Bible Commentaries
Genesis 4

Introduction

CAIN AND ABEL

(Genesis 4)

It will be helpful to review the great truths revealed in the first three chapters of Genesis. Here is the

record of God’s creation of the heavens and the earth. Here is described the nature of man who was

created in the image of God, and was told to subdue the earth and have dominion over all living creatures.

Man was created with freedom of choice and a responsibility to obey God. The record tells how man

was tempted and how he yielded to temptation and fell, incurring the judgment of God. There is also

recorded that as a consequence of his sin, man was shut out of the garden and was alienated from God.

And now is reported the most remarkable truth in all creation. There is nothing so wonderful in all this

universe as the grace of God toward fallen man. We can understand that God is holy. We can accept that

He is judge. That He will condemn sin stands to reason. All of this we could accept. Man is separated

from God because of his disobedience, alienated because of his sinfulness, and doomed to die. In other

words, man is lost and hopeless. He faces utter destruction. Then is revealed this wonderful truth that

God is compassionate and pities man. The grace of God, the undeserved kindness and favor of God

toward man, is more than can ever be understood. God paid an unspeakable price to save sinful man.

Paul wrote these words, "God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ

died for the ungodly." (p.60)

To appreciate the grace of God we must recognize and realize that man had no claim on the mercy of

God. There was no reason why God should show him mercy. When Adam and Eve sinned and as a

result knew that they were naked, they tried unsuccessfully to cover themselves, and then hid from the

presence of God. But God did not leave them to themselves in their guilt. He came looking for them,

calling them to Himself. Even though they had sinned, God did not leave them to the consequences of

their wrongdoing. Sinful men do not turn to God, any more than a lawbreaker turns to a judge. When a

person has done wrong he does not hunt a policeman, but he runs and hides. The call of God to Adam

was personal and specific. So the Lord calls to each person, to each one of us personally and specifically,

in order that we may realize and recognize our need. In nature God will make the sun shine and the rain

fall; He will cause the grass to grow, and the flowers to bloom, and the fruit to form and ripen. God will

do all this regardless of whether or not man understands His ways in nature. But when it comes to the

salvation of man, when God stoops down to save the sinner instead of condemning him, God wants man

to be aware of his great need. At the same time the sinner is to be aware of the boundless love of God

which saves all who come to Him in faith.

I recall that when I first came to know the Gospel, I thought that one sin should not convict a person.

An old farmer, with whom I discussed my feelings, asked me, "How many men would you have to kill to

become a murderer? If you let a hundred men live, this will not help you or let you off if you had killed

one." So it is! Unless God intervenes in grace and mercy, we must pay the penalty for our sin. It is when

we, in repentance and humility, accept God’s grace which is in Christ Jesus that we know the meaning of

the words, "the joy of His salvation." Some people seem to think that if they are ever saved by the grace

of God they will then be perfect. Such thinking can only lead to disappointment and frustration. When

we are saved by trusting God and accepting Christ Jesus as our Redeemer, we do not become angels.

That is not the way it goes. But (p.61) we should realize that God, by being gracious and merciful, does

not condone sin. "God is angry with the wicked every day." Then why and under what circumstances

does God perform His work of salvation? There is but one answer: "God so loved the world, that he

gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

It has been noted above that in Genesis 3:15 is given an amazing prophecy of the virgin birth, and of

the day when the seed of the woman would destroy the devil. Genesis 3:21 records that God made coats

of skin for Adam and Eve. The preparing of these garments involved the death of some animals and

foreshadows the death of the Lamb of God. Even so, by dying in our place and stead Christ provides a

robe of righteousness for all believers of all time.

It is amazing that all men do not accept and rejoice in this full and free salvation, and believe His Word

as it is written. Perhaps natural man is flattered when he thinks be has evolved from some form of lower

life. Jesus of Nazareth believed the Old Testament implicitly. There are many proofs of the authenticity

of the Bible, but if there were no other proof except that Jesus Christ believed the Bible story of creation

and quoted it as true, that would be good enough for me. This is exactly where I stand. All who refuse to

accept the Scriptures and to believe them as the Word of God will be held responsible and will be judged

by God.

The fourth chapter of Genesis records something very distressing about the nature of man as it is

revealed in the Bible. It is a common thing to speak of brotherly affection, but it is not always true in

human experience that men who are brothers are kind and helpful to one another. Being blood brothers

does not assure kindly affection.

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the

Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the

ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering

unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord

had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain

was very wroth, and his countenance fell (Gen. 4:1-5).

The simple truth is that it made Cain angry to see that Abel was preferred before him. Cain and Abel

had the same parents. They lived in the same house and in the same environment. It is true that they had

different occupations, but they lived in the same kind of situation. Both worshiped God by bringing

sacrifices to Him: yet Abel and his offering were acceptable to God, whereas Cain and his offering were

not acceptable to Him. I am aware that some people think the difference was in the offerings, but I am

inclined to think that the difference was in the men themselves. Consider two men attending church

services on any given Sunday. Both are sitting in the same church but one of them is acceptable to God,

while the other may not be acceptable to Him. We know that this does not depend on how attentive

they appear as they participate in the worship service. It does not depend on their intelligence or on

their clothes. It does not depend on how much they give. In the sight of God it depends on what frame

of mind each had when he came to worship. So it was with Cain and Abel.

In the case of Cain, the man is mentioned first, and then his offering. It will help our understanding to

note a passage in the first Book of John which refers to Cain. First John 3:12 reports, "Not as Cain, who

was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were

evil, and his brother’s righteous." It was the man himself who was being judged. Cain’s feeling was that he

had been unfairly treated. This reaction generated from self. He had noticed that Abel’s offering was

preferred, and he felt angry. This jealousy developed into hatred, and this in turn resulted in a dangerous

attitude on Cain’s part. "And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance

fallen?’ The Hebrew word for "thy countenance fallen" is literally translated "thy cheeks are fallen."

We’ve seen sulky, angry people whose checks actually seem to be sagging. The corners of their mouths

sag too. "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?" How clearly this question shows that Cain had

not done well, since he was not accepted.

"If thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door." The words "sin lieth at the door" in Hebrew convey the

idea of a beast crouching to spring. It is the way a tiger would be ready to pounce on a man. This is a

rather dramatic way of saying, "Beware, when you are in an angry frame of mind. You are liable to do

something terribly wrong." "Sin lieth at thy door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule

over him." This is saying that sin was lying in wait for Cain, and he would need to master it.

And Cain talked with Abel his brother. and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up

against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he

said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s

blood crieth unto me from the ground (4:8-10).

Being in the field together was no doubt an ordinary, routine matter for these brothers. This was not

anything exceptional. The setting had nothing to do with the crime itself. It was the hatred in the soul of

Cain that mattered. There were no other people around who could have influenced him. There were no

social entanglements as far as Cain was concerned. We see that God holds Cain personally responsible

for his act. God calls him to account, "And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he

said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy

brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground." God had in mercy warned Cain. He had given Cain an

opportunity to do right, but Cain’s jealousy led him out of line with God. It alienated him from God.

How often even today people whose hearts are filled with hatred and jealousy turn away from the

warning voice of their conscience They ignore the admonition of God’s Word and become involved in

acts of violence from which there is no return. (p.64)