CAIN & ABEL: THE REST OF THE STORY

GENESIS 4:1-16

Pastor Rick Jackson

Proverbs 18:13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.

It really helps to know the background of events to be able to properly assess a situation. Some people think Cain got cheated but this is not the case. That's why to know the rest of the story we first need to know:

I. THE BACKGROUND

1. God has already established blood sacrifices (3:21)

Teaching 4 truths: "in order for a guilty sinner to approach a holy God he needed a suitable covering" and "that...which their own hands had made were not acceptable to Him" "God must provide the covering" and "the necessary covering could only be obtained through death" Gleanings in Genesis (pg. 63)

2. Faith in God's Word had also been established (3:15, 20)

3. All of Adam's descendants have a sin nature (5:3-4)

Romans 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

II. THE FAITH OF ABEL, THE FIRST PROPHET Hebrews 11:4

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

1. It was a Bible faith [Rm. 10:17]

2. It was a saving faith [4:4, Hebrews 12:24] And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

3. It was a sharing faith [4:8]

Matthew 23:34-35 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

III. THE WAY OF CAIN, THE FIRST MURDERER Jude 1:10-11 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

1. Cain deliberately brought the wrong offering [v. 1-4]

-he was the first religionist
-he brought the product of a cursed earth
-ignoring sin's penalty he brought no blood to show he was trusting in the promised Seed
-his offering showed no acknowledging of sin or of God's provision

2. Cain defiantly blamed God for his own failure [v. 5-8]

3. Cain decided to strike at God through Abel [v. 8]

-Psalm 69:9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

-2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

-Cain was unwilling to shed animal blood but perfectly willing to shed Abel's blood.

-1 John 3:12 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.

Romans 2:14-16 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

4. Cain discounted God's opportunity for a confession [v. 9-10]

5. Cain declared his punishment was too much [v. 11-14]

-Cain's pride in his produce just got reduced

-Cain feared others (brothers, nephews, etc.) would do to him what he did to Abel

-no human govt. established yet to inflict capital punishment (Gn. 9)

6. Cain's desperation did not cause a change in skin color [v. 15-16]

Some have foolishly suggested that the so-called "mark of Cain" was a change of skin color. Besides just being absurd the thought is unbiblical as Noah, a Sethite, and his family were the only survivors of the great flood). Also, the change was to protect Cain from others, if it was skin color then it's purpose was obviously a failure.