If you had been sitting in Egypt, at the time the events of Exodus 1 transpired, or during the days of the plagues on Egypt, how would you have understood Genesis 4? What would have been your thoughts? We are examining the book of Genesis, the “Book of the Fathers.”
If “faith comes by hearing…the Word of Christ” (Rom 10:17), how would the Israelites’ faith have been framed and grounded from the events recorded in Genesis?
An outline of the biblical text:
4:1-5a – The first recorded act of worship: Cain is the first born, “with the help of the Lord.” The next son was Abel. At a given time, they brought an offering, a “gift, tribute, or blessing” The text is not clear on why God accepted Abel’s rather than Cain’s.
God does right (Gen 18:25). Surely, they were told what God expected. Could it be God wanted an animal sacrifice, for atonement (Lev 17:11)? Perhaps but grain offerings were also allowed in the Law of Moses. Could it be Abel brought his best while Cain did not? That seems to be the suggestion in the text’s use of “firstborn” as well as the phrase “their fat.” God “had regard” (“to gaze, look at”) for Abel’s offering but not Cain’s. From later biblical history, God might have sent fire from heaven (cf. Lev 9:24; 1 Kings 18:38-39; 2 Chron. 7:1) to show His “regard.”
4:5b-15 – The Consequences of Cain’s Choice: Cain became angry; evidenced by his facial appearance as “fallen.” Hamilton suggests the phrase better suggests depression rather than anger (224). Does Cain’s behavior suggest depression or anger? On the other hand, Mathews sees Cain expressing “no inkling of remorse; only self-pity and resentment” (277).
God suggests Cain has the responsibility to master this sin (the first time this eminently biblical word is found in Scripture). The pronoun “you” is emphatic in the Hebrew, vs 7. Cain has a choice, even a responsibility to control his desire. Cain will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth. God would set a mark on Cain so that no one would slay him.
Insights from “Acceptable Worship” for the nation of Israel:
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The offering (211 times in Hebrew) brought by Cain is used in a generic way as well as a grain offering. The basic idea seems to be “gift.” The Israelites would understand that offering gifts to God was the expected response to God’s nature and actions.
God would kill the “firstborn” in Egypt while He redeemed the firstborn of Israel: Exo 11:5; 13:13, 15; Num 3:12, 40-41; 18:17; Deut 12:6. This account teaches as strongly as anything that God has expectations in worship. Israel was to leave Egypt to “sacrifice” to the Lord (Exo 3:18). Israel would see in Cain’s reaction that sin could act like a lion, ready to pounce upon the desires of one’s heart. Yet, in the words of God: “you must master it.”
Fratricide or even abusive behavior among family was not to be tolerated among the Israelite nation: Exo 23:6 and a host of other passages. In 4:2 and 8-11, the brotherhood of the two is emphasized seven times. The blood of Abel “cried out” to God. He heard the cry. When Israel “cries out” to the Lord, He will surely hear their cry: Exo 2:22-25.
If Israel did not respect the commands of God, Moses will warn in Deut that Israel, too will be “vagrants” and “vagabonds.” The same words are not used but the idea is expressed in Lev 26:33; Deut 28:63-65.
Lessons for the present generation:
Because God is holy, worship in any generation must meet His specifications. We cannot worship without faith (Rom 14:23), which is based on a message from God (Rom 10:17). Christians must be “brothers’ keepers,” indicated by the plethora of passages that teach love, care, and respect for one another: Rom 14:19; Gal 6:1, 10. God, alone, has the right to implement judgment / discipline. We might do it on His behalf but we need to do it His way: 1 Cor 5; 2 Thess 3:14-15.
–Paul Holland
