Lesson 3 Review: Cain and His Legacy

 

Introduction

Memory Text: "'If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it' " (Genesis 4:7, NKJV).

Adam and Eve after the fall saw these prophecies and predictions given to them play out. Cain was born to Adam and Eve and they may have thought of HIm as the seed God was referring to but after the crime of Cain, they became sure He wasn't Lamech too was born but made an error, Abel was killed, but amidst all these conflicts, all hope was not lost.

How did Adam and Eve see Cain and Abel?

Adam and Eve saw Cain as the Promised Son, they saw Him as the one through which they will be saved from the punishment of the knowledge of sin. Abel on the other hand is translated as Vapor, which is emptiness, vanity, and the like. They thought, however, that the promise will be fulfilled through Cain and not Abel.

Why did God accept Abel's offering and reject Cain's offering?

Cain's offering was rejected because there was no bloodshed, for without the shedding of blood there could be no remission of sin. However, we can also understand that Cain was trying to get please God by works because He acquired from tilling the ground, however, Cain only kept the sheep and He gave the best of Sheep as Sacrifice.

What is the process that took place before Cain killed his brother?

Cain was very angry and his countenance fell because his offering was not accepted. His anger may have been directed at God and Cain. However, God asked him questions to counsel Him from falling in Genesis 4:6 and God further told Him to exercise self-control over what is yet to happen.

Why does God ask the question, " Where is Abel your brother?"?

The question God asks Cain after his sin brings to memory the questioning by God to Adam and Eve after they sinned. As it was with Adam, these questions were a means to bring them all to the knowledge of what they have done but unlike Adam's answer when he was questioned for his sin, Cain's answer was in total defiance.

What is the connection between Cain's sin and him becoming " ' a fugitive and a vagabond ... on the earth ' "?

Abel is in the ground, a direct link back to the Fall and to what the Lord has said would happen to Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:19).

What is the significance of Cain's words that " 'I shall be hidden from Your face' "?

Cain knows that only God provides protection, and without God, he fears for his own life. Cain made the statement based on that, however, God showed mercy on him and provided him with protection lest any man should kill him.

What are the comparisons between Cain's sin and Lamech's sin?

While Cain keeps silent about His only recorded crime, Lamech boasts about his. Cain asked for God's mercy, it was not recorded that Lamech asked for it. While God will avenge Cain seven times for his crime, Lamech believes that God will avenge him seventy times. Lamech was also polygamous in contrast to what Cain was.

In Conclusion,

Cain was angry with his brother not necessarily because Abel his brother's sacrifice was better but because Cain was wicked. When we hurt the vertical relationship we have with God, we can also hurt the horizontal relationship we have with our brother. God seeing this counseled Cain against the looming evil. We too have in one way or the other done things that can hurt the relationship we have with God and this affects how we relate with our brethren, however, God is counseling us as He did to Cain, we can choose to either do well or not. I pray that we all heed God's voice so we can keep our relationship with God and enjoy all its benefits in Jesus' name.