After Adam and Eve sinned and were driven from the Garden of Eden they had two sons, Cain and Abel. Because their parents defied and disobeyed God, Cain and Abel were born with a sin nature.
What does it mean to be born with a sin nature? Because we are born with a sin nature we have a natural inclination to do what is wrong. We have to be taught to do what is right. For example, parents don’t teach their children to lie; they have to teach their children to be truthful. Children lie because they are born with a sin nature.
In just one generation mankind, whom God had created in his image and holy, had become fallen and corrupt. Man’s fallen nature can be clearly seen in what happened between Cain and Abel.
1Adam lay with 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.” 2Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7If 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 master it.”
In understanding this passage, we first need to look at the difference between Cain and Abel. Abel was a shepherd and tended flocks of livestock while Cain was a farmer, worked the soil and grew crops. Right from the beginning we see that each person was a unique individual with different gifts and abilities.
It is implied from this passage that God had given them instructions on what was to be offered to him. In asking for an offering God wanted them to honor him as the one who had given them all they had. God asks for the first fruits or the best of our labor to be given to him.
Each brother brought offerings to the Lord from their specific labors. God was pleased with Abel’s offering but not Cain’s. Abel brought the firstborn of his flocks but Cain just brought some of the produce from his fields. Abel brought God the first and the best but Cain just gave God what Cain wanted to give him; he didn’t give God the best.
God knows what is in the heart of a person and Cain’s attitude toward the offering showed that his heart was wrong. Cain did what he wanted rather than what God had asked of him. His offering didn’t honor God.
God warned Cain that sin was crouching at his door and desired to have him. The temptation of sin is evil desires plus temptation = sin that destroys.
8Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
13Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14Today 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.”
15But the LORD said to him, “Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16So Cain went out from the LORD’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Instead of being sorry for what he did, Cain got mad. He saw Abel as being the problem rather than his own heart. Cain didn’t want to look at his own sin. He wanted to blame Abel for God being displeased with his offering.
Cain was probably thinking something like, “If Abel weren’t such a goody two shoes, God would have liked my offering. If it weren’t for Abel, I would be okay.”
Cain was jealous of Abel and his wrong thinking led him into sin, resulting in him killing his brother.
When God confronted Cain on what he had done, he first denied it. Then, when God laid out his punishment, he still didn’t ask for forgiveness.
Cain just said that his punishment was too much for him. He was sorrier about the consequence of what he did than the sin he had committed in killing his brother.
Because God is holy and just he can’t let sin go unpunished so there are always consequences to sin. As a consequence of his sin Cain was cursed by God. God also said that the ground wouldn’t produce food for Cain and that he would be a restless wanderer on the earth.
The worst part of Cain’s sin was that he was separated from God. Sin always separates a person from God. God is holy and can’t tolerate sin. If we don’t repent and turn from our sin our relationship with God is broken.
Cain’s problem was that he was a sinner. Instead of focusing on what God said was good and right to do, he did what he wanted, just as his parents had done. Then he got mad at his brother because God wasn’t pleased with his offering.
Our tendency is to blame others for our own lack of righteousness instead of looking at our own sin. Adam and Eve did the same thing when Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent for their sin.
If we think the problem is outside ourselves as Cain did, our sin will continue to grow. On the other hand, if we recognize that our own heart is the problem and uncover and ask for forgiveness for our sin we will get better.
1 John 3:12 says, Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.
- Overview Questions: What was the difference between the offering of Cain and that of Abel? What did Cain see as being the problem? What did he do to Abel? What was his punishment?
- Thought Questions: What was Cain’s choice? Why don’t we want to take responsibility for our own sin? Why do we choose to do what we want rather than the good God wants for us?
- Prayer: Pray that the desire of your heart would be to please God and do what is right. Thank God that he is smarter than you are and wants what is good for you. Thank him that following his ways brings blessing.
- Memory Verse: 1 John 3:12
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.
Why did Cain murder Abel?
Cain followed Satan and chose to do evil.