Cain and Abel
Gen 4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
Their age was unknown when they had a son. Eve thought that this was the seed mentioned earlier. The name Cain, meant "here he is." Eve thought that her son was the Messiah, the savior of the world. Cain was the first baby human.
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Gen 4:2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Some think that they may have been twins, but, it appears that she took time to name Cain and said I have begotten a man. If another baby was still to be born, the thoughts would be towards the delivery. Abel was a keeper of sheep and Cain was a farmer of produce. Both occupations were from the beginning, they did not evolve into these duties.
Gen 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
This is an acceptable offering, the firstfruits under the law. It was a thank offering. Yet sin had to be covered, so Abel's offering was better, as a sin offering.
Gen 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
The lamb pointed to the Lamb of God, a type of the atonement for sins. The fat made a sweet smell unto the LORD. Both offered to God, believing that he was God and required an offering. Cain apparently did not think that he needed to be cleansed of sin. He may have been self reliant and self righteous. Did not his mother think he was something special? Mother's cannot forgive sins; God does.
Here, it is one lamb for a man. Later, at the Passover, it will be one lamb for a family. Then, at the Day of Atonement, it was one lamb for the nation. Finally, with Jesus, there was one Lamb who takes away the sin of the whole world. (Guzik)
Gen 4:5But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
He was self willed and angry at God.
Gen 4:6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Whats the matter with you Cain? Do you lack wisdom?
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Cain did not want wisdom, he wanted his own way. He had spiritual pride and hypocrisy. A man without faith, but of dead works.
Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
God offers Cain the solution; obey and all will be well. God let's us know what is required of us. And if you do not well, if you willfully disobey, sin lies at the door of your heart. Disobedience allows sin to enter. It is best to take control before it enters. The devil desires to control you, it is your choice. WE must make God master and Lord of our life; a life of faith in Him and His promises.
Gen 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
The devil had entered Cain, because of pride and hypocrisy. As the devil would later enter into Judas.
John 13:26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
John 13:27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.
Abel's death was not an accident or from a moment of anger, it was cruel and planned out by Cain. He would remove his rival, but he could not remove God. Many try to remove God, so that they can continue to do what they wish to do, which is to sin.
1 John 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
1 John 3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
Gen 4:9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
We are accountable to our brother and also to the LORD. Cain had killed his brother, then he lied, and tried to cover it up. This is the first example of a "religious" person being jealous of a spiritual person, so jealous and envious that he killed the true worshipper, who was in spirit and in truth.
John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Later the Jewish leaders from envy, would kill Jesus.
Mark 15:9 But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
Mark 15:10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.
Mark 15:11 But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.
Mark 15:12 And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?
Mark 15:13 And they cried out again, Crucify him.
Mark 15:14 Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.
Cain had a religious spirit, self willed and not of God. Paul warned Timothy of the false religious ones.
2 Tim 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Gen 4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
Life is in the blood. Abel's blood cried out from the ground. He cried to God for justice, as the martyrs in Revelation.
Rev 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
Rev 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
Rev 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
By faith in what God had revealed to them both. Had Cain known the will of God? Yes, and for sure he heard God after his sacrifice was refused.
Gen 4:6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
A heart after God's will, would seek to do right; but he grew angry and rebelled. That is the problem with sin. People say it's alright to sin, to do your own thing. But the results are death to another or to oneself. Society pays for sin, by a breakdown of families and values. Our nation has fallen far in a generation, because of rebellion. The cost endangers our internal security. Combine this with putting God away from public life and we are in great peril.
Ezek 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
It is a separation of those of faith, who believe in God and his word and those who act out their own desires. Faith in God and faith in self works, the walk of faith and the walk of works.
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Titus 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Titus 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Jesus stood in the gap for us, on the cross, connecting those of faith with the Living God, by His Spirit.
Gen 4:11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
Cain received another curse; again the earth, by which he grew his produce, was cursed to him, because he shed his brother's blood into it.
Gen 4:12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
He would not be successful as a gardener. He would be a hunted criminal, at least in his mind, restless and moving from place to place, never finding rest.
Gen 4:13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
It was a punishment, but what about his treatment to his righteous brother? One of the thieves on the cross knew his punishment was just, the other like Cain had no change of heart.
Luke 23:39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
Luke 23:40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
Luke 23:41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
Luke 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Gen 4:14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
Again Cain has self pity, but no remorse or repentance for his sin. The world is full of victims, but not so many people of faith and grace. It is about self or it is about Christ Jesus. It is about selfish desires or about the will of the Father in heaven.
Jude 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
Jude 1:12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
Jude 1:13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
Gen 4:15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
Marked as an infidel. Everyone who saw the mark avoided him, for fear of God's judgment upon them. Cain was unclean, unloved, and strong willed. There are other marks spoken of in the Bible.
For the Jews, the seal of the covenant
Rom 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
For Christians, the seal of the Spirit
2 Cor 1:21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
2 Cor 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
The seal of the antichrist beast
Rev 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
Rev 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Gen 4:16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
Gen 4:17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
Where did Cain find a wife? Adam and Eve had several sons and daughter, so he married a sister. The law of incest had not yet come into effect. Because this was the beginning, obviously marriage had to be with close family.
Even Abraham married his half sister, but this was before the law.
Gen 20:12 And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
Marrying a sister was allowed until the law of Moses.
Lev 18:9 The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.
Those who oppose God and His Bible, often seek to argue about the incest at the beginning. Others point to ape like descendants, trying to prove evolution. God's word is received as it is. Why argue about it? It was the religious spirit of Cain who complained about God's way. We are of God, people of faith or we are the devil's religious spirit people seeking to argue and to deny God's word. Give me the Bible and I choose Jesus.
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