1 “And the man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord. 2 And again she bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of 4 the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. 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; but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And 5 Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door; and unto 8 thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain told Abel his brother. And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, 9 and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel 10 thy brother? And he said, I know not; am I my brother’s keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy 11 brother’s blood crieth unto Me from the ground. And now 12 cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be in the 13 earth. And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is 14 greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the ground; and from Thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that whosoever findeth me shall slay 15 me. And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him. 16 “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. 25 “And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For, said she, God hath appointed me 26 another seed instead of Abel; for Cain slew him. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh; then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.”
QUESTIONS.
(1) What two representatives of the human race are introduced in verses 1 and 2? Note 1. (2) What were their respective occupations? V. 2. (3) What offering did Cain bring to the Lord? V. 3. Note 2. (4) What was Abel’s offering? V. 4. Note 3. (5) How did the Lord regard these offerings? Vs. 4, 5. (6) What effect did this have upon Cain? Verse 5. (7) What two questions did the Lord ask Cain? V. 6. (8) What would be the result of his doing well? of his not doing well? V. 7. What respect did the Lord show toward the first-born? V. 7. Note 4. (9) Notwithstanding this what did Cain do? V. 8. Why? 1 John 3:12. Note 5. (10) What question did the Lord now ask Cain? What reply did Cain make? Gen. 4:9. (11) What spoke the crime of Cain? V. 10. (12) What curse was pronounced upon Cain? Vs. 11, 12. Note 6. (13) What did Cain say in regard to his punishment? V. 13. Note 7. (14) Was he able to see the Lord after this? How did he feel toward his fellow-men? V. 14. (15) What did the Lord do to show Cain that he still desired him to repent? V. 15. (16) Where did Cain now take up his abode? V. 16. (17) Who took the place of Abel? Vs. 25, 26. Note 8. (18) What lessons do you learn from Cain’s life? From Abel’s?
ADDITIONAL NOTES.
(For original notes, see Lesson Quarterly and Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 71-79.)
NOTES.
1. Knew his wife.—False modesty should not keep us from noting the fact that the verb “know” is here used, and many times elsewhere, to signify perfect union—harmony—such as resulted in fruit-bearing. So God’s children must be known of God, come into perfect union and harmony with Him. So only can they bring forth fruit to eternal life. See John 17:3; 1 Cor. 8:3; 2 Tim. 2:19; Rom. 7:4.
Gotten a man.—If Eve had ever kept before her the thought that Cain was to be a man trained for the Lord, his end might have been different. Here is a suggestion for parents. Take your children, not as pets or unwelcome intruders, but as gifts from God, to be trained as men and women for Him.
2. In process of time.—Margin, common version “at the end of days,” evidently the regular Sabbath offering, at the end of the seven days, the only period of days thus far definitely named.
3. Cain . . . Abel.—The representatives of two classes for all time. Self-righteous, self-sufficient, feeling no need of the Saviour, Cain offered a mere thank-offering. Abel, humble, sinful, showed his simple faith in the all-sufficient atonement of the Saviour’s blood, implicitly obedient to His command. To which class do you belong? See Heb. 11:4; 1 John 3:12.
4. Sin coucheth at the door.—A beast of prey. Note the marginal reading, “Unto thee is its desire, but thou shouldest rule over it.” Sin, represented as a wild beast, desires Cain, but he should not be destroyed. He should rule over sin. If he did well, God would give the victory.
5. Told his brother.—The margin seems to make it plainer,—“said unto Abel his brother, Let us go into the field.” He comes, rebellious from God’s instructions, to kill his brother. His sin seems to have been presumptuous.
6. Not yield.—The ground was cursed for man’s sake, that man might know the evil of sin, that he might long for a better world, that his time might be employed more fully than it would otherwise have been.
7. My punishment.—The margin reads, “My iniquity is greater than can be forgiven.” This is never true. Cain probably sinned to that extent that he could never truly repent.
8. On the name of the Lord.—“Call themselves by the name of the Lord.” A.V., margin. Here began the divisions between the sons of God and the world.
ADDITIONAL STUDY.
(1) How did the Lord show respect unto Abel and to his offering? See Judges 6:21; Lev. 9:24; 1 Kings 18:38. (2) What in this lesson shows that partial obedience is insufficient? (3) Did Abel have faith in the coming Redeemer? Did Cain? Heb. 11:4. (4) Was Cain the victim of an arbitrary purpose? (5) Note the order of Cain’s fall: lack of faith, wilful, wroth, fallen countenance, did not do well, unrepentant, committed the sin which lay at the door. (6) Why did Cain slay his brother? 1 John 3:12. Why does the world hate Christ and His followers? John 3:20; 15:18-20. (7) How did Cain show his lack of belief in the omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence of God? (8) Trace the connection between Cain’s sin and the flood. (9) Did Cain and his descendants observe the Sabbath? Why not? James 2:10. (10) Through which line of descendants did polygamy enter? Gen. 4:19. (11) In whose image and likeness was Adam? Seth? Gen. 5:1, 3. “Patriarchs and Prophets,” p. 80. (12) From the genealogy of the ten antediluvian patriarchs determine the age of the world before the flood.
