![[#53] Genesis 4:1-3 – Raising Cain](https://redeeminggod.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/cain-150x150.jpg)
Have you ever wondered why Cain brought an offering of fruit to God in Genesis 4? Have you wondered what was wrong with Cain’s offering so that God did not accept it?
In Episode 53 of the One Verse Podcast, we look at Genesis 4:1-3 for answers to these questions.
The Text of Genesis 4:1-3
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.
In this discussion of Genesis 4:1-3 we look at:
- The birth of Cain and Abel shows that Adam and Eve were still serving as the Image of God
- The story that Cain and Abel grew up hearing
- The reason Cain brought an offering of fruit to God
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God revealed to Cains parents that his way of covering sin, ” animal skins”, was with shedding blood.
Glenn, I take the opposite approach in the podcast, and explain why in other episodes…
Please help me Jeremy, a lot has happened to me ( I mean a lot) I need your help Jeremy.
With God, obedience always trumps sacrifice. Flesh or fruit wasn’t the issue – Cain’s sacrifice would have been ‘accepted’ if he walked right.
Yes, that’s true. So what about his sacrifice or attitude indicated that he was not walking right?
We don’t really know. But merely because they offered different produce may suggest a rivalry or contest to offer a better sacrifice than his brother’s.
Some call it the first sibling rivalry or first murder. But I see it more as the first religious murder – in man’s initial quests to please God by offering from his own resources while failing to see the real method to please Him. And the blood of every martyr in every religious war since too cries from the ground.
Yes! I agree. It was primarily religious motivation, and God said, “I don’t want or need that. I just want a relationship with you. If you go down that path, it only leads to trouble.”
Yes. God, of peace, tried to ward Cain off.
SATAN, THE TRUE FATHER OF CAIN
Let’s consider 1 John 3:12:
12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
Here, the word “of” in Greek is #1537 in the Strong’s Concordance.
When used implying a person, it means “a son of.”
Original Word: ἐκ, ἐξ
Part of Speech: Preposition
Definition: from out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards.
Word origin: a prim. preposition denoting origin
John 8:44King James Version (KJV)
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. (Genesis 4:1)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rRjZWvHEk_0
Brother you have me confused the bible says that Adam was his father?
If you believe satan was his father then you are believe in the false doctrine of the seed of the serpent which suggests that satan had sexual intercourse with Eve.That just wouldnt have happened as God would have intervened.There wasnt two blood lines as people have suggested.
Not that it stopped satan from trying to pollute the bloodlines of Gods people as in the fallen angels and the children born of those women were abominations and so God destroyed every last one.Once again the flood was what God used to purge the evil as the bloodlines were polluted and to keep the bloodlines safe as God had promised he was going to raise up a seed that was going to destroy Satan and his name was Jesus..Satan has been defeated and Gods word is true.
From another perspective if satan was his father it is to easy to apportion the blame to him i couldnt help it as my father is satan the truth is every one of us has sinned and fallen short and so we are responsible for our actions just the same as Cain.The devil didnt make him do it he influenced his evil thoughts no doubt but the decision to kill his brother was his alone.Its the same arguement because of my parents because of my upbringing i couldnt help myself we all need to take responsibility for our own actions.If we are honest we choose to sin because we like to sin that is our nature our hearts are deceitfully wicked.Whats the answer repent and submit yourselves to God so that he can give us new hearts that dont want to sin but want to please God.brentnz
Jeremy am not sure about it, but I believe Cain’s heart was evil before his sacrifice I think there was something there in his heart against his brother before his sacrifice. it was truly a sign to disregard God. it seem to me that his heart had no pleasure in the conscious awareness of GOD, if am saying this right meaning he was aware of GOD but didn’t care to pleases GOD, so what he did never was a part of he’s heart to please GOD. so many people are in the same shape as Cain they have a Awareness of GOD but doesn’t care to please him.
Cains offering was not the issue as God finds no pleasure in the death of animals or grain offers isaiah 66;3 what he is searching for is hearts that are humble and a heart that desires to follow his word and obey him..isaiah 66;2.So here is the problem Cains heart is not right towards God whereas his brothers was that is why God accepted Ables offering. I couldnt help but think that the lamb Able gave was something precious to him maybe he brought it into the world cared for it and loved it and it pained him to sacrifice it and yet he held nothing back but offered it freely to God and here we see a picture of God offering his son for us because he first loved us.brentnz
God was the one who instituted the offering of animals. The problem was the Israelites were just going through the motions; their hearts weren’t in it and they wouldn’t turn from their sins.
Able’s offering by faith Heb 11:4. Faith is always in what God has says. Never would someone act independently and be told it was of faith. Very reasonable to conclude they were told what to bring. (Where and when too but not applicable here)Then yup religion kicked in with Cain. There is no indication he had an attitude problem until after his offering was rejected. I suspect he was devout and thought he could top a silly dead animal.
I suppose we could go on endlessly wondering about Cain and what his motives were . Is that the point of the story ?
I find these speculations difficult to digest. Maybe Cain is important , I am not yet sure how .
I reflect on the incident in the gospel where Peter pointed to another person and asked Jesus” what about him ” Jesus answer was, in effect
” Don’t worry about what I do with him, you just follow me ” .
Following Jesus seems to be the main thing, all other things vary in importance and significance but they all seem to be commentary.
Yes, Heb 11:4 needs to be considered. Of course, it appears that Cain brought his offering first. Also, I will argue in a future episode that Abel did not actually kill the firstborn from his flock.
Jeremy if we follow through your idea regarding Cain as being the deliverer of his family and he had been groomed from a young age to believe so suddenly he would have reacted severely to God not accepting his offering.It meant to him that God was going to bypass him and instead use his younger brother..No longer was he the apple of Gods eye maybe he thought his parent may lose respect for him as well. You can almost feel his pride and security slipping away and instead he has this gnawing jealousy for his brother who he believes is taking his birthright.The tragedy was that all the fears he was worried about came to pass he lost his brother he lost his parents respect and he was an outcast a marked man cursed of God.The lesson for us from this is to guard our hearts and turn from sin otherwise the things we fear will come upon us. just like Cain.
Yes! You have anticipated some of what I hope to teach in future episodes. The sibling rivalry between Cain and Abel came from what you have described.
Jeremy i could see how that could have happened the motive was there and he felt he had a lot to lose and thats what can happen in real life situations.People feel all there hopes and dreams are suddenly squashed there purpose future gone so people become depressed and want to die others get angry and want to hurt others.I believe that is what happened To Cain he got angry .Its great that you have come up with the idea i hadnt really thought about it before until you proposed the possibility i was just followed the path you were taking and ended up at the same conclusion.So thanks for opening up the possibilitys to us .brentnz
Yeah I think you’ve indicated that before. But I think you’ll have to stretch it, and then speculate. The kicker for me is similarly to Lev sac system.