FRAMEWORKS:
Genesis 4: Cain and Abel
v.1,2
Cain & Abel born and grow up
v.3-7
Offerings and a Warning
v.8-10
Cain Murders Abel
v.11-15
Imposed Consequences
v.16-24
Cain's Ongoing family Tree
v.25,26
A New Family Line
v.1,2
Cain & Abel born and grow up
v.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.”
v.2
Later
she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and
Cain worked the soil.
[Notes:
The start of the mandate to ‘fill the earth' [1:28]
Eve gives birth to Cain and then Abel. As differing ways of ‘subduing',
controlling or using the earth, Cain works in horticulture and
Abel as an animal farmer.]
v.3-7
Offerings and a Warning
v.3
In
the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil
as an offering to the Lord.
v.4,5
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,
but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain
was very angry, and his face was downcast.
v.6
Then
the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?
v.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.”
[Notes:
We are not told why they both brought gifts to God –
which implies an ongoing relationship with God [obviously passed
on by Adam and Eve] – but Cain just brings ‘some' produce, while
Abel brings some of the best meat from a firstborn of the flock.
Casual versus heart-felt giving. Somehow God expresses what He
feels about this and Cain is angry about it. In v.6,7 some very
basic truths are revealed:
i)
inner heart attitudes are often revealed in outward appearances.
ii)
doing good will always be acceptable to God.
iii)
doing wrong and being happy about it, simply opens a door for
further wrongs to follow.
What
is interesting is that God seeks to steer Cain from this latter
course.]
v.8-10
Cain Murders Abel
v.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.
v.9
Then
the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don't
know,” he replied. “Am I my brother's keeper?”
v.10
The
Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries
out to me from the ground.
[Notes:
Cain fails to heed this counsel from God and kills Abel.
Presumably he buries him to hide the evidence, but nothing can
be hidden from God.]
v.11-15
Imposed Consequences
v.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.
v.12
When
you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you.
You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
v.13
Cain
said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear.
v.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.”
v.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.
[Notes:
A curse, we said, is a divine decree of bad, but this
‘curse' is very limited – Cain will be banished from this place
to become a wanderer. Cain realises something of the significance
of this and feels it means being hidden from God's protection
[an interesting assumption!] and feels he will be very vulnerable.
Somehow, in a way not explained, except as a mark, Cain will be
protected. We might have expected God to issue a death sentence
over this murderer, but He doesn't. Grace and mercy gives him
a second chance (possibly because this is the first such killing).]
v.16-24
Cain's Ongoing family Tree
v.16
So
Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of
Nod, east of Eden.
v.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.
v.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.
v.19
Lamech
married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.
v.20
Adah
gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents
and raise livestock.
v.21
His
brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed
instruments and pipes.
v.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.
v.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.
v.24
If
Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.”
[Notes:
Briefly we follow Cain's progress. He flourishes in
as far as he has a family and he builds a city, which implies
other people. Whether there others apart from Adam and Eve or
whether there is now a rapidly growing population, originally
from Adam and Eve, with children apart from Cain and Abel, is
open to speculation.]
v.25,26
A New Family Line
v.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.”
v.26
Seth
also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began
to call on the name of the Lord.
[Notes:
With Abel dead and Cain banished, Adam and Eve have
(at least one other) a son named Seth. Seth is the beginning of
a family tree that resulted in what we know of as the Hebrews.
see 1 Chron 1:1-28]
Lessons
or Challenges to Ponder from Genesis Chapter 4
1.
Abel was am open-hearted giver. Cain was a somewhat begrudging
giver. Which am I?
2.
God warned Cain of the danger of a wrong attitude that might turn
even worse. Cain failed to heed the warning and killed his brother.
Where can unresolved issues in our lives lead us?
3.
Incredibly God doesn't kill Cain for killing Abel. Perhaps its
too early days for understanding and so God sends him into exile
where he has the chance to change. Is this God of the second chances
and if so, what does He want us to become after failure?
Continue to Chapter 5