The Ugliness of Sin - Genesis 4

Copyright January 6, 2019 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

We return this morning to our study of the book of Genesis, which means “beginnings.” One of the things we must ever keep in mind when reading this book is the fact that we are seeing snapshots or key moments from the beginning of creation. As we move to chapter four, we have a number of questions that cannot be answered. The text begins this way,

Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the Lord’s help, I have produced a man!” 2Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel.

There are some questions we should be asking:

When did this take place?

Was Cain the first child born to Adam and Eve? Adam and Eve were given a command: be fruitful and multiply. Adam had the great advantage of being able to whisper to his wife: “you know, God did say we should populate the earth!” We are told Adam was 130 years old when he fathered Seth (who we will meet later) It seems unlikely he was merely the third child born to Adam and Eve.

What was the age difference between Cain and Abel? The text merely says “Later.” There could have been dozens (or more) siblings by this time.

How old were Cain and Abel when this account takes place?

The reason these questions are important is because of what comes in verse 17 when we are told Cain and his wife had a child. The questions everyone asks is: Where did Cain get his wife? At the end of verse 2 we read,

When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground.

The Hebrew text doesn’t say “when they grew up” but it is implied that they had grown up and one became a Shepherd and one became a farmer. So, it is likely Adam and Eve (if they were obeying God’s instruction) had many other children at this time.

In verse 3 we have another indication of the passage of time, “In the course of time.”

Depending on how old everyone was at this time, it is possible the world was already populated with dozens if not scores of siblings! It now becomes quite reasonable that Cain took a sibling (or even one of the children of siblings) to be his wife.

What follows next is the story of the first record of an act of violence of man against man. It is a natural progression (or regression) from the first sin of Adam and Eve.

The Sacrifice

3When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. 4Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, 5but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

There is much debate on why one offering was accepted over the other. It boils down to two basic views: It was the wrong kind of sacrifice; or, it was a wrong attitude.

The first view points out that elsewhere in the Bible we are told “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” It is true that the rules for sacrifices were not written down until Moses gave them to the people. But God did cover Adam and Eve with animal skins and may have explained it by the idea of the necessity of a substitute being killed to atone for sin. The fact the brothers were making sacrifices shows there was some instruction on offerings.

However, an animal sacrifice was necessary for a sin offering. This does not seem to be a sin offering. Both men were giving out of what they had at their disposal after the harvest. It appears to be more of a thank offering . . . acknowledging the Lord as the One who blessed them. There not anything wrong with offering grain over an animal in this case.

Notice the way things are worded. Cain presented some of his crops . . . Abel presented the “best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock.” Other versions talk about the firstfruits and fat portions (considered to be the best parts). In other words, Abel gave the best he had to the Lord while Cain made an offering.

This is the same thing we see in the New Testament with the woman and her two coins. Jesus saw all the people giving offerings and then a poor woman gave two small coins, but Jesus commented that others gave out of their surplus and she gave all she had.

Think of it like the difference between finding a gift somewhere to give someone at Christmas (often something someone else gave you that you didn’t want) and carefully looking for just the right gift. You wouldn't dream of giving this person a "throwaway gift" because they mean too much to you. The first is the fulfillment of an obligation, the last shows a deep regard for the person for whom you are getting a gift.

Abel honored God. Cain was trying to keep God off of his back. He fulfilled the letter of the law but not the spirit. God was pleased with Abel’s offering because Abel honored Him. He was displeased with Cain’s offering because Cain was treating Him as somewhat of a nuisance. I hope the applications of this principle are apparent.

The Discussion

The murder doesn’t happen immediately. God sees Cain is displeased and spoke to him.

6“Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? 7You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

Notice a few things. First, our face often reveals what is going on inside of us. It is common knowledge that non-verbal communication often reveals what words do not. For example, a husband asks his wife, “What’s wrong?” and she says “Nothing!” But the attentive husband (which some women would consider an oxymoron) hears the tone, sees the narrowing of the eyes, and the gritting of her teeth, and even notices the clenched fist and knows there is definitely something wrong!

Second, God told him, in essence, he shouldn’t be angry that God was not pleased with his offering. Cain knew what he should do and simply didn’t do it. He also warned him that refusing to do the right thing with the right attitude opens him up to all kind of negative effects. Little compromises inevitably lead to bigger sin. Cain's anger grew until it led to the murder of Abel. On the flip side, big sins always follow a trail of little compromises.

Third, notice Cain had the opportunity to repent. He could have resolved everything by admitting his sin and doing the right thing. Cain’s pride (like ours) prevented him from admitting his wrong. When we do this, we just make the hole we are in deeper. It is essential we make things right with God (and each other) as soon as possible. Sin never stays put. It is like a weed in the garden: you either pull it out by its root or it will keep growing and spreading.

The lesson is simple: do what is right and when you fail, confess is and correct it immediately. This isn’t about being saved by what we do . . . It is about honoring God in the way He deserves to be honored. Deal with sin before it enslaves you.

The Murder

One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him. (8-12)

Once again, a careful reading of the text shows us a few things. First, the murder appears to bepremeditated. Cain seems to have had a plan. He suggested a campout with his brother, and then killed him! He found a secluded spot in the hope of not being discovered.

Remember, Abel had done nothing wrong to Cain. He simply honored God. But that was enough to cause Cain to grow into a fury leading him to kill his own brother. You get the impression that Cain also tried to dispose of Abel’s body somehow to cover his deed. Whenever we do what is right, it casts a light on those who do wrong. People will go to great lengths and believe ridiculous things in order to keep from having to confront their own wrongdoing.

Bitterness, resentment and an unrepentant heart are toxic. Cain seemed to feel that killing Abel would somehow “right the wrong that was done to him.” The problem is, Abel had nothing to do with what Cain did. When we grow bitter, we seem to be able to justify about anything. Wrong behavior looks appealing. Our character is traded for what we think will be an advantage or a few moments of satisfaction. It doesn’t work. Anytime we take matters into our own hands we are showing a lack of faith and trust in the Lord! EVERY TIME.

We read about this every day in the news,

A driver gets cut off in traffic, so he catches up to the other driver and shoots him!

An overzealous mother injures her child's competition for the cheerleading crew.

A child is bullied in school, so the child returns and shoots his classmates.

A ballplayer makes a good play and gets pelted by garbage from the home team fans.

Someone tries to divert attention from their misbehavior by planting all sorts of false rumors and innuendos.

A staff member is fired and sells company secrets to the competition.

The source of all these issues was a growing bitterness and resentment.

The amazing things is, God still reached out to Cain! He asked him about his brother. Cain got sarcastic with God!

9Afterward the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?”

“I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”

10But the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! 11Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood. 12No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.”

13Cain replied to the Lord, “My punishment is too great for me to bear! 14You have banished me from the land and from your presence; you have made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!”

15The Lord replied, “No, for I will give a sevenfold punishment to anyone who kills you.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. 16So Cain left the Lord’s presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. (9-16)

There is something wonderful you may not see here: no matter what you have done, God is reaching out to you. There may be some consequences to your actions, but God still wants you as part of His family. Too many people conclude they could never have a relationship with God because of their past. Cain shows that is not true. Unfortunately, Cain turned away from God. He remained unwilling to take responsibility and confess and repent from his sin. All Cain could see was himself!

As a punishment, Cain will find farming to be one frustration after another. He will no longer be able to farm. In a sense, God made Cain take on his brother's profession. This led to him to a life of nomadic wandering looking for places to graze.

Cain was concerned that his face would be in every post office on a wanted poster offering a reward "Dead or Alive." It is obvious that Cain recognized the heinous nature of his actions. God, in His rich mercy, put a seal of some kind on Cain's head to make him "untouchable" to anyone who wanted to avenge the death of Abel.

The Ripple Effect

Next, the Bible records the descendants of Cain. In this genealogy we read about Lamech,

19Lamech married two women. . . 23One day Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;

listen to me, you wives of Lamech.

I have killed a man who attacked me,

a young man who wounded me.

24If someone who kills Cain is punished seven times,

then the one who kills me will be punished seventy-seven times!”

Lamech is five generations after Cain. And notice what happens. First, we read the first instance of polygamy (marrying more than one spouse). Second, Lamech kills a man who had attacked him. Lamech was wounded and he responded disproportionately . . . killing the man. His response is to point to God's mercy to Cain as if it was license to sin!

This is what happens when sin is entertained. Each sin opens the door for even greater sin by those who come after us. This is one of the practical reasons (besides restoring our relationship with God) repentance is so important. True repentance, a genuine sorrow and turning from sin, in a sense cauterizes the wound so it does not spread. When we lack repentance there is a good chance of the disease spreading. It may be generations before it shows up. Our sin plants seeds of rebellion in those who are near us and come after us.

We seem to conclude that a person who is not punished immediately has "gotten away with it." but delayed punishment does not mean NO punishment. To justify your sin by appealing to the experience of another is severely short-sighted. Just because judgment may be delayed, does not mean it has been overlooked. It is a very foolish thing to presume upon the grace of God.

Conclusions

There are a few lessons for our lives we should take from this account. First, sin alienates us from God so we should confess and repent quickly. Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden because of their sin. Cain was banished to wander. Every time we sin, we build a wall between us and God! Our Holy God does not compromise with sin . . . ever!

We are told we must confess our sin (admit it rather than blame others or plead extenuating circumstances) and repent (turn away from it toward the direction God wants for us). The sooner we do this, the better the outcome will be. Keep short accounts with God. Be honest about your sin with God and with the people around you. That is the only way to avoid the ripple effect.

Second, we cannot pick and choose which commands of God we will obey and how we will obey. God does not put His standards up for a vote. It doesn't matter what society in general does or approves of, God has told us what is right and what is wrong, we have no license to alter His commands. When we appeal to public opinion or point at others who are doing the same thing, we are attempting to justify sinful behavior. Sometimes we even presume upon God's mercy saying something foolish such as, "it's OK, God understands, He will forgive me."

God does understand completely. He knows you think you have the right to change His commands to fit what you want to do! That is the height of presumption and arrogance.

Finally, we must repent of any notion of discipleship that does not also include whole-hearted obedience. We have worked hard to stress the truth that we can do nothing to bring about our salvation. We are saved by a gracious and undeserved gift from God rather than because of anything we have done.

Unfortunately, we often conclude obedience is unnecessary to be a follower of Christ. In other words, God is so glad that we have acknowledged Him that He doesn't care what we do! I hope in stating it this way you see the foolishness of such thinking. God does not save us so we can keep doing what we have always done (i.e. ignore God). Instead He came to bring us back into a relationship with God. He broke the power of sin over us allowing us to cast aside our addiction to sin. We are called to embrace Christ as Savior and Lord. If we do not seek to follow Him, we show we have not embraced Him truly as Savior and Lord.

Cain was religious. He offered a sacrifice. However, He was doing it to appease God rather than out of respect and honor for God. All across our country people do the same thing. They log an hour with God on a Sunday morning, and they forget about Him the rest of the week.

Imagine a couple who gets married and pledges themselves to each other. Let's say the husband shows up once a week for an hour and then goes about living the single life the rest of the time. Has he truly committed to his spouse? Of course not. He is married in name only. Such is the case of those who have a faith that last for one hour a week.

We are called to love and embrace Christ. If we do this, we will look for ways to grow in our relationship. We will walk with God in every aspect of life. We will try to get our heart in synch with His. And it will be our deepest pleasure to do anything that brings Him honor and praise. Not everyone will appreciate our devotion (there are other jealous Cain's in the world). Jesus warned that we would face persecution. When you do what pleases Christ you will live in a way counter to the way of the world. That will bring criticism and sometimes hostility. Plus you will. be facing the armies of Satan. The Lord calls us to love Him so much that we will love Him not matter what anyone says. The basic question is: Will you live your life like Cain or like Abel? Will you play at faith or embrace the Master? It is a simple choice but an exceedingly significant one.