The Fallout
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Please turn to Genesis 4
We looked at creation. God made everything and made it “very good.”
Nature, humans
Male/Female in God’s image
Marriage
Work and rest.
Everything is as it should be.
But Adam and Eve listened to Satan and questioned God’s goodness, and chose to go their own way.
Sin. Missing the mark. Falling short of the glory of God. Rebellion.
The wages of sin is death. Romans 3:23
Our relationship with God died.
Death invaded our relationship with each other.
Work is hard. Childbirth is hard. Marriage is a power struggle.
We’ve been driven out of the garden, away from God’s presence and out to work harder land, scraping and struggling.
And eventually we die.
Not as it should be.
And this horrific event, often called The Fall, has fallout. Last effects.
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.”
Did they wonder… Is this the promised one? (Genesis 3:15 promise)
Genesis 4:2
2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.
Cain, the firstborn, follow’s his father’s profession- working the ground. Farming. One of the mandates God gave Adam.
Abel kept the sheep. The first shepherd! Asserting dominance over animals, another of our mandates.
Why were they keeping sheep? Clothing. Remember how God clothed them in chapter 3. But also, sacrifice.
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.
There have been no instructions so far about offering God sacrifices.
However I believe they understood something. What you produce belongs to God and some of it should be returned to him in appreciation. An offering.
Sending it to God via fire may have been used here but we cannot be sure. Some people believe they were bringing this offering to the door of Eden, knowing God was “in there”.
Whatever the case here is what we can know. Notice the wording of the story though. It’s interesting.
Cain brought “an offering of the fruit of the ground”
Abel brought “from the first born of his flock and their fat portions”.
Firstborn and best part vs “an offering of the fruit”.
Some people say “hey Cain should have brought an animal sacrifice too” but we don’t have any evidence of Cain having been told that. The Law of God hasn’t been given yet. And even when it does get given there are instructions about grain offerings and stuff like that.
I believe Abel brought an offering that truly demonstrated a heart of loving God, wanting to give God something that best represented love and appreciation and thankfulness whereas Cain brought “whatever”.
1. God accepts what is offered to Him in true faith and devotion.
a. There are a lot of stories in the Bible of people bringing correct sacrifices as God instructed and God hated it because it was lip service. It was fake. Their hearts were far from God.
b. What God wants is a heart that is near.
c. 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.
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. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.
d. Offerings, singing, service- all done for God. How’s your heart?
e. It is completely possible to do what looks like “all the right things” but for yourself, to impress someone else, and not at all for God. How to know:
i. Is what I do a sacrifice?
ii. When someone doesn’t like what you do, what do you choose to fix and why?
iii. When you don’t get thanked enough, why does that make you mad?
f. Cain’s offering was convenient. And God confronts him.
g. God didn’t like Cain’s therefore…. his “face fell”
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. Hear what God is saying? He’s warning Cain. You know what to do buddy. It’s totally fixable. It isn’t as bad as it could be.
j. But keep letting your heart be disrespectful to me, and being angry instead of repenting… it’ll lead somewhere bad. Sin is crouching at the door like a predator.
k. Remember: sin costs you more than you want to pay, keeps you longer than you want to stay, and takes you farther than you want to go.
l. But you can master it. You have a choice.
m. We all do. Be satisfied in God, do all we can to appreciate, worship, give God our best in every decision or act with dissatisfaction, hoping to satisfy the soul, find Eden in things that are not God or despite God or any other way.
n. Notice the enemy isn’t the snake anymore. It’s Cain himself. Sometimes we’re the enemy.
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
2. God is offering guidance away from harm and toward blessing.
a. First 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.
b. This is a repeat of what happened with his parents. A choice and a warning. Keep God as sovereign or choose your own path.
c. Find blessing in God’s providence or seek it yourself and find curse.
d. You and I are not smarter than God.
e. Is someone facing temptations right now? Feeling judged?
f. God’s calling you away. He’s pursuing you. Listen.
g. What does Cain choose? Here’s the deception of sin. Cain chose what he thought was taking things into his own hands. But God defined it as being devoured by the predator at the door.
3. Choosing against God’s direction leads to disaster.
Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
b. Cain decided that getting God to love him and accept him was to consider Abel a rival and murder him.
c. What to understand for the big picture….Sinfulness passed on to Adam and Eve’s children. Sin passed down to Adam and Eve’s sons. And became violent.
d. So does excusing it.
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”
f. Just like with his parents, God comes with a question he knows the answer to, to start the conversation. Cain responds with sarcasm. I’m not responsible for him. Blame shifting. Just like his parents.
And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.
h. A man in God’s image killed. His blood spilled. Justice demands a response from God.
And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 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.”
j. Tragic. A man kills his brother thinking it would bring him blessing.
k. Instead it brought more curses.
l. Sin will always bring more pain. More suffering. Less Eden and more wilderness.
m. Cain doesn’t like this
Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 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.”
o. This isn’t “I’m sorry I was wrong”. This is “I don’t like the consequence.” Not repentance.
p. However look at what God says…
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. Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
r. God doesn’t want more bloodshed. He wants the cycle of violence to stop.
4. God offers mercy even in our sin.
a. Ultimately it will be stopped when our older brother, Jesus, doesn’t kill us but offers himself to be killed for us.
b. Romans 5:8
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
c. The Gospel
d. We are all broken and live in a broken world. Unless we watch ourselves we choose horrible paths. God is reaching out with the offer of rescue. Will you listen?
Reflection
Prayer
Blessing
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ge 4:1–16). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
