Brother against Brother
Notes
Transcript
In 1974 American singer/songwriter Harry Chapin recorded his only chart-topping song “Cat’s in the Cradle.” The song is about a father, too busy to spend time with his son, who offers vague promises about the future. He misses his son’s birth and buys him a ball, but doesn’t have time to play catch. In time, the boy grows up to be like his father, focused on career and other personal pursuits at the expense of his family. The father now old, finally looks back on his life, and longs to have a more meaningful relationship with his son. Sadly, the father comes to realize that his son has followed the same materialistic path, and he loses hope for a close relationship. The last verse concludes with this sad line: “ And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me, he’d grown up just like me—my boy was just like me.” We often fail to recognize that just like other physical and personality traits, our faults and our propensity to certain faults generational.
In time, the boy grows up to become a man very much like his father, focused on career and other personal pursuits at the expense of family relations. As the father grows old and finally has time to look back on his life, he deeply desires to get to know his adult son and have a meaningful relationship with him.
In Genesis’s emphasis on origins, we are reminded that the events of cover at least 2,000 years of human history. That is as much as the rest of Scripture combined. When an author covers that much time in a story, we understand that the events he emphasizes are very important to his point. Perhaps looking at we might find it easy to identify why Moses would include these events in his overview, for we can see the importance of knowing the origin of creation, life, marriage, death, and sin. But as we move to chapter 4 and following we must ask ourselves, why this story? What is Moses trying to help us understand? As we consider those questions about , want to point out some interesting relationships between chapters 3-4.
Sadly, the father comes to realize that his son is absorbed with the same materialistic priorities he had, and so a close relationship will never happen. The last verse concludes with this sad line: “ And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me, he’d grown up just like me—my boy was just like me.”
First, notice that they are in relatively close proximity in time especially considering the narratives to come in . We will jump over multiple generations before we reach Noah and then again before we reach Abraham.
Second, notice a similarity in the sequence of events. In chapter 3 Eve is confronted by the snake (v1-5), then she and Adam sin (v6), then God questions them (v8-11); then Adam and Eve makes excuses and pass blame (v12-13); then God announces the curse (v14-19); finally, Adam and Eve are banished from the garden and blessing. Chapter 4 has a similar layout: In v3-7 Cain is confronted by God; then he commits murder (v8); then God questions him (v9a); then Cain denies (v9b); then God announces his curse (v11-12); and finally, Cain is banished from society and blessing. We’ll talk about some of these in more detail later, but this broad overview reveals this significant development in the narrative. This similar sequence ties the two chapters together.
Third, the two chapters share a similarity of language: 4:7b (“It’s desire is for you, but you must master it.”) uses the same language as God uses in defining Eve’s curse in 3:16b ("Your desire will be to your husband, and he will rule over you.”); God asks a similar question of both Adam and Cain (in 3:9 - God asks Adam, “Where are you?”; while in 4:9 - God asks Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”). Also, God asks Cain and Eve the same question (“What have you done?” cf 3:13 and 4:10). In 3:17 the ground is cursed because of Adam; in 4:11 Cain is cursed from the ground. And there are other more subtle similarities in language.
What does all this tell us? Chapters 3 and 4 are intricately connected. And it is this connection that reveals the point of Cain and Abel’s story: Sin is congenital. In other words, both sin and its consequences are passed down through the generations, driving us to the mercy of God. This is what I want you to remember today and ponder this week: Sin and its consequences are inherited; therefore, we must turn to God for mercy.
Sin and its consequences are inherited; therefore, we must turn to God for mercy.
Sin and its consequences are inherited; therefore, we must turn to God for mercy.
How?
I think we can all agree that as we evaluate Cain, he provides us with a bad example here, but through his bad example we can see three necessary steps of turning to God for mercy.
Believe God’s Word and affirm its truth (v1-5)
Believe God’s Word and affirm its truth (v1-5)
Look at what the Bible says in v1-5
1 Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” 2 Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. 4 Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; 5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.
This passage shows us Eve and Abel as good examples of believing God’s Word.
Notice Eve’s response to her conception and birth of Cain. She says, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” In saying that, she was showing that she believed God on multiple levels: First she believed him when He blessed them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. She also showed that she trusted God’s mercy; God had not only spared their lives, but he was now continuing on their lives through their children. She also showed her faith by believing God’s promise of a seed to defeat the snake. It’s not explicit, but perhaps Eve is expressing her belief that Cain is this promised seed.
I also want you to notice how Abel showed that He believed God’s Word. Moses doesn’t record an instructions to humanity regarding appropriate and inappropriate offerings at this point; however, God does provide us an example in , when He kills an animal to cover Adam and Eve’s shame. Cain’s offering of fruit from plants is subtly connected to Adam and Eve’s inadequate fig leaf coverings in the same way that Abel’s offering a lamb is connected to God’s super-effective leather coverings. We also notice that Abel goes all out in his offering. It’s not just a lamb he offers, but the fattest of the firstborn lambs. Abel offers his best because of his faith. Consider
4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.
By faith, Abel made his offering.
Then there’s Cain. The lack of detail in Cain’s offering contrasts with the details of Abel’s offering indicating that Cain was just going through the motions. He didn’t believe God; he just made these offerings because he was told to; he doesn’t seem to know why. As God evaluates the offerings, the Bible emphasizes the man over the offering itself by speaking of “[the man] and his offering.” This coincides with the Old Testament theme that God’s delight isn’t in the sacrifices themselves, but on the hearts of those performing them; The Bible says in :
Also, as God evaluates the offerings, the Bible emphasizes the man over the offering itself by speaking of “[the man] and his offering.” This coincides with the Old Testament theme that God’s delight isn’t in the sacrifices themselves, but on the hearts of those performing them; The Bible says in :
11 “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.
16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.
Cain’s response to God’s disapproval is also telling evidence of unbelief. Although we don’t know how he knew, it is clear that Cain was aware of God’s disapproval, but instead of repenting and obeying, Cain gets angry. This response to confrontation reveals a heart of pride and self-righteousness that rejects correction. Cain didn’t believe God or he would have submitted to Him instead of angrily sulking because of God’s disapproval.
The implications of this are important:
First, what is your response to God’s Word? Once Adam and Eve sinned they passed on to each of us a tendency to question what God’s Word really means just like Eve did with the snake. We twist God’s Word to feed our lusts, or we minimize it to make ourselves look good. This is part of human nature. But when God works in our lives He changes our attitude toward His Word and provides His Spirit to motivate us to obey God’s Word like Abel did.
Still, even after we become Christians our flesh pulls us to do what we want to do, so we minimize God’s Word like Cain did: We figure out ways to excuse watching immoral movies and television, listening to immoral music, fudging our tax returns, cheating our neighbor or boss, or failing to commit to the body of Christ because the rest of the body doesn’t do things the way we want them done. Those commands about unity in the body and loving the brothers? We twist them to mean uniformity and to love the people that are easy to love.
If you will believe God’s Word, you will not minimize its instructions, but submit to them.
Also what is your response when confronted with truth? When God’s truth confronts your sin or His disapproval of your attitude or actions is expressed, do you get angry? Questioning and minimizing God’s Word is a lack of acceptance of God’s Word. If when you listen to preaching, you find yourself making excuses regarding why you should or shouldn’t have to listen to what is being preached, you are guilty of the unbelief of Cain.
So the first step in turning to God’s mercy is to believe God’s Word, but there is a second step: Confess your sin and acknowledge its destructiveness.
Confess your sin and acknowledge its destructiveness (v6-9)
Confess your sin and acknowledge its destructiveness (v6-9)
Look with me at v6-9
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” 8 Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” 8 Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
In the similarities between chapters 3 and 4 there is this one striking difference. Before Eve’s sin she is confronted by the snake in the garden. He tempts her and draws her into questioning God’s Word leading up to her sin. But here in chapter 4, Cain is confronted by God before his sin. This is significant to our theology of man and sin, for it underscores how humanity has dramatically changed. Before the fall temptation came from outside, a fact illustrated in the temptation of Christ who shared the innocence of humanity before the fall and was not tempted by his own lusts but by the lure of Satan. Unlike his mom Cain doesn’t need confrontation from the snake to be tempted, he needs confrontation from God to prevent him from sinning because the lust were already in his heart. James underscores this reality in
14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
jams 1:14-15
This becomes even more obvious as God confronts Cain. v7 is one of the most difficult verses to interpret in all of Scripture because of various linguistic nuances and word pictures that are hard for us to comprehend being thousands of years removed from the event. That said, I would translate this verse this way, “If you are pleasing to God; wouldn’t you be accepted by God? and if you are not pleasing to God, sin is crouching at the door, and its desire is for you but you yourself can rule over it.” I understand that God is making a statement here about the inherited nature of sin. If Cain, or anyone, was pleasing to God, they would be accepted by God because God accepts the righteous; however, if as is reality, Can and we are not pleasing to God (because sin has been passed on to us through our parents), then sin is always seeking to dominate us. This is the nature of sin in humanity. It is destructive, always seeking to dominate, but there is a way we can dominate sin, and tells us how.
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
If you are pleasing; wouldn’t you be accepted? and if you are not pleasing, sin lies at the gate, and to you is its desire but you yourself can rule over it.
By uniting with Christ in faith, we will no longer be dominated by sin as slaves to sin, but we can do away with the body of sin, that is, we can dominate it.
Just as in chapter 3, the sin is tersely covered providing more emphasis on the events that precede and follow it. So following the murder of Cain, a familiar scene unfolds: God in mercy comes to talk with Cain seeking confession and repentance, but Cain isn’t hiding like his dad did; so God asks him, “Where is Abel, your brother?”
You know, even as Adam and Eve make excuses and blame-shift when God questions them, they at least admit that they ate; they both say, “and I ate” as they made their excuses, but look at Cain’s arrogant denial to God, “I don’t know.” And his arrogant deflection, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
My how far we’ve come. We have moved from excuses and blame-shifting to flat out denial of sin. Instead of confessing and finding forgiveness, Cain pretends like what he did was no big deal.
We have moved
I have already hinted at two implications here:
First, sin is incredibly destructive. We see the destructiveness of sin all over these two chapters, from destroyed relationships to death to murder, sin seeks to destroy us, and if we fail to acknowledge its destructiveness in our lives we are primed for destruction ourselves. Of course we all would affirm the destructiveness of the big bad sins like murder, adultery, immorality, stealing, lying, etc, because we don’t see them in our lives and it is oh so easy to point out the destructiveness of other people’s sins. But let me remind you that Cain’s murder began with pride and self-righteousness. Adultery and immorality begin with selfishness and lust of the eye before anyone ends up in bed. If you fail to acknowledge the destructiveness of your pride, selfishness, lust, and other sins, you will continue to indulge your lustful heart until you bring about a great fall. All of sin is destructive, which leads us to our second implication.
How to deal with it: It isn’t enough only to acknowledge sin’s destructiveness; we must also confess it. Remember confession is admitting what we’ve done and owning it as our own sin and rebellion. That means you have to admit that you’re wrong.
12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
There is great irony in this narrative: We think of Abel as good and Cain as bad, but that facts are that Abel recognized how bad he was and sought the mercy of God, while Cain sat in arrogant self-righteousness and denied his sin. Our Sunday school series on the sermon on the mount has been God’s mercy to us recently to remind us of our sinfulness and our need for mercy. I am afraid that some of us are ignoring our sin and our attitude is more reflective of Cain than Abel. We arrogantly think we’re good when God want us to always see how bad we are and turn to His mercy.
You need to listen to God when He confronts your sin. “There is none righteous” includes each one of us. We’ve go to stop living in our self-righteous fantasy world pretending like we’re good because we’re Christians, and we’re here, and we know the Bible. None of that is because we are good, and it doesn’t earn us favor with God; it is evidence of God’s gracious work in our lives. There is evident spiritual pride and self-righteousness in our church that must be confessed and of which we must repent.
The first two steps in turning to God for mercy are believing God’s Word and confessing our sin; the third step is to discern God’s mercy and accept its availability.
Discern God’s mercy and accept its availability (v10-15)
Discern God’s mercy and accept its availability (v10-15)
Hear God’s Word in v10-15
10 He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. 11 “Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 “When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is too great to bear! 14 “Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 So the Lord said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.
Following Cain’s denial, God confronts his unbelief and his murder, reminding Cain that nothing is hidden from God. Then God pronounces Cain’s curse: The ground will no longer yield strength to Cain and he will become a wandering fugitive on the earth. Cain’s response to this curse is amazing. Cain has ignored God’s word of warning, murdered his brother, denied his sin, and now instead of regret and remorse, he whines about his punishment. “It’s too much to bear,” he says. Cain could not discern the mercy of God. This narrative has nothing good to say about Cain’s lifestyle and actions. Nothing he does is at all good; then on top of it all, he murdered his brother, but he can’t see that God could have killed him. God shows him mercy by sparing his life and shows him more mercy by responding to his whining by marking him and so that no one would kill him.
You too have received mercy. Stop focusing so much on how bad things are for you and start seeing God’s mercy in keeping you alive, in allowing you to enjoy extravagant riches, and in allowing you to hear His Word today. Trust me you deserve worse. You deserve instant death and a second death in the lake of fire. You are a rebel against God, but He has shown you mercy because He offers you righteousness that you could never accomplish on your own, the righteousness of Jesus who lived a completely innocent life. God offers you His innocence because He punished your sin by putting it on Jesus and putting Him to death in your place. Because He was righteous, Jesus rose from the dead, you wouldn’t have. Stop whining about your life; discern the mercy of God to you and accept it today by faith.
God’s mercy is available to us in spite of our congenital sin nature. I implore you today to believe God’s Word in what it says about you as a sinner; confess your sin when confronted with it; and discern God’s mercy in your sinfulness and accept it for yourself.
God’s mercy is available to us in spite of our congenital sin nature. I implore you today to believe God’s Word in what it says about you as a sinner; confess your sin when confronted with it; and discern God’s mercy in your sinfulness and accept it for yourself.
I want to give you one last application fro this text that will test your willingness to believe God’s Word; confess your sin, and accept God’s mercy. Did you notice the repetition in this passage? Every time the Scriptures reference Abel, it’s as Cain’s brother. There is a strong emphasis on the brotherhood of Cain and Abel to emphasize the heinousness of Cain’s murder. But it also provides us with an important application: uses the narrative of Cain and Abel to make a point of application:
11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
Cain did not love his brother and he evidenced it with the evil deed of murder. The repetition of the term brother in makes this an important application to us within the church. defines the church as the household of God. That means that we are brothers and sisters through our identity in Christ. But we tend to downplay this. “We aren’t really brothers,” we say, “it’s just an expression of relationship.” Well, I will grant you that it is an expression of relationship, but a very close relationship. We’ve been adopted by the same Father, thus, in Christ we are really brothers just as much as two boys born to the same parents are brothers. And that means we must love each other like brothers. Unfortunately, in our church we tend to respond like Cain did, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Of course, you’re your brother’s keeper; you’re family. We are so full of spiritual self-righteousness that instead of listening to the Word of God and it’s condemnation of our hateful attitudes toward each other, we excuse our lack of love and refuse to acknowledge our sin. We blame each other for our relationship problems and we never take the necessary steps to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. We make demands of our brothers and sisters that the Scriptures do not make creating superficial tests of fellowship, and yet in our self-righteousness we look the part of the spiritual Christian on Sunday even while we hold disdain in our hearts for each other. Listen brothers and sisters, it shouldn’t be like this. John says that Cain revealed he was of the evil one by slaying his brother; what does your attitude toward your brothers and sisters in Christ say about whose side your on? Maybe our lack of love reveals that some among us are like the Jewish leaders of , we claim God as our Father, but in reality the devil is our father. God continues to show us mercy, but how much longer? Discern the mercy of God and accept it; confess your hatred of your brother and acknowledge your sin of spiritual pride; this is the Word of God to us this morning. Will you believe it or ignore it? May God spare us from the attitude of Cain so that He might spare us from the destruction of Cain.