Welcome to the MHB Podcast. This is Michael Baun. And welcome to my thirty second episode. Tonight I want to examine Genesis 4. This is the story of Cain and Abel. I think the Cain and Abel story is perhaps one of the most important stories found in the Old Testament relative to our society now. This is because it addresses one dimension of the problem of suffering and how we respond to suffering in our lives. There are three questions that I want you to think about during this podcast:
- Why do you think God rejected Cain’s offering?
- Why do you think God protected Cain from being killed?
- How do you react when God tells you “No”?
Now that you have those questions to consider, let’s read Genesis 4 in its entirety. Please enjoy.
Genesis chapter 4:
Cain and Abel
Now Adam[a] had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the Lord’s help, I have produced[b] a man!” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel.
When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. 3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, 5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.
6 “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
8 One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.”[c] And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.
9 Afterward the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?” “I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”
10 But the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! 11 Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood. 12 No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.”
13 Cain replied to the Lord, “My punishment[d] is too great for me to bear! 14 You have banished me from the land and from your presence; you have made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!”
15 The Lord replied, “No, for I will give a sevenfold punishment to anyone who kills you.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. 16 So Cain left the Lord’s presence and settled in the land of Nod,[e] east of Eden.
The Descendants of Cain
17 Cain had sexual relations with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain founded a city, which he named Enoch, after his son. 18 Enoch had a son named Irad. Irad became the father of[f] Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech.
19 Lamech married two women. The first was named Adah, and the second was Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the first of those who raise livestock and live in tents. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal, the first of all who play the harp and flute. 22 Lamech’s other wife, Zillah, gave birth to a son named Tubal-cain. He became an expert in forging tools of bronze and iron. Tubal-cain had a sister named Naamah. 23 One day Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; listen to me, you wives of Lamech. I have killed a man who attacked me, a young man who wounded me. 24 If someone who kills Cain is punished seven times, then the one who kills me will be punished seventy-seven times!”
The Birth of Seth
25 Adam had sexual relations with his wife again, and she gave birth to another son. She named him Seth,[g] for she said, “God has granted me another son in place of Abel, whom Cain killed.” 26 When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh. At that time people first began to worship the Lord by name.
Let’s take a look at verses 1 and 2:
Now Adam[a] had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the Lord’s help, I have produced[b] a man!” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel.
When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground.
Cain and Abel were the first post-fall human beings. This means that they were the first human beings to have lived since Adam and Eve became awakened to the knowledge of good and evil. Cain and Abel are also the first human beings to have lived through childhood and grown into adults. Adam and Eve were adults when God formed them. Notice in verse two how it says that Abel grew up to become a shepherd. There’s something I want to say about shepherds. When I first heard the term shepherd I thought of a gentle old man in a robe carrying a long walking stick. This is not at all how the shepherds of the ancient middle east were. Think about this: shepherds had to protect easy prey animals from predators in wild lands. They had to do this with hand weapons and slings. Often, the shepherds were alone with the sheep and there was no one to help them if they were attacked. Shepherds of the ancient middle east were vigilant, fearless defenders of their flock. More like warriors than anything. Consider the fact that King David, one of the greatest warriors in the biblical narrative, began his life as a shepherd. And Christ Himself is called the Good Shepherd and the Lion of Judah. The Bible teaches that Jesus will defend his children from Satan, and that he won’t lose even one of them. Not a single one.
So I asked you to consider why Cain’s offering to God was rejected. Let’s look for an answer in verses 3-5:
3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, 5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.
Now some people think that since the text makes it so clear that Abel’s offering was the best he could possibly offer, and is somewhat ambiguous about Cain’s offering, then there must have been something wrong with Cain’s offering for it to be rejected. I think it’s a mistake to blame the crops that Cain offered. It would be more accurate to examine Cain’s attitude. The Bible is not clear on what Cain was thinking or how he was feeling when he offered his crops to God. However, there are a couple hints to be found in other sections of the text.
Proverbs 21:27:
The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable, especially when it is offered with wrong motives.
And also in Hebrews 11:4:
It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did.
So we can use these two verses to infer that Cain must have either been an evil person or had something wrong with his attitude, namely his faith, when he made his offering to God. It’s also important to note that God doesn’t tell Cain why he’s been rejected. God speaks to Cain as if Cain already knows why he’s been rejected. God can see the secrets of your heart. If Cain wasn’t right with God when he gave his offering, Cain knew it. The next verses show us the greatest act of compassion towards Cain that God could have done in that moment.
Verses 6 and 7:
6 “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
God is trying to pick Cain up. Cain knows what he did wrong and God is encouraging him to try again because God knows he can do it. Furthermore, God even warns Cain of what will happen if he chooses not to. Notice how he says “If you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you.” God’s not saying, “If you don’t do this right I’m going to punish you.” He’s saying if you don’t do this right then sin is going to consume you and separate you from me. The last thing God wanted in those moments was to watch Cain turn away from him. Let’s take a look at what Cain decides to do.
Verses 8-16:
8 One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.”[c] And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.
9 Afterward the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?” “I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”
10 But the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! 11 Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood. 12 No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.”
13 Cain replied to the Lord, “My punishment[d] is too great for me to bear! 14 You have banished me from the land and from your presence; you have made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!”
15 The Lord replied, “No, for I will give a sevenfold punishment to anyone who kills you.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. 16 So Cain left the Lord’s presence and settled in the land of Nod,[e] east of Eden.
Cain’s response is to become angry at God, blame God, and blame his brother Abel. His rage drives him to go out into the fields with Abel and murder him. By killing Abel, Cain is taking revenge against God and slaughtering his own ideal at the same time. Let me explain. Abel is innocent and Abel is valued by God. Cain reasons that he can get back at God by murdering the one who He values. You see this happen all the time when mass shooters attack what are called “soft targets.” These murderers attack schools and public places because they want to harm people who are valued. Cain is taking revenge against God by murdering Abel. At the same time, Cain is murdering his own ideal because he actually wishes he could be Abel. In Cain’s sight, Abel is everything he is not: innocent and valued by God. The tragedy for Cain is that God did value him and God wanted him to do what was right. Cain did not have the faith to see it.
Verses 17-24:
The Descendants of Cain
17 Cain had sexual relations with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain founded a city, which he named Enoch, after his son. 18 Enoch had a son named Irad. Irad became the father of[f] Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech.
19 Lamech married two women. The first was named Adah, and the second was Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the first of those who raise livestock and live in tents. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal, the first of all who play the harp and flute. 22 Lamech’s other wife, Zillah, gave birth to a son named Tubal-cain. He became an expert in forging tools of bronze and iron. Tubal-cain had a sister named Naamah. 23 One day Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; listen to me, you wives of Lamech. I have killed a man who attacked me, a young man who wounded me. 24 If someone who kills Cain is punished seven times, then the one who kills me will be punished seventy-seven times!”
In these verses we see that Cain’s lineage became people who were indifferent to evil and bent toward sin. The last person mentioned in this lineage, Tubal-cain, is known as the first person to become an expert in forging tools of bronze and iron. What else can you forge with bronze and iron? Weapons of war. Cain, the first murderer, became the ancestor of the first man to produce the artifices of war. Lamech’s attitude is not far off from Cain’s – he’s killed a man and taken none of the responsibility for it.
Earlier I asked you to think about why God protected Cain from being killed. These questions are fun to think about because the Bible does not answer them explicitly. However, the Levitical law that will be laid out further in the text tells the Israelites to build cities of refuge. Cities of refuge are where a person can go if he or she inadvertently kills a neighbor or someone in the community. The reason for these cities of refuge is that these ancient people followed a primitive form of law similar to Hammurabi’s “eye for an eye.” This “eye for an eye” doctrine could cause incidents to trigger chain reactions of killings that could blow up into full scale tribal warfare. If you kill one of my kinsmen, I kill five of yours. You come back and kill sixteen of mine, and I respond by killing thirty two of yours. You get the picture. It could be that God protected Cain from being killed because he didn’t want war to break out.
Two other theories are also plausible. The first is that God wanted Cain to live with what he had done to Abel. The second is that God wanted Cain to live so that Cain would have the opportunity to repent of what he did to Abel so that God could forgive him and bring him back home. Personally, I like to think Cain was given the chance to reform himself and seek forgiveness. God loves everyone and created everyone himself, it is his will that every single one of us will come to him. The only person who can keep you away from God is yourself.
Verses 25 and 26:
The Birth of Seth
25 Adam had sexual relations with his wife again, and she gave birth to another son. She named him Seth,[g] for she said, “God has granted me another son in place of Abel, whom Cain killed.” 26 When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh. At that time people first began to worship the Lord by name.
Here we see the birth of Seth, whose lineage will become people who turn away from evil and worship God.
The last question I asked you to think about was this: How do you react when God tells you “No”?
This is the core of the lesson that is taught through the Cain and Abel story. Cain demonstrates for us how to react the wrong way. The fact is, tragedies and suffering are going to come into your life and in some cases they are not going to be your fault. In some cases it’s going to seem as if God Himself is targeting you and putting you through hell. But if you respond to your suffering the way that Cain did – by blaming God, blaming the world or blaming the people who are where you want to be – you are guaranteed to make your suffering worse. The reason why is because this attitude forces you to look outward and not inward. This attitude makes you think that the world needs to change before you can do anything to get out the pit you are in. This attitude deceives you into thinking that you are right and the rest of the world, including God, are wrong. When you commit to this attitude, you lose your sense of upward mobility. There is no way to improve because you yourself are the standard of perfection. The end result is always bitterness and prolonged misery. Don’t be like Cain.
So what is the proper way to respond to suffering? We actually get some guidelines from the Apostle Paul in the New Testament. Let me read you some verses and then explain them to you.
Philippians 1:21:
For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.
Then in verse 29:
For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.
Finally in chapter 3:8:
Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.
What do we make of this? Paul is saying that he has this long list of good things in his life. Social status, family heritage, material wealth, etc. He’s saying that he considers all of this lower than the value of knowing Jesus. What he’s doing is placing Jesus at the very top of his hierarchy of values. There are two practical reasons why you should do this: the first involves success, the second involves suffering.
With success, you should keep Christ as your top value because He will give your life a sense of meaning that is not dependent on your success. This means you can have your cake and eat it too. The list of good things Paul talks about are not intrinsically bad. This means it’s not sinful to have good things. However, you walk dangerous ground if you make these good things your reason for living.
Consider Matthew 16:25, Jesus says:
If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
One way of thinking about this is that if you make the good things in this life your highest value then you run the risk of feeling a sense of meaninglessness. Even if the good things are not stripped away from you, and it’s very likely that they will be, you could be like King Solomon and come to the realization that all of these good things can’t provide you with meaning. I believe human beings are meaning seeking creatures, not happiness seeking creatures. Happiness often attends when you have meaning, but happiness is fleeting. Nietzsche said that a man with a why can bear almost any how. Meaning is what gets you through suffering. Christ gives you eternal meaning. Keep Christ as your highest value, and maybe you will have the good things in life as well.
The next practical reason to keep Christ as your highest value involves suffering. The wonderful thing about Jesus is, the more you are persecuted, the closer you are pushed in His direction. This means that if you count Christ as your highest value, then every time life strips you of one of the good things – maybe you lose a loved one or lose your house – the stronger your relationship with Christ becomes. You see this happen all the time. Missionaries tell you that the most meaningful time of their life were spent living in a mud hut and being hunted by hostile enemies. Drug addicts and criminals tell you they found God when they hit rock bottom. Parents who lose children turn to Christ as a means of trying to find hope for a future with their child.
What do all of these people have in common? When they were crushed by tragedy, they got out of their own way, opened their hearts, and saw that Christ was standing right there waiting for them. In their darkest hour, God never left their side. He became their source of meaning and He gave them strength.
But you could take any one of those scenarios and flip it around. Any one of those tragedies has also caused people to descend into evil and be warped into monstrous human beings. This is the path that many people are taking in the West today as a consequence of the culture of victim hood. This path leads to mobs of people who wallow in a sense of meaninglessness every moment that they are not part of a movement to decry various oppressors. These mobs define life as a power struggle between oppressor and oppressed. These people would see the Cain and Abel story as a narrative of God and Abel oppressing Cain. The rage that stems from their victim hood blinds them to the very One who can save them. This is the path that Cain chose to take. God never left Cain’s side, but Cain didn’t have the faith to see it. The most important thing to take away from the Cain and Abel story is to use Cain’s example as what not to do when God tells you “No”.
If you find this content valuable, feel free to share it and to use it in your own studies. If you’d like to support this podcast, you can do so at www.patreon.com/michaelhbaun. There is a link in the description. Your generosity goes a long way to promoting the growth of this enterprise and the cause of free speech. Thank you all for joining me this evening, and I will see you in the next episode.
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