sermon20220918 The Second Original Sin
Notes
Transcript
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. 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.” 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.” 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. 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.” 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.
Is there grace and faith in the OT?
Does your red letter Bible have any red letters in the OT? Is Jesus in the OT?
Where is the first mention of prayer in the Bible?
What is the essential and absolutely necessary ingredient of true worship?
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
Genesis 4 addresses 3 vitally important issues in the life of the NT believer:
the loneliness of spiritual death, the essential ingredient of worship, and the unrestrained evil that spiritual rebellion brings.
Believers who seek to live in this fallen world must rely upon the power of prayer and the power of the Savior who rules from a throne of grace.
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
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.
The modern reader receives Genesis best, then, when he or she cooperates with Moses’ own purpose in writing the book. It is the front end of the grand narrative of creation, fall, and redemption—a narrative that has reached a glorious point in the resurrection of Jesus, the down payment of its even more glorious consummation. The story is of a good world made by a good God and man’s role in that world, the story of how the stain of sin affects everything, the story of how God intends to reverse those effects. - The ESV Study Bible
Genesis is not about science versus creation, it is about good versus evil, faith versus rebellion.
(1) The loneliness of spiritual death
Genesis 4:1 (ESV)
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.”
knew - it is certainly a euphemism for sexual intimacy but there is more here.
And now we move on in the text
2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.
We move on:
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.
(2) The necessity of true worship
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.
Regard - Everything important about life is found in the first three chapters of Genesis. Well, almost everything. We might have to include this story about Cain and Abel since it describes the second original sin. What it reveals about worship, God’s character and the nature of sin is so important that this passage might have to be added as an appendix to the original three chapters. So, what do we learn here?
We find that the Hebrew word translated “regard” is literally “to look at” (sha’ah). It can have both positive and negative connotations (as we see in this story). So, God looked favorably on the offering of Abel, but He looked unfavorably on the offering of Cain. The pictograph of this word tells a deeper story. The consonants Shin-Ayin-Hey describe the phrase, “what comes from seeing what is to be consumed.” That is a visual description of a sacrifice. So, God didn’t just look at what these brothers brought. He examined it with regard to its appropriate sacrificial quality. He looked to see if it was worthy to be consumed in worship. This is the first lesson, found buried in the verb. Offerings to God will be examined for worthiness. What is not acceptable will be rejected.
We need to understand the full ramifications of this Torah principle. Just giving isn’t good enough. There is a necessary and essential examination process. No credit falls on the gift or the giver simply because it is offered. In later biblical elaboration, we discover the reason that Cain’s sacrifice was rejected. Cain didn’t bring his best. He thought that any gift was good enough. He was dead wrong.
In this story we learn that there are specific requirements for appropriate worship of the Most High God. They might not be spelled out in detail in Scripture but a little reflection on the text reveals them. There is no prior instruction in Scripture that tells Cain and Abel what to present in their offerings, but we can easily assume that they knew what to do. Their instruction was oral but it was nonetheless valid. We are more fortunate. We have it all written down. We know the requirements (if we bother to read them). They have not changed. Just because we bring our tithes and offerings does not make them acceptable. More is required than presentation.
We move on:
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.” 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.
(3) The unrestrained evil that spiritual rebellion brings
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.”
The beginning of the two lines - one seeking to fulfill the will of God and the other performing the will of Satan
The Lord offers grace to Cain, but Cain rejects it. And shows no sign of remorse.
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?”
Just as Adam blamed the woman, Cain blames both Abel and then God for his sinful actions.
The death of Abel must be seen as an attempt to destroy the promised seed.
The revenge of Lamech highlights the plunge of mankind into further sin.
(4) Believers who seek to live in this fallen world must rely upon the power of prayer and the power of the Savior who rules from a throne of grace
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.
Will evil triumph? The introduction of Hope with the birth of Seth. The line of Seth will ultimately lead to Jesus.
16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.