Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” And again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. And Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” And Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” Genesis 4:1-9 (NASV)
Summary: Sin does not just affect our relationship with God, but also our relationships with others.
Adam and Eve are about to find out that the repercussions of their sin extend, not just to themselves, but to their descendants. They are also going to witness first hand what physical death is not by personally dying-yet, but by seeing one of their sons die at the hands of another son.
The emphasis in the passage on the fact that Cain and Abel were blood brothers highlights the extent and nature of the fall. A relationship that should have been marked by brotherly love instead ends in conflict, hate and murder. The evil Adam and Eve chose to know could only be repulsive to them on every level.
The fact that Cain and Abel had two widely divergent means of sustenance prefigures the conflict that is to come. The cultural distinction between nomadic herders and sedentary farmers will once again come to the forefront at the end of Genesis in the story of the return of Josephs father and brothers to Egypt and the land of Goshen.
Both men present a sacrifice to the Lord in worship, but Cain’s sacrifice commemorates the fall with the use of fruit from the field-a backhanded slap in the face to God-while Abel’s sacrifice commemorates Gods provision for his sin with the shedding of blood in animal sacrifice.
Abel’s genuine attitude of repentance and faith in Gods provision receives Gods approval while Cains false religion receives Gods approbation, which in turn enrages Cain.
God confronts Cain, not with an accusation, but with a question: in essence, Whats the problem? Then God describes Cains predicament and offers a possible solution. Cain, God says, is facing a turning point in his life. He is about to be swallowed up with the wild power of sin and Cain must learn how to master it. The way to do that, God says, is to do good.
Cain ignores Gods advice, which has serious consequences for himself and for Abel. Cain, acting as an agent of Satan, kills Abel, the agent of God who becomes the first martyr for his faith.
Again, God confronts Cain’s sin with a question: Where is your brother, Abel? By this question, God reminds Cain that he has killed his brother, a person he would naturally love were it not for his jealousy of him. He also reminds Cain that he has a certain responsibility for Cain by calling him his brother.
Cain’s response shows the calloused indifference he has for Abel. The question, Am I my brothers keeper? will resonate throughout scripture.
Application
We live in a continuum of sin, the consequences of which have been passed down from generation to generation. We ourselves will do our part in this degenerative process. Sin affects each one of us and our relationship with God. But it always also affects others. These innocent bystanders, often our very own children and loved ones, suffer the consequences of our sin that are ricocheting around them.
Because we are born spiritually dead, we cannot immediately observe our own spiritual death. Only life can observe death. Adam and Eve could not see that they died spiritually on the day that they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They could only witness the effects over time and observe the end result – physical death – in their own child, Abel. Not only did Adam and Eve die spiritually, they lost the ability to transmit spiritual life to their children.
God gave us the proper way to approach Him, through a blood sacrifice. We can be tempted to substitute our own works based on our own pride. We must resist this temptation at every turn and come to God based on his work, not ours.
When we reject God’s provision and God’s way of reconciliation, we open ourselves up to the power and rule of sin in our lives. Sin crouches at the door of every man and it has the power to destroy us. After coming to God through his provision of a blood sacrifice, we overcome the power of sin in our lives by doing good. Exactly what God means by this is explained in the rest of the Book of Genesis.
Sin results in calloused disregard for others. Even religious people like Cain can exhibit this calloused disregard. Am I my brothers keeper? now becomes one of the major questions that is answered throughout the Bible with a resounding Yes!
Teach
Get into the heart of your men with this passage. Every man knows the wild animal of sin that is crouching at his door. He has experienced its consequences in the sin of his parents. He sees how his own disobedience affects others around him. He knows he can be destroyed by its power at any minute. Sin cannot be ignored without great peril to ourselves. Challenge your men to address it directly. Call them to repentance, faith and action.
Remind your men that they are, or can be, forgiven by approaching God in the appropriate way. Not every road leads to heaven. In fact, only one does, through the shed blood of a lamb, Jesus Christ. At the Judgment, God will accept some and reject others. The ones He accepts He does so on the basis of faith in the death of his Son (John 3:16-17).
Camp on Cains question, Am I my brothers keeper? Becoming our brothers keeper is the key to doing the good God talks about in the previous verses. Point out that your men’s team ministry is helping your men to become their brother’s (and sister’s) keeper. Discuss how this process of taking responsibility for their brothers and sisters helps them overcome sin in their lives.
Discussion Questions
- Do you think Adam and Eve were surprised by the outcome of these events? What does this story say about their sin?
- Why do you think no reason is given for God accepting Abel’s sacrifice and rejecting Cain’s?
- Summarize God’s response to Cain’s anger and depression. In what way is this a description of every man’s predicament?
- In what ways has sin been crouching at your door?
- Have you been able to master it?
- What will happen if you don’t?
- In what ways is your men’s team ministry helping you “do what is right” and be your “brother’s keeper”?