Reflections on Genesis 4

Genesis 04 (Contemporary English Version)
1. Adam and Eve had a son. Then Eve said, "I'll name him Cain because I got him with the help of the LORD."
   
2. Later she had another son and named him Abel. Abel became a sheep farmer, but Cain farmed the land.
   
3. One day, Cain gave part of his harvest to the LORD,
   
4. and Abel also gave an offering to the LORD. He killed the first-born lamb from one of his sheep and gave the LORD the best parts of it. The LORD was pleased with Abel and his offering,
   
5. but not with Cain and his offering. This made Cain so angry that he could not hide his feelings.
   
6. The LORD said to Cain: What's wrong with you? Why do you have such an angry look on your face?
   
7. If you had done the right thing, you would be smiling. But you did the wrong thing, and now sin is waiting to attack you like a lion. Sin wants to destroy you, but don't let it!
   
8. Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go for a walk." And when they were out in a field, Cain killed him.
   
9. Afterwards the LORD asked Cain, "Where is Abel?" "How should I know?" he answered. "Am I supposed to look after my brother?"
   
10. Then the LORD said: Why have you done this terrible thing? You killed your own brother, and his blood flowed onto the ground. Now his blood is calling out for me to punish you.
    
11. And so, I'll put you under a curse. Because you killed Abel and made his blood run out on the ground, you will never be able to farm the land again.
    
12. If you try to farm the land, it won't produce anything for you. From now on, you'll be without a home, and you'll spend the rest of your life wandering from place to place.
    
13. "This punishment is too hard!" Cain said.
    
14. "You're making me leave my home and live far from you. I will have to wander about without a home, and just anyone could kill me."
    
15. "No!" the LORD answered. "Anyone who kills you will be punished seven times worse than I am punishing you." So the LORD put a mark on Cain to warn everyone not to kill him.
    
16. But Cain had to go far from the LORD and live in the Land of Wandering, which is east of Eden.
    
17. Later, Cain and his wife had a son named Enoch. At the time Cain was building a town, and so he named it Enoch after his son.
    
18. Then Enoch had a son named Irad, who had a son named Mehujael, who had a son named Methushael, who had a son named Lamech.
    
19. Lamech married Adah, then Zillah.
    
20. Lamech and Adah had two sons, Jabal and Jubal. Their son Jabal was the first to live in tents and raise sheep and goats. Jubal was the first to play harps and flutes.
    
21. (SEE 4:20)
    
22. Lamech and Zillah had a son named Tubal Cain who made tools out of bronze and iron. They also had a daughter, whose name was Naamah.
    
23. One day, Lamech said to his two wives, "A young man wounded me, and I killed him.
    
24. Anyone who tries to get even with me will be punished ten times more than anyone who tries to get even with Cain."
    
25. Adam and his wife had another son. They named him Seth, because they said, "God has given us a son to take the place of Abel, who was killed by his brother Cain."
    
26. Later, Seth had a son and named him Enosh. About this time people started worshiping the LORD.
    
    

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    The first sin and its curse, recorded in chapter 3, quickly followed its course. Eve gave birth to two sons. The comparison of these two sons in the first verses of this chapter could be interpreted as tracing the two choices for life that present themselves to man now that sin had come on the scene. The first son, Cain, became a cultivator of the land, while his younger brother, Abel, became a shepherd. Because of man's sin God said, "The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life." (3:17) Could it be that the narrative of chapter 4 is lining Cain up with the curse as a tiller of the soil? If so, then we might also consider that Abel is lined up with God's intent for man in having dominion over the animals.
    
    From a cursory reading of verses 3-5 concerning the worship practices of the two brothers we might conclude that God was being unfair regarding their sacrifices. But in reading more closely we come to understand that Cain was discharging a duty in bringing what was likely the leftovers of his harvest while Abel offered the "firstborn of his flock and their fat portions." (4:4) In other words, the first and the best. God accepted the one and not the other, not because one was from the land and the other from animals or because He didn't like Cain but He did like Abel. It was because Cain's heart was not in it and Abel's was. Abel offered true worship and Cain did not.
    
    A further understanding of Cain's heart can be seen in his reaction to God's rejection of his offering. If our worship is not acceptable to God should we not be trying to understand why and to correct it? Instead, Cain's reaction was to become angry and retaliate against the one whose worship God did accept. Does this make sense? It is, however, a normative response of those who get caught in the tenacles of sin and give God only a cursory nod of acknowledgement. God tried to talk Cain through his anger, asking why he was angry. Then God asked, "If you do right, won't you be accepted?" (4:7) Why become angry when a simple correction of the problem on Cain's part will remedy the problem? But Cain didn't see it this way. Again, he gave the normative response of one caught in the grip of sin. The fault was not with him, but with someone else. In this case, the blame was pointed at his brother Abel. How was taking revenge against his brother supposed to correct the problem in his relationship with God? God warned him, though, that if he didn't do right that "sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must master it." (4:7)
    
    God's comment to Cain seems to personify sin, possibly in the person of Satan. Sin is not merely passive action on the part of man. It is an aggressive attack on man by Satan. Once man opens the door to sin it will come in and take over if not stopped. But God told Cain he could stop it. He said, "you must master it." If he must, then he could. But scripture is a testimony to man's inability to master sin without God's help.
    The remainder of chapter 4 tells of Cain's choice and its consequences. He did not choose to master sin but instead gave in to it resulting in the murder of his brother Abel. Every refusal to make amends with God leads to a further widening of the gap in our relationship with Him. Such was the case with Cain. And his rejection of God led to the development of an evil race that did not acknowledge God and who came to boast of murder as with Lamech, Cain's great grandson.