Genesis 4:1-15
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
8 Now 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 killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?” 10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.” 13 And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.
Adam had received as a gift from God to be named and valued, and may have been what God sacrificed for coverings of skin (Genesis 3:21) for their sin. God honored the gift of Abel (Hebrews 11:4) as a sacrifice of what he valued, animals which were given as companions (Genesis 2:18-20), and which would be a worthy sacrifice. The blood shed was a forerunner of life for life, a payment for sin, while Cain’s sacrifice was of his own work and part of the curse, not of any more value than as food. Cain was enraged that God did not value his offering and showed it in his unthankful attitude (1 John 3:12). God tried to correct him by telling Cain to do what is right or the sin waiting to consume him (its desire was for him) would do so unless he ruled over its temptation. But Cain’s anger followed sin as he surrendered to it instead of fighting against the anger, and he murdered Abel as soon as he had opportunity. Then he not only denied knowing what happened to him, but further sinned in anger against God Himself by denying responsibility for his brother. He was the elder, and was surely his brother’s keeper, but the blind anger and jealousy causes the sin to multiply from covetousness to anger to murder, and then lying to cover up and deny his sin. God exposed the multiplicity of Cain’s sin and further cursed his work in scraping food out of the dust. God cast him out, Cain was worried about other siblings in the future wanting vengeance, but God marked him for protection from that by promising multiplied retribution on any who killed him. Cain’s sin led to judgement, banishment, and a hard road of life ahead. This is an example for us to not sin, and to admit and turn from it when its desire for us overwhelms our rule over it by choosing God’s commands instead. Remember James 1:12-15 in warning us to not follow temptation into sin and death.
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