Like father, like son (Stage 5)

So, following their banishment from Paradise (Garden of Eden), let's see what's happening to Adam and Eve:

Genesis 4: 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5;  ''And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.  And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  And in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.  And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof.  And the LORD had respect unto Able and to his offering:  But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth [angry], and his countenance fell.''

So, just why did God have ''respect'' for Abel's offering and not Cain's? 

Was it because Abel's was a''fat'' and healthy ''firstling'' and Cain's was not the first fruits of his labour?

It could have been that Abel's sacrifice involved spilling the blood of a guiltless animal and Cain's did not.

It is entirely possible that the origin of Abel's offering, being animal, and Cain's vegetable was the cause for one, and not the other being acceptable to God ; in Cain offering ''fruit'' of the ground, the very ground which God had cursed, this may have been the reason God rejected his offering.  However, throughout the Bible God accepts both grain and animal offerings according to their purposes. 

We need to look to Paul who provides the answer in his letter to the Hebrews:

Hebrews 11: 4a;  ''By faith Abel offered unto God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts:..''

It was the character of the worshipper that made one and not the other acceptable to God. Abel offered his in ''faith''; Cain obviously did not.

But God seeks to provide Cain with encouragement and corrective guidance:

Genesis 4: 6 & 7:  ''And the LORD said unto Cain,  Why art thou wroth [angry]? and why is thou countenance fallen?  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire [its desire is for you], and thou shalt [should] rule over him.''

God approached Cain in love and offered him a chance to correct his mistake.  Again, as with Cain's father Adam, God asked convicting questions but made no accusations.  He gave him the opportunity to do ''well''; that is, to make the right kind of sacrifice which means having the right attitude. 

''Sin lieth'' - literally ''crouches'' like a lion probably refers to the fact that sin would pounce on him if he did not ''rule'' (master) it.

So, what happened next?

Genesis 4: 8;  ''And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.''

Cain's anger had already been noted (see verses 5 & 6 above).  Now in a fit of anger he murders Abel.  Thus begins the long, long history of human violence and man's inhumanity to his fellow man.  This murder also had to be a heartbreaking reminder to Adam and Eve that the consequence of sin is death (Genesis 2: 17; ''But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die'').

Genesis 4: 9 & 10;  ''And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother?  And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?  And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.''  

Cain's insolence and arrogance are evident in his curt response to God's question ''Where is Abel thy brother''?  First he lied and then he then in jaw dropping truculence he asks a question to avoid answering the question - ''Am I my brother's keeper?''  

''Thy brother's blood'' is plural in Hebrew and may refer to Abel's seed who have been cut off and will never now be born.  ''...crieth unto me...'' speaks of wrongs that cry out to be righted.  This is in stark contrast to the blood of Jesus which cries out for grace (Hebrews 12: 24;  ''And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.'' - more on this is a few weeks' time)

The impenitent Cain was addressed more sharply by God for his disobedience than his father Adam had been:

Genesis 4: 11 & 12;  ''And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.''

Cain was ''cursed''  - just as the serpent had been.  But this was a special curse making it impossible for Cain to be a farmer; his occupation (Genesis 4:2).  He would be a fugitive (Hebrew root meaning ''to wander'' or ''to move'') and vagabond  - conveying the idea of wandering aimlessly for the rest of his life upon God's earth.

Genesis 4: 13 & 14;  ''And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.  Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that everyone that findeth me shall slay me.''

Remarkably Cain, who has just murdered his brother, now blames God for being too harsh! 

Adam hid from God in shame and guilt; and so, turn and turn about - his son Cain ''From thy face shall I be hid''  - must now hide himself.

''Everyone'' is any one finding me; it looks like the idea of blood revenge for death anticipates the potential for other murders to follow.

So in an act of grace and goodness towards Cain, God made provision to 'protect' him - almost making with Cain a 'mini' covenant:

Genesis 4: 15;  '' And the LORD said unto him,  Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.''

One final thought to leave you with using the text from the Amplified Bible:

Ephesians 1: 13 & 14;  ''In Him you also who have heard the Word of Truth, the glad tidings (Gospel) of your salvation, and have believed in and adhered to and relied on Him, were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit.  That [Spirit] is the guarantee of the our inheritance [the first fruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption and  and our acquiring [complete] possession of it - to the praise of His glory.''

In the New Covenant it is the Holy Spirit that leaves a stamp, a mark - that is a ''seal''  - which sets the believer apart - not just for God's protection from death in this world  - but also for an everlasting personal relationship with God in the next.   

Next week The Fall (continued) - ''Ever onwards, and ever downwards! (Stage 6)''