VIII. Theme: The Two Humanities 21-Jul-02 Genesis 4:1-26 Schaeffer pp. 109-118 The questions of correct worship and brotherly love lead to the division of the two humanities: the ungodly line of Cain and the godly line of Seth. Review Last week, we looked at the consequences of the Fall. There were many consequences. We looked at the curses God pronounced on the serpent, on the woman, on the man, and on the Serpent. The two earlier divine commands, to be fruitful and to till the ground, are now both occasions for misery. The giving of life and the processes of life are now marred by struggle and pain. However, we saw that God did not leave Man completely without hope, but gave the first promise of a deliverer to come, a Savior to follow, a Second Adam to crush the head of the serpent. The impact of the Fall is pervasive and complete. It impacts everything in creation. We explored this by looking at the various kinds of separations caused by the Fall. 1) Man is separated from God; for sinful Man cannot stand in the presence of a holy God. Like Adam, we run away from God and hide. Like Adam, we are banished from the Garden, from the presence of God. We cannot return into God s presence on our own merit. 2) Second, Man is separated from himself. The slogan of the US Army is be all that you can be. However, fallen Man cannot be everything he was created to be, because sin has damaged, but not completely obliterated the image of God. Thus, fallen Man still has great significance and value. 3) Third, Man is separated from his fellow Man. We see that in the curse on the Woman, promising strife in the marital relationship. We will see this again this morning, this time Brother against Brother. 4) Fourth, even nature is affected. Man must struggle against nature, toiling by the sweat of his brow in the dust of the earth. God must kill animals to clothe Adam and Eve, thus bringing death from Man into the rest of Creation. 5) The final separation is the most unnatural it is the separation of God from Himself. Jesus Christ, the Son of God comes to die in the place of sinners. Do you understand the fearful agony of these words of Christ, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me? In that instant, the terrible justice of God fell upon His righteous and innocent Son, in the place of you and me. This is the most awful separation that happened as a consequence of the Fall of Man. Such was the bitter cost of the disobedience of Adam. However, the Second Adam has completed the work of the First Adam. Because of His obedience, all though who are in Christ inherit the eternal life that Adam lost. And one day, when Christ returns again, we will once again have the right to eat of the Tree of Life in Paradise. Rev. 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. Rev. 22:1-2 1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each yielded its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Genesis I Notes. Doc p. 75 DSB 9-Sep-05
Pratt: Satan will be crushed and we will eat of the Tree of Life and live forever with Him in His kingdom. Introduction This morning, we are going to pick up the pace a bit. It s taken us six weeks to cover the first three chapters of Genesis. This morning, we are going to attempt to cover a whole chapter, Genesis 4, in one week. Atkinson: Genesis 4 tells us about life and about faith; it also tells us that community is beginning, worship is beginning and technology is becoming possible. But it tells us too about conflict and murder, about punishment and vengeance, about alienation and anxiety, about the corruption of marriage into polygamy. This chapter shows us both how the sins and disorders of Genesis 3 extend outwards in history to subsequent generations, and also that sin which is expressed in personal terms in the story of Adam and Eve also has a social dimension. Sin has now become a fact of human nature. Remember, that Genesis chapter 4 is still in the overall section of Genesis concerning the generations of heaven and earth. Thus it belongs with Genesis 2 and 3 as a unit, showing how the perfection of the Garden of Eden in chapter 2 was marred by the Fall in chapter 3 and then we see how the consequences spread in chapter 4. Genesis 4 traces the descendents of Adam and Eve, and tell the story of the two humanities, the two lines prophesied in Genesis 3:15. There is the seed of the serpent the ungodly line and the seed of the woman the godly line. And this morning, we will see how the sin of Adam corrupts humanity and spreads throughout the world. Yet, like most of our studies in the primeval history, despite the awfulness of sin and the dismal picture that is painted because of the Fall, still there are words of hope and encouragement for us this morning. Sinful Cain (4:1-16) First, let s look at the story of Cain and Abel. Read Genesis 4:1-16 Cain and Abel Together (4:1-2a) Eveson: The account begins with Cain s attempt to come to God and ends with him going away from God. Cain was born into a God-fearing home. Adam and Ever were sinners, but they were not pagans. Eve called her son Cain, because she had gained a man from the Lord, or with the Lord s help. While giving birth she would have felt for the first time the effects of God s curse on her personally. Her labor pains would have reminded her of God s judgment, but the name Cain expressed her faith in the Lord. Adam and Eve had another son, Abel, which means breath or vanity. Jordan PS: As firstborn Cain was given the privilege of working with vegetables, reminders of the garden. To Abel was delegated the task of laboring with animals. The Question of Worship (4:2b-7) Schaeffer: In Genesis 4:1-2, Cain and Abel are born. As the two grow up, we are brought to the question of acceptable and unacceptable worship this side of the Fall (4:3-4). Hebrews 11:4 tells us what was involved: Genesis I Notes. Doc p. 76 DSB 9-Sep-05
Heb. 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. Eveson: The two brothers had been taught by their parents the importance of honoring God in their lives and the need to bring sacrificial offerings. It is clear that Cain and Abel knew more about offerings than the text suggests. We are not told how they knew or how the brothers were made aware of God s reactions. The important thing is that God accepted Abel and his offering and did not recognize Cain and his offering. Why was Cain s offering rejected and his brother s accepted? This is no academic question but of crucial importance for us today. Eveson: There is a right and a wrong way to worship God. In the case of Cain there was a rejection of both the person and his offering. Maybe there was something wrong with the gift as well as the giver. Cain, who was the first-born son, offered neither firstlings nor first-fruits. Abel offered the fat of the animals, which was considered the choices part of the animal (Lev. 3:16). The narrative suggests that, while Abel offered the pick of the flock, Cain merely offered some of the produce of the land. Already we see a different attitude. Eveson: The first-born son had an important place in ancient Near-Eastern family circles, as we see from the lives of Isaac and Jacob. On the other hand, God often accepted the second-born above the first-born: Isaac not Ishmael; Jacob, not Esau; Ephraim not Manasseh. This is the case with Abel. It is significant that Abel, the second-born, should have offered firstlings from his flock and that he should have been the one who was accepted. God was teaching Cain and Abel that there is forgiveness and acceptance only through the shedding of blood. Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain (Heb. 11:4). Now faith is never a leap into the dark. It is always exercised in the context of divine revelation. It is a response to God s Word. Abel s offering was not a good idea of his own. The first experience of killing was when God clothed Adam and Eve with the skins of animals. The way of covering shame and nakedness, the way of acceptance before God, was via the sacrificial death of another. Abel learned this from his parents and he believed what God had revealed to them. Schaeffer: The way of Cain is contrasted with the way of Abel in Genesis 4:6-7. It seems that God is telling Cain to go back and do what he should have done in the first place. By picking up the thread of acceptable worship, he could stop the rebellion (as far as he himself was concerned) right there. Eveson: The fact that Cain was angry showed his wrong spirit and his unwillingness to accept what God was teaching them both. Cain had no right to be angry at God s ruling. Cain Murders Abel (4:8) If you remember back to our first lesson when I gave an overview of the literary structure of Genesis 1-11, recall that the story of Cain and Abel is a five-part chiasm. The middle point of the story, the turning point of the narrative occurs in verse 8 when Cain murders Abel. Up to this point, the story could have had a different ending. But not now. Why does Cain commit this terrible act? Although Genesis 4 does not directly tell us, the apostle John does. 1 Jn. 3:11-12 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother s righteous. Genesis I Notes. Doc p. 77 DSB 9-Sep-05
Jordan PS: God graciously spoke with Cain as a Father to His son. He encouraged him to do right (Gen. 4:6-7). But Cain would not listen. Instead, Cain blamed Abel for showing him up. In a rage, Cain slew Abel. In his heart of hearts he thought, If God demands a sacrifice, I ll give Him one! Like any sacrifice, the shed blood called to God, but not for mercy. Abel s blood cried for vengeance. Schaeffer: From here on two lines spread out before us the way of Cain and the way of Abel. The separation of man against man is now accentuated with contrast between acceptable and unacceptable worship. From here on there are two humanities the humanity that comes to God, and the humanity that follows in the way of Cain. This murder sprang up, as we are told in the New Testament, exactly at the point of not believing God: One believed God, one didn t. Curse and Protection (4:9-15) Eveson: The scene of Cain s punishment is again reminiscent of the law court scenario in the previous chapter. The Judge questions the criminal, sentences him, and executes the sentence. Atkinson: How powerfully God s question parallels the question to Adam in chapter 3: Adam, where are you? (3:9); Cain, where is your brother? (4:9). The individual question to Adam becomes the social question to Cain. And to Cain s impertinent Shall I shepherd the shepherd? (as we might paraphrase v. 9), the implication Genesis wants to convey can only be yes : responsibility before God is responsibility for our brother. And that word is addressed to Cain not at the altar, but out in the field out in his world out in his work place out in his everyday environment. Atkinson: There is a way of keeping our brother which expresses care, concern for his life, acceptance of his gifts, a cherishing of his different contribution, a respect for his offering. And there is a way of keeping our brother which is for our own benefit. It is an expression of jealousy, of destructive mastery of taking from him what is not even his to give, because it belongs to God. The first is the way of brotherly love [cp. 1 Jn. 3:11-12]. The second is the way of Cain. Schaeffer: Abel s blood cries out, Judgment! Judgment! (4:10). And God must judge because he is a holy God. There is another way, one rooted in the blood of Jesus shed in history. This blood speaks better things than that of Abel (Heb. 12:24). The blood of Jesus goes beyond justice and offers mercy. It cries Salvation! on the basis of Jesus death to all who will hear. Eveson: Cain was cursed from the ground (4:11-12). While Adam, and humanity in general, experienced the effects of the divine curse on the ground, Cain himself was directly cursed from the ground. His punishment was appropriate to him as a tiller of the ground. As Adam and Eve were exiled from God s garden, so Cain experienced another type of exile. His punishment meant that he was banished from the ground. He was not literally put to death for his crime (cf. 9:6). It was, nevertheless, a death sentence. This is clearly suggested in Cain s reply. He was driven from the fertile ground from his home and also from the gracious presence of the Lord. (4:14, 16). It is a vivid presentation of hell. Hell means exclusion from the new earth and from the face of God. It is to be deprived of all that is comfortable and restful, and to be tormented continually. Eveson: Cain does not plead for forgiveness (4:13-14), for the context gives no indication of a humble, repentant spirit. Though Cain s curse was drastic and symbolic of death, it was not the ultimate punishment. Cain s sentence was not reduced as a result of his protest, but he did Genesis I Notes. Doc p. 78 DSB 9-Sep-05
receive God s protection from a premature death. Vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold (4:15). Seven in the Bible symbolizes completeness. In this way, God undertook to restrain human sinfulness and put an end to further bloodshed. God is merciful and displays His kindness towards unrepentant sinners. He gives them every opportunity to change and seek the Lord. Cain Banished (4:16) Eveson: The man who had been sentenced to be a wanderer (Hebrew nad ) settled in the Land of Wandering ( Nod ). Atkinson: The way of Cain leads to the land of restlessness (4:16). There is no peace for human beings unless they can discover the freedom of living within the providence of God, can see their lives as the focus of His care, and believe that their highest good is found in living under His will. Does not the restlessness of Cain picture vividly a life that is lived outside the presence of God? We have an interesting picture in the description that Cain moved east of Eden and away from all that would remind him of God. In the Bible, movement to the east appears to be movement away from God. The entrance to the Garden of Eden was on the east side of the Garden (3:24). Thus, to enter the Garden, one would have had to travel from the east and move in a westward direction. Likewise, the entrance to the Tabernacle and Temple were on the east sides, thus requiring westward movement to enter. Later on, in Genesis chapter 11, we find men moving eastward into Shinar, that is Babylonia. What are they doing there? Building a tower against God s wishes. They ve moved away from God s will in their lives. But what happens at the end of Genesis chapter 11? We are introduced to Abram (Abraham). What is Abraham doing? He s moving westward, from Babylon back to Canaan, back to the Promised Land, back to the place of God s special presence with His people. In Genesis 13, when Abram and Lot s servants quarrel over land, Abram offers Lot first choice. Lot sees the well watered Jordan plain, with the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and chooses to move there. Significantly, the Scripture says in 13:11 that Lot journeyed east, that is, away from God and toward the godless culture of Sodom and Gomorrah. One final example: who comes to worship the newborn child Jesus from afar? Matthew 2:1 tells us that wise men from the East came to Jerusalem. If they were from the east, they had to travel west to come to Jesus, to come to God. So, it should come as no surprise to us that Cain moves eastward, aware from Eden, away from God, away from the land of rest, and moves to the land of Nod, the land of wandering, the land of restlessness. The Culture of the Ungodly Line (4:17-24) Now we come to the second half of chapter four, which traces the ungodly and godly lines. Read Genesis 4:17-26 Eveson: The chapter turns to Cain s descendants. As always in Genesis, the descendants of the non-elect sons are recorded before the elect line. Here we learn three things about early attempts at civilization Citizenship (4:16-18) Eveson: First, there is citizenship. Cain built a city. In Old Testament times the word city applied to any human settlement, whether great or small. The city was named after his son Enoch. Cain was looking to a future and he saw it in his son. He had great hopes for him, as many people have today in their children. Genesis I Notes. Doc p. 79 DSB 9-Sep-05
Jordan PS: Cain went out and built a city, a city built in defiance of God, a counterfeit Garden, a counterfeit Jerusalem. He built it, so to speak, on the blood of his brother, not on the blood of God s appointed substitute. It was the first city of man, but not the last. A city built on brother s blood cannot last. There is no true community in the city of man, only radical individualism every man for himself. Eveson: The verb in the original suggests that Cain did not complete what he had began: He was building a city. Cain s judgment meant that he never did settle down. He had no contented life. What Cain needed is what we all need a new heart, a radical change in our innermost being. The Bible can be seen as a tale of two cities. Here we see the beginnings of an attempt to build a lasting settlement to the glory of man. The end of such endeavors is described in Revelation 18. On the other hand, God is building a city which will be a monument to His glory (Heb. 11:16; Rev. 21:10-22:5). Heb. 11:10 For he [Abraham] waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Heb. 11:16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Culture (4:19-22) Eveson: Second, there is cultural activity. The attempts at forming a settled community led to rapid advances by the descendants of Cain in the arts of civilization. Though human beings are under God s curse as a result of the great rebellion, they have many godlike characteristics. With Jabal, we have the origin of the Bedouin lifestyle, the semi-nomads who live in tents and make a living by rearing animals (4:20). He was not merely a shepherd but a livestock breeder, trading in a wide variety of beasts to assist humans in travel and employment. Jubal is described as the ancestor of those who have musical ability (4:21). Finally, we read of Tubal-Cain, who was involved in bronze and iron work (4:22). We should not underestimate the great advances made in those early days. Atkinson: Civilization begins to grow outside the Garden. Even in the land of restlessness, there is culture, there is art. God restrains the full force of evil s power, by the ordering of societies, by the provision of governments, and by the refreshment of culture. The sons of Cain, too, have gifts from God (4:17-22). There is much in the world of the arts and the sciences which bears witness to the common grace and enriching gifts of the Creator. Let us thank God that every expression of creativity and beauty, every advance of science, every new composition in music and every line of poetry, speaks in some measure of the creative grace of God. But sadly, that is not the whole story. All this positive good has to be set in the context of decay. For, though Cain is protected by the mark put on him by God, he still seeks a security outside God. Cain substitutes his own security for that which comes from God. Corruption (4:23-24) Eveson: Third, it was a corrupt society. By the sixth generation we have a person who seems to thrown aside all restraint an attitude summed up in Lamech s song of have, violence, and revenge. In contrast to Adam s love poem (2:23) we have Lamech s cruel verse (4:23-24). Unlike his ancestor Cain, who sought divine protection, he was self-sufficient and ruthlessly vindictive. Genesis I Notes. Doc p. 80 DSB 9-Sep-05
Atkinson: Lamech s taunt-song reveals the swift progress of sin. Where Cain had succumbed to it (4:7), Lamech exults in it (4:23-24). Schaeffer: Verses 23-24 about Lamech are a perfect description of the ungodly, humanistic culture of all generations. Here is humanistic culture without God. It is egoism and pride centered in man; this culture has lost the concept not only of God but of man as one who loves his brother. The Culture of the Godly Line (4:25-26) Schaeffer: Genesis 4:25 takes up the godly line. Eveson: In contrast to the previous paragraph, we find that God is central. He is remembered, trusted, and worshipped. In the murder of righteous Abel by his brother, Adam and Eve had begun to see something of the hostility between the snake s brood and the woman s seed, but Eve saw in the birth of Seth God s activity to overcome the snake s intentions. For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel (4:25). The name Seth sounds similar to that for set or appoint. Seed in place of man (cp. 4:1) picks up the word seed in 3:15. Eve was aware that God was remembering His promise. She was looking forward to a special seed. The whole of Genesis is taken up with developing this theme of a particular family line. Killing the righteous seed and raising up another seed to replace him is a picture of what happened to the fulfillment of God s promises in Jesus. Cruel hands killed Him, but God raised Him up. Abraham offered his unique son, Isaac, and in a sense received him back from the dead. Joseph was taken for dead and yet rose to a position of pre-eminence. Eveson: While the forces of spiritual darkness were at work in the descendants of Cain, the unseen hand of God was active in keeping His promises and carrying out His purposes. At a time when the world civilization was out to make a name for itself and boasting of its enterprises and achievements, there were those who were worshipped God. What is recorded in 4:25-26 is nothing short of a revival of true religion. Schaeffer: At the time of the birth of Enosh, Seth s son men began to call on the name of the LORD. Or possibly Men began to call themselves by the name of the Lord. In other words, at this particular place, the godly line marks itself with the name of God in exactly the same way as Christians later were marked by the name of Christ. Eveson: To call on God s name is a familiar expression in Genesis (12:8; 13:4; 21:33; 26:25). In these contexts it is used as a technical term for worship. It is associated with the offering of sacrifice. The chapter began with Abel offering an acceptable sacrifice to God. Although Cain persecuted to death the true worshiper, God revived His work in the days of Enosh so that many people were worshiping in a way that was acceptable to God. While Cain and his descendants were setting up their humanistic city, another city, a heavenly one, was developing. People were being brought together for the first time in public worship. This worship was associated with the line of Seth. Conclusion Schaeffer: In conclusion, I would make three points. First, Adam and Eve had thrown away the opportunity to come to God on the basis of the covenant of works. From then on the only way men could come to God was on the basis of the covenant of grace. Therefore, since Cain, everyone in the world stands either in the place of Cain or the place of Abel. From this time on in the flow of history there are two humanities. The one humanity says there is no God, or it Genesis I Notes. Doc p. 81 DSB 9-Sep-05
makes gods in its own imagination, or it tries to come to the true God in his own way. The other humanity comes to the true God in God s way. There is no neutral ground. Schaeffer: Second, as far as the promise in Genesis 3:15 is concerned, the Messiah could have come from anywhere in the human race. But Seth brings the first narrowing of the promise. From this time on, the Messiah will come from his line. Schaeffer: Third, when we look at Cain killing Abel, we can see a horrible lack of the love which should have existed between men as equal creatures. The Christian s calling is to show that we are the opposite of what Cain, that murderer, showed. A new humanity is established on the basis of the work of Christ, and this humanity is to love the brotherhood as brothers, and all men as neighbors (cp. Mt. 12:47-50; Mt. 23:8; 1 Jn. 3:11-12). Here is the contrast. We are called as Christians to step out from the line of Cain and to reverse that line. The world should be able to look upon us and see a love that stands, first of all, among the brotherhood but also extends to all men. A Christian s first call is to step from the line of Cain into the line of Abel, upon the basis of the shed blood of the Lamb of God, to return to the first commandment to love God, to love the brotherhood, and then to love one s neighbor as himself. What separates the line of Cain from the line of Seth? What distinguishes the godly line from the ungodly line? It starts with worship. It starts with our approach to God, and then it flows out to our relationships with our fellow human beings. The greatest commandment of the law is to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and the second commandment is like it: to love our neighbor as ourselves. But it all begins with worship. That s how it begins in Genesis chapter 4. Two men worshiping God one correctly and acceptably, and the other incorrectly and sinfully. By the end of the chapter, we have two cultures one worshiping the feats and deeds of sinful men, and rejoicing in wickedness, and the other calling upon the name of the Lord. Two cities. Two cultures. Two humanities. It starts with our attitude toward God and is displayed in our treatment of man. Which camp are you in? Does your love of others distinguish you from the pagans? Or are you living no differently than the line of Cain? Do you worship God in spirit and truth as He commands? Or do you just pay it lip service, like Cain? It makes all the difference in the world. Just ask Cain and Abel. Amen. Close in Prayer. Next week: Lesson 9 Violence and Hope (Gen. 5:1-6:8) Schaeffer pp. 121-128 Genesis I Notes. Doc p. 82 DSB 9-Sep-05