Genesis 4:1-2
As Genesis is a book of “firsts,” we see another one: the first birth ever recorded. What a hopeful moment it must have been for Adam and Eve. This new birth is the promise of new life, especially considering how sin is the cause of death. God was still at work in their lives despite their sin. Eve’s statement acknowledges all this: “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.”
Genesis 4:3-5a
We see here the first-ever recorded worship service. Worship is a way to recognize God as greater than who we are, anything we have, or the things we value. Today, we typically worship through our time, resources and words of praise. Since Cain and Abel lived in an agrarian culture, a way that they could worship was through offering up something that they relied on and produced. We see a moment where they come to worship, though only one brings an offering that God looks on with favor, which makes us ask, “Why wasn’t Cain’s offering acceptable while Abel’s was?” Cain offered some of the fruits of the soil. But Abel’s offering is described as being from the firstborn and the fatty portions. This would have been the best that Abel could bring because not only did he give from what was first produced, he brought the best. Cain did not give the first fruits and the quality isn’t indicated. The issue with Cain’s offering is more about his attitude.
Genesis 4:5b-7
Cain gets angry, not with himself, but first with God and later with Abel. Despite Cain’s anger, God has a real merciful response. Here’s the creator of the world who could have just flicked Cain out of existence in an instant. But He doesn’t do that. However, He also makes it clear to Cain that this is a crossroads moment. God is offering Cain a choice: make a change or continue down a path that will ultimately lead to a really disastrous place.
Genesis 4:8
Inflamed by jealousy, Cain kills his brother Abel. With this one act of Cain, we see how sin has continued and expanded. The brothers who were meant to carry on God’s blessing to the world are instead killing one another. Instead of carrying on God’s blessing, we see Cain carrying on similar sin patterns from his parents, especially in how he reacted to sin.
Genesis 4:9-12
Cain’s path has led him to a place he never wanted to be: far away from God’s presence. The way he got there was similar to his parents. As with Adam and Eve, Cain puts himself in the place of God (in his case by deciding life and death). As with Adam and Eve, God questions Cain, providing him a way to come clean. As with Adam and Eve, Cain evades responsibility. In his case, he tries to plead ignorance, which is both bold and stupid. It doesn’t excuse Cain’s sin to know that his parents sinned in a similar way. He also was given a choice by God and chose to be mastered by sin. In looking at Cain’s sin and how he drifted so far out of Eden, there’s a lot we can learn about our stories today.
Key Points
I Want God In My Own Way: Instead of coming to God, the natural bent outside of Eden is to want God to come to us, on our terms. Cain expresses this in a dramatic and obvious way, but we can fall into the same drift in a few less obvious but still dangerous approaches to God:
- Routine Religion: We drift towards ritual, but God wants relationship. He wants our hearts.
- Leftover Offerings: It’s hard to give up those things that are costliest, but when we hold back those things we value the most, we’re saying we don’t trust God to set the terms for our lives.
- Dim Sum Obedience: Dim sum is a style of Cantonese cuisine where diners have the option of picking and choosing the items they want to eat. We do this with obedience, where we pick and choose the things we like that God says and commands, but ignore those we don’t like. When we do this, we are essentially trading places with God.
Trust in God’s Way instead of Making My Own Way: Jesus made the way for us. He empowers us for a life that we can’t achieve on our own or through our own terms.