Cain and Abel Offer Sacrifices
Study Scripture: Genesis 4:1 – 16
Background Scripture: Matthew 5:21-24, Romans 1:20-23, 1 John 3:12, Hebrews 11:3-4
Lesson 1 May 31, 2025
Key Verse
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why is your face gloomy? If you do well, will your face not be cheerful?
And if you do not well, sin is lurking at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it”. Genesis 4:6-7
INTRODUCTION
You believe you are priests of God, offering spiritual sacrifices, as the Apostle Peter defines you and instructs you. So ask yourself,
“What is the nature of your sacrifices”?
“What is the state of your mind when you offer sacrifices to God”?
Do you really want to offer sacrifices of any kind?”
Our Study deals with the very important issues that will face all of us. This is most important when we realize that the history of the world really begins in Chapter 4 for this is the history of the world under the curse.
The stress in this Chapter now shifts from the work of the Devil to stress the work of the world and the flesh for now we see the three enemies of the souls of men, namely, the world, the flesh, and the Devil.
We are told that the world is dying and that Abel the victim of violent murder though he was dead speaks to us. He was righteous and so he shed his blood because of his faith. It is most important that we see how this man called a prophet is speaking to us throughout the ages.
In this Chapter we also see the process of how sin develops. Sin does not as many think begin in immorality, adultery, theft or any of those things which are in fact sins.
But sin is unbelief, and that unbelief results in rebellion against God and finally develops into immorality and all the other sins that we see around us. Unbelief will end in murder as we will see in our Study.
As we study you would think that after the promise of a Redeemer in Genesis 3: 15 that the people in the human race would respond to that promise and plan all their activities around that promise seeking to find their destiny in the seed of the woman, since that seed will surely overcome and restore man to his rightful position. But it is clear from our Study that the human race cannot really unite around the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In fact, the act of unbelief that we will see in our Study is really stated by one writer.
“Cain’s act is the declaration of war between the two seeds: the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent.
Cain, according to scriptural teaching is the first soldier in the Army of the serpent. So accordingly the apostle John in chapter 3:12 tells us that the origin of Cain was of the evil one. Cain is of the evil one and so he slew his brother.
That makes it clear to us that man is not going to want to walk in the guidance of the word of God.
In the New Testament we read there is none that seeks after God, no, not one. And right here in the beginning we see the manifestation of man’s rebellion against the word of God”.
We take the liberty and repeat that this matter is therefore of extreme importance for us, for we are also told, that Abel the victim in this passage is the voice of God’s first prophet to a dying world, and though he were dead is still speaking to men. So it’s very important for us to see what this dead person is speaking to us.
Our Study Scripture will answer that question for us as the world history unfolds under the curse.
So we will seek to answer the question, Why do men hate?
Why do men rebel against God even when they are faced with clear signs of His presence?
Why do men instinctively reject the word of God?
Why do children brought up by the same parents, sharing the same genetic structure, share the same environment, are taught in the same way, but react very differently when they grow up and have the ability to behave in the way that they choose?
This Study will ultimately show God’s decisions about justice, vengeance, and mercy. He is the one who brings judgment as He dispenses grace as He sees fit in His perfect wisdom and righteousness.
This Study will see the leading of the evil one. The reaction of evildoers to God is often one of insolence when the Spirit of God approaches them and testifies to them about sin, righteousness, and judgment.
To help us therefore we should look at this matter of sin. This doctrine of sin is a doctrine that is very much disputed and it affects many other areas of doctrine. But our view of sin really depends on what we think the nature of God is for everything in Scripture tells us that God is a very high, pure, highly sensitive, and exacting in His standards and commandments. Then we would expect that the slightest deviation from God’s standard will be sin, and accordingly man’s condition would be regarded by Him as very serious. If you think that God is just like an indulgent, imperfect being, and like a slightly senile grandfather type who doesn’t really know what’s going on, you will not regard this matter of man’s sinful condition as too serious.
If you think that man is a free being and what he does is determined by the forces of nature, you will have a different view of man.
If you think that man is basically good and has great intellect and moral powers within him then you will think that sin is a relatively minor thing and any difficulties he has would be simply due to ignorance, lack of knowledge, lack of education, or lack of a good model.
This view of man of course will affect how we carry out the instructions of the Great Commission given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ, for if you do not think that man is radically sinful and should and must repent and be born again, you will simply appeal to men on the basis of kindness, and appeal to man’s good instincts. That will not work. Since this doctrine of sin is not a very pleasant or enjoyable one it might even depress us for we do not like to think of ourselves or any other human beings as bad or evil persons despite the fact that the doctrine of sin in Scripture teaches us that ‘sinful’ is what we are by nature, and that is not just to be blamed on an unwholesome environment. Scripture is contrary to the teachings and influence of the modern Freudian and psychological theories which denies the idea of objective guilt and views as irrational feelings the feelings of guilt and what we would call the emotional effects of sinful behavior which they say one should not have.
But Scripture gives us several terms which it calls sin. It speaks of
• Ignorance which often comes from a darkened understanding due to the hardness of heart (Ephesians 4:18) as well as innocent ignorance (Romans 1:13; 2 Corinthians 6:9; Galatians 1: 22).
• Error due to the human tendency to go astray and make mistakes-we are all like sheep always wanting to stray, are easily deceived, or are like people who are intoxicated and perplexed deliberately doing foolishness.
• Inattentiveness, due to disobedience and taking no heed, failing to listen and heed.
- Missing the mark which stresses the nature of sin sometimes because of a mistake rather than a willful consciously chosen sin.
- Irreverence due to the absence of righteousness.
- Rebellion, refusal or refractoriness leading to disobedience.
- Transgression, ‘crossing over’ or ‘passing by’ in a literal sense the teachings of the law of God.
- Lack of integrity or iniquity due to liking injustice and failure to follow the standards of God’s righteousness which involve justice.
- Treachery, breaching the trust in the covenant with God or with a bond with men.
- Perversion which means bending or twisting as for example in Genesis 4:13 when Cain says. My punishment is greater than I can bear.
- Abomination meaning doing things which are particularly reprehensible to God such as idolatry, sacrificing sons and daughters and other things which produces revulsion in God.
When one looks at all these terms on what sin is we would expect to see agitation or restlessness from those who are wicked and do things that are evil, harmful or malignant. But we also see insolence and a outright rejection of what God should expect or even desire from those He created.
However, the sense of guilt that this produces in men are particularly strong and it affects them from the inside of their soul. It brings them trouble in the moral sense and they are fatigued, weak, and weary because of the troubles they experience. The Book of Proverbs tells us that the way of the transgression is hard. Proverbs 13:15-16
Sin therefore basically is unbelief in the law of God and leads to sensuality, selfishness, and the practices that are against the will of God. It leads to a hard life and so the Lord Jesus can tell us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light when compared certainly to what evildoers go through.
We should note carefully that when we look at it at first the taking of the forbidden fruit and eating it looked like a trivial thing, a light misdemeanor or even a light mistake.
But Scripture makes it quite clear in Chapters 3 and 4 that it was an extremely grave matter, for Adam and Eve had chosen to believe Satan rather than believing God, believing that God was being too harsh and severe and since it was no big deal no harmful effects would come from this disobedience to God. In fact they would have a higher level of existence. But now in our Study we will see the real wages of sin appearing.
Some believe in this doctrine of evolution which says that the human race is improving, coming from the caveman stage to a modern enlightened humanity. But in fact this is really pseudoscience for it ignores that man’s status is really a degraded status. One writer therefore comments and states:
“This chapter has great significance for the history of mankind…… Human history is not to be subsumed under the doctrine of evolution, but under the doctrine of devolution. For it is clear from the study of the human race that it is not a long development from the caveman’s stage to modern, enlightened humanity such as we are. But rather man began on a high intellectual and physical level and fell from that. One commentator has written, “Whereas man was not an inferior being on a lower level, such writing of history degrades him without warrant”, Whereas he was brought low by the fall, this pseudoscience ignores his true degradation.
So Modern science has erred in two ways, they have failed to see that the history of man is the history of devolution, not evolution. And then in the failure to understand the true moral degradation of men, which is traceable to the fall in the Garden of Eden.
The men of Adam’s day were not rude savages. They were men of considerable technological and intellectual equipment as we will see in our next study in the Book of Genesis right here in the Genesis chapter 4 .
So we do not then in the Bible proceed from savagery to civilization, but it is to savagery from the civilization that originally existed in the Garden of Eden.
I think that it’s very interesting to look at human history in that light because what we really see is that Cain’s axe by which he felled his brother Abel ultimately becomes dynamite and phosphorus and hydrogen and explosions and space rockets and neutron bombs.
And so, that’s really– the history of the human race is the history truly of degradation.
What we see when we study history is, certain world, historical individuals like an Alexander or a Caesar or another, and they rise up from the abyss, they conquer half the globe, and then theyfall back again to the depths from which they came. But, all of our leaders it would seem are to be classified under the general heading of sinners”.
As we study let us note that the healthy world is dead and God stationed the angel, the cherub at the entrance of the Garden of Eden with a flaming sword so that man could not enter into it and eat of the Tree of life. Man is now headed toward fratricide, the murder of a brother, and toward the tower of Babel and the great Flood that will destroy all but a few men.
History is now the story of wars, battles, the bloodshed of mankind. The dilemma all through the ages to the 21st Century lies plain for all to see in this story happening at the dawn of history, the story of two brothers, Cain and Abel.
So let us note the Dictionary meaning of words.
The exercise of Justice means there will be a concern for peace and genuine respect for people. This involves an impartial maintenance or administration of merited reward or punishment.
Vengeance means punishment afflicted or retribution exacted for an injury or wrong.
Mercy is compassion or forgiveness showed toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.
The question therefore is, Will we do what is right?
What will God have to do and how will He do it?
THE TEXT
Verse 1. Adam and Eve engaged in sexual union and produced a son who Eve named Cain. Note Adam and Eve were perfectly capable os doing what sexual union requires for God had commanded them from they were created to be fruitful and multiply. As one writer comments when he looks at the command for marriage and procreation, “There is nothing inherently impure or unclean in sex itself, only in its misuse”.
Scholars think that there is a play on words for the name Cain sounds very similar to the Hebrew word “Qanah” which means “to get” or “to acquire” or “ to create”. There is some discussion about what this simple statement really means that it would appear that Eve acknowledged that God was active in giving her the gift of a son.
The phrase, “with the help of the Lord”, if so translated would suggest that she hoped that this man-child Cain would be the deliverer that God promised in Genesis 3:15. He would be the seed of the woman that would be the deliverer, the divine child. Some believe that the name Cain basically meant, I’ve got him or Here he is.
But other scholars disagree with that interpretation saying that the Hebrew Text is saying something much more simple. But of course it would also suggest that she was thinking about the promise of Genesis 3:15 not quite understanding or, misinterpreting that the Lord Jesus Christ would ultimately be the one that would come as the seed of the woman.
One has to at minimum credit her with expressing a full cry of faith and shows that her faith was like Adam’s faith for he called his wife’s name Eve, because she was to be the mother of all the living.
Eve clearly looked that there would be a speedy great victory over the serpent. She was correct in looking for God’s deliverance by her seed but she was mistaken in looking on Cain as her Redeemer for if she did that she was going to be gravely disappointed. But she looked forward to good things from her children.
Verse 2. Then Eve conceived or got pregnant again and this time she gave the name of the child that was born Abel. That name is translated elsewhere in Scripture as “vapor”, “vanity” or “something like breath” and so some commentators feel that she is now disillusioned about what was happening to humanity. She was obviously not disillusioned with the promise of Genesis 3:15 but Eve would clearly recognize that something was wrong with humanity and so the second child was given the name “vanity”.
We seem to have continuing problems, and at least one of them is that we like to make predictions about things in the Bible and we often ignore the time element in them for most of them are indeterminate with respect to time. It is clear that you have no idea how long it would take before the promise would be fulfilled and so we remember that Jesus said to His disciples, The times and seasons are not for you to know for the Father has put them in his own power. Acts 1:7.
One writer warns what we always seem to be violating this sound advice:
“We can never know precisely when these great events are going to be fulfilled, though, as the Scriptures indicate, we often can know when they are approaching fulfillment, as in the case of the second coming of the Lord”.
Note that it seems that people in the world and people even in the church do not learn very easily for despite seeing these events unfold they keep thinking that they can prophesy and tell people what will happen. They do not seem to understand that many of the interpretations of prophecies that we accept now as being correct have a checkered history and many mistakes were made until finally one seemed to be the correct interpretation. But then we tend to forget all of that. So we know certain things in general only and we advise caution in making life decisions.
Moses doesn’t seem to spend much time now on Abel except to say that he was a keeper of flocks, while Cain was a tiller of the soil. There was no indication that any of the occupations, being a farmer or a shepherd was inferior to the other. There was really no preference to keeping sheep over tilling the ground for it is clear that both Adam and Cain had the same occupation for God had given Adam the task of tilling the ground even before the sin occurred.
Verse 3. Cain and Abel both were now young men both employed in honourable professions. They obviously were supporting themselves in agricultural and pastoral pursuits and contrary to what the museums tell us man was not only originally a hunter. We are therefore now looking at an event probably 20 or 30 years or even a much longer time after man was chased out of the Garden of Eden.
Both boys likely along with their parents probably came to offer an offering to the Lord. We are not told where they came to make this offering but it is speculated that they came to the entrance gate to the Garden of Eden where the cherubim stood with a flaming sword to keep them out. They might’ve regarded that location as a kind of Mercy Seat where the offering was to be made for we know that in the Tabernacle in the wilderness the Cherubim image was located on the Mercy Seat where the blood was sprinkled by the High Priest once a year.
But it is clear that there was a time and a place where human beings came to offer offerings to the Lord. Cain brought the fruit of the ground, while Abel brought the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. Fat was a prized portion and God loved that portion. That offering by Abel was amazingly the same as was required of the people of God seen even in the institution of the Tabernacle and Temple services.
The people of Israel when they read the writings of Moses would therefore have little problem in understanding the problem with the sacrifice of Cain for they would’ve understood that man could not approach God without the shedding of sacrificial blood. They would know that non-bloody sacrifices could be offered but they knew that access to God would only be through shed blood.
One can only wonder why Cain would not have understood this but Abel would’ve understood this. They would’ve known that God had killed an animal to create clothing for their mother and father after they had sinned in the Garden of Eden and so the symbolism would have been obvious to them. Both offerings were described as “gifts” and the same word was later used in connection with burnt offerings.
Verse 4. We note the comment that Abel brought the best but Cain’s offering was not described in that fashion. While we do not know exactly what God revealed to Adam or to his sons Scripture tells us that they knew what they were to do for God’s words to Cain in verses 6-7 implied that Cain very well knew what he should have brought to God.
But we are told that God had respect to Abel’s offering the word implying “paying attention to”.
But God did not look with favor on Cain’s offering.
We have however been told that Cain is an illustration of the evil one and Abel is an illustration of those that have experienced the New Birth. Those that have experienced a new birth have a different philosophy of life, a different view of science, a different view of psychology, and a different view of history and their world outlook makes them look at life very differently. Others who are blind to the word of God have different viewpoints and so are spiritually blind.
So first God is said to favor Abel’s offering and his attitude was accepted by God. He had the faith that God had given and so the New Testament tells us that, By faith Abel offered a better or more excellent sacrifice than Cain and God gave testimony to him that he was righteous, testifying of his gifts”.
Remember we are told that God knows the heart and Cain’s attitude contributed to God’s rejecting him and his sacrifice. 1 John 3:12 tells us that Cain was “of the wicked one” and so we know that God’s rejection not only dealt with what he brought but with his heart, for his sin reflected his disobedience at what God wanted. We are therefore now faced with the two kinds of people in the world and the essential difference between them.
We cannot therefore forget that man is a sinner and God’s favour can only be met on the death of an animal for Abel and Cain and Adam and Eve deserved to die because of their sins. The Old Testament prophets made it clear that sins of the people had separated them from the Lord and so Abel recognized that he would’ve died except for the animal that was a substitute. In accepting that position Abel believed the word of God.
We know that without the shedding of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ there is no remission of sin and Abel and his offering illustrated that.
Verse 5. We know that Abel would have been told by the word of God and likely by the teaching of Adam and Eve that he should bring the proper kind of sacrifice which was pointed to by God’s slaying an animal and taking the skins of the animals and clothing Adam and Eve.
Evidently now Cain came in self-righteousness and he was so disturbed when his offering was not accepted he became hot literally angry, and his countenance fell.
We can assume that as in the other Old Testament examples fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice so Cain would have thought that that would have happened when he brought the fruit of the ground to God.
Cain’s reaction was one of anger at the non-acceptance. Some will excuse Cain because they thought that he was simply a loser, or was someone who was always unhappy, or the kind of person that was never prepared for what he should do. But the problem really was that Cain was an evil man and God does not reward evil with acceptance. He rewards righteous behavior with acceptance. He apparently thought as many people do that God was supposed to as one writer says, “dance when we pipe”.
Part of this comes from when people had religion just like Cain but they did not have righteousness. Cain we must note had certain cultic duties and he brought his sacrifice accordingly. It was not that Cain did not believe in sacrifice. He was like many of us who attend church and think that religion is fine but still think that the religious things taught in the Bible was something else.
So Cain thought religion was fine but he thought he was not subject to the word of God and his disobedience showed his unbelief.
We are clearly now faced with the nature of our sacrifices. Think about that!
Verses 6-7. The Lord spoke to Cain and asked him why he was angry and why his countenance had fallen, showing visible displeasure. God pointed out that if he had done well, which of course implied that he had not offered the right kind of heart to God and therefore the right kind of gift, that he would be accepted. But if he did not do well his ground was weak and it would lead to serious rebellion against God. God pleaded apparently with this man telling him to make the right offering in the right spirit, make an offering in faith. If he did not do that, sin would be crouching at the door.
God made this Lesson very clear. If we do not do right, sin is right there to take advantage of us. It is pictured as a crouching lion. It waits to rise up and pounce, an image which suggests it will overwhelm us.
Clearly the boys had been told the times when they should make their offerings. The words in Hebrew says they came “At the end of days” to some place that was appointed where offerings were to be placed.
Another Lesson is that the problem of sin is no light matter and you can’t deal with it by making a good resolution or making a resolve with any sincerity that you can settle it.
It is not done by turning over a new leaf or changing your attitude for sin is deep down in you and it has affected the springs of your life and therefore the problem of sin can only be solved by death.
That is why the Cross of Jesus Christ is so important for He taught us that He had to die to deal with the problem of sin.
Basically therefore Cain was angry because he did not approve of the way God was acting and did not like that God had chosen to accept Abel’s offering for was fruit not as good as a lamb? God obviously did not conform to his idea of rightness. He expected something different and when that did not happen the way he wanted he was offended.
We are similarly offended and react with, “How can God do a thing like what He did or permit what He permitted?”
We want our thoughts to be the thing that determines how God operates and when He does something else we are angry with Him. We might pretend otherwise and say we agree with the words of Isaiah 55:8, God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, nor his ways our ways.
But notice God’s warning to Cain that if he did well he would be accepted. Cain should do what was stated in the word of God and not simply try to do what he considered to be his best and expecting that everything would be all right then.
Remember the warning therefore that sin is simply waiting at your door, watching you, and hoping that you will do what is not right in the sight of God, so that he can pounce on you. There is therefore a somber warning about sin.
Sin wants you. Sin desires to capture you and to rule over you.
Verse 8. We see now that resentment leads to rebellion and death.
Your motives matter to God and He does not feel impressed when you do the right thing for the wrong reason.
So with resentment came sin and with sin came murder. If you do not rule over sin it will lead to murder once you have the chance to do that without anybody knowing and you can escape being punished.
So we are told that the language implies that Cain set up an appointment to meet Abel his brother and when they met in the field Cain rose up and killed Abel.
Be careful to note that Cain had a choice. Sin desires him but he could rule over it. God warns us that the devil cannot make you sin for he can only tempt you. It is you who choose to fall to temptation. People can lure you “into the field”. It might be someone in your family or some close friend that will encourage you to go into some form of activity with them which will lead to their destruction. But you need wisdom and discernment and you should make every attempt to avoid danger no matter what the source.
Verse 9. So now comes justice and vengeance. But surprising to us there also comes grace and mercy.
God spoke to Cain and asked him where his brother Abel was. This is clearly a picture of a God who knows everything for He is everywhere as well as being omniscient. God knew what Adam and Eve had done and God’s question to Cain reminds us of the Lord’s inquiry to Adam in the Garden, “Where are you?”
God very well knew what was done to Abel but He clearly was giving Cain a chance to come clean and to repent. But the seed of the serpent had other issues.
So this religious man who knew about sacrifices and the right behavior was really one who knew the existence of God and he knew that it was important for a man to approach God.
But his attitude was an attitude of unbelief and therefore disobedience.
What would make a religious person do such a diabolical thing and expect to get away with it? The answer seems that such a person as Cain does not believe the word of God. They rebel against everything that they had been taught. Unbelief will make anyone capable of murder for that is the end of rebellion if one thinks that the circumstances are right so that one can escape punishment.
So note that the answer came swiftly. “’I do not know. My brother is the shepherd and should shepherd others but I’m not a shepherd so I’m not my brothers’ shepherd.
This was an amazing display of insolence and disrespect toward God.
The fall of man had brought to him a twisted and warped nature and so we are told that the whole world lies in the wicked one. The only thing that restraints man is that they are created in the image of God and so the Holy Spirit will influence this warped and twisted nature of man not to go down the road of wickedness fully. But from God’s standpoint everything that man does is evil for they do not want to accomplish the glory of God.
But what we are seeing is the way of Cain and we should regard that way seriously. It is a road that begins in unbelief and ends in murder. That is the source of immorality and all other sins such as the perversions of strife, injury, loss and other sins. They all begin in unbelief and that leads to rebellion and immorality.
We are warned not to love the way of Cain for we are simply pilgrims and sojourners like Abraham. Every Christian must know in their hearts that this world is not their own and so they cannot love the world nor the way of Cain. Christian should know that when they sin they will be immediately convicted by the Holy Spirit. Be warned against having insolence toward God and a cynical hardening of the heart. You cannot say that what happens to others because of what you do is not your business, and it’s somebody else’s business. You are your brother’s keeper. You are your brothers’ shepherd.
Some commentators point to the fact that when criminals are guilty they seem to be so calm at their trial. They are not disturbed and upset like what innocent people are. Cain was very calm and the shedding of blood, the violent death that means blood was shed meant nothing to him.
Verse 10. So God confronts Cain and asked him, What have you done?
Here was Cain’s chance to repent. God made it clear that the blood of his brother had been crying out to Him from the earth. This was extreme violence. God was serious and speaking seriously and revenge was coming because of what had been wrong. Cain disregarded God’s warning, refused to repent, and nursed his jealousy and anger.
Sacrifice was involved in the shedding of the blood of the lord Jesus Christ in a violent way. Note that we learn that only the righteous can make sacrifices pleasing to God. The righteous are in the righteous Jesus Christ. The ungodly cannot offer spiritual sacrifices pleasing to God, for all their righteousness is as filthy rags.
So never forget the blood shed for you. Remember that when the destroying angel went through Egypt he did not look for those who had good character and those who were simply bad, or those who did good works. He knew God wanted 100% perfection and so that angel looked for the blood on the doorposts, and saw that God was hovering over those houses to protect those inside from his destroying actions. So we keep on singing,
“What can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again, nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
So the blood of Abel speaks to us down through the centuries. Make sure you are listening.
It happens so frequently nowadays for we regard certain things as trivialities or trifles ignoring the fact that God sees these things as monstrous, terrible things that threaten our peace or health and life itself. So do not keep your hurt feelings and seethe with them expecting that you can bring your offering to God and have it accepted at the same time.
This kind of sin was so horrible that the earth itself revolted against Cain and so it was said that the earth would refuse to give its fruit to Cain.
Charles Spurgeon was shocked that Cain did not seem to care that he was his brother’s keeper. But before you read what he stated, ask yourself if you feel the way Cain felt about his brother and what you therefore are saying to God as He speaks to you about your relationship to your brothers and sisters.. Spurgeon said:
“The cool impudence of Cain is an indication of the state of heart which led to him murdering his brother; and it was also a part of the result of his having committed that terrible crime. He would not have proceeded to the cruel deed of bloodshed if he had not first cast off the fear of god and been ready to defy his maker”.
Verses 11-12. So the picture is that the earth cried out to a just God. Cain would be cursed and the earth would respond to the startling iniquity that he had done. He would become a farmer but that would be an occupation that would give him a lot of problems for the reaction of the earth would be severe. He was driven from his occupation and practice and he would become a wanderer and a homeless person. He would be a vagabond.
Jude 1 warns us against the way of Cain. That way is a way of unbelief, empty religion, religion which is a show, a façade, a profession of religion without reliance upon the word of God. That makes you like Cain irreligious even if you think you are religious. and that will always lead to jealousy, persecuting others, and murderous anger.
You will see your life spotted with your issuing sacrifices contrary to the will of God.
We therefore warn parents to make sure you are not an ungodly parent who raise children without any concern with their spiritual well-being.
But the blood of Abel crying from the ground states the principle which applies to our living as one writer points out:
“The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. That’s the voice of vengeance; that’s the voice that marks the wrong that has been done.
It has its application to those who take advantage of others. It has its application to the seducer who is guilty of wronging the young lady.
You can be sure that the voice, the principle of the voice of thy brother’s blood crying operates in a situation like it. It is the kind of thing that applies to the pornographers who distort and disturb and render evil the minds of men and women through their pornography.
It has its application to philosophers who take young minds that are unable to cope with them and confuse them and deceive them by false philosophy.
It has its application to apostate preachers who stand in the pulpit and open the Scriptures, but preach something contrary that is contrary to the word of God”.
So God in all seriousness speaks in vengeance about all those things which are wrong.
Verses 13-15. As the Book of Proverbs 13:15-16 said, “Good understanding giveth favour. But the way of the transgressors is hard. Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge; but a fool layeth open his folly”
The way of the transgressor is hard indeed. Many of us can testify to that truth. As we make spiritual sacrifices we must remember those outside of Christ that they can avoid the broad way, for it is hard and leads to death.
Cain clearly understood that God was driving him from his home and his occupation. But the Text does not suggest that Cain thought that his sin was too great for God to forgive.
Neither do we see any remorse over the kind of iniquity that he had done. Cain only seemed to be objecting over the severity of his punishment. He did not even seem to express any regret at the effect the murder would have an experience Adam and Eve.
Cain’s sin not only led to the murder of his brother but it devastated his own life and the life of his family. Many have speculated about Cain’s reaction and God’s response to this punishment. One writer states:
“Some believe Cain repented, while others see it as simply an expression of despair. Whatever the case, God chooses to show mercy to Cain. He promises to protecting and not allow anyone to kill him”.
Cain like many of us, complains not about his sin but about his punishment. The Bible Teacher James Boice states states:
“One of the clearest marks of sin is our almost innate desire to excuse ourselves and complain if we are judged in any way”.
God in His unbelievable mercy decided not to kill Cain or to have others kill him when he fled from place to place seeking some ground that he could plant in and get some food.
God set a mark of Cain to identify him as a murderer but one on whom human vengeance should not be applied.
There are many speculations about what this marK was. But this is a pointless exercise. We simply do not know what the mark was. We do know he was a vagrant and a wanderer.
Verse 16. Cain moves away (we do not know the time lapse) and eventually gets married and has children. The line was religious but ungodly. One writer comments on where Cain got his wife. This is a frequently asked question.
“The answer is very simple. Cain got his wife from one of his sisters. Now we are shocked by that, are we? Well, now we have no evidence that there were mutant genes in genetic systems in Adam’s children. This is something that developed much later. Incidentally even in much later times, such alliances were not considered incestuous.
The Athenian law made it compulsory to marry the sister, if she had not found a husband at a certain age.
Abraham married his half-sister. In fact, Abraham sinned due to the fact that Sarah was his half-sister. So, when he came to Abimelech he said, “Sarah, tell him that you are my sister, because you are so beautiful that when they see you they are going to want you as a wife, and they will slay me”. And you know, he was telling the truth. Later on he says, she really is my sister. She was his half-sister.
Moses incidentally is responsible for some of the laws that prevent matrimony within certain degrees…..
So, the question where did Cain get his wife, is a question that only reveals that the person who objects to biblical revelation because of something like that is simply guilty of triviality”.
CONCLUSION
Cain went away from the presence of the Lord physically as well as spiritually. He was like Judas who left the first Lord’s Supper and went out “into the night” to betray Jesus.
Note however that the family of Cain remain religious showing they knew the commandments of God but they are the representative type of the line of the unspiritual man, opposite spiritually to the line of Seth, the next son of Adam and Eve mentioned.
Cain’s line was remarkable. Jabal was the father of those who dwell in tents and had livestock.
His brother was the father of those who played the lyre and the harp.
Then there was Tubal-Cain who was the founder of all who forged implements of bronze and iron. He was the leading metallurgy professor.
Then there was Lamech who the language implies used the implements of metal to slay a man and initiate that kind of warfare. He created the practise of polygamy in direct confrontation with the commandment of God for a man to have one wife.
So the way of Cain had mentally brilliant people who invented things to make life different. But this man Cain was too proud to follow the way of God and in his heart he rebelled against God.
He preferred the practise of the bloodless sacrifice, and so we see in his line the web of the serpent.
But the Chapter ends by telling of the birth of Seth and that then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.
They rejected the way of Cain for they knew that the blood of the coming Christ spoke even better things than the blood of Abel. They knew one was coming whose sacrifice for sin would accomplish the redemption through His blood. Even in those wicked days men knew to worship God and so there was this new revival mentioned.
So let God speak to your heart. Do not block Him out. Be grateful to Him for His goodness and mercy
One writer raises some intriguing issues:
“The Bible says that God cares for the Saint, and the Bible says God cares for some sinners too. Cain is given a safe conduct pass, and no death penalty is exercised at once. This comes later with Mosaic law. God is a kind of kinsman redeemer for him 14 and protects Cain at this stage, one of the evidence is of the mercy of God exercised toward this man who was of the evil one.
What follows in the last part of Genesis chapter 4 is an intriguing, even tantalizing picture of life in the antediluvian world. And what we have is a curious combination of good and evil explainable only by the marred image of God, and by the cultural mandate. Here is a remarkable civilization, the followers of Cain. But it is remarkably looked at from the standpoint of men, not necessarily from the standpoint of God”.
The important Lesson that we should get from this Study is then, What does Abel the prophet say to us today for we are told that he being dead yet speaketh, according to the Epistle to the Hebrews.
One writer answers this question for us:
“Why, he simply says that this righteousness of God is the possession of those who come to him by the sacrifice in faith. The only way in which we can find acceptance with God is through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. As the Lord himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me”.
It is most important that we note that Death is never the last word in the life of a righteous man for we are told that Abel offered a sacrifice in faith, lost his life, but he’s been speaking ever since. Jesus called him a prophet and this man was blessed for his voice is the voice of God speaking down through the centuries to you and me today. He’s telling us that the way of salvation is through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Just be warned though. There is the way of Cain. It is a road. And it is a road set up by the evil one. Cain had decided to be one of the evil ones. He refused to repent even though God gave him the chance. He preferred to be in rebellions against God and in unbelief and so he was capable of murder.
So you’re presented with a choice. Do you want the way of Cain which leads to the Lake of fire? Or do you want the way of Abel which leads to life everlasting?
This Study is an excellent recommendation for anger management. If you cannot control your anger you know that the Devil has found a way to capture and rule you.
It is the responsibility of every professing Christian to have the Holy Spirit controls your anger. Anger out of control of the Spirit is something that should not be found in any believer.
The church therefore has a responsibility to ensure that that sin is eliminated from every professing believer.
Remember that there is justice but also there is the mercy of God. So listen to God, listen to the Holy Spirit as He speaks to you of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He is there to help you.
If you want Him He will never reject you. Our God does not want and does not enjoy the death of the wicked.
So turn to Him and join the saints who will be in the New Heaven and the New Earth and in the New city of Jerusalem.