The Way of Cain is a path to avoid

Summary of Genesis 4:1-16

Eve begins to have children. Her firstborn is Cain and he figures prominently in Genesis 4

Cain wants to do things his own way, including his approach to God.

God calls him out on this and Cain gets angry

Cain allows himself to be mastered by sin and because he is jealous of his brother, Cain murders him.

Cain is not repentant about the murder, and he even complains to God about his sentence when God punishes him.

Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden when they sinned; Cain was removed from the presence of God when he sinned

Examining the Two Paths of Genesis 4:17-26

The second part of Genesis 4 displays two differing ways of living. The first path (or Kingdom) presented (Gen 4:17-24) is the way of Cain. The second (Genesis 4:25-26) is the way of Seth.

The Way of Cain

Mastered by sin and murdered his brother

Not repentant, and complained about his punishment

Did not appreciate God’s grace of protection

Disobeyed God by building a city (God cursed him to be a wanderer)

His descendants focused on worldly pursuits - animal husbandry, arts and music, metallurgy

His great -great - great grandson (5th generation) Lamech was the first polygamist

Lamech also murdered a young man and boasted about it! He magnified his sin by comparing it to Cain’s murder and played the “one up” game!

The Way of Seth

Seth had a son named Enosh who instituted public worship (Gen 4:26)

Seth’s great - great - great grandson (5th generation) was a godly man who walked with God (Enoch)

Seth’s descendents are in the line of Messiah

Contrast of the 2 paths

The siren call of the world (the way of Cain) seemingly has much more to offer

The way of Cain receives more attention

For Consideration: Adam lived for 930 years and Seth lived for 912 years. The text does not mention Cain’s lifespan, but it was probably comparable. All those years and they only have a couple of verses in the Bible. Not to downplay the truth that they are included in the Bible - that’s a big deal! But the point is that 99.99% of their lives are unrecorded.

Obedience is a long way in the same direction. The daily existence of jobs and school and work and dealing with sickness, vehicle maintenance, aging parents, rebellious children, etc. can make a person wonder if following Jesus makes a difference. Especially when the world seems to offer so much

Mark 8:36 KJV 1900

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?