The content of this chapter is not the life and death of godly Abel or the life and development of godless Cain. Think for a moment what happens when you make either of these themes the focus of the story: you wind up excluding the Kingdom of Heaven. This Kingdom is taught not by examples—although examples doubtless have their value—but by the Word of grace. If God's speaking and acting is not the primary consideration, the examples lose all their meaning.
The main purpose of this chapter is furnishing us with the key to the Kingdom. Adam named his wife Eve and thereby showed that he accepted the promise. In Genesis 4 the promise is fulfilled in the birth of children, which confirms God's Word. But the faith of Adam and Eve is soon put to the test: it turns out that Cain is not genuine, living seed, and Abel is murdered. Hope is then revived in the birth of Seth.
The line must be drawn from Seth to the Christ: Christ would be born of Seth's line. But when we recognize this, we are still not saying enough about the revelation of the Christ in this chapter. In his death Abel is a type of Christ and of all God's people—but he is also Christ's opposite or antitype. Abel's blood—unlike Christ's blood—cannot remove sin; it merely cries out for justice and vengeance. The blood of Christ, then, speaks of better things than Abel's blood: it raises the hope of reconciliation.
But this chapter does not point only to the death of Christ. In the birth of Seth there was new life. That birth pointed ahead to Christ's victorious resurrection.
Evidently Adam and Eve taught their children to offer sacrifices. For those who accepted God's grace in faith, sacrifice became a way of practicing that faith. Through sacrifice as a response to God's favor, man could dedicate himself to the Lord and be strengthened in fellowship with the Lord.
In the case of Cain, however, we already see degeneration setting in. Because he stands apart from the Lord and does not accept the promise in faith, he lives in fear. He then tries to ward off God's judgment and buy His blessing through sacrifice. His worship, like the worship of anyone without faith, is bribery.
Main thought: The promise receives its initial fulfillment in the birth of living seed.
Two kinds of seed. After they were banished from Paradise, Adam and Eve had their first child. What a blessing children are to parents who believe! Not only are parents enriched through the lives of their offspring, they also feel God's favor in the blessing of children. The son given to Adam and Eve brought them a special bliss, for his birth was an indication of God's favor in their new life, the life they had begun after their old life was destroyed by sin. In this new life they now saw a fulfillment of the promise God made to them when they were banished from Paradise. That promise they had accepted in faith.
Because Eve had received her son from the Lord, she named him Cain, which means the one obtained. Cain's birth was God's way of giving Himself to Adam and Eve and fulfilling His promise.
When her second child was born some time later, Eve appears to have been in a different mood. Perhaps the second child was not born as healthy as the first. In any case, her outlook on her condition had changed. The name she gave the child was not a denial of her faith, but it did reflect a deeper awareness of the trials and struggles of life, from which she, as a believer, had not been spared. Since life's burdens, which are a result of sin, weighed heavily on her, she called her second child Abel, which means a triviality, insignificance, a mere breath.
Adam and Eve talked to their children about the Lord and told them about the first sin in Paradise. For parents to reveal their own sins to their children is a bitter pill to swallow. Adam and Eve also told their children about God's grace and the complete deliverance to come. Then they waited for the children's reponse. Would the hearts of the children open? Would they join their parents in believing in the promise of deliverance? Would they come to love the Lord? Adam and Eve prayed that their children would respond positively to God's grace and deliverance. This is always the main concern of believing parents.
Believing parents are very perceptive. Adam and Eve could not help noticing that Abel believed the promise and gave his heart and life to the Lord in a simple way. But it did not escape their attention either that Cain wanted to live for himself. Deep in his heart Cain despised the Lord's promise and felt no need of deliverance. He was sure he could make it on his own. Yet he knew that the Lord was there and could punish him. Consequently his life was filled with fear, as our story demonstrates.
Adam and Eve had taught their children to offer sacrifices to the Lord by burning animals or the produce of the earth. These sacrifices were to be offered wholly out of faith, as a way of saying: "Lord, You have shown us Your favor and given us everything. Therefore we want to devote ourselves and all that we have to Your service. We offer You these sacrifices as tokens of our intent." This pleased the Lord, for He saw that the people were offering their very hearts through their sacrifices. Man became all the more pleasing to God because of the sacrifices offered.
Adam and Eve offered sacrifices, then, and Abel did so as well. But Cain could not join in, for he did not believe. He did not give his heart to the Lord and did not confess that the Lord had given him everything he had. Yet he, too, offered sacrifices. And when he did, it was as though he was offering something of his own to the Lord in expectation of a gift in return. He thought he could buy the Lord's favor and ward off His punishment by offering Him sacrifices. Such behavior is an abomination to the Lord.
One day both Cain and Abel were engaged in sacrificing to the Lord. Because Cain tilled the soil, he offered the Lord the produce of his field. Abel was a herdsman and therefore offered one of the first-born of his sheep. God looked with favor on Abel and his sacrifice—but not on Cain. In some way unknown to us, the Lord made His response known to them. Perhaps He spoke to them directly. (In Hebrews 11:4 we read that Abel "received approval as righteous.")
Now was the time for Cain to come to his senses and confess that his sacrifice was really a lie. Instead he became angry with Abel, who always seemed to be favored, and accused God of being unjust. Because he was the oldest child in the family, Cain thought too highly of himself.
Even at this point, the Lord warned him. If only he would change his ways, he would rise in the Lord's favor. But if he refused to break with his sin, he would be completely overpowered by it. How patient the Lord is!
Life ruined. The power of sin grew stronger in Cain's life instead of weakening. Not only did he hate his brother, he also developed a growing hatred of the Lord's promise and covenant, which required living by faith. Although he had rejected grace himself, he was angry at his brother for possessing it. That's how foolish sin makes us.
Once when the two brothers were together in the field, Cain expressed all his anger and hatred. Abel must have responded with surprise and sorrow, displaying the grace he had received through faith. This aroused Cain's wrath as nothing else could: he attacked his brother and killed him.
Human blood had now been shed for the first time. Abel was the first human being to die. Cain was guilty of fratricide; he had murdered his brother. And that wasn't even the worst of it. More terrible still was his hatred of the Lord's covenant and promise. Cain had killed Abel because Abel was a believer.
Abel typifies all the human beings after him who have been oppressed, persecuted and put to death for their faith. He is also a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was put to death because of His love for His father. Yet there is a difference between those two deaths. The blood of Abel could not make propitiation for Cain's crime. Instead it cried out from the ground for God's justice to avenge it. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, on the other hand, is indeed a propitiation for the crimes and misdeeds of those who believe in Him.
Abel typifies all the human beings after him who have been oppressed, persecuted and put to death for their faith. He is also a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was put to death because of His love for His father. Yet there is a difference between those two deaths. The blood of Abel could not make propitiation for Cain's crime. Instead it cried out from the ground for God's justice to avenge it. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, on the other hand, is indeed a propitiation for the crimes and misdeeds of those who believe in Him.
Since God still hoped to stop Cain on his downward path, He asked him about his brother. Cain pleaded ignorance: "Am I my brother's keeper?" God then told Cain that He knew about the crime and proceeded to curse him. The earth would no longer give Cain its fruit, and nowhere on earth would he find rest. Did Cain then beg God for forgiving grace? No, grace was out of the question as far as he was concerned: "My crime is too great to be forgiven." His only request was that his life be spared for a while. Full of his usual fear, he declared: "I am under a curse. I no longer have Your protection. Anyone who finds me will kill me."
God spared Cain and reserved the right to pronounce judgment on him. He therefore declared that if Cain were murdered, he would be avenged sevenfold. To make sure Cain would not be killed by his fellow man, the Lord put a sign on him. What this sign was we do not know. Apparently everyone who encountered Cain was repelled and turned away in disgust.
That was the last conversation between the Lord and Cain. Cain left the land of Eden and its Paradise, where God had revealed Himself to man. He turned his back on the covenant circle, the people on whom God had bestowed His grace, and settled down in the land of Nod, which was east of Eden.
That was the last conversation between the Lord and Cain. Cain left the land of Eden and its Paradise, where God had revealed Himself to man. He turned his back on the covenant circle, the people on whom God had bestowed His grace, and settled down in the land of Nod, which was east of Eden.
The faith of Adam and Eve was severely tried. Abel was dead, and Cain was lost to them. They thought they had seen a joyous fulfillment of God's promise, but what had come of it now? All the same, they continued to cling to the promise. Faith can cling steadfastly to the Word of the Lord even when everything looks hopeless. That power of faith was won for us by the Lord Jesus Christ, whose faith did not collapse during His darkest night of suffering.
The sinful grab at life. Why had God spared Cain and given him protection? He had His reasons, but they went beyond Cain's comprehension. The faithful may understand something of God's purpose for their lives and even glorify Him for it, but unbelievers are blind to God's purposes, even if He still chooses to use them for His own ends. Cain was no different from any other unbeliever in this respect.
Cain was married to his sister. In the land of Nod she bore him a son, whom he named Enoch. Cain also built a city with walls to keep himself safe. All his life he was haunted by fears. He had many descendants, including Lamech, who became one of the great figures in Cain's line.
Lamech took two wives and thereby started the abominable practice of polygamy. He wanted to make sure he would have a large family and many descendants. Parents with many children enjoy the Lord's blessing if they have begotten their children for the Lord. Lamech, however, wanted a large family so he could be great and strong against the Lord.
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The descendants of Lamech were a highly developed people. Jabal introduced living in tents so he could drive his flocks and herds anywhere he wished. Jubal enhanced life and opened up some of its beauty by inventing musical instruments. And Tubal-cain was the first to make utensils of bronze and iron. Cain's descendants appeared to be flourishing, then. Had God not said that man was to subdue the earth and make use of its treasures? That was precisely what Cain's descendants were doing. Yet they were doing it not in the service of the Lord but to make themselves more and more independent of Him.
It should not escape our attention that from the very beginning, the greatest development is to be found not among those who fear* the Lord but among unbelievers. Apparently the unbelievers' drive for independence from the Lord is stronger that the believers' drive to serve the Lord. Yet the Lord, who directs all things, is also behind this development in unbelieving circles. Without meaning to do so, unbelievers serve God's purposes with their discoveries and inventions. Believers, too, make use of those discoveries. The treasures God created are disclosed, even though the unbelievers do not thank Him for them.
That was God's reason for sparing Cain's life and protecting him. But Cain's line did not think of the Lord. Instead his descendants lived lives of selfishness, revenge and pride. They reached out for life and tried to enjoy it, but true enjoyment escaped their grasp. This is evident especially from Lamech's song, in which he brags about his self-seeking and revenge. The spirit expressed in that song is still the mainspring of the unbelieving world, which is a world lost to the Lord.
New hope through the birth of Seth. The faith of Adam and Eve was severely tested by the death of Abel and the spiritual downfall of Cain. But the Lord did not forget His promise. Eve was still to give birth to the genuine, living seed. The Lord fulfilled the promise by giving Adam and Eve another son. Eve recognized that her new son was a substitute for Abel and hoped he would seek the Lord as Abel had done. Therefore she named him Seth.
In Seth their hopes were not disappointed, for he and his line did fear the Lord. In time Seth had a son of his own, whom he named Enoch.
In those days people began to gather together and publicly call on the name of the Lord. That was the beginning of what we now call worship services, although the services then did not have the same form as our services. The life of faith needs that public act of calling upon the name of the Lord. Partly because of the worship services, the fear of the Lord stayed alive in Seth's line. Eventually the Lord Jesus was born of that line. God would surely fulfill His promise.
In those days people began to gather together and publicly call on the name of the Lord. That was the beginning of what we now call worship services, although the services then did not have the same form as our services. The life of faith needs that public act of calling upon the name of the Lord. Partly because of the worship services, the fear of the Lord stayed alive in Seth's line. Eventually the Lord Jesus was born of that line. God would surely fulfill His promise.
There is no denying that the faith of Adam and Eve was sorely tried when they lost both Cain and Abel, but in Seth they were given new hope. True life seemed to have been lost for good, but it was now resurrected in Seth. When the Lord Jesus died, it also seemed as though true life had been destroyed for good, but in His resurrection He was revealed as Victor. In that revelation, God's promise to Adam and Eve attained its complete fulfillment. Because of the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, life lived by faith will always be victorious.
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*This is the Biblical use of fear, meaning love, reverence, obey authority.
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Guide Questions
1. What will happen if in our study of the Bible, we focus primarily on biblical personalities or examples rather than on God and His works?
2. Did Adam and Eve believe the promise of God in Genesis 3:15? How do we know it?
3. What's the meaning of Cain's name? How about Abel's name?
4. How would you describe Cain's life? What's his idea of offering sacrifices to God?
5. What is the similarity between Abel and Christ? Between Abel and Christians? What's the difference between Abel and Jesus?
6. How was the faith of Adam and Eve tested?
7. How is the life of Cain similar to the lives of unbelievers today?
8. Describe Cain's descendants?
9. How did God give new hope to Adam and Eve after a severe trial?
10. In what way do the children of Adam and Eve illustrate the death and resurrection of Jesus?
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