7. Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-26)
This sermon was preached on 13/12/2009
Genesis 4 is well-known because it details the first murder in human history. Awful although that sin was, it has to be seen within its context. What we have in this chapter is the origin of two societies within the human race; one society is God-fearing and the other society is opposed to God. Put in this context, Abel who was a Godfearer becomes a martyr and Cain who was opposed to God becomes a persecutor.
It may be worth mentioning a statistic because some may be wondering where all the people came from that are mentioned in the story – such as the people of whom Cain was afraid or the numbers capable of inhabiting a city. Remember we are not told how old Cain and Abel were when this incident took place, and since they were adults it is very likely that Adam and Eve had many other children and grandchildren by this time. James Boice notes that in the span of Adam’s lifestyle, if half the number of children that are normally born in that period became adults, if half of them married, and only half of them had children, Adam would have lived to see over a million descendants. And that figure is a deliberately low one.
Another issue that is often raised concerns where Cain got his wife. She was probably his sister or, if there were other of his brothers or sisters married, his niece. Marrying such a close relative was the only way in which the race could have grown at that time.
The births of Cain and Abel (1-2)
The births of these two brothers are described, although the author does not say whether or not there was a long or short period between their births. There is no evidence that they were twins.
The only details that are given is their names, but that information is helpful because it points to a change of outlook on the part of Adam and Eve. The name ‘Cain’ indicates that they believed that God had provided them with the child, with them perhaps thinking that Cain was the promised deliverer (it has been noted that Eve lays too much stress on her contribution and makes no mention of Adam). The name ‘Abel’ means vanity, and it could suggest that by the time he was born his parents had experienced some of the frustrations and disappointments that sin had brought into the world.
Therefore, some are of the opinion that these names indicate that Adam and Eve had faith in God. They argue that Eve had been praying for this child, mentioned when she says she has acquired a man from the Lord. This suggestion is strengthened when we see Eve’s response to the birth of Seth, which is detailed in verse 25. In that verse she stresses that she received Seth from the Lord and minimises her own role.
The worship of Cain and Abel (3-7)
The writer describes the two types of work that the two brothers engaged in. Abel was a shepherd and Cain was a farmer, and the account does not say that one activity was more godly than the other. The order that is given in this passage of mentioning work and then worship is a reminder that work is not the highest goal of humans. Worship of God is the most important purpose.
The passage also indicates that an aspect of worship is to give to God from what we obtain by our labour. In our society, the way we give is with money. The idea is that we give to God out of the blessings and functions he has given us.
Verse 3 indicates that there was both a time and a place for this aspect of worship. It is generally assumed that the time was the Sabbath and the location was the place where God had positioned the cherubim at the entrance to Eden. What is being described here is not private worship in the sense of personal prayer for help but public worship.
It is very likely that God had indicated how the two brothers were to worship. It is not clear if an animal sacrifice was required. Some suggest that ‘if you do well’ in verse 7 refers to obedience to a previously-given instruction which Cain had ignored, and if that is the case then Abel had followed the required manner of offering a sacrifice for his sin. Yet it is the case, in the Levitical system, that sacrifices composed of grain were expressions of thankfulness and dedication, and may have been acceptable to God in Genesis 4. Elsewhere the Bible states what the real difference was, their characters. In Matthew 23:11 Jesus describes Abel as righteous and Hebrews 11 says that he worshipped by faith. 1 John 3:12 says that Cain belonged to the devil and was evil in character.
Yet although Cain’s attitude was wrong, it is important that we note the Lord’s reaction to him. His response contains both encouragement and warning. He was not put off by Cain’s sullen attitude. In mercy the Lord draws near his sinful creature and assures him that the way is open for his acceptance. Cain deserved to be punished, but instead the Lord responded graciously. This is a reminder to us, even as we are engaged outwardly in an act of worship, yet perhaps with wrong attitudes, that the Lord, who reads our hearts, desires to reveal his grace to us.
Sadly, Cain chose to ignore God’s warning and this response had horrible consequences. Instead of imitating his brother, he murdered him. The reason why he killed him is because he imagined that he was about to lose the privileges of the firstborn son.
The banishment of Cain (9-24)
Again the Lord spoke to Cain and gave him another opportunity to respond to God’s mercy. Cain refused to confess his sin, indeed he lied directly to God, and in doing so he stepped across the boundary line into the situation where he would no longer be offered the mercy of God.
In his new environment Cain attempted to promote his own abilities. We see this both in his founding of a city and the name he gave to it. We may regard these details as insignificant but they point to his priorities, to self-glorification. Cain is an example of Psalm 49:11: ‘Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.’
It is true that even in this sad state Cain was the recipient of common grace in that the Lord protected him from potential avengers. But he was under the curse of God, even although he and his descendants were going to be great achievers. We read that this godless society produced an advanced civilisation: it was a community that showed great skill in agriculture, in the arts and in metalwork. There is nothing wrong with these activities in themselves. But because this society had no thought of God, over it can be written the words of the Saviour in Mark 8:36-37: ‘For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?’ And over Cain can be written, in the words of Matthew Henry, that he ‘was a father of shepherds and a father of musicians, but not a father of the faithful.’
In passing we should note that Cain’s rejection of God led to his descendants not hearing about the mercy of God. His sin did not only affect himself, but deprived his family of the knowledge of God. What a sad legacy he left to an accomplished race!
The burden of the godly seed (vv. 25-26)
In these two verses, the writer details the most significant contribution of Seth and his descendants, which was that they engaged in the worship of God. A group was formed, identified with Seth, that acknowledged God and worshipped him. They were a small remnant living in a society that was rapidly developing in capabilities but had no place for God.
Application
As we think of the details of this chapter, there are several applications that can be made.
First, we see the beginning of the fulfilment of God’s judgement on Satan expressed in Genesis 3:15ff. There God had promised to put enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. He had predicted that there would be two societies in the world, and this division was evident at the beginning of human history.
Second, we can learn some lessons from the character of Cain. He had many spiritual privileges: for example, he spoke with God, and was given personal guidance by God. He was also a man with fierce anger, a response that led him to commit murder. His downward spiral can be seen in that his disobedience to God led him to become defiant of God, which led him to despair because he was rejected by God. That is an awful descent, one that has been imitated by many millions down the centuries. Small sins lead to greater sins, which lead to hell. Make sure that none of you take the same journey.
It was also the case that Cain was a disappointment to his mother. What high hopes she had at his birth and how deplorably he dashed these hopes. I’m sure that each of us has been the subject of many prayers by our parents.
Third, we can learn some lessons from the life and death of Abel. First, he realised that salvation was by faith. It is admitted that we cannot tell how much Abel knew of the gospel except to say that he surely had been told of the promise that God had made to send a strong deliverer who would defeat the enemy of our souls. Salvation has always been by faith in the promises of God regarding the Saviour. We live in more favoured days of gospel knowledge than did Abel. We know that Jesus has come, that he has suffered on the cross and paid the penalty for sin, that he has risen from the dead and is exalted to heaven. But it is not enough to know these details, we must respond to them. And there are only two responses: trust in Jesus or refuse to trust in Jesus. Faith in Jesus involves penitence for our sin, dependence on Christ, delight in Christ and dedication to Christ. Abel’s faith looked forward to a coming Deliverer; our faith looks back to his first coming, looks up to his place of power, and looks forward to his return.
Abel is also an example of pleasing the right person. We all aim to please some one, even if it is only ourselves. Abel’s life pleased Jesus, because in Matthew 23:35 he describes Abel as ‘righteous Abel’. At the end of the day, the only opinion that will matter concerning our lives will be the opinion of Jesus Christ.
Abel is also an example of the fact that the destination is more important than the journey. He had a difficult journey, but reached heaven in the end. Indeed he was given the honour of being the first sinner to enter heaven. If we could ask Abel and Cain regarding the choices they made, what would they say to us?
Lastly, Hebrews 12:24 says that the blood of Jesus speaks ‘better things than the blood of Abel’. Abel’s blood cried to God for vengeance, for justice. The blood of Jesus cries out for mercy from God to all who will trust in Jesus.
It may be worth mentioning a statistic because some may be wondering where all the people came from that are mentioned in the story – such as the people of whom Cain was afraid or the numbers capable of inhabiting a city. Remember we are not told how old Cain and Abel were when this incident took place, and since they were adults it is very likely that Adam and Eve had many other children and grandchildren by this time. James Boice notes that in the span of Adam’s lifestyle, if half the number of children that are normally born in that period became adults, if half of them married, and only half of them had children, Adam would have lived to see over a million descendants. And that figure is a deliberately low one.
Another issue that is often raised concerns where Cain got his wife. She was probably his sister or, if there were other of his brothers or sisters married, his niece. Marrying such a close relative was the only way in which the race could have grown at that time.
The births of Cain and Abel (1-2)
The births of these two brothers are described, although the author does not say whether or not there was a long or short period between their births. There is no evidence that they were twins.
The only details that are given is their names, but that information is helpful because it points to a change of outlook on the part of Adam and Eve. The name ‘Cain’ indicates that they believed that God had provided them with the child, with them perhaps thinking that Cain was the promised deliverer (it has been noted that Eve lays too much stress on her contribution and makes no mention of Adam). The name ‘Abel’ means vanity, and it could suggest that by the time he was born his parents had experienced some of the frustrations and disappointments that sin had brought into the world.
Therefore, some are of the opinion that these names indicate that Adam and Eve had faith in God. They argue that Eve had been praying for this child, mentioned when she says she has acquired a man from the Lord. This suggestion is strengthened when we see Eve’s response to the birth of Seth, which is detailed in verse 25. In that verse she stresses that she received Seth from the Lord and minimises her own role.
The worship of Cain and Abel (3-7)
The writer describes the two types of work that the two brothers engaged in. Abel was a shepherd and Cain was a farmer, and the account does not say that one activity was more godly than the other. The order that is given in this passage of mentioning work and then worship is a reminder that work is not the highest goal of humans. Worship of God is the most important purpose.
The passage also indicates that an aspect of worship is to give to God from what we obtain by our labour. In our society, the way we give is with money. The idea is that we give to God out of the blessings and functions he has given us.
Verse 3 indicates that there was both a time and a place for this aspect of worship. It is generally assumed that the time was the Sabbath and the location was the place where God had positioned the cherubim at the entrance to Eden. What is being described here is not private worship in the sense of personal prayer for help but public worship.
It is very likely that God had indicated how the two brothers were to worship. It is not clear if an animal sacrifice was required. Some suggest that ‘if you do well’ in verse 7 refers to obedience to a previously-given instruction which Cain had ignored, and if that is the case then Abel had followed the required manner of offering a sacrifice for his sin. Yet it is the case, in the Levitical system, that sacrifices composed of grain were expressions of thankfulness and dedication, and may have been acceptable to God in Genesis 4. Elsewhere the Bible states what the real difference was, their characters. In Matthew 23:11 Jesus describes Abel as righteous and Hebrews 11 says that he worshipped by faith. 1 John 3:12 says that Cain belonged to the devil and was evil in character.
Yet although Cain’s attitude was wrong, it is important that we note the Lord’s reaction to him. His response contains both encouragement and warning. He was not put off by Cain’s sullen attitude. In mercy the Lord draws near his sinful creature and assures him that the way is open for his acceptance. Cain deserved to be punished, but instead the Lord responded graciously. This is a reminder to us, even as we are engaged outwardly in an act of worship, yet perhaps with wrong attitudes, that the Lord, who reads our hearts, desires to reveal his grace to us.
Sadly, Cain chose to ignore God’s warning and this response had horrible consequences. Instead of imitating his brother, he murdered him. The reason why he killed him is because he imagined that he was about to lose the privileges of the firstborn son.
The banishment of Cain (9-24)
Again the Lord spoke to Cain and gave him another opportunity to respond to God’s mercy. Cain refused to confess his sin, indeed he lied directly to God, and in doing so he stepped across the boundary line into the situation where he would no longer be offered the mercy of God.
In his new environment Cain attempted to promote his own abilities. We see this both in his founding of a city and the name he gave to it. We may regard these details as insignificant but they point to his priorities, to self-glorification. Cain is an example of Psalm 49:11: ‘Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.’
It is true that even in this sad state Cain was the recipient of common grace in that the Lord protected him from potential avengers. But he was under the curse of God, even although he and his descendants were going to be great achievers. We read that this godless society produced an advanced civilisation: it was a community that showed great skill in agriculture, in the arts and in metalwork. There is nothing wrong with these activities in themselves. But because this society had no thought of God, over it can be written the words of the Saviour in Mark 8:36-37: ‘For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?’ And over Cain can be written, in the words of Matthew Henry, that he ‘was a father of shepherds and a father of musicians, but not a father of the faithful.’
In passing we should note that Cain’s rejection of God led to his descendants not hearing about the mercy of God. His sin did not only affect himself, but deprived his family of the knowledge of God. What a sad legacy he left to an accomplished race!
The burden of the godly seed (vv. 25-26)
In these two verses, the writer details the most significant contribution of Seth and his descendants, which was that they engaged in the worship of God. A group was formed, identified with Seth, that acknowledged God and worshipped him. They were a small remnant living in a society that was rapidly developing in capabilities but had no place for God.
Application
As we think of the details of this chapter, there are several applications that can be made.
First, we see the beginning of the fulfilment of God’s judgement on Satan expressed in Genesis 3:15ff. There God had promised to put enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. He had predicted that there would be two societies in the world, and this division was evident at the beginning of human history.
Second, we can learn some lessons from the character of Cain. He had many spiritual privileges: for example, he spoke with God, and was given personal guidance by God. He was also a man with fierce anger, a response that led him to commit murder. His downward spiral can be seen in that his disobedience to God led him to become defiant of God, which led him to despair because he was rejected by God. That is an awful descent, one that has been imitated by many millions down the centuries. Small sins lead to greater sins, which lead to hell. Make sure that none of you take the same journey.
It was also the case that Cain was a disappointment to his mother. What high hopes she had at his birth and how deplorably he dashed these hopes. I’m sure that each of us has been the subject of many prayers by our parents.
Third, we can learn some lessons from the life and death of Abel. First, he realised that salvation was by faith. It is admitted that we cannot tell how much Abel knew of the gospel except to say that he surely had been told of the promise that God had made to send a strong deliverer who would defeat the enemy of our souls. Salvation has always been by faith in the promises of God regarding the Saviour. We live in more favoured days of gospel knowledge than did Abel. We know that Jesus has come, that he has suffered on the cross and paid the penalty for sin, that he has risen from the dead and is exalted to heaven. But it is not enough to know these details, we must respond to them. And there are only two responses: trust in Jesus or refuse to trust in Jesus. Faith in Jesus involves penitence for our sin, dependence on Christ, delight in Christ and dedication to Christ. Abel’s faith looked forward to a coming Deliverer; our faith looks back to his first coming, looks up to his place of power, and looks forward to his return.
Abel is also an example of pleasing the right person. We all aim to please some one, even if it is only ourselves. Abel’s life pleased Jesus, because in Matthew 23:35 he describes Abel as ‘righteous Abel’. At the end of the day, the only opinion that will matter concerning our lives will be the opinion of Jesus Christ.
Abel is also an example of the fact that the destination is more important than the journey. He had a difficult journey, but reached heaven in the end. Indeed he was given the honour of being the first sinner to enter heaven. If we could ask Abel and Cain regarding the choices they made, what would they say to us?
Lastly, Hebrews 12:24 says that the blood of Jesus speaks ‘better things than the blood of Abel’. Abel’s blood cried to God for vengeance, for justice. The blood of Jesus cries out for mercy from God to all who will trust in Jesus.
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