Genesis 4


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.”  2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.


3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 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, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.


6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 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.”


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.


9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don't know,” he replied. “Am I my brother's keeper?”  


10 The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 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. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”


13 Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 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.”


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.


16 So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 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. 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.


19 Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes.  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. 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. 24 If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.”


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.” 26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD.



Raising Cain


Genesis 4


Eve gives birth first to Cain and then to Abel.  The verse wants us to very clearly understand that Adam was the daddy.  Sort of funny considering the options.  The first child is Cain, as in cocaine or sugar cane.  Ok-totally just made that up.   But Cain was a farmer.   He offered fruit as a sacrifice to God.  Able was a shepherd and he brought fat as an offering.  God was pleased by one offering but not pleased with the other.  


Pause.  This seems unfair.  Both men had a job of producing food.  Both worked hard.  But God only was pleased by one offering and not the other.  Why was one holy and acceptable while the other was not?  Why make one man good with plants if it was not worthy of sacrifice?  Here is the deal, we now know in hindsight that blood is the price of sin.  We see it over and over again.  But Cain did not understand.  Cain had a choice: he could submit to God and humble himself to trade his brother fruit for fat.  Or he could fight God and blame his brother for the unfair treatment he perceived.  Cain chose anger and offense.    


God tried to talk to Cain.  Why are you upset?  I will accept you if you do the right thing.  In other words, everyone is being asked to give the same thing.  This is fair.  If you chose to do the wrong thing then it is sin.  You must say no to sin.


Cain rejects obedience and rejects God's counsel.  He wants to do things his way or not at all.  He will not humble himself before his brother.  Instead, he murders Abel.  Interestingly, the first sin we are told about outside of the garden is murder.  This is the first death of a person mentioned in the Bible.  I always wonder if Cain could even imagine what death was as to understand the consequences of his act.  So angry at God here.  You want blood, God, I will give you blood!  He is punishing others rather than choosing obedience.


God asks Cain where his brother is and we get the classic line: am I my brother's keeper?  Poor Abel was killed for no reason.  God hears his blood from the ground.  God took away Cain's ability to farm.  He lost his land.  He tells God that the punishment is too much.  He is afraid others will kill him.  Where is my tiny violin?  You killed your brother!  God is more compassionate than I am.  God marked Cain so that nobody would hurt him.


Why is God so good to Cain?  The same reason that He is so good to us.  God's nature is to be loving.  Why is God so strict about sacrifice?  Because God's nature is holiness and we are separated from Him by our decisions.  


Cain has a kid named Enoch and so on into a little family tree.  About 6 generations in, we get the first mention of a polygamous marriage.   One wife mothers a line of tent-dwelling ranchers.  The other was not the mother of farmers – I guess they learned one skill from Cain.  One son was a musician and the other was a metal worker.  One of my favorite parts is that it later says Cain is the great-grandfather (through Japal) of all musicians.  God blesses Cain's family and gives them talents, even though they were not faithful.  


Zillah also has a son.  His name is Tubal-Cain.  Sounds like a sunburn cream.  For some random reason, we are given his sister's name as well.  What did they Naamah?  Ok, that was a good pun, admit it.  Women were of no value throughout early history.  There is a loving care in the preservation of names in Genesis.  It shows value.  


We get a weird story about Lamech.  He tells his wives that he killed a man for hurting him.  First case of self-defense?  He says something odd:


24 If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.


Um, Cain was the bad guy.  How was he avenged?  Lamech seems to think he is much more justified than Cain was.  And he had the weapons made by his son.  


Looked it up to see what Bibleheads thought.  Barnes says the statement to the wives is a short Hebraic poetry ode.  So sounds like Lamech was proud of his act.  And that is why you do not see kids named Lamech.  Well, that and his name has the word “lame” right in it.  


Meanwhile, Eve wanted another son since she lost Abel.  Adam obliged and Seth was born.  He had a kid named Enosh.  


So that is what is going on with the first family.  But the good news is that they are starting to call on God.     


         


CHAT:


TJ:  I always think about these verses with Cain and Abel when dealing with a family member openly living in sin but who also considers himself a Christ follower.  He is so angry.  Like Cain, his anger is often directed at others rather than at God.  But his frustration towards God is the root problem.  Sometimes When people lash out at us, they are really just frustrated that  God does not find something they love to be acceptable.  Why did God create me like this and then expect me to ignore who I am?


Sweet T:  Do you think God told Cain what He wanted before rejecting the offerings.


TJ:  Just read back and it is not mentioned.  That bothers me. But God also tried to talk to Cain before he sinned -tries to talk him out of it. And afterward, He gives him mercy.


TJ:  One of my questions for God is why make us so driven towards sin if sin is wrong?    


TJ:  I think the verse “Am I my brother's keeper?” is one of the most over-used in the Bible.  I think people do not realize how ironic it is when they use it.  




Extras:


There are many violent paintings of Cain and Abel, but I am including one that touched my heart as a parent who lost a son.   I wonder if Adam and Eve finally understood the depth of what they lost in Eden.