GENESIS LESSON 10


    Genesis 4:1 "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and
bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD." Genesis 4:2
"And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep,
but Cain was a tiller of the ground."

     Tilling the ground and keeping the sheep were both honorable
trades. It seems both sons worked.

     Genesis 4:3 "And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain
brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD." Genesis
4:4 "And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of
the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his
offering:"

     So many do not understand the reason why God appreciated Abel's
offering, and did not accept Cain's. I believe it had something to do
with the Lamb sacrifice. God would require a firstling of the flock
(lamb) sacrifice connected with forgiveness of sins. God required the
blood of a lamb for sacrifice. Without the shedding of blood there is
no forgiveness of sin. Hebrews 9:22 "And almost all things are by the
law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission."

     We do not fully understand why this is necessary, but we do
understand that from the beginning this was so. God Himself killed an
animal and made aprons for Adam and Eve (sacrificing for them). When
the law was given, much detail was given about the necessity of a Lamb
sacrifice.

     Cain's offering was earthly. It had no blood sacrifice.

     Genesis 4:5 "But unto Cain and to his offering he had not
respect.  And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell."

     It is a very dangerous thing to get angry with God. God does not
have to explain the reason for the things He does. We just have to
comply with His wishes. He (Cain) was not just angry with God. He was
jealous of his brother. His jealousy drove him to commit another more
serious sin. It is dangerous to harbor jealousy. It generally leads to
additional sin, even now.

     Genesis 4:6 "And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and
why is thy countenance fallen?" Genesis 4:7 "If thou doest well, shalt
thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the
door. And unto thee [shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over
him."

     God judges the heart. He saw that Cain's heart was full of sin,
jealousy, and even murder. God would not require something that was
impossible to do. Cain was trying to take a short cut.

     He offered what was easy to acquire and would cost him very
little. Cain brought an offering of his choice, rather than an
offering that would please God. So many times we choose to do what we
want to do, and not what God has called us to do. When we fall on our
faces in failure, we want to blame anyone, or anything, except
ourselves for our failure. God  has a perfect plan. We are not happy
until we fit into that plan.

     God even mentions, to Cain, that Cain was the firstborn and
would actually rule over his brother, if Cain would straighten up and
do what was right. God reminded him that, even then, he was plotting in
his heart a terrible sin.

     Genesis 4:8 "And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came
to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel
his brother, and slew him."

     Cain's jealousy had now come to produce a terrible sin. When they
were alone (no arbitrator) Cain killed Abel. This terrible sin is
prominent in families even today. Statistics tell us that 25% of the
murders, or 1 out of 4 murders, are committed by members of the
family. In fact, the immediate family. Brothers are very seldom alike 
and jealousy springs up many times when parents show a special love for
one over the other. From the meaning of their names, Abel-breath, 
Cain- acquired or smith, spear)it appears that Eve favored Cain. There is 
never a reason to murder. Killing in war, or to defend yourself, is 
not murder. Jesus said that when you hate your brother that you have 
committed murder already in your heart.

     Genesis 4:9  "And the LORD said unto Cain, Where [is] Abel thy
brother? And he said, I know not: [Am] I my brother's keeper?

     Cain's answer to God was an angry response. Cain probably
thought, if he could get rid of this brother, it would put him in
better standing with God. (No competition)

     How many times today do we hear this cry, "Am I my brother's
keeper?" In God's sight, yes, we are our brother's keeper. If we see a
brother in need and turn our backs, God will count it against us. The
same in reverse is true. If we help others, we will be blessed of God
for it. "In as much as ye have done it to the least of these my brethren 
ye have done it unto me." (Part of Matthew:25-40)

     In Matthew 10 verse 42, we read in Jesus' own words. "And
whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of
cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he
shall in no wise lose his reward."

     Yes, we are our brother's and sister's keepers. Some people have
the wrong impression about wealthy people. Most of them that I know
are very generous people, willing to help when they see a need. It is
not their wealth that sends them to hell. It is the worship of their
money. I love the Scripture in 1st Timothy 6:17-19, that explains how
a person with wealth should handle what God has intrusted to them.

     I Timothy 6:17 "Charge them that are rich in this world, that
they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the
living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;" I Timothy 6:18
"That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to
distribute, willing to communicate;" I Timothy 6:19 "Laying up in
store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that
they may lay hold on eternal life."

     You see, there is not anything wrong with having money. The sin
occurs when we put that money ahead of the things of God through
greed.

     The U.S., as a whole, has one really good thing going for it. It
is a charitable nation. We help the suffering of the world. In 1st
Peter 4:8, it tells it all, I Peter 4:8 "And above all things have
fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the
multitude of sins."

     Genesis 4:10 "And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy
brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground."

     This is the first murder in the Bible. Not only had Adam and Eve
lost Abel in physical death, but they had lost Cain (he was a
murderer).

     This is a strange statement that God made here. (Abel's blood
cried out to God from the ground).

     Our lives are dependant wholly on the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Then life, in this sense, is in the throne of God to purchase our
salvation for us. Without the shedding of blood there is no life, as
we already mentioned from Hebrews 9:22.

     Genesis 4:11 "And now [art] thou cursed from the earth, which
hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;"
Genesis 4:12 "When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth
yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be
in the earth."

     There is a little bit of difference in the curse here for Cain,
and the one for Adam. Adam,himself, was not cursed, just the earth, but
in this instance of Cain, God had spoken the curse on Cain, as well as
the ground. This made it doubly hard for the earth to produce for
Cain. Cain would move from place to place looking for a more productive
field to plant on, but he would not find one. His crops would fail
wherever he was . The blessings of God had been revoked and now there
was a curse instead. Man's sin is the greatest curse of life. It makes
him a wanderer (running from sin) and there is no place to hide.

     In v-13. we hear Cain cry out for mercy.

     Genesis 4:13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment [is]
greater than I can bear.

     Genesis 4:14 "Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the
face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a
fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass,
[that] every one that findeth me shall slay me."

     No one wants to face his punishment. Everyone looks for a
scapegoat, or a way out. Self pity had entered Cain. No where do we
see remorse for what he had done. Instead of improving his position
with God, he had caused a terrible rift. His fears of having someone
do the same thing to him were overwhelming. He knew he would be 
looking out over his shoulder constantly. Never would he be able to 
find a place of peace and rest. It is as if he blamed God for what 
had happened to him, instead of realizing his sin and repenting.

     Genesis 4:15 "And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever
slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD
set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him."

     This is a strange verse. When I looked up the word "mark", hoping
to find the exact meaning, I just realized that whatever it was, it
was to draw attention to Cain. It was so they would take note of him
for what he had done. Many believe that Cain was turned black (there
is no solid evidence, that I could find, for this). Had God wanted us
to know what the mark was, He would have told us. We see the awful
cost of vengeance as well (7 fold). "Vengeance is mine saith the
Lord."

     On this we will close.


                                Notes.
























                             Questions 10


1.  What was the name of Eve's first son?
2.  What was her second son's name?
3.  What were their occupations?
4.  What did Cain bring as an offering to God?
5.  What did Abel bring as an offering to God?
6.  What caused God to accept Abel's sacrifice and reject Cain's?
7.  Without the shedding of blood there is no what?
8.  When Cain realized that God did not accept his offering, what did
    Cain do?
9.  What drove Cain to commit a more serious crime?
10. In verse 7 God said, "if thou doest not well, _________lieth at
    the door?"
11. Where did Cain attack Abel?
12. What did Cain do to Abel?
13. What percent of murders are committed by close family members
    today?
14. When God asked Cain where Abel was, what two replies did Cain
    make?
15. In Matthew 10:42, what small item does God say He would reward if
    it is given in the name of a prophet?
16. What wrong impression do we have about rich people?
17. In 1 Timothy 6:17-19, what should we be quick to do if God has
    blessed us with money?
18. What one really good thing does the U.S. have going for it?
19. What does 1st Peter 4:8, tell us that charity will do?
20. What cried to God from the ground?
21. What purchased our salvation?
22. What three judgements did God speak to Cain?
23. What was the difference in the curse for Adam and Cain's curse?
24. What is the greatest curse in life?
25. What was the mark that was placed on Cain?