1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.
Eve's Hope
Here, we learn Adam knew Eve, which is the Bible's way of saying they knew one another in the act of sex (1). As an aside, this should be instructive concerning sex. To God, sex isn't the mere collision of bodies who are out for a good time. Instead, though it should be clear because of the design of our sexual organs, God designed sex to be intensely pleasurable, but he always thought of it as a major expression of an intimate relationship. A married couple is to know one another.
It's only in societies like ours that devalue the body, believing the true self is only the soul or feelings or heart, that the body would be treated in such cavalier ways. But God knows you are your body, soul, and spirit, and sex connects you to another person in a powerful way. This is how Adam, in sex, knew Eve (1).
But the point of this passage is that Adam and Eve had offspring. The text does not say these were their only children. The implication is that they had many sons and daughters over a long period of time. Their very long life spans, combined with their healthy bloodlines, would have enabled them to develop a fairly large population in a short period of time.
Two of their children, however, are mentioned here. Cain was born first, then Abel (2). And since Cain was the firstborn, Eve hoped he would be the one to deliver them. She said, "I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord" (1). God had promised her a descendent to win victory over the serpent, and now it looks like Eve hoped Cain would fulfill that promise. We will learn, in a moment, that her hope was misplaced.
Cain and Abel Introduced
But the account details the professional life of both of these sons. Cain was a worker of the ground, a farmer (2). This detail paints Cain as the one who is dealing with one of the direct results of the curse. He had to work the ground. Abel, on the other hand, was a keeper of sheep, or rancher (2).
3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering, he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
Their Worship
Both sons, in the course of time, brought the Lord offerings (3-4). Cain brought of the fruit of the ground (4). Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock (4).
The fact God rejected Cain's sacrifice but had regard for Abel and his offering has led to much speculation about the offerings themselves (4-5). Was the animal sacrifice better than that of produce? Was the firstborn better in quality than the fruit of the ground? Or was Abel more personally invested in worship, while Cain went through the motions? The reader should not be prepared to go beyond what the Scripture records. And, in this instance, there is silence about the defect of Cain's sacrifice and the quality of Abel's.
God's Response
The text doesn't tell us how God had regard or had no regard for these offerings. Some suggest fire fell to consume Abel's. Some think the smoke of Abel's sacrifice ascended, while Cain's floated downward. Others think Abel's flocks flourished after this sacrifice. But the text does not say.
But, remember, ancient Israel would've read Genesis with the hope of learning about God. When inspecting Cain and Abel, they would've wanted to learn about God.
First, they would have seen from this story that God, even from ancient times, is worthy of worship. To sacrifice to and praise him is seen as a worthy pursuit. This was important for Israelite readers to encounter right away in Scripture, especially since they would steward a new sacrificial system of God's design. But this is also important for modern readers; believers are called to worship and serve God in every way he dictates for today.
Second, they would have seen God must be approached by faith. It was not the substance of their sacrifices that differentiated the two sons of Adam and Eve. Israel would've known that because animal and crop sacrifices were prescribed by God. This would have told them something in the heart disqualified Cain. That thing was a lack of faith.
As Scripture unfolds, the reader will discover God is pleased when we come by faith, rather than by merit. And by the time we get to the New Testament era, it is stated plainly it was the faith and merit contrast that differentiated these two brothers.
"By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts..." (Hebrews 11:4)
Cain's Response
The defunct position of Cain's heart, his lack of faith, was evidenced in his response to God's rejection of his sacrifice. God did not regard it, but rather than search for the reason, Cain was very angry, and his face fell (5). Rather than search his heart, he sulked.
Such an outward response betrays Cain's inner feelings. He was not a lover of God who approached him by faith, or else he would have immediately begun looking for the reason God rejected his sacrifice. With humility, he would've received the consequences of his actions.
Cain's response is emblematic of so many who mimic a pattern of religiosity, only to pout when God does not give them their way. Their pouting is evidence of what transpired in their hearts. There was no real longing for God. Their worship, if it can be called worship, is actually self-worship. They are there for themselves, not for God. And the seeds of this Cain-like response are inside all of us.
6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
God's Intervention
We aren't told how The Lord spoke to Cain (6). This is not the focus of the passage. Instead, we are told what the Lord said to Cain, starting with a beautiful question he asked humans ever since: "Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? (6).
God then went on to tell Cain a reverse of his heart was possible. He should not allow sin -- which was crouching at the door -- to rule over him. He must rule over it (7).
First, it seems we are meant to understand the decaying nature of sin through Cain's story. Satan had to talk Eve into transgression. With Eve's son, however, God had to talk him into righteousness. Even then, as we will see, God's pleas were of no avail. Cain was imprisoned in sin.
Second, it seems we are to see the workings of conscience as a gift from God. This is not to say Cain didn't really hear from God, but only his conscience. But God's intervention here has happened in billions of similar ways to billions of similar people. The sin is there. Something within tells us we should turn from its path and rule over its pull.
And both of these truths -- the decaying nature of sin and the tendency of man to ignore his conscience -- scream at us of our need for regeneration. We need a deliverer, someone who will end sin's decay and recreate our inner person, making us new. And we know that person is Jesus!
8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
Cain's Attitude: I'm Not My Brother's Keeper
So Cain blew right through God's intervention and killed Abel when they were in the field (8). His heart is perfectly revealed when God asks him about Abel's whereabouts: "Am I my brother's keeper?" he asked (9).
It is this attitude, one that denies any responsibility for the community, which leads to horrors like murder in the first place. When Cain placed himself first, more important in value than Abel, he became the father of all those who -- through greed, lust, violence, and other means -- exert their power over others.
But God did not mean for us to strive for control of others, but for brotherly love. The gospel restores this, but Cain had lost this.
God's Decree
And God needed to demonstrate the gravity of Cain's error, the terrible nature of murder, by condemning the first murder severely. God knew about Cain's crime, which is why he said, "The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground" (10). God cursed Cain from the ground, making it work against him even more than the initial fall of Genesis 3 (11, 12). His struggles as a farmer would require him to wander from place to place, making him a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth (12).
With all this, murder gained a standout position among other sins mentioned in the Old Testament. When Israel received the law at Mt. Sinai, God instituted the death penalty for murder, but that was only an elaboration of a worldwide, universal death penalty announced after Noah's flood (Genesis 9:6). And, here in Cain's story, we begin to discover the way God values human life. We are not to murder for selfish gain or out of bitter emotions.
13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.
Cain's Response
Cain does not appear to demonstrate or feel remorse for his crime, but God does extend a measure of mercy by protecting him from his supposed enemies (13-14). He thought others might rise up to take the law into their own hands, thereby taking his life (14). So God enabled some sort of protection for the man, saying, "If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold" (15). This was mercy and grace from God.
The Results
Nowhere in the Bible is the mark God put on Cain described (15). We don't know if it was visible or invisible, supernatural or natural. People might have simply left Cain alone, and God might be letting us in on the secret: it was because of his mark. We just don't know.
16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.
Cain departed from the presence of the Lord, settling in a place called Nod, east of Eden (16). There, he grew his family, starting with a son named Enoch (17). He then built a city and called it Enoch (17).
Cain's Wife
This part of the story inevitably brings up the question: where did Cain's wife come from?
There are two possibilities.
The first is that Adam and Eve were only one of the couples God created. As people began filling the earth, the various family members intermingled and began to marry, producing new families. We talked about this view, and its inherent problems when studying Genesis 2.
The second is that the long life spans of that time period allowed for Adam and Eve to have a high number of children who would spread out and build their own lives. They might not have even known one another well. Then they would begin to marry. The assumption is that this wouldn't have the same drastic biological ramifications as it would today, due to the purity of their bloodlines.
This second option, though awkward to modern readers who have a harder time envisioning longer life spans and marriage between close relatives, is especially suggested by Paul's theology. He shows us how sin entered the world through Adam, and that we are all his offspring, broken in sin. Jesus becomes Adam's replacement, and through faith in him, we enter his line (Romans 5).
A City Called Enoch
Notice also how Cain established a city which he named after his son, Enoch (not to be confused with righteous Enoch). Rather than spread throughout the earth to subdue it, Cain advocated for huddling together and building a society with others. And the society described in this passage will be presented as one far from God. But, there they are, living and building on God's green earth.
The reader might be shocked. Cain seems to prosper. But this is an important lesson for the Bible reader. There are times the wicked will flourish. Though in sin, and though God's wrath was on him, Cain continued on and lived a seemingly normal life. This is not designed to demonstrate a lack of care or even leniency on God's part. Instead, it seems meant to place the focus on restoration of the broken relationship between God and man. No matter how great life seems, it is not what it could be if someone is out of relationship with God.
Cain Is Emblematic
Cain's hatred of Abel will show up a thousand times in Scripture, and a billion times in humanity's history. The godly have been persecuted and attacked by the wicked. Righteousness is the constant target of the enemy. This is expected as a result of the fall:
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)
What we see in Cain and Abel will progress through Scripture. Egypt will stifle Israel. Canaan will attack Israel. Israel's wicked kings will attack Israel's righteous prophets. Herod will try to kill baby Jesus. Satan will think he wins when Jesus dies on the cross. And the world is now against the church. What Cain did to Abel will continue until Satan is thrown into the lake of fire at the end of the age (Revelation 20:10).
