THE ACCELERATION OF SIN

GENESIS 4:1–14

On Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast

(Genesis 4:5).

Today we return to our survey of the Old Testament. After Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, they lived in the land of Eden and began to have children, first Cain and then Abel. Abel kept flocks while Cain was a tiller of the soil. We are told that there came a time when both of them offered sacrifices to God. Cain brought some of the produce of the ground, while Abel offered “fat portions” (the best parts) of some of the firstborn of the flock. God somehow indicated His approval of Abel and also of his offering, and similarly showed displeasure both of Cain and of his offering.

The text does not tell us exactly what was wrong with Cain’s offering. It has been supposed that Cain should have known that only a blood sacrifice was acceptable, and thus should have exchanged his produce for one of Abel’s lambs. As regards Cain himself, the story makes clear that his anger was unacceptable to God.

Did Cain weep and say, “I’m sorry I’ve done wrong in Your eyes. Please tell me what to do and I’ll do it. I only want to please You”? No, instead we read that Cain was furious. God took the initiative and encouraged him to do right, warning that sin was like a wild beast crouching at the door of his heart.

Cain, however, would not offer an animal sacrifice. Instead he brought a human one. He slew Abel in the field, away from sight, thinking no one would see—but God saw. Just as God came to Adam in the garden, now God came to Cain in the field. “Where is Abel?” God asked. “How should I know?” replied Cain. “Am I my brother’s guardian?” The implied answer in the Bible to that question is that yes, the older brother guards the younger ones. Just as Adam was to guard the garden with Eve in it, so Cain was to guard the field with Abel in it. In both cases, the responsible man failed to guard. Adam blamed Eve, but Cain killed Abel.

Sin was maturing in the world, each generation becoming worse than the previous one. As Adam was cast from the Garden of Eden, now Cain was cast from the land of Eden and lived out his days in the land of wandering.

CORAM DEO

Numbers 14–15

Mark 6:1–29

Just as sin tends to accelerate in the lives of nonbelievers, so it should decelerate in believers. As you begin a new week, pay particular attention to the daily Bible study readings. Ask the Spirit to increase your awareness of your own sin and give you a holy resolve to repent of it.

For further study: Mark 12:28–34 • 1 John 2:15–27

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