International S. S. Lessons.
"So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading." —Neh. 8:8 LESSON III.—SUNDAY, JANUARY 21, 1894. [NOTE.—The questions which follow are merely suggestive for the student on the leading points of the lesson; it is presumed that the thorough student will think of many more as he studies the subject. References, where verses alone are given, always refer to the lesson scripture printed above. All other references are given in book, chapter, and verse. The text printed is that of the Revised Version, not because it is especially preferred, but because it is not found in every family, as is the common version.] - 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.
- And again she bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
- And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of 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 his offering he had not respect. And 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 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, and slew him.
- And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel 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 brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
- And now 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 earth.
- And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Golden Text.—"By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain." Heb. 11:4. - Who were the first children born to Adam and Eve? Verses 1, 2.
- What did Eve say when Cain was born? Verse 1. Note 1.
- What was the respective occupations of these sons? Verse 2.
- What offering did they each bring before the Lord? Verses 3, 4.
- When were these offerings brought? Verse 3, margin of common version. Note 2.
- How did the Lord regard their respective offerings? Verses 4, 5. Note 3.
- How did God regard Abel's offering? Golden text. Note 4.
- How did Cain feel?
- How did the Lord reprove him? Verses 5, 7. Note 5.
- What did following his own way lead Cain to do? Verse 8. Note 6.
- What question did the Lord ask Cain? Verse 9.
- What reply did Cain make?
- What then did the Lord say to him? Verse 10. Note 7.
- What punishment did the Lord pronounce upon Cain? Verse 12.
- What did Cain reply to this?
- What lesson may we learn from this history?
"I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him; but it shall not be well with the wicked." Eccl. 8:12, 13.1. I have gotten a man from the Lord.—This is understood by some to convey the idea that Eve believed that the promised Seed who should bring deliverance to the race had been born. Spurrel translates it, "I have obtained the man Jehovah." But Eve was afterward to learn that human hopes were disappointing, and the race was to realize more fully than it had yet done the fearful consequences of sin. They chose to learn sin, not in God's way by faith,158but in their own way, by experience, and the Lord must permit the experience to come in order that they might learn the lesson. 2. In process of time.—The margin of the common version renders "at the end of days," so also Young’s translation. Spurrel: "At the end of the term of days." Without any doubt this has reference to the Sabbath day. As Cain and Abel came to worship before the Lord from Sabbath to Sabbath, they brought their offerings to him. 3. The Lord had respect.—Evidently the Lord showed by some outward token that he regarded the offering which Abel made. When Israel stood in the proper light before the Lord, the fire of the Lord consumed the burnt offerings. Evidently this was so in primeval times. See Lev. 9:4; also Judges 6:21; 1 Kings 13:38. Cain’s offering remained unconsumed upon the altar. 4. By faith.—We are expressly told that "without faith it is impossible to please God." And this must be evident to every candid mind. For if we do not have faith in God’s word, we make him a liar, and though we may not say it in words, its very acts show that such is the case. God had promised Eve that her seed should bruise the serpent’s head. The seed also was to suffer. That seed was Christ. And in the promise which God then made, he predicted the coming of Christ to die for the sins of the world. Abel’s lamb showed that he believed in the Lamb of God that was to come. "The life is in the blood," and Abel showed by taking the life of the innocent lamb that the life of the Son of God was to be given, and in the purpose of God was given, for the sinful race. By those offerings which he made, he showed faith in the Sacrifice which was to be made. In other words, he simply believed God, and the Lord "counted it to him for righteousness." Cain refused to believe the Lord, consequently his own sin remained upon him. 5. Sin coucheth at the door.—Sin here is personified, as a wild animal waiting to seize its prey. This prey is man. The margin of the Revised Version reads: "And if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door, and unto thee is its desire, but thou shouldest rule over it." That is, if Cain had had simple faith in God, he would have triumphed over sin. Both he and Abel were sinners alike before God, with no power whatever of overcoming sin or eluding its power. They were shut up, and were doomed to be its prey. But to those who were thus under sin, God brings the gospel of salvation; and the condition required in that gospel is simple faith in God. "Faith is counted for righteousness." Rom. 5:5. Therefore it was that, and for that only, Abel was counted righteous, and accepted, and Cain counted unrighteous and rejected. "And therefore slew he him." 6. Cain rose up against Abel his brother.—"And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil and his brother’s righteous." It always has been true and always will be true "that they that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Their whole life condemns the wicked, simply by setting before him the better way. If he accepts the better way and chooses Christ, he also will share in the blessing. If he rejects it, he stands condemned. He hates the one whose purity of life condemned him, and therefore, to be rid of condemnation, he slays the one whose life condemns him. Thus did the Jews with Christ, thus did the Papacy with Christians in the Dark Ages, and thus men are beginning to do now. Cain and Abel are types of all who live after them. 7. Thy brother’s blood crieth.—This does not mean that the blood cried with an audible voice, or more than the expression in Rev. 6:10, "How long, O Lord," etc., means that the slain martyrs cried with an audible voice. But it does mean that every child of God that has ever been slain for His sake is just as faithfully remembered by Him as though his voice were continually lifted for God to hear. We can’t hide sin from God, nor can we make him forget it. He only can cover it, wash it away, by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.