Genesis 4:1-16
Cain and Abel
1 Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
13 Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
15 But the LORD said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the LORD’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
17 Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.
19 Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes. 22 Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.
23 Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for injuring me.
24 If Cain is avenged seven times,
then Lamech seventy-seven times.”
25 Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” 26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.
At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD.
Acts 4:12
Salvation is Found in Only One Redeemer
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.
Temptation seems to be right next door...Sin is near...
Cain and Abel were the first children of Adam and Eve...Cain is the first murderer on earth...And the first murder was a brother murdering his brother...It was premeditated murder...The motive is very interesting...Cain's motive for killing his brother Abel was because of God...God looked down on Abel's offering and found it favorable to Him...God looked down on Cain's offering, but He did not find favor in his offering...Because God did not find favor with Cain's offering, he was very angry, and his face was downcast...The first murder on earth is based on a response from God...God, and His response to the two brothers, is right in the middle of the first murder on earth...
Apparently Cain's heart was not in the right place with his offering and Abel's heart was (in the right place)...Cain took his anger out on his brother...Jealousy seems to come upon Cain...Cain kills Abel...And it is hard to understand, but Cain would be the first to kill another who was created in the Image of God...
We are not given the details of the offering and told why one was favorable, and Cain's was not...But God tells Cain before he murders his brother to do what is right and he will be accepted...If he does not do what is right, sin will be crouching at his door, because sin desires to have him...Cain in a way here, is being disciplined by God...Cain (God tells him) that he needs to master sin...God knows how difficult this is to master sin...Even today, thousands of years later, man has not mastered sin...Cain gives in to sin and cannot master it, and kills his brother...God gives us complete unfettered freewill and Cain uses it to murder...Jesus, while on earth, was very much like man, except that He did not sin...The only man to master sin, is the Son of Man...
Our faith is tied to listening to God's discipline...God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness...No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful...Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:10-11)...By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did...By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings...And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead (Hebrews 11:4)...
God asks and wants us to master sin...If we do what is wrong, sin still crouches at our door, even today...God knows the problems we have with sin...We cannot master sin without help...This is why He sent His Son...We need a Redeemer...He is the Master of sin, because He does not sin...And the Son forgives us when we do sin...He died for our sins on a cross...It also appears God gives us a choice, in our freewill...And in some of our freewill choices we sin...Man has the nature to sin...We can trust in His Son and Him, or we can let our sinful nature overcome us and we can do bad things...If we try and do what is right, we will be accepted (He says)...God is teaching us to trust in the LORD...No one trusted in the LORD more than His Son...Jesus is our greatest need, if we want to be better, overcome our sinful nature, and be accepted by Him...This is what He died for...He died for our sins...Our peace, overcoming our sins, and our salvation is found in no one else...This is the message of Christianity...There is no other name given to Man under heaven, by which man can be saved...