Cain and Abel Page 2 of 8

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1 CAIN AND ABEL Suggested Scripture Reading: GEN 4; MAT 23; HEB 11:1-6; 12:24; 1JO 3:10-15; Jude. 1. In the story of Cain and Abel God gives us a concise overview of history. 2. The story of Cain and Abel is a story of conflict. a. Here we behold the conflict between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent (GEN 3:15). b. Here is conflict in the family. c. Here is conflict centering on religion. d. Here is personal conflict: Cain became depressed. 3. The story of Cain and Abel illustrates the great division of mankind. a. Here are the elect and the non-elect. b. Here is the true worshipper and the hypocrite. c. Here is the believer and the unbeliever. d. Here is the righteous and the wicked (MAT 23:35; 1JO 3:12). e. Here is the persecuted and the persecutor. 4. The Holy Spirit take particular notice of the account of Cain and Abel for it is the outline of the great conflict of the ages. a. In the beginning of the world, the wicked persecuted the righteous (and that over the issue of religion). b. At the end of the world, the last great act of the wicked will be to likewise destroy the righteous (REV 20:9). c. The rest of world history is bracketed between these two events. T.Boffey 5. In the case of Cain and Abel, God favoured number two. a. The first man born on earth was of that wicked one (1JO 3:12). b. God often selects number two: Isaac instead of Ishmael; Jacob instead of Esau; Ephraim instead of Manasseh (GEN 48:17-19). c. Salvation is in the last Adam rather than the first (1CO 15:45-47). d. We are saved under the second covenant rather than the first (HEB 10:9). e. It is not always best to be the first. f. God does not respect human pedigree in bestowing His favours. 6. Eve said she had gotten a man from the LORD, when she bare Cain. a. Her man from the Lord turned out to be an enemy of the Lord.

2 b. Whatever good expectations were couched in those words met with sore disappointment. c. God thoughts and ways are not ours (ISA 55:8). 7. The character of Abel must be traced back to God s election. a. Cain and Abel both had Adam for their father and thus inherited Adam s sin nature (ROM 5:12). i. Cain being of that wicked one does not mean that he was a child of the devil by generation as some have supposed. ii. The phrases of GEN 4:1 are all joined by the word and which is a connective linking the ideas expressed in these phrases. Hence, Adam knowing Eve is connected with her bearing Cain. iii. The same construction is used in GEN 4:17 where Cain is clearly the father of Enoch. iv. The seed or children of the devil are designated as such because of their behaviour, not because of their generation (1JO 3:10). b. Abel was a sinner as well as Cain and, therefore, had no righteousness of his own (ROM 3:9-19). c. Abel was righteous because he was chosen in Christ (EPH 1:4; 1CO 1:30). d. Abel s difference from Cain arises from the discriminating grace of God (1CO 4:7; ROM 9:21). 8. There are three elements of worship set forth in this narrative (GEN 4:3-4). a. There was a time of worship: "in process of time is came to pass." b. There was a place of worship: "unto the LORD." c. There was a method of worship: "brought...an offering." 9. The LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering. a. Here is a case of God having respect unto a person. i. To have respect unto a person or a thing is to show discrimination, partiality, or favour in regard to that person or thing. ii. It is the same as regarding or accepting a person (MAT 22:16; LUK 20:21). iii. Scripture teaches that God is no respecter of persons (ACT 10:34; ROM 2:8-11; GAL 2:6). 1. In these Scriptures the point at issue is Jew and Gentile, and status. 2. God does not regard a person s nation, pedigree, wealth, might, intellect, or social status. 3. God did not have respect to the fact that Cain was the firstborn. Cain and Abel Page 2 of 8

3 4. This applies to God s dealings in grace and in justice. iv. God respects persons in Christ and such was the case of Abel (EPH 1:6). b. Had God not accepted Abel first, God would not have accepted his offering. c. Abel s offering was by faith (HEB 11:4). i. Faith presupposes a revelation of God and His will (ROM 10:17). 1. Abel s works were righteous and Cain s were evil (1JO 3:12; GEN 4:7). This suggests that there was a revealed law of God that Abel obeyed and that Cain disobeyed (1JO 3:4; ROM 4:15). 2. Faith works by love, which is the keeping of the commandments of God (GAL 5:6; 2JO 1:6). This suggests a revelation of God s commandments. 3. Abel was a prophet and as such he received divine revelation (LUK 11:50-51; AMO 3:7). Cain apparently did not like Abel s preaching! 4. Therefore, Abel did not rely on his own understanding or feelings in seeking a way to serve God. He acted by faith upon the revelation of the will of God given to him. ii. Abel s faith was a necessary ingredient in his acceptable worship (HEB 11:6; ROM 14:23). 1. True faith diligently seeks God according to the due order and expects blessing on God s terms (1CH 15:13). 2. Abel offered his sacrifice out of a conviction of God s existence and God s will. d. Abel was a righteous man. His sacrifice was not a cloak for an ungodly life (1SA 15:22-23; PRO 15:8; ISA 1:10-17; JER 7:21-23; MAR 12:28-34). 10. Abel offered of the firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof (GEN 4:4). a. This was also required under Moses law (EXO 13:12; LEV 3:12-16; PRO 3:9). b. The fact that the offering of the fat is mentioned separately suggests that the beast was slain and his blood shed. i. The shedding of blood remits sin and makes atonement (HEB 9:22; LEV 17:11). ii. Abel s offering thus contained an acknowledgement that he was a sinner. iii. It also acknowledged that he deserved to die for his sin. iv. It expressed the hope of salvation through a substitutionary sacrifice. 1. The only way sin can be covered is through the death of an innocent victim in the stead of the sinner. Cain and Abel Page 3 of 8

4 2. This gospel fact was expressed when God clothed Adam and Eve in coats of skin requiring the death of an animal. They aprons they made for themselves did not cover their shame (GEN 3:7, 10, 21). v. Abel was one of the prophets that spoke since the world began of a coming Saviour (LUK 1:68-75). vi. True faith that is accounted for righteousness rests only upon God and His work for justification (ROM 4:4-8). vii. Abel died in this faith and became the first martyr (GEN 4:8; HEB 11:13; MAT 23:35). c. Abel s sacrifice did not make him righteous. Rather, he obtained witness by it that he was righteous (HEB 11:4; 1JO 3:12 w/ v. 7). i. The witness that one is righteous is obtained in that system of worship, which is by faith, which is according to the word of God. ii. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin (ROM 14:23). iii. Therefore, your assurance of eternal life is DIRECTLY RELATIVE to where, when, why, and how you worship God (PHI 3:3). T. Boffey d. Abel s service was accepted and testified unto by God (HEB 11:4; 2CO 10:18). 11. Abel continues to speak to us today through the story of his life, which God has preserved in His testimony, which is founded forever (HEB 11:4; PSA 119:152). 12. The faith of Abel was amply rewarded (HEB 11:6). a. Abel had a personal testimony from God that he was righteous (HEB 11:4). This is a great reward to one who diligently seeks the Lord. b. Abel had the promise of a heavenly country (HEB 11:13-16). i. Obedient believers are promised eternal glory (ROM 2:6-7; REV 2:7, 11). ii. Believers are not promised eternal glory for their obedience as a meriting cause. They are rather promised glory because of the grace that their obedience evidences. iii. Abel had the substance of his hope in his faith (HEB 11:1). 13. Abel was a sacrificing Shepherd and as such points to the Lord Jesus Christ, the good Shepherd that giveth his life for the sheep (JOH 10:11). 14. In studying Cain s offering and behaviour, remember the words of JUD 1:11: Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain. a. Fearful things are said of those who go in this way (JUD 1:12-19). b. Note that these can get into the church (JUD 1:4, 12). 15. Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. a. Cain s offering was more aesthetically appealing. Cain and Abel Page 4 of 8

5 b. This compares with the religion of beautiful form and philanthropy. c. God is to be worshipped in the beauty of holiness rather than the holiness of beauty (PSA 96:9). d. There is no holiness for sinners but through the bloody sacrifice of the Lamb (HEB 10:10). 16. But unto Cain and to his offering, he (the LORD) had not respect. a. Let these words forever settle the argument that differences in methods of worship do not matter to God. i. Cain s offering was less excellent than Abel s (HEB 11:4). ii. God s religion is very exclusive (EPH 4:4-6; JUD 1:3). b. Cain s offering was rejected because he was unrighteous (GEN 4:7; refer to 9.d. above). c. Cain was of that wicked one and yet he was religious (1JO 3:12). i. Just because a person is religious does not mean he is a child of God. ii. The nature and reason of the religion must be discerned in order to discover the evidence of grace in one s religion. d. Cain s offering was not according to God s requirements. i. Cain interpreted God s commandments to suit his own fancy. ii. Hence, Cain s offering was not by faith in that it was not in obedience to the Lord s revealed word (ROM 16:25-26; NUM 20:7-12). iii. Compare Cain s offering with the religion of the scribes and Pharisees. 1. Their religion was a cloak of wickedness (MAT 23:25-28). 2. They serve God on their own terms rather than according to God s revelation (MAT 15:1-9). 3. The scribes and Pharisees were of the devil (JOH 8:44). 4. It is no wonder, then, that Christ classed these scribes and Pharisees with Cain (MAT 23:35). e. That is, in the first four chapters in the Bible (in less that ten pages!), we find that the greatest issue in any century, on any continent, has nothing to do with newscasts, wars, governments, higher education, social conditions, taxes, freedoms, poverty, racial equality, disease, or amusements. Once and for all and forever, the Holy Spirit reveals to the human race the difference between doing it your way and God s way. Dr. Peter Ruckman 17. Cain and Abel worshipped together. a. The devil s children mingle with God s children in their service to God (JUD 1:4, 11-12). Cain and Abel Page 5 of 8

6 b. The Pharisee and the publican were praying in the same house of God (LUK 18:9-14). c. The righteous and the wicked will both grow together until the harvest (MAT 13:30). d. This should prompt us all heed the admonition of 2CO 13:5: Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 18. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. a. Wroth Stirred to wrath; moved or exasperated to ire or indignation; very angry or indignant; wrathful, incensed, irate. b. People react very angrily to hearing that their religion is unacceptable. c. The falling of Cain s countenance means that he showed disappointment or dejection. i. Disappointment The frustration or non-fulfillment of expectation, intention, or desire. ii. Dejection fig. A casting down, deposing, or lowering (in fortunes, condition, quality, etc.); humiliation, abasement. Depression of spirits; downcast or dejected condition. iii. Cain apparently expected his offering to be accepted and upon discovering it was not, he was let down and depressed. d. This reveals the effect of Cain s hatred of his brother (1JO 3:10-15). i. He that hateth his brother is in darkness (1JO 2:9-11). ii. Without light, there is no rejoicing (PSA 97:11; PRO 13:9). Hence, the depression. iii. Sin produces guilt, which produces depression (PSA 38:1-10). iv. Many depression problems arise from not dealing properly with sin. e. Cain s anger and accompanying depression led to the murder of his brother. i. God commanded Cain to repent of his sin (GEN 4:6-7). 1. Cain was responsible to repent, but was unwilling to do so. Such is the case with the non-elect (ACT 17:30; ROM 2:5). 2. Repentance results in joy rather than dejection (PSA 32). ii. Cain was too proud to acknowledge and forsake his sin. He rather proceeded to destroy Abel, who was a constant conviction to him (1JO 3:12). 1. PRO 28:4 They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them. Cain and Abel Page 6 of 8

7 2. PRO 29:27 An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked. 3. PRO 29:10 The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul. iii. Unforsaken sin leads to more sin (ROM 6:19). 19. The way of Cain is the way of envy. a. Envy v. To feel displeasure and ill-will at the superiority of (another person) in happiness, success, reputation, or the possession of anything desirable; to regard with discontent another s possession of (some superior advantage which one would like to have for oneself). b. Examples of envy are found in GEN 26:14; 30:1; 37:11; PSA 106:16. c. Mark the following Scriptural teachings about envy: i. Envy is a work of the flesh (GAL 5:21). ii. Envy evidences carnality and lack of spiritual growth (1CO 3:1-3). iii. Those who envy desire vainglory (GAL 5:26). iv. Envy goes along with strife (PHI 1:15; ROM 13:13). v. Envy is devilish and is accompanied with confusion and every evil work (JAM 3:14-16). vi. Envy stems from pride, breeds war, and we all have a problem with it (JAM 4:1-6). vii. As was the case with Cain, envy is a tool of hatred (EZE 35:11; TIT 3:3). By contrast, charity envieth not (1CO 13:4). viii. No one can stand before envy (PRO 27:4). 1. You can never please a person who envies you. 2. The envious praise only that which they can surpass, that which surpasses them they censure. Colton ix. As was the case with Cain and Abel, for every right work a man is envied of his neighbour (ECC 4:4). x. Envy is physically harmful (PRO 14:30). xi. Envy will slay the silly man who has it (JOB 5:2). xii. Christ was delivered up for envy (MAR 15:10). xiii. The Jews persecuted the apostles out of envy (ACT 13:45). xiv. If we are to desire the word of God and grow thereby, we must lay aside envies (1PE 2:1-2). Cain and Abel Page 7 of 8

8 d. We become very base and Cain-like when we identify with this: I can endure my own despair, but not another s hope. (William Walsh) T. Boffey 20. If Cain had repented, he would have ruled over Abel (GEN 4:7). a. The firstborn was to have preeminence (DEU 21:15-17; GEN 49:3; 1CH 5:1-2). b. This shows that rule and power in the secular realm are not the sole property of the godly by divine right. T. Boffey c. One is a slave to the man he hates. 21. Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him. a. Cain would have had no trouble finding a job in the United Nations or some similar elitist, utopian-minded think-tank. After all, it appears that he had a healthy respect for animals and was not averse to eliminating 25% of the world s population. T. Boffey b. While Cain s religion started out unbloody, it ended up quite bloody. c. Abel killed an innocent lamb to satisfy God s vengeance whereas Cain killed an innocent man to satisfy his vengeance. i. Cain now usurped the place of God. 1. Cain s law was supreme. 2. That which transgressed Cain s law must die. 3. Cain s vengeance must be satisfied. 4. Cain was indeed of that wicked one (cp. 1JO 3:12 w/ ISA 14:14). ii. Cain s real problem was with God. However, he took his vengeance out of the man who represented God. d. The zeal of Cain s religion became persecution, which is the zeal of all apostate religion (MAT 23:34-35; PHI 3:4-6; REV 18:24). e. The same kind of hate that prompted Cain to kill Abel prompts the world to persecute Christians (1JO 3:12-13). f. The same kind of hate that prompted Cain to kill Abel prompted the world to reject Jesus Christ (1JO 3:12 w/ JOH 3:19; 7:7). i. The Jews delivered up Jesus Christ because they envied Him, just as Cain envied Abel (MAT 27:18). ii. The slaughter of Abel was a prototype of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. iii. A glorious difference between the killing of Abel and the killing of Christ is that Abel s blood cried for vengeance whereas Jesus blood speaketh better things (GEN 4:10-11; HEB 12:24). g. Abel was the first soul to enter heaven. Cain and Abel Page 8 of 8