Bible Study: Genesis 4
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good Morning
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Let’s pray
Text: Genesis 4:1-2
Text: Genesis 4:1-2
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.”
2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.
In this chapter we will see how mankind plunging further into sin, with Cain murdering his brother and his descendant Lamech taking indiscriminate revenge.
Although they have been expelled from the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve are enabled by God to have two sons.
With them rests the hope of an offspring who will overcome the serpent.
When Cain callously murders his righteous brother Abel, however, evil seems to triumph.
Any hope that Cain’s descendants will reverse this trend appears remote when Lamech boasts of killing a man simply for striking him.
Against this background the brief announcement of Seth’s birth to replace Abel offers fresh hope.
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So, let’s start by looking at the first two verses of Chapter 4.
In verse 1 the phrase “Adam knew Eve” is a reference to sexual intercourse...
We know this as the Hebrew word for “know” is used here to denote the sexual intimacy of the marriage relationship.
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The phrase “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord” shows how humans, both originally and presently, owe their existence to God.
Woman originally came from the man but now man comes forth from the woman.
The sexes are dependent on each other, and both are dependent on God.
This brings to mind the truth found in 1 Corinthians 11:8–12 which says:
8 For man was not made from woman, but woman from man.
9 Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.
10 That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.
11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman;
12 for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.
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Now, Some biblical scholars believe that the boys may have actually been twins...
The reason for this is that no time element intervenes between verses 1 and 2...
It is possible but we can’t know that for sure.
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The name “Abel” means “breath,” “vapor,” or “nothing” with the connotation of “perishable,” a somber prophecy of what follows.
Text: Genesis 4:3-7
Text: Genesis 4:3-7
3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground,
4 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,
5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?
7 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.”
Now it should be noted that although Cain and Abel have contrasting occupations and present different types of offerings to God, the present episode is not designed to elevate herdsmen over farmers, or animal offerings over plant offerings.
One way to explain why God had regard for Abel and his offering, but not for Cain, is to posit that Abel’s offering, being of the firstborn of his flock, is a more costly offering, expressing greater devotion.
As the author and owner of life, God is entitled to the first share produced by plants, animals, and men, and to the best of what a worshiper had to offer.
Abel brings both the first and the best; Cain brought neither.
The phrase “the Lord had regard” in verse 4 shows that God sees the heart.
This brings to mind passages like 1 Samuel 16:7 which says:
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
So, the worshiper and his offering are inseparable...
By faith Abel is commended as a righteous man when God speaks well of his offerings...
Without faith neither Cain nor his offerings are pleasing to God.
Consider the truth found in Hebrews 11:4 which says:
4 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.
And consider the contrast to that truth in Hebrews 11:6 which says:
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
That was the major difference between the sacrifice Abel offered and the one Cain presented.
Additionally, Abel’s offering was acceptable because it was in every way obediently given according to what God must have revealed (though not recorded in Genesis).
Cain, disdaining the divine instruction, just brought what he wanted to bring: some of his crop.
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In verse 5 when it records that Cain is very angry we see that Cain’s failure in worship and his subsequent angry response are basic to his unethical behavior.
Rather than being repentant for his sinful disobedience, Cain was hostile toward God, whom he could not kill, and jealous of his brother, whom he could kill.
This brings to remembrance 1 John 3:12 which says:
12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.
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Yet, before Cain falls into the great sin of murder, we witness the Lord’s words challenging Cain to do better.
He still has the possibility of turning, evidently with God’s help, to please God.
To succeed in doing this, however, he must overcome the domination of sin, presented here as a wild beast seeking to devour Cain.
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God reminded Cain that if he had obeyed God and offered the animal sacrifices God had required, his sacrifices would have been acceptable.
It wasn’t personal preference on God’s part, or disdain for Cain’s vocation, or the quality of his produce that caused God to reject his sacrifice.
God told Cain that if he chose not to obey His commands, ever-present sin, crouched and waiting to pounce like a lion, would fulfill its desire to overpower him.
So, knowing Cain’s heart, God warns him not to submit to the murderous temptation of the devil.
Text: Genesis 4:8-12
Text: Genesis 4:8-12
8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.
11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
12 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.”
Here we witness the first murder in Scripture.
Cain rejected the wisdom spoken to him by God Himself, rejected doing well, refused to repent, and thus the crouching sin pounced and turned him into a killer.
We also see the fracturing of family ties by sin...
This began in chapter 3 with the fall of man and quickly reaches the extreme of murder.
Seeking autonomy from God like his parents, Cain usurps divine sovereignty over life.
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Jealousy, coupled with anger at God, causes Cain to slay his own brother without pity.
The heinousness of this spiteful murder reveals that sin has mastered Cain.
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Take note of what Cain says in verse 9 when he says “am I my brother’s keeper?”
We can see Cain’s sarcasm was a play on words based on the fact that Abel was the “keeper” of sheep.
Additionally, when the Lord confronts Cain with his crime, Cain’s cold hearted nature causes him to deny any knowledge about his brother and Cain shows no sign of remorse at all.
So, in addition to murder we see that lying was resulting from Cain’s attitude of indifference to God’s commands.
Sin was ruling over him and completely corrupting him like a cancer.
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Notice that whereas Abel’s blood cries out for vengeance, Christ’s blood cries out for forgiveness as see in passages like Hebrews 12:24 which says:
24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
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In verses 11 and 12 we see that Cain’s punishment is linked to his crime.
He will no longer be able to cultivate the soil because his brother’s blood cries out to God from the ground.
Cain’s sentence adds to the alienation between man and the ground that has already been introduced in Genesis 3:17–18.
Underlying these punishments is a principle that recurs throughout Scripture:
Human sin has a bearing on the fertility of the earth.
Whereas God intended humanity to enjoy the earth’s bounty, sin distances people not only from God himself but also from nature.
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The phrase “cursed from the ground” is a second curse came from God affecting just the productivity of the soil Cain would till.
To a farmer like Cain, this curse was severe, and meant that Cain would all his life be a wanderer, “a vagrant and a wanderer.”
Whereas in Genesis 3:17–19 the ground is cursed so as not to yield its produce without frustrating labor...
Now Cain is cursed to become a fugitive without a permanent place and security.
Text: Genesis 4:13-16
Text: Genesis 4:13-16
13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 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.”
15 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.
16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Cain is immediately conscious of the severity of his punishment.
He is to be alienated from both the ground and God.
Yet, Cain responds of self-pity instead of repenting for his sin against God and his brother is another reflection of his heart.
He fears physical and social exposure but not the God who made him.
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While this may seem like a very lenient sentence, it meant that Cain would become a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.
Alienated from the rest of human society, Cain fears that others will have such a dread of him that anyone finding him will kill him.
The reader is not told who those others might be but it does show that the population of the earth was, by then, greatly increased.
As a wanderer and scavenger in an agrarian world, Cain would be easy prey for those who wanted his life.
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By way of reassuring Cain, the Lord states that sevenfold vengeance will come on anyone who kills him and then the Lord puts a mark on Cain.
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Like his parents, who were sent out of the garden, Cain is forced to move away from the presence of the Lord...
Additionally, Moses seems to be implying that this is true of Cain’s offspring as well, since the following verses we will cover regarding his offspring lack any mention of God.
Presumably Cain moves farther to the east of Eden and settles in a region that is appropriately known as Nod, which in Hebrew means “wandering.”
Text: Genesis 4:17-24
Text: Genesis 4:17-24
17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.
18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech.
19 And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
20 Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.
21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.
22 Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
23 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.
24 If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.”
These verses provide selective information about Cain’s descendants, concluding with a description of Lamech, who boasts of having taken revenge “seventy-sevenfold” by killing a man who wounded him.
Seven generations on from Cain, Lamech resembles his ancestor, but seems to be even worse.
Just look at how destructive sin is.
From generation to generation the curse of sin keeps passing down.
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Take note of this...
The seventh person listed from Adam through Cain and through Seth are the ungodly Lamech from the line of Cain and the godly Enoch (Genesis 5:24) from the line of Seth...
They both stand in sharp contrast to each other.
The former inflicted death while the latter did not die.
Again, another example of who righteousness or unrighteousness can pass down from generation to generation...
If sin is unchecked they unrighteousness will follow...
If we surrender to the Lord and live righteous lives then it will be more than likely our future generations will follow.
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When verse 17 says that “Cain knew his wife” it would have been understood that Cain’s wife was obviously was one of Adam’s later daughters.
However, by Moses’ time, this kind of close marriage was forbidden, because of genetic decay.
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A few notes on Cain’s offspring include:
Jabal mentioned in verse 20 invented tents and the nomadic life of herdsmen so common in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Jubal mentioned in verse 21 invented both stringed and wind instruments.
And Tubal-cain mentioned in verse 22 invented metallurgy.
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So, seven generations after Cain, Lamech is born.
Lamech represents a progressive hardening in sin with polygamy (which is an abuse of the marriage institution that God has intended from the beginning to be monogamous) and a grossly unjust vendetta.
Additionally, Lamech expresses and indeed celebrates his deepening depravity by his song found in verses 23 and 24.
So, Lamech killed someone in self-defense.
And he told his wives that they need not fear any harm coming to them for the killing because if anyone tried to retaliate, he would retaliate and kill them.
He thought that if God promised 7-fold vengeance on anyone killing Cain, He would give 77-fold vengeance on anyone attacking Lamech.
However, Lamech’s response is out of proportion to the injury, showing his inordinate vengefulness.
This, like his polygamy reveals his depravity.
His behavior reveals that the line of Cain is dominated by those who have no regard for the lives of others or respect for the principle of monogamy that Genesis 2:23–24 endorses.
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So, the depth of Lamech’s depravity is evident in his arrogant assurance and self-reliance (in contrast to Cain’s fear).
Note the contrast with Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18:21–22 which says:
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
Text: Genesis 4:25-26
Text: Genesis 4:25-26
25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.”
26 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.
In summary of what we have studied at this point we see that in the light of God’s promise that an offspring of the woman will overthrow the serpent, the birth of two sons to Eve is significant.
However, the narrative takes a sinister twist when Cain kills Abel.
The prophesied hostility between the offspring of the serpent and the offspring of the woman takes shape immediately in the hostility of ungodly Cain against godly Abel and in the contrast of Cain’s ungodly offspring with the godly line of Seth.
Then there is a horrendous escalation of sin from Cain to Lamech.
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Having traced Cain’s line for seven generations, the narrative goes back in time to report the birth of another son to Eve.
So, the final verses of this section suddenly jump back to Adam and Eve in order to report the birth of their third son, Seth.
Eve’s remark, God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, is clearly an allusion back to the offspring of the woman in Genesis 3:15 which says:
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
The potential of Seth’s birth is immediately underlined by the observation...
That at that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD, i.e., to seek him in public worship.
So, as men realized their inherent sinfulness with no human means to appease God’s righteous indignation and wrath over their multiplied iniquities, they turned to God for mercy and grace in hopes of a restored personal relationship.
Details are not given, but the implication may be that this calling on the Lord’s name began in Adam’s own family circle.
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With Cain removed as the older brother and heir of the family blessing, and with Abel dead, God graciously gave Adam and Eve a godly son through whom the seed of redemption would be passed all the way to Jesus Christ.
Also, please note that the name “Seth” is derived from the Hebrew verb translated “appointed,” and expresses Eve’s faith that God will continue the covenant family in spite of death.
So, the line of Seth appears to be a more godly line, corresponding to the promise of the offspring of the woman, while Cain and his descendants correspond more to the offspring of the serpent.
The line of Seth ultimately leads to Christ as seen in the Gospel of Luke’s genealogy of Jesus which concludes in Luke 3:38 and which says:
38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Please join me one more time in prayer.