The Book of Genesis

Chapter Four

Family Values?

Lesson Verse: Prov 10:1

I. Lesson Introduction

A. We ended last week’s study with Adam and Eve being removed from the garden in Eden.

B. In this chapter we study about the first sons of Adam and Eve. It is in them that we find two types of people, and two types of worships.

1. In Abel there are about 35 types of the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. There are about as many types of the anti-christ in Cain as well

C. Here in chapter four we also find Satan’s first attack on the human race in relation to the Promised Seed of Gen. 3:15.

1. Satan does not waste any time in trying to defeat God.

2. There are numerous attacks on mankind and the Jewish race in the book of Genesis as pertaining to the Promised Seed..

D. The student of scripture who keeps that thought in mind about the attacks on the Seed, as they study scripture, will also realize that the attacks are not things past. In fact the attacks are still going on today, in the 21^st century. This attack on the human race concerning the “Promised Seed” is a red thread that runs from Genesis to Revelation; from creation to consummation. And it will not end until the new heaven and earth of Revelation 21!

E. One note about “higher criticism” – some theologians don’t believe these events are actual, and historically true! But Jesus does (Lk 11:51; Mt 23:35)!

II. Lesson

A. The Birth of Cain and Abel (4:1,2)

1. God’s way of describing marriage

a. Adam “knew” Eve – special knowledge

b. Intimacy that is only for marriage – otherwise it is:

1) Rape

2) Fornication

3) Adultery

c. Getting to know someone deep down

d. The world calls it “going all the way”

e. God meant it to be wonderful and beautiful (Heb 11:5)

f. Only the RC church would make SEX the first sin!

2. Cain is the First born

a. Important to note that the firstborn belongs to God (Ex 13:2,12; 34:19; Lk 2:23)

b. The promised “seed” would be a firstborn son

c. Eve thinks this boy must be the promised seed

d. The devil uses the firstborn though most often

e. The name Cain means: Possession, or “I got him” as if gotten from the Lord!

3. Abel

a. His name means: Nothing, Vanity, Not Needed, or Not Important!

b. Notice how presuppositions cloud the mind – she wrote-off Abel’s existence!

4. Adam and Eve had LOTS of children (Gen 5:3,4) God didn’t want to list them all for the following reasons:

a. The Bible would be 100 inches thick

b. Only the people important to His plan of redemption were necessary to describe, and only a bit about each of them, or else the Bible would be far too long to read!

5. These two sons begin a long list of Bible pairs – some good, some bad

a. Cain and Abel

b. David and Saul

c. The Pharisee and the Publican

d. Hannah and Peninah

e. The two thieves on the crosses – one an angry worker, the other a broken sinner!

f. The two brothers in the Fathers house – one a wayward brother, and the other a hard-hearted unforgiving brother

B. The Work of Cain and Abel (4:3,4; Heb 11:4) Each man has an honest and worthwhile profession.

1. Cain - Farmer

a. Heads out into the field and starts figuring out how to grow more food, better crops, and conquer the curse of the ground

b. Begins to develop tools, and harness animals to do the work

c. He sweats, and works hard

2. Abel - Shepherd

a. Also heads out into the field, but takes a liking to the flocks

b. He is a tender boy compared to Cain – he loves animals (Cain uses them)

c. Not that Abel is a wimp, but Abel has a softness about him

3. These two professions, contrary to popular beliefs are probably the oldest. The only way prostitution could be the oldest would have come about if Eve sold herself to the devil.

C. The Worship of Cain and Abel (Gen 4:3-5)

1. Cain and Abel bring their offerings to the Lord. Why?

a. Humans are wired to worship something! God left the “way” of worship up to us – we have to figure out how to do it – but God gave us the way He demands – if only people would choose it!

1) As sinners

2) By a blood sacrifice of an innocent substitute

3) In spirit, and in God’s truth – not through lies and deception (magic, superstitions, and hocus pocus of religion)

4) By faith, not by good works

b. They knew they had sin to deal with that blocked their access to both heaven, and God Himself

2. Cain brought forth fruit of the ground and Abel brought the first born of his flock and the fat thereof. The fat meant he brought forth the best.

a. Did you notice that Cain was up first?

b. Actions are not as important as heart attitude!!!

3. We are told that God had respect for Abel and his offerings.

a. The reason for this is best found in Heb. 11:4.

b. Abel’s faith brought him respect.

c. Abel brought forth a blood offering.

d. He laid his hand upon the lamb (Lev 1) and trusted the blood of that lamb as payment for his sins (Ex 12:13; Rom 3:23-25)

e. God visibly demonstrated His approval (Lev 9:24; 2Chron 7:1; 1Kgs 18:38; Mt 27:54)

4. What went wrong with Cain’s offering?

a. The offering brought forth by Cain was already cursed, Gen. 3:17, because it came from the ground.

b. In later years an offering from the ground is an acceptable offering, but never is it acceptable for sin.

c. What is apparent is, a bloodless sacrifice can not atone for sin.

5. What Was Expected?

a. A blood sacrifice in obedience to the revealed will of God was expected.

1) God did not accept the fig leaves as a proper covering for the sin of Cain’s parents.

2) Why therefore, would God accept an offering of semblance from the son of Adam, and refuse to accept the offering of the father?

3) If our heavenly Father made concession for one, He would continually be making concessions for every man. This He did one time in the sinless and bloody offering of His Son.

b. Cain knew of the sins of his parents and the sacrifice needed to cleanse them. However, it did not deter him. He was going to force God to accept his merits. Does this not sound normal?

c. Consider for a moment: Recorded history goes back about 6,000 years. Over this period of time there have been unnumbered millions that have lived and died. In 2002 the world’s population is roughly six billion people. All things remaining the same over the next 100 years, these six billion people will die and another six-ten billion or so will be born. Every soul that has ever lived to the age of accountability in any generation, at one time or the other, will have thought some of these humanist ideas such as:

1) God would just have to accept me as I am.

2) I am not as bad as the Bible says.

3) I can do greater works than Jesus.

4) I can worship God anywhere.

5) These concepts are not new. They are as old as the human race and will be used as long as man in born of woman. Here is the other form of worship. It is humanism.

d. So, forever, God has exploded the myths of the power of:

1) The Sacraments

2) Sutras, Vedas, Shastas - Hindu

3) Eight-fold-paths - Buddha

4) Church memberships

5) Baptisms

6) Golden rules

7) Keeping the commandments

8) The Mason’s 32 degrees

9) Prayer beads, and prayer wheels

10) Pilgrimages

11) Crucifix’s and miraculous medals

12) NONE of them can do ANYTHING for a person!

13) All of these things are called, “the WAY of Cain” instead of the way of GOD (Jude 11)

e. God established the rules for particular dispensations and He does not change them in that particular dispensation for anyone. That is why He is the God of His Word. The dispensation wherein Cain and Abel lived is known as the age of conscience. It ends with God being angry with the human race and he removes them from the face of the earth in the flood. This dispensation shows what man will do when guided only by his conscience.

6. Notice that all our “works” are tested by FIRE

a. Abel’s faith is only purified!

b. Cain’s works come up lacking – they are worthless

7. Note: A Question: Where were Adam and Eve at this time?

a. Same answer as where was Daniel when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendigo were tested

b. Adam and Eve had trained their children about what was expected, but as grown men, these two men had to worship God INDIVIDUALLY, and they had to do it of their own free will!

c. So at this point, Adam and Eve are standing back – they cannot worship FOR their family – they can only lead!

d. In Calvinism, and covenant theology, the patriarch does all the worshipping.

D. The Nature of Anger (Pr 22:24; 19:19; Heb 12:15)

1. The root of bitterness

a. Cain was bitter at Abel – for having a better sacrifice

b. Can was also bitter at God

c. Bitterness is a sin – holding on to the reason to be angry

d. Here is sin building upon sin (1John 3:12)

1) The sin of self-righteousness

2) The sin of disobedience

3) The sin of rejecting God’s conclusion about the matter

4) The sin of turning against the one who was right – Abel

5) The sin of hating

6) The sin of murdering

7) The sin of not caring about murdering Abel

8) The sin of worrying only about your own life and risks to it because of God’s punishment

9) The sin of not getting right when offered to you by God

2. Three people that anger hurts

a. It first affects you

b. Then, it affects others

c. And finally, it affects God – He has to leave you alone! Cain walked away from the presence of God!

3. Pre-anger feelings

a. Frustration – because things aren’t working out like you expected them to (James 4:1,2)

b. Humiliation – letting your pride be hurt by some that is “lesser” than you!

c. Irritation – letting things affect your heart (which is supposed to belong to God) – becomes sensitive

d. All three of these have to be mortified of else they will produce the same kind of murdering anger that Cain ended up with (1Jn 3:15; Lev 19:17,18; Mt 5:21,22)

4. Post-anger feelings

a. Apathy – don’t care anymore – to loath the one you are angry at

b. Regrets – you ended up doing things you wish you hadn’t – these end up killing YOU!

5. The results of retained anger

a. Murder

b. Engrained Hatred – it becomes a way of life because it is the centre-focus of all your thoughts

c. Vengeance – think only by revenge can you be back to normal

d. None of which belong in a Christian’s heart or life (Rom 12:19)

E. The Process of Reconciliation (4:6-8)

1. Initiated always by God, and by God’s people – starts with the godly

a. Because God refused to change the rules for Cain, Cain becomes wroth (angry) and his countenance fell. That is, his facial expression pictured or mirrored his soul.

b. God confronted Cain with a question, "Why are you angry and discontent?" God revealed his patience and goodness to the sinner. Yet, how did this sinner respond?

c. God the Father presented Cain with a chance to repent. If he is wise, does well, and repents God will forgive him. However, God also warns him that sin lies at his door. God knew what Cain would do if he did not repent and gave him a warning.

d. All Cain had to do was just repent and bring forth a blood sacrifice. Why did he nurse his ill feeling? Why would he not accept the fact that he must come to God as directed by the Father.

e. Here we are some 6,000 years later and we wonder why people will not come to Jesus as directed. All the lost soul must do today is repent and accept the blood sacrifice. Cain lacks one very important thing in obtaining God’s favor: obedience. The same is true for lost souls today.

f. Blessings Would Follow Cain’s Obedience.

1) God tells Cain that unto thee shall be his (Abel’s) desire, and thou shall rule over him.

2) Just as God had respect unto Abel’s offering, even so Cain, if you repent, Abel will look at you as the elder brother. As the first born, you will rule over him.

3) Cain could have had it all if it had not been for his disobedient nature and a green-eyed monster named jealousy.

2. Must be started before worse things happen

3. A person’s life can be ruined beyond compare – become reprobate (Rom 1; 2Cor 13)

F. The Path of Sin – always downward (James 1:15)

1. Starts with rebellion – I don’t care what God says, I am going to do it MY way

2. Hatred – that God doesn’t accept YOUR way

3. Murder – attempting to revenge how you have been hurt

4. History – full of constant repetition of these three stages

5. One Sin Lead To Another.

a. Though Adam’s sin seemed small, in comparison to what Cain did, there was not much difference between the two. Adam died spiritually the day he sinned. Cain killed his brother. Death was present in both willful acts of disobedience.

b. In the case of Cain disobedience lead to jealousy, jealousy lead to murder, murder lead to lying. Action: I must be careful in my action. If Cain had acted on the command of God, he would have repented and been accepted. As it was he acted on his desires and for ever he must pay for his actions.

c. Where is thy brother?

1) God knew he was guilty but chose to give him a chance to confess his sins.

2) By asking a question, God present Cain with a chance to redeem himself.

d. Am I my brother’s keeper?

1) Realizing that he is already guilty, Cain tried to answer a question with a question.. Now Cain is partially correct in his reply to God. It was not his burden to keep up with Able. However, Cain is wrong when he answered God out of context. Cain knew exactly what God referred to when He asked the question. He figured God was as dumb as himself.

2) How often do people try to hide their sins from God? Each time they sin and refuse to humble their heart, people try to hide from God.

e. Are we our brother’s keeper?

1) As Christians, one of our great concerns should be our brethren.

2) We ought to be concerned enough about our brothers and sister to testify to them that God loves them.

3) We are not to be busy bodies in their business.

4) We are to be concerned about their eternal life.

f. What Hast Thou Done?

1) Again there is no confession from Cain.

2) Twice he was presented the opportunity to make a full confession and receive a full pardon.

3) He continues to make light of such a serious matter. He thought the deed was concealed.

4) However, there is life in the blood, and the blood cried out for vengeance.

G. The Curse on Cain (4:10-15) – Punishment – there is no correction possible

1. A separate curse than was on Daddy and Mommy

2. God separates Cain from Adam, Eve, and the rest of the children

a. What God had separated, let not man join together!

b. No ecumenism is ever encouraged in the Bible over issues of sin, and wrong doctrine (Hos 4:17)

3. He is from then on, a vagabond and a fugitive

4. “Now thou art cursed from the earth.” Adam’s disobedience brought a curse upon the ground. Cain’s sin resulted in a curse imposed on himself. God could have immediately taken Cain’s life, but chose not to. However, God informed him that the ground will no longer give her strength to you Cain, and you will be a vagabond (vagrant, tramp, drifter, a beggar).

5. Cain was condemned to disgrace and reproach among men. Here we can safely assume that Cain lived to be several hundred years old. Abel was easily less than 100 years old when he was murdered.

6. Here is a very important note. Cain says that he will be hunted and ‘everyone’ that finds him will try and slay him. Here is valid proof that Adam and Eve had other children born to them other than what the bible listed.

7. What we come to understand is even though Cain and Able were real men. Here is another building stone from the first book. Cain and Able are also types of men. One was godly. The other ungodly. This is evident in the sacrifices they offered to God. Today there are only two types of men: saved and lost.

8. This was the sentence passed upon Cain. Even here there was mercy as Cain was not immediately cut off. Cain was given time to repent. However, he refused. This did not stop him from complaining, Gen. 4:13-15. Cain wants things his way and his way only. He wants to live as he please and not as God pleases. He complains that his punishment is too great, and God ofered him forgiveness.

9. Even with all the complaining from Cain and the fear of being murdered himself, the Lord again has mercy on Cain and places a seventy fold curse on the one that slays Cain. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. The mark was placed on Cain so that everyone would know that he was the one that murdered his brother. It was a mark of disgrace.

H. A World Divided (4:16-26) – there are two people groups now

1. Cain’s Society – made up most of the people

a. Here in v. 16 is a very important thought: Cain went out from the presence of the Lord. When he left the presence of the Lord, he immediately entered the habitation of Satan. It is also interesting that the word Nod in the Hebrew means wandering. Any one that leaves the presence of the Lord always wanders from here to there seeking rest. 1 John 2:18-19 informs us that some went out from the church and were not part of the church but of that wicked one, 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.

b. People started dwelling with this rebel – people love rebel leaders

c. The people decidedly moved away from God, and God’s people – all became angry and then apathetic towards God

d. They migrated EAST, into a land called Nod (notice that God’s Holy Spirit always moves WEST)

e. Cain gets married

1) To one of his sisters, or maybe nieces

2) Marries someone that is rebellious as himself!

f. Cain’s line

1) Enoch – means “Initiated” or “Only the beginning”. Cain names the city after his son, Enoch

2) Irad – means, “Wild Ass”

3) Mehujael – means “Smitten of God – still has a bad attitude towards God

4) Lamech (4:18-24) – means, the Destroyer

a) The family of Lamech – He marries TWO wives

(i) He was the first to violate the fundamental ordinance of marriage (Gen 2:24).

(ii) Adah, who has Jabal – began tent-making, and raising cattle

(iii) Zillah

(a) Has Jubal – musician (jubalation)

(b) Tubal-cain – master teacher in brass-work

(iv) Lamech's sons are very intelligent, but a man being smarter does not make him a better person. You can educate a sinner, but all you will get is an educated sinner, and that's more dangerous than what you started out with. Also notice that none of the people in this lineage have their death recorded in scripture.

b) The troubles of Lamech

(i) Commits the second murder in the Bible

(ii) Knows he is in trouble

(iii) Only worried about whether God would protect him from the anger of the society he lived in instead of about the other family, and what he had done

(iv) He was "rude and dangerous," fearing not God nor man. With him the curtain falls on the race of Cain.

2. God’s People (4:25,26) – always few in number (Mt 7:13,14)

a. Adam and Eve have more children

b. Part of trusting God is going on with life

1) Adam and Eve stayed close to one another

2) They wanted to go ahead and have kids, and keep trying to raise them for God

3) With God, it doesn’t matter what the devil, or even MAN does – He will work out His plan, to bring in the Saviour, and get to the cross!

c. Eve tries to see God’s design in her life in naming her children – she has hope (1Thes 4:13)

d. So far, according to Gen 5:3, Adam and Eve have only seen trouble and sorrow in life!

e. Seth could have been named something sad, but instead, he was named “Seth” which means “Replacement” – God has provided a replacement – and He always does replace what ever we lose (Lk 18:28-30)

f. Seth goes on and has a family, and a son

g. Enos means “Mortal” – oh how Adam, and Eve learned in just a few years how mortal everyone that they held dear was!

1) They had lost Abel to a murderer

2) They had then lost Cain because of justice

3) Now, this boy Seth was named to remind them that life was only a vapour (James 4:14)

h. It is at this point that men begin to call upon the name of the Lord

1) They began to want to get right with God – free will in motion

2) From Cain’s effect on society, you can see that for the past 100 years, people were angry and bitter against God

3) They started calling God, Jehovah – God’s people will forget this name in time unfortunately

4) Abraham will continue this as part of his worship (Gen 12:8)

III. Applications

A. Cain’s Typology with the anti-christ

1. Both are murders (Jn 8:44)

2. Both are of the wrong seed (2Thes 2:3)

3. Both have Marks by which they are identified (Rev 13:13-18)

4. Both are cursed (Ps 119:21) because of one main sin – pride!

5. Both are extremely intellectual – second smartest to Adam

6. Both are very religious – up first to worship

7. Both offer good works to get to heaven

8. Both reject responsibility for other people’s souls

9. Both have their “own way” (Jude vs 11)

10. Both lead people away from God, to build their own kingdom on earth

11. Both are damned with no hope

12. Both rebel against God with their tongues

13. Both believe in God (James 2:19), but do not believe God

B. Abel’s typology with Jesus Christ

1. Both were shepherds – as were almost all good guys in the Bible!

2. Both were unknown in their birth – not recognized as being very important

3. Both were murdered over religion

4. Both were hated by their own kind – not by “foreigners”, but family (John 1:11)

5. They both had the respect of God the Father (Gen 4:4)

6. Both their blood cried out to God

a. Abel’s for vengeance

b. Christ’s for forgiveness and mercy!

IV. Study Questions

A. Who was the first born son of Adam and Eve

B. What does the name Abel mean? ____________________

C. Are Cain and Abel, and later on Seth, the only children that Adam and Eve had? ______________________________________________________

D. Who did Cain marry? _________________________________________

E. What kind of work did Cain do? _________________________________

F. What kind of work did Abel do? _________________________________

G. Who was first up to worship? ____________________________________

H. Where were Adam and Eve? _____________________________________ _____________________________________________________________

I. List three people that anger affects

J. When it comes to getting right with God, WHO always initiates the process of reconciliation? ______________________________________________

K. What was God’s punishment of Cain? ______________________________ _____________________________________________________________

L. List three similarities between Cain and the anti-christ

M. List three similarities between Abel and Jesus Christ