Genesis 4:1-26

God created the heavens and the earth, and everything he created was “good.” Everything God made was conducive to life. Yahweh Elohim created man in his image and stooped down to breathe into Adam the breath of life. God placed Adam and Eve in a beautiful, bountiful garden with only one command. In Genesis 3, they listened to Satan’s lies and disobeyed God. Sin entered the world, and now life on earth is not the way it was meant to be. Romans 5:12 says it this way,

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

Today in Genesis 4, we’ll consider how sin impacted Adam, Eve, their family, and all humankind.

Genesis 4:1-2
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.

These two verses give us a rich perspective of God’s grace. After the rebellion in the garden, God continues to bless his creation. First, the promise of humanity remained. Adam and Eve had sexual relations, and God allowed them to conceive and have two sons, Cain and Abel. Children are a gracious gift from the Lord (Psalm 127:3). Second, even after Adam and Eve sinned, God continued to partner with them. Eve says, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” Notice she uses the name Yahweh—the name describing God’s personal interaction and covenant with humanity. Third, even though Adam and Eve are no longer allowed in the Garden of Eden, God provides for them with flocks of sheep that Abel shepherded and grain from the fields that Cain tended. Again, following their disobedience, God extends his grace. He does the same for us in our rebellion and sin.

Genesis 4:3-5
In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 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, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.

Cain and Abel brought their offerings to the Lord. To this point, there is no recorded instruction for presenting an offering to God. Remember, we read in Genesis 3:21 that God himself sacrificed animals to clothe Adam and Eve after they sinned. Evidently, God explained to them that bringing an offering was a way of worship, and the first parents passed it on to their sons. Cain was a farmer and brought an offering from the ”fruit of the ground.” Abel was a shepherd and brought an offering from his flock. His offering is described in more detail. He brought the “firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions.” He gave the fattest and healthiest. Some believe that Abel went out of his way to please God while Cain was performing a duty. The writer of Hebrews simply says, “By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did” (Hebrews 11:4 NIV). We are not told exactly why, but God, who looks on the heart, accepted Abel’s offering but did not accept what Cain offered. In response, he became angry and jealous.

This was a critical moment for Cain, and God addressed him directly.

Genesis 4:6-7
The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 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.”

I see three important points in this passage.

• God gives a vivid picture of sin’s threat. It is like a dangerous animal, always ready to pounce on us, just waiting for the right moment. The apostle Peter says the devil, the author of sin, is like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). The peril of sin is never far from us.
• Cain is angry and contemplating giving in to temptation. God reminds him that it’s not too late to resist sin and experience God’s favor. He tells Cain to “rule over” his temptation to disobey. And we know God will always provide us help when we are tempted. Here’s what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13,

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

• God cautions Cain that his desire to sin “is contrary to you.” It is not who God made him to be. This is a strong reminder that God desires obedience. When we sin, we are stepping off the path that God has for us. We are acting contrary to the new and redeemed life that God has given us through Jesus.

Cain refused to listen to God. He attacked his brother and killed him. Remember, there are always consequences to our sin. Galatians 6:7 admonishes us that whatever we sow, we will also reap.

When God confronted Cain and asked, “Where is Abel your brother?” Cain responded in a flippant lie, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” But God went straight to the issue. He sentenced Cain to be a “fugitive and a wanderer on the earth” (Genesis 4:12). Cain was concerned that because he had killed Abel, others would hunt him down and kill him. But even in Cain’s punishment, God was gracious. He put a mark on Cain to warn others that if anyone tried to harm Cain, “vengeance shall be taken on [them] sevenfold” (Genesis 4:15). Cain left God’s presence and settled east of Eden in the land of Nod.

The rest of Genesis 4 gives a list of Cain’s descendants. There is one descendant I’d like to point out; a man named Lamech.

God’s intention for marriage from the beginning was one man and one woman committed to each other for life. But in this fallen society, Lamech acts as if he knows better than God and married two wives (Genesis 4:19). Listen to his arrogance.

Genesis 4:23-24
Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.”

The man who decided he had a better plan than God concerning marriage also justified murdering someone in self-defense. Evidently, Lamech got into a fight with a young man and killed him. He knew God had declared that anyone who sought revenge on Cain for killing Abel, vengeance would be taken “sevenfold.” Now, Lamech takes the place of God by his self-proclamation that if he is killed for taking a man’s life, vengeance would be “seventy-sevenfold.”

Cain is an example of the devastation of sin and its consequences. Lamech is an example of how sin hardens our hearts, allowing arrogance and pride to take over.

Even in a society infected with sin, God remained gracious. Adam and Eve had more children. The population of the earth begins to spread. And “people began to call upon the name of the Lord” (Genesis 4:26). That’s where we will start next time.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read Genesis 4:1-26—Take time to reflect on God’s interaction with Cain. How can you depend on God’s strength when you, like Cain, are tempted to take matters into your own hands?

Prayer and Application
God told Cain, “…Sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7). Pray that God will give you the strength to depend on him and resist sin in moments of temptation.

Have Questions?
We’d love to help! If you have any questions about today’s reading or teaching, please feel free to ask. Our team is here to assist you as you explore God’s Word. Simply submit your question below, and we’ll get back to you soon.