TORAH, GOD'S INSTRUCTIONS GENESIS 4:2-26 - LESSON 4B - CAIN AND ABEL

Say - Welcome to Sabbath School class. Let's bow our head as we ask God for understanding in our study today.

Say - We discussed the first verse of Genesis chapter 4 from the spiritual aspect in Genesis 4A but I have reprinted the verse here for continuity for this study also.

1And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain (Cain is a type of Satan, I John 3:11-12), and said, I have gotten a man from the

LORD (means by the help of the God).

Say - 2And she again bare his brother Abel (Abel was a shepherd, a type of Christ; also many commentators believe Cain and Abel could have been twins). And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the

ground.

3And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the

ground an offering unto the LORD (This was probably a Sabbath day and the daily sacrifice is being offered, also we should ask how did he know to bring an offering. It is because of Genesis 3:21 where the first sacrifices were brought before God. Now in the next verses the differences in the attitude of the brothers begin to show. We can ask ourselves which attitude should we follow.)

4And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof

(The fat was the best part of the animal. The Bible says "4By faith

Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained

witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts" Hebrews 11:4). And

the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering (God had respect for Abel because he was developing a righteous attitude of obedience and humility and showing love to God but it is just the opposite for Cain.)

Say - 5But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect (Cain was just the opposite of Abel; he brought the wrong offering or sacrifice, fruit vs. 3 above, and God would not accept it. His attitude was not of humility and he was disobedient and disrespectful to God and this attitude separated Cain from God.). And Cain was very wroth (angry), and his countenance fell (by Cain's anger and rebelliousness, Cain opened the door for Satan and he entered in; now his reasoning is confused. Another example of this would be Judas in the New Testament for he had the same spirit; when evilness entered into his mind he went to the ultimate and became a murderer just like

Cain. We are not to let Satan rule over us; the Bible says "Submit

yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" James 4:7.

Say - We are to strive to do well, humble ourselves, admit when we are wrong and with the power of God's spirit dwelling in us we will be able to rule over Satan. But if we depart from a humble spirit and choose to follow wickedness, Satan moves in and it becomes a way of life and he becomes our ruler. It is our responsibility to choose good over evil and with the power of God's spirit, we are able to overcome Satan and sin just as Christ. Even when we choose the pure and good way of life, many times of course we fall to sin and fail; it is a weakness of the human flesh as there are always going to be temptations. But then we turn to God and admit our sin and repent and ask for forgiveness and not return to the same sin again. Cain did not do this.

Say - God tells us, "12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should

obey it in the lusts thereof (from the temptations which come our way). 13Neither yield (present) ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness

unto sin (don't become a tool of sin either): but yield yourselves unto God,

as those that are alive from the dead ("those that are alive from the dead" are those God has called and have been taken out of the darkness of spiritual deception of the Truth of God which led to death and been given God's spirit which leads to eternal life), and your members as

instruments of righteousness unto God (but those called of God must live in a way which is approved by God just like Abel) Romans 6:12-14.

Say - God wants us to live as a servant to one another. We must not allow anyone to destroy the relationship between us and God by us hating someone else because that makes us a murderer and God will not accept a sacrifice of our lips or our prayers when we have hatred in us for anyone. We must ask ourselves how many times have we killed people by our hatred. We must learn to rule over our emotions and our tongues; it is a serious matter. "And let

none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false

oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD" Zechariah 8:17. "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer

hath eternal life abiding in him" I John 3:15. "21Envyings, murders,

drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the

kingdom of God" Galatians 5:21.

Say - Back to Genesis 4. 6And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth

(God asks Cain, "Why do you burn with anger". God wants Cain to examine himself just as we should do when we are disobedient to

God.)? and why is thy countenance fallen (God gives Cain a chance to repent here)?

Say - 7If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted (Don't you understand, God is saying, of the privileges of the first born; do what I ask of you with a willing humble attitude.)? and if thou doest not well (or are a sinner, bring a sincere sin offering of repentance and you could keep the benefits of the first born but if not) sin lieth at the door

(Satan is waiting and ready to enter in, it's that simple. Satan wants to rule over us and destroy our relationship with God but God tells us, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body" Romans 6:12. "Sin is the disobedience of God's Law, I John 3:4 and Cain would not repent) And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Say - 8And Cain talked with Abel his brother (probably argued): and it came to

pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother,

and slew him ("11For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that

we should love one another 12Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one (Satan), and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? (Why?) Because his own

works were evil, and his brother's righteous" I John 3:11-15, When we hate or reject the teachings and law of God or anyone who keeps it, we are evil, "14We know that we have passed from death unto life (darkness unto the light or truth of God), because we love the brethren. He that

loveth not his brother abideth in death (it's as simple as that). 15Whosoever

hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life

abiding in him (We must teach our families to love one another even our enemies for we seal or write our own verdict; God is our teacher no one else. "...for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are

brethren" Matthew 23:8. We do not want to destroy the relationship between us and God because of a bad attitude of hate or evilness of any kind.).

Say - 9And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know

not: (this was false, see how one sin leads to another then he smarted off and said) Am I my brother's keeper (We are all supposed to be our brother's keeper and "our brother" is anyone who is in trouble.)?

Say - 10And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood (innocent blood) crieth unto me from the ground (the proof lies on the ground God said).

Say - 11And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to

receive thy brother's blood from thy hand (Numbers 35:21); 12When thou

tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength (it will not produce); a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth

(condemned by God as an outcast forever and separated from God because of disobedience and no repentance).

Say - 13And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear

(Cain is wallowing in self pity, doesn't take responsibility for his actions, no repentance and a bad, bad attitude; see how he writes his own verdict? It is the same for each of us. We all must choose our future, God doesn't do it for us; we must make the decision to follow Him and have a teachable mind then He can lead us to eternal life. We must help one another stay on the "Path of Life" also.).

Say - 14Behold, 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 (the population of the earth had greatly increased by this time).

Say - 15And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance

shall be taken on him sevenfold (now mankind would know how God felt about sin and murder because God tells us "Whoso sheddeth man's

blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man"

Genesis 9:6. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain (as in a warning), lest any finding him should kill him. 16And Cain went out from the presence of the

LORD (left his family and chose not to follow God and left His divine presence), and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

Say - 17And Cain knew his wife (So far the Bible speaks only of Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel but they were told to "replenish the earth" so they had numerous children but are not all recorded here. Cain probably married his sister or niece or cousin and this was fine at this point because they were genetically pure so there were no side effects of a marriage of this kind and there was no law against it.); and she conceived, and bare Enoch (means dedicated): and he builded a city,

and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. (The following verses show the descendants of Cain and their talents).

Say - 18And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael

begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.

19And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah

(means ornament or beauty), and the name of the other Zillah (means shade or shadow).

20And Adah bare Jabal (means river): he was the father of such as dwell in

tents, and of such as have cattle.

21And his brother's name was Jubal (means stream): he was the father of all

such as handle the harp and organ (inventor of music and most ancient instruments).

22And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer (metal craftsman, weaponry) in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was

Naamah (lovliness).

23And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a

young man to my hurt (he is saying it was in self-defense).

24If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

25And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

26And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos:

then began men to call upon the name of the LORD (Jehovah, the existing one).

Say - As we can see this chapter begins the trial of the two families. Abel who followed God until his brother, Cain, killed him. Cain forsook God and followed Satan's way of evil, self pity and wickedness. The chapter ends with Eve giving birth to Seth, a Godly man who will carry on the line of the faithful people of God.

MEMORY VERSE

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain ...he was righteous...

Hebrews 11:4

MEMORY VERSE FOR TOTS

Abel...was righteous...

Hebrews 11:4

SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON FOR TOTS BELOW NOTE: Be sure and tell the children the calf was not sacrificed alive.

CAIN AND ABEL

CAIN AND ABEL WERE BROTHERS, ADAM AND EVE WERE

THEIR MOM AND DAD;

THE TWO BROTHERS WERE OPPOSITE, ABEL WAS GOOD

AND RIGHTEOUS, CAIN WAS WICKED AND BAD.

CAIN CAME BEFORE GOD WITH NO RESPECT, HE WAS NOT

OBEDIENT TO GOD AND INSTEAD OF A CHOICE LAMB

BROUGHT FRUIT AS A SACRIFICE;

ABEL LOVED GOD AND WAS OBEDIENT AND RIGHTEOUS

AND BROUGHT THE FIRST AND BEST OF HIS FLOCKS

TO GOD AS A SACRIFICE.

CAIN BECAME ANGRY BECAUSE HIS "FRUIT" SACRIFICE,

GOD DID NOT ACCEPT. DISOBEDIENT AND

UNRIGHTEOUSNESS IS WHAT CAIN CHOSE;

"IF YOU DO WELL" GOD SAID, "YOU SHALL BE ACCEPTED

BUT IF YOU DO NOT WELL, SIN AND SATAN LAY

WAITING AT YOUR DOOR".

EVIL WAS CAIN AND SLEW HIS RIGHTEOUS BROTHER

ABEL; A MURDERER CAIN WAS, HIS BROTHER HE

LOVED NOT;

EVIL WE ARE TOO WHEN WE HATE INSTEAD OF LOVE ONE

ANOTHER OR REJECT THE TEACHINGS OF GOD.

MAKE THE DECISION TO FOLLOW GOD, OUR MASTER, AS

ABEL DID AND CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER THAT IS

WHAT WE ARE TO DO;

HELP ONE ANOTHER STAY ON THE "PATH OF LIFE" AND

"LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU". BY B. R. B.