August 12, 2002
LifeWay Family Bible Series for Aug. 25
High cost of sin often is not readily apparent
___Genesis 4:1-26
___By Barbara Kent
___University Baptist Church, Fort Worth
___Genesis 4 is the story of the blossoming of sin in the world, the fruition of sin. It is the story of Cain and Abel.
___Last week, our study focused on the introduction of sin into God's creation and the results thereof. Sin caused a disruption in the relationship between God and his creation. The consequences were far more serious than Adam and Eve could have imagined when they chose to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree.
___Those consequences reached quickly and devastatingly into the relationship between their first two sons. What a price to pay for a piece of fruit, but the issue was not the fruit but their failure to trust God and their desire to be like God (3:5).
___Two bouncing baby boys
___Adam and Eve now lived outside the Garden of Eden, where they spent their days working the ground (3:23). In the course of time, Eve became pregnant and gave birth to a son they named Cain (v. 1). Eve regarded the birth of this child as a gift from God, for she said, "With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man" (v. 1). Some time later, another baby boy was born to the family of Adam and Eve. This son they named Abel. Surely the births of the boys were occasions for joy. Adam and Eve could not foresee what would develop in the relationship between the two boys and its ultimate outcome.
___The Bible gives no indication they ever made the connection between their own sin against God and what happened to their first two sons. However, one has to wonder what they pondered in their hearts as events developed.
___Cain followed in his father's footsteps and became a farmer, a tiller of the soil. The younger son, Abel, became a shepherd, a keeper of flocks. Their choices of different professions would seem to be a good thing. There should not have been competition but cooperation. Such was not the case.
___Trouble brewing and erupting
___Who would imagine that bringing an offering to God would end so tragically? What happened to cause it? Again, there is no record that the Lord commanded the bringing of an offering, but Cain and Abel both decided to make an offering to God from the bounty he had given them.
___Abel brought the best of his flock, "fat portion" (v. 3, NIV) or "firstlings" (v.3, KJV). Cain simply brought "something" to the Lord. There is nothing in the text to indicate that he brought the best of his crops.
___The omission of the term "first fruits" from Cain's offering is conspicuous and provides a clue to the Lord's response to Cain. God was concerned more with the attitude of the giver than the offering itself. If the worshipper brings an offering to God with an impure heart, God will be displeased, no matter what the offering.
___We are not told how Cain knew the Lord was displeased with his offering, but we are told Cain's reaction to it. He reacted with anger and hostility (v. 5), perhaps a further indication of the attitude with which he brought the offering.
___A heavenly Father's wise counsel
___Apparently Cain did not bother to hide his anger and hostility from anyone, including the Lord. But God, in his love and mercy, approached Cain and tried to warn him of the danger of his anger (v. 6). He looked into Cain's heart and saw sin as the root cause of the problem. God gave Cain a specific and clear warning against letting the sin in his heart fester and grow. He warned Cain the sin in his heart desired to master him, but he indicated Cain could choose whether or not to let it happen (v. 7).
___Cain's foolish response
___God had said nothing about Abel's offering being better than Cain's. However, Cain focused his anger against Abel, apparently blaming him for God's displeasure with his own offering. He lured Abel out into the field, where he killed him (v. 8).
___Again, God approached Cain. He asked, "Where is your brother, Abel?" God's question was not asked to gain information, but to confront Cain with his sin. Cain was firmly in the grip of the sin in his heart, for he replied: "How should I know? Am I that kid's keeper?" (v. 9).
___Sniveling in the face of sin and its consequences
___God's swift response to Cain's sin speaks volumes. In effect, God said to Cain, "Don't mess with me! You know what you did and so do I" (v. 10). God's punishment on Cain's sin was severe (vv. 11-12), and Cain's response is pathetic (vv. 13-14). In spite of that, God tempered his judgment with mercy and promised Cain he would not allow him to be killed (v. 15). Thus, this sad and tragic story ends with the words, "So Cain went out from the Lord's presence ..." (v. 16).
___Sin disrupts relationships between God and man and between people. Is sin worth that?
___Questions for discussion
___
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