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Not
Without Blood
God had commanded Adam to be
fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Gen. 1:28)Verse one
begins the fulfillment of that command.
“Now the man had relations
with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain,
and she said, ‘I have gotten a man child with the help of
the LORD’.” (Gen. 4:1)
The name “Cain” means
acquisition, or to acquire. Eve had acquired a son from God. She
said literally, “Kenah!”
I have acquired a man-child even the LORD. Remember that God had
promised a redeemer called “the seed of the woman” (Gen. 3:15).
Eve felt that she had birthed that redeemer.
“Again, she gave birth to his
brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was
a tiller of the ground.” (Gen. 4:2)
“Abel" means vanity. The same
word is used in Ecclesiastes. “Vanity of vanities, all is
vanity” (Eccle. 1:1-2). The word means “empty” or
“nothingness.” Eve called her second son, nothingness! Why do
you suppose Eve would name her son “nothing”? She picked the
wrong kid. But she was now a sinner with a fallen mind. God had
chosen Abel.
What kind of man was Abel? Notice
how Jesus described him.
“So that upon you may fall
the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the
blood of righteous Abel to the blood of
Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between
the temple and the altar.” (Matt. 23:35)
What about the writer of Hebrews?
“By faith Abel offered to God
a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the
testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his
gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still
speaks.” (Heb. 11:4)
God declared Abel to be righteous
by faith. “By faith” Abel offered to God a better sacrifice.
His right standing before God was not achieved by offering the
right sacrifice. He demonstrated his faith by offering the
right sacrifice. That is true of all those mentioned in Hebrews
11. By faith Enoch, by faith Noah, by faith Abraham - all
revealed their faith by a certain action. But the action did
not save them; the faith did.
“But to the one who does not
work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his
faith is credited as righteousness.” (Rom. 4:5)
“And may be found in Him, not
having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but
that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness
which comes from God on the basis of faith.” (Phil. 3:9)
“He made Him who knew no sin
to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21)
Imputed righteousness is
righteousness that is placed to one’s account, not because it is
deserved, but based upon faith alone.
Abel was also called a prophet.
“For this reason also the
wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and
apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will
persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since
the foundation of the world, may be charged against this
generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of
Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of
God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this
generation.’” (Luke 11:49-51)
Prophets were the mouthpieces of
God. If he was a prophet, what did he say? We cannot find
anything in the Bible that Abel actually said. His message was
in his actions. What do we know about his actions? They revealed
his attitude toward God.
Right Sacrifice Right Attitude
“So it came about in the
course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of
the fruit of the ground.” (Gen. 4:3)
Cain’s sacrifice was produce that
he had grown. Cain’s offering had a precedent. His role models
may have been the story of his parents and their fig leaf
clothes (verse 7). He grew his little garden and brought his
offering from the work of his own hands. It was not acceptable.
Cain decided what offering Cain should give.
Abel’s offering also had a
precedent. He had possibly heard of the animals were taken to
clothe Adam and Eve after their fall.
“Abel, on his part also
brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat
portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his
offering.” (Gen. 4:4)
Abel brought a unique sacrifice.
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His sacrifice required
death. It was a blood sacrifice of an animal.
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It was a selective
sacrifice. That is, it was the first of his flock.
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It involved faith.
Abel remembered that God had
clothed Adam and Eve with animal skins. There had been death.
Blood had been shed. By faith, he followed the example!
“Regard” is to look at with interest and approval. God looked at
the man and the offering. The Hebrew indicates that there was
some visible sign of God’s acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice.
Maybe fire came down and consumed it. We do not know!
“But for Cain and for his
offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his
countenance fell.” (Gen. 4:5)
God looked at the man and at the
offering and did not accept (regard) Cain’s offering. The Hebrew
indicates that there was a graphic way to tell that God had
rejected Cain and his offering. Maybe his sacrifice was not
consumed. Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. In
other words, he was furious! He was red in the face, with the
veins popping out in his neck!
Man’s efforts to please God have
no affect on God. This attitude is what the Bible refers to as
man’s own way. That is why people reject the gospel (Titus 3:5)
The gospel involves nothing of man!
“All we like sheep have gone
astray and everyone has turned to his own way.” (Isa. 53:6)
“Then the LORD said to Cain,
‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?’”
(Gen. 4:6)
The question that God asked Cain
was not asked because He needed information. He asked in order
to teach. “Cain, what is the reason for your anger?” Think
about this! Why are you furious? It is God who approaches the
sinner. The sinner does not approach God. God is attempting to
teach us the source of Cain’s problem.
“If you do well, will not
your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well,
sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but
you must master it.” (Gen. 4:7)
God gave Cain the opportunity to
change his mind but he did not. “Sin” here reminds us of the
serpent in the garden. Sin is pictured as lurking at the door of
the human heart. It is eager to devour Cain’s human soul, but
he was told that he must master it. To master it is not to work
in some way to destroy it, but it means to make the right
choice. He still had time to make the right sacrifice. He
obviously understood what God wanted. There was no excuse for
not doing by faith what God sought. But he would not. That bent
to rebel is in our flesh.
A better rendering is, “will you
not be exalted?” The translation of this verse has long vexed
scholars. The Septuagint, which KJV closely follows, suggests
that if Cain did the right thing, then he would retain his
priority over his younger brother as the first born.
Sin is crouching at the door. The
word “crouching” might mean that as a wild animal lies in wait,
ready to pounce on its prey, so sin would do to Cain. “Sin” is
“like a crouching beast hungering for you.” The word “desire”
has negative implications.
Cain’s sin was a rebellious
attitude! God gave Cain the opportunity to exercise the same
faith as Abel. “Sin” reminds us of the serpent in the garden.
Sin is pictured as lurking at the door of the human heart. It
is eager to devour Cain, but he was told that he must master it.
He obviously now understood what God wanted. There was no excuse
for not exercising faith! But he would not! That bent to rebel
is the essence of the fallen man.
First Murder
“Cain told Abel his brother.
And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain
rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.” (Gen. 4:8)
“Slew” in 1 John 3:12 is not the
usual word for “killed.” Cain slaughtered his brother. He slit
his throat like an animal.
“Not as Cain, who was of
the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason
did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his
brother’s were righteous.” (I Jn. 3:12)
Why did Cain slay Abel? Cain
slew his brother because he was of the evil one. He was the seed
of the serpent.
“Woe to them! For they have
gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong
into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of
Korah.” (Jude 11)
Balaam rebelled against God’s
priesthood and led a group who wanted to form their own. The
desire to come to God man’s way is the way of Cain. It is
“Operation Grow Your Own” - do it yourself. Man’s first attempt
at self-reformation was “Operation Fig Leaves.” Here is man’s
second attempt - “Operation Grow Your Own.”
From now on throughout the entire
Bible the human race will be divided. Some will be drawn to God
following His way and others will attempt to come to God their
own way.
Cain killed Abel, revealing that
religion hates grace. Religion emphasizes man’s work, energy of
the flesh, and pride. Throughout history religion has always
sought to destroy grace. If you are living or teaching grace,
you will be hated!
Cain’s answer revealed Cain’s
arrogance and pride.
“Then the LORD said to Cain,
‘Where is Abel your brother’ And he said, ‘I do not know. Am
I my brother’s keeper?’” (Gen. 4:9)
“Not” is in the emphatic position
in the Hebrew, meaning he said it loudly and emphatically. Who
else told a similar emphatic lie? Satan, when he said, “You
will not die.” That “not” was also emphatic.
“Am I my brother’s keeper?” was a
denial of Cain’s responsibility. God could have said, “Cain, you
are a liar, you are arrogant, and you are abrogating a
responsibility which I have given to you.” But God was
gracious!
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Why are you angry?
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Why is your countenance
fallen?
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Where is your brother Abel?
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What have you done? (verse
10)
“He said, ‘What have you
done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from
the ground.’” (Gen. 4:10)
As arrogant and proud as this man
was, God over and over extended to him the opportunity to change
his mind.
“Now you are cursed from the
ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s
blood from your hand.” (Gen. 4:11)
The ground was forced to receive
the blood of Abel.
“When you cultivate the
ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you
will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” (Gen. 4:12)
To “cultivate” is to work hard.
Remember, Cain was a farmer! No matter how hard Cain worked,
the ground would no longer produce for him. But he still must
live. He must have food and shelter.
Culture as we know it today will
now begin to develop from Cains family. Things will be given
value and man will begin to trade for “stuff.” By man’s human
effort, creativity and talent, he thinks he can acquire true
peace and prosperity apart from God. What do we call this today?
Humanism! Note Cain’s response to God’s judgment of him.
“Cain said to the LORD, ‘My
punishment is too great to bear!’” (Gen. 4:13)
Sin always has
consequences and God’s justice must always be served.
“Behold, You have driven me
this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I
will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on
the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” (Gen. 4:14)
God’s justice with Cain was
severe, but Cain was wise enough to realize that man’s justice
would have been even more severe. Cain feared for his life, but
God once again extended His grace.
“So the LORD said to him,
‘Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on
him sevenfold.’ And the LORD appointed a sign for Cain, so
that no one finding him would slay him.” (Gen. 4:15)
This sign (mark) could have been
some indication that God had already judged Cain for his sin
and, therefore, could not be the recipient of double jeopardy.
This could be the seed form of a judicial law for the protection
and preservation of the human race.
“Then Cain went out from the
presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east
of Eden.” (Gen. 4:16)
Cain went out from the presence
of the Lord. He would begin to establish a world independent of
God that would utterly fail. This civilization would end in
complete annihilation.
Sources
New American Standard Bible
Chafer’s Systematic Theology
R. B. Thieme
Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament
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