“Genesis 4:1-8”

Monday, October 21, 2019

"Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, 'I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.' Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.' Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”

---End of Scripture verses---

In regards to the account of the first murder, James Burton Coffman suggested: “The great message of the chapter is that sin is a cancer that grows progressively worse and worse. Eating of the forbidden tree might have appeared to Adam and Eve as a minor event, but when they stood by the grave of Abel, the true nature of what they had done began to be visible. But even that heart-breaking sorrow was only the first pebble of that tremendous avalanche that would soon engulf all mankind in the floods of the Great Deluge.”

“The man had relations with his wife Eve” (verse 1), and there is no reason to assume that this was the first time the husband and wife were intimate with one another. “And she conceived and gave birth to Cain,” and we cannot necessarily infer from the text that this was the first child she gave birth to. The word “Cain” can mean “to acquire” or “to produce, create”. Eve had been “created” from the man through the power of the Lord, and now she “produced” a “manchild with the help of the Lord.”

“Again she gave birth to his brother Abel” (verse 2). The omission of any suggestion of further “relations” between Adam and Eve lead some to believe that Cain and Abel were twins. While this is certainly a possibility, it is by no means a foregone conclusion. “The Hebrew name for Abel, Havel, is usually translated as 'nothingness,' 'vanity,' or 'futility,' as in the verse in Ecclesiastes that reads, 'vanity of vanities, all is vanity' (havel havelim, hakol havel – Ecclesiastes 1:2).” (Dennis Prager) “The name may alternatively, or perhaps simultaneously, contain a reference to his vocation in that Syriac habla means a 'heardsman'.” (Nahum Sarna)

“Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.” There is no suggestion that one vocation was superior to the other. Man's first food source was from trees and plants, and his first occupation, both before and after the expulsion from the garden, was gardening/farming. “Both of these occupations were shown to Adam by the Lord, the tilling of the ground by direct commandment, and the keeping of sheep through the provision of the clothing by the slaying of animals. It was natural that one of the sons would choose one department, and another the other.” (James Burton Coffman)

In the course of time both brothers brought offerings to the Lord (verses 3-4). From the beginning of time, people offered sacrifices to God, and God fully expected such from the beings He created, sustained and provided for. “The Torah states matter-of-factly that Cain and Abel brought offerings to God, suggesting the universality of sacrifice, prayer, and belief in a deity. We know of no pre-modern society that was atheistic and of no ancient society that did not have sacrifices to its god(s). The widespread extent of atheism and secularism in our time is unique to human history. Whether modern godless societies can long survive is an open question.” (Dennis Prager)

“And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard.” (verses 4-5) The text does not divulge how God expressed His pleasure and displeasure with these sacrifices. Maybe He sent fire down from heaven to consume Abel's offering and left Cain's untouched. Or maybe it was in some other way. The immediate text does not give the reason for God's displeasure with Cain's sacrifice, but the New Testament provides great insight. Many people assume that the Lord rejected the elder son's offering because it was of “the fruit of the ground” instead of “the flock” like Abel's. But God would never expect us to give better than that which is in our possession.

Hebrews 11:4 tells us “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain.” Furthermore, Romans 10:17 states that, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” We don't know the details of what God told Cain and Abel about the offerings He commanded and expected, but they knew good and well. Abel responded in obedient faith to word of God, and Cain did not. It appears obvious from the wording of verse 4 that states Abel gave of “the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions,” that Abel offered the Lord the first and best of what he had to give as well, while Cain just gave something in his possession. God fully and rightly expects our giving to be sacrificial, meaningful and heartfelt.

“So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.” (verse 5) This expression of anger and dejection is telling of the man's poor attitude and condition of heart. But the story did not have to end the way that it did. The Lord gave Him wise and loving counsel and ample opportunity to turn his heart around and turn his frown upside down. God told Cain, “ If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?” (verse 7) God's displeasure with Cain would have turned to satisfaction if the begrudged offender would have just repented in godly sorrow and purposed to do better the next time. But it was all up to Cain. God did not require him to do “better” than his brother. Just to do “well”. To do the right thing. To do the best he could.

But if he didn't... If he decided not to... If he brooded over his hurt feelings and allowed his anger to turn to bitterness...his bitterness to hatred...then... “Sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Sin is depicted as a wild, ferocious animal, concealed, crouching and poised for attack. “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith...” (1 Peter 5:8-9) Either we decide to master our anger, our emotions, our sins, or sin will master us. “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?” (Romans 6:16)

Instead of humbling himself at the loving behest of the Lord and doing the right thing, “Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.” (verse 8) “Cain's depression gives way to an irrational act of aggression. The first recorded death is not from natural causes but by human hands, an ironic comment on the theme of chapter 3. Man and woman had striven to gain immortality, but their first-born brings the reality of death into the world. The narrative illustrates one of the most lamentable aspects of the human condition, one that is a recurrent theme in the Bible – namely, the corruption of religion. An act of piety can degenerate into bloodshed.” (Nahum Sarna).

Three takeaways from today's text: 1) God has given us all free wills to live our lives in the ways that we please. But we cannot escape the consequences of the choices that we make 2) Worshiping God in faith, in spirit and in truth, obeying Him according to His word is vital for a good, healthy relationship with Him and with other people, including our family members. 3) Control your anger, your emotions and your sins or they will become your masters and lead you to places you would never intend to or dream you could go.

Please read Genesis 4:9-15 for tomorrow.

Have a blessed day!

- Louie Taylor

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