for protection, ironic since Cain accused God of failing to protect Abel. This is surely a dynamic we all fall into in our relationship with God.
Compunction breaks the hard ground of the heart, allowing us to till it and sow the virtues. Cain’s failure to repent is projected onto the failure of the ground to ‘yield…its strength.’ [4: 12] We see that, paradoxically, the practice of compunction, which often has the appearance of weakness, is in fact a source of strength for those willing to admit falling short of the glory of God. This allows us to draw our strength, not from the material resources of our earthly natures, but from inexhaustible divine graces.