As we have seen, God punished Adam and Eve for their
rebellion, yet He promised their redemption through Eve’s seed, a Descendant
Who would bruise Satan’s head and defeat sin and death (Genesis 3:15).
Eve thought Cain, her firstborn, was the
promised seed that would defeat Satan (Genesis
4:1), but unlike his younger brother Abel, Cain rebelled against God’s
commandment for blood sacrifice. That commandment was because of the “scarlet
thread,” with cleansing from sin, and hence salvation, being possible only through
blood sacrifice.
Instead, Cain committed the sins of pride and
disobedience, offering a sacrifice of crops he had grown through his own hard
work (Genesis 4:2-3). Abel, a
shepherd, offered his first sheep to God, honoring Him with obedience and with
faith that God would provide other sheep for his own use. The principle of
tithing and giving God our first and best thus began before the Mosaic law, suggesting
that the faithful should continue
to tithe
even though we are no longer under the law (Malachi
3:8-10),
God honors obedience and is pleased by faith, which
allows us to be clothed in His righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). Abel’s sacrifice not only pleased God but
serves as a testimony to this day (Hebrews
11:4). Even now, we can please God only by having faith in Him and in
what He says (Hebrews 11:6). We
demonstrate our faith by obeying His commandments. Because of our faith, He no
longer sees our sins, but His righteousness and that of His Son (Hebrews 1:8). We have no righteousness on our own behalf (Isaiah 64:6).
In contrast, Cain was disobedient and wanted to honor God
by religious works, not by a true relationship with Him. This was the origin of
all false religions, which claim salvation by good works rather than by God’s
grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). When
God calls him out on his disobedience, Cain shows his true colors by getting
angry with God, proving that he just wanted to appease God, not to please Him
or to have fellowship with Him (Genesis
4:6-7)..
God asks Cain why he is angry, knowing the answer but giving
Cain the opportunity to confess his pride and self-righteousness. God is not
mysterious or secretive about how
we can please Him – He makes it very clear through His Word (Psalm 119:105), and yet we
foolishly plead ignorance. God warns Cain that his sin of disobedience and
anger (which is the thought equivalent of murder; Matthew 5:22) will lead him into even greater sin (Genesis 4:6-7).
Cain, the firstborn, possessed the birthright and should therefore
have been a spiritual mentor and role model for Abel. But we cannot rely on our
spiritual heritage or privileged position for our salvation, which comes only through
faith in the Lord.
Sadly, Cain ignores God’s warning to flee from sin before
it ruins him, as he is envious of God being pleased with Abel (1 John 3: 11-12). That sin of
covetousness leads to the sin of anger, which seethes and smoulders within
until it erupts in the sin of murder (Genesis
4:8). When we sin, we need to confess our sin to God (1 John 1:9), to listen to His warning
not to sin any more, and to remove ourselves from a situation where temptation
will overcome us (Genesis 39:12).
Satan used Cain to kill Abel, fearing that the righteous
One Who would destroy Satan would come through Abel’s bloodline (Genesis 3:15). After Cain murders
Abel, God again gives Cain the opportunity to confess, but he lies, committing
yet another sin (Genesis 4:9).
We cannot hide our sins from God – neither our evil deeds nor our evil thoughts
(Psalm 139:1-8). Although Cain
denies any responsibility for his little brother, we are indeed our brother’s
keeper – we need to protect, encourage, and build up one another, not harm
those who look to us as an example (Romans
14:13).
Cain had been proud of his ability to farm despite the
curse God had placed on the earth (Genesis
3:18-19), not realizing that it was only by God’s grace that he had
that ability. But now part of his punishment was that he would have to work
even harder to survive by farming. In addition, he would be an outcast from his
family and from society (Genesis 4:12).
Sin always has consequences – sorrow in this life, and
eternal punishment and separation from God in the next, unless we confess our
sins and realize that only the shed blood of His Son has cleansed us from our
sin (Romans 3:25). Cain
complains and is miserable but shows no sign of remorse. He does not take
responsibility, admit his guilt, or ask God to forgive Him (Genesis 4:13).
He realizes that he will be ostracized from society and
separated from God, yet he still blames God instead of asking for forgiveness. Cain
seems to take pride even in his rebellion (Genesis
4:14). Pride is worse than a terminal illness because it results in
eternal death (Proverbs 16:18).
Vengeance belongs to God (Romans 12:19),
and He does not want us to take it into our own hands (Genesis 4:15).
Cain began a new life isolated from his family, his
society, and from any pretense of attempting to please God. He lived in the
land of Nod, which means “shaking” or “trembling,” as he would experience great
turmoil and dissatisfaction in his spirit, which always happens when men defy
God (Genesis 4:16).
Cain had no desire to follow God and live with Him in
Paradise, so he attempted to build his own heaven on earth (Genesis 4:17). For those who are
never saved, earthly life is the only heaven they will ever know.
Through Cain’s descendants came the first sin of polygamy
(v. 19), going against God’s plan of
marriage between one man and one woman for life (Matthew 19:3-9), the first musician (Genesis 4: 21) and the first metal smith (v. 22). Even though God gave us music to worship Him (Psalm 150:3-5),
Satan can use music for idol worship or to arouse evil passions and thoughts (Daniel 3:5) and he could use the
skill of metal working to make idols (Exodus
32:1-5) and instruments of warfare. Sadly, Cain’s legacy also included
the sin of pride. His descendant Lamech killed a man in self-defense, and like
Cain, he showed no remorse (Genesis 4:
23-24).
But God, in His mercy, had promised that Eve’s seed would
give rise to One Who would crush the serpent’s head – to defeat Satan (Genesis 3:15). She now realized
that promise was not through Cain or Abel, but through her son Seth. Two lines
were born to Adam and Eve – the evil line, or children of the devil, through
Cain, and the good line – first Abel, then Seth, which would be the lineage of
Jesus Christ the Messiah. “Seth” means “set,” “fixed,” or “placed,” as he was
placed on the solid foundation of faith in God. In contrast, Cain was a
wanderer.
The line of Seth feared God and prayed to Him, and became
known as His people (v. 26), most
likely mockingly by the seed of Satan. Despite the ongoing rebellion of Cain
and his blood line, God would fulfill His promise of a Deliverer Who would
conquer death, sin and Satan, and that Saviour would come through the blood
line of Seth. Praise God that despite our rebellious nature, He offers through
His Son redemption for all who would accept this freely given gift!
© 2013 Laurie Collett
