The first family on earth is soon to experience intense sorrow. Our modern society didn't invent family problems. Conflict, jealousy, violence, and murder have been taking place within families since the very beginning, as we will see over the next several days while we study the story of Adam and Eve's first two sons: Cain and Abel.
"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.' Later she gave birth to his brother Abel." (Genesis 4:1-2a) It's likely that Adam and Eve had had sexual relations with each other before they were cast out of the Garden of Eden. They were husband and wife; there would have been nothing sinful about it. But it's not until they are living outside the garden, working to make a living from the soil, that Eve conceives her first child. I think the author of Genesis doesn't mention the physical relationship between Adam and Eve until now so that we will know for certain that Cain was conceived in the ordinary way. He was not created out of the dust of the ground like Adam. He was not created from the cells of another person's body like Eve. He was created by the natural physical union of husband and wife.
David Guzik, whose Bible commentaries I often consult, suggests that Eve may have thought Cain was the Promised One, the Messiah, for God had said that a descendant of hers would bruise the head of Satan. The reason he thinks this may be the case is that the name "Cain" means "here he is". Sadly, Cain's character is going to prove as different from the Messiah's as night is from day.
We don't know how much difference in age there was between Cain and Abel, but it's probably safe to assume they were born within just a few years of each other. The Bible skips over their childhood years and picks back up when they are old enough to do their share in providing for their family. "Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil." (Genesis 4:2b)
At this point in time the Lord has not given man permission to eat meat, so the flocks Abel kept were probably for the purpose of using their wool and for performing sacrifices to the Lord. In yesterday's passage we found the Lord making the first sacrifice for the sins of man. God was merciful to man in allowing a substitutionary sacrifice, for He would have been within His rights to wipe the human race off the earth for their disobedience. But instead, if a person brought a sacrifice in acknowledgment of sin and in a repentant attitude, believing on faith that the Lord would accept this "stand in", the Lord was willing to extend forgiveness. The penalty for sin is death, and man deserves death because of sin, but instead God put a sacrificial system in place during Old Testament times---a system that pointed toward the Lamb of God who would make the perfect and everlasting sacrifice for sin. As we said yesterday, God made the first sacrifice on behalf of man and God made the last sacrifice on behalf of man. We can't earn salvation for ourselves; our job is to respond appropriately to what God has done for us by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.
Both Cain and Abel bring an offering to the Lord, but the Lord is pleased with one offering and displeased with the other. "In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 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, but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favor." (Genesis 4:3-5a)
On the surface this situation is puzzling. Cain worked the soil and he brought the Lord an offering from the soil. Abel worked with a flock and he brought the Lord an offering from the flock. It appears that each man brought to the Lord something for which he had worked hard. So why is the Lord pleased with one offering and displeased with the other?
The author of the book of Hebrews, generally assumed to be the Apostle Paul, has this to say about our passage today: "By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings." (Hebrews 11:4) Each of these men brought an offering to God, but each of them didn't have the same heart for God. Abel brought his offering "by faith". In tomorrow's session we are going to delve deeply into what it means that Abel brought his offering by faith, and we are going to discuss what was wrong with Cain's offering and what was wrong with Cain's heart, but for now what we need to take away from our portion of Scripture today is this: "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) Abel's sacrifice was acceptable in the eyes of God because Abel's heart was acceptable in the eyes of God. No amount of offerings are acceptable to God if they are not brought to Him with faith by one who earnestly seeks Him. No amount of good works are pleasing to the Lord if we are performing those works for the wrong reasons. Join us tomorrow as we compare the hearts of these two brothers.
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