Genesis 4

The descendant of the woman would defeat the power of evil, but who would this descendant be, and how quickly would he come? Eve's first child would be the murderer of Eve's second child. Neither one could be the savior that all humanity needed. Life did not come through Cain or Abel. Death came through the horror of one brother murdering another.

The two brothers were different. The first child worked the land and his younger brother was a keeper of sheep. Two lives are captured in just a few words. Both were bringing something to the Lord out of who they were, out of what they could do. Yet the Lord had regard for one offering, the blood sacrifice, and not for the other, the grain offering brought by Cain. But why? We are not told. Only that God, who knows what is in a man, had regard for the man, Abel, and for his offering. And this same perfectly wise and righteous God had no regard for the man, Cain, and for his offering.

So now what? A teachable moment for a humble heart. But for a proud heart, envy, and eventually, a plan and an attack. God gives grace to the humble. If Cain had a heart willing to be low before the Almighty, he could have learned from his brother and changed.

The Lord offered him the way out: “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted?” There was also a gracious warning: “If you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” Sin must be resisted. Cain chose instead the destruction that comes from nursed hatred and unbelief. Cain knew that God was real, but he imagined that he could hide his sin from God.

Cain should have been a protector and helper of his younger brother. He should have rejoiced when God accepted Abel and his sacrifice. He should have found room in his heart to learn from his younger brother. But he rose up against his brother and killed him. He pretended ignorance and spoke with disrespect to Almighty God. The Lord asked, “Where is Abel your brother?” Cain lied, “I do not know,” and then added the phrase that still makes its way into conversations all over the world where Genesis is known: “Am I my brother's keeper?”

God knew the truth. Abel's blood in the ground spoke a word of envy, hatred, and murder to the One who could never be fooled. Cain had loved the ground, but now Adam's punishment of thorns and thistles would be further experienced by his firstborn, and Cain would have to flee.

Does he express to God remorse for his sin? He speaks of himself and about his fears. He imagines that those fears are settled facts. He goes too far, assuming that God will not protect him. He believes that he will now be murdered. But the Lord has a plan for Cain and for his descendants, and he puts a mark on him that has some providential purpose in his continued existence. Then Cain did go away from the presence of the Lord.

We find indications of other people in this account, but we are not told of their origins. Cain feared that others would kill him. What others? Cain has a wife. Where did she come from? We need not answer these questions. Where God is silent, why should we feel obliged to speculate? The story of mankind proceeds on God's terms. We don't need to have an answer for everything.

The generations move along. Cain and his wife have Enoch. He built a city and named it after his boy. This line of Cain continues on for generations. Eventually a descendant comes who is given the name Lamech. He has two wives. That is the first we hear of such a practice. There are at least three clans that come forth from his children, and they are known by what they are good at. Noteworthy developments are mentioned in nomadic living, music, and metallurgy.

Lamech asserts his pride in his speech to his wives. When a man wounded him, he killed that man. God had told his ancestor, Cain, that if anyone took his life, he would be avenged seven-fold. Lamech says that he will be avenged far more than that, seventy-seven-fold.

The world has become a very dangerous place. Paradise seems very far away. We long for the arrival of the true Seed of the woman who will deal a death blow to evil. Yet we are reminded that when He comes, He will also suffer injury. But the blood that He sheds on the cross will speak a much better word than the blood of Abel. The blood of Christ declares a word of forgiveness before the throne of God for those who belong to the Lord. As those who have believed in the power of that blood, we move forward with forgiveness for others, not just seven times, but seventy-seven.

The line of Cain is gone from the earth today, entirely lost in the flood. But Eve bore another son, Seth. From that line would come Noah, and from the descendants of Noah, after many generations, would come the Redeemer. All who call upon His Name shall be saved.