Sunday Bible Studies - Cain And Abel

CAIN AND ABEL

TEXT: GENESIS 4:1-17, HEBREWS 11:4

We started our Bible studies series by looking at The Creation of Man. In our previous studies, we looked at the fall of man in the garden of Eden and how man was sacked from the Garden. Today, we take a look at the first recorded incidence outside the garden of Eden.

Adam and Eve gave birth to a son whom they named Cain. Later they had a second son named Abel. Cain was a farmer and his brother was a shepherd. One day they offered some sacrifices to God. God rejected that of Cain but accepted Abel's offering. The Bible didn't tell us why.

This angered Cain and he killed Abel. Later, God cursed him and drove him away from his presence.

THE FRUIT OF SIN

When Adam and Eve sinned, they planted the seed of sin. The first fruit of their sin was the murder of Abel by Cain. Envy and disobedience fueled Cain's anger which led to his sin. Abel offered a blood sacrifice whilst Cain offered God a bloodless sacrifice. God preferred the blood sacrifice as an atonement for sins. All Cain had to do was to find out why God rejected his sacrifice. Yet he allowed envy to burn within him and cause him to commit murder. Cain was officially the first murderer of the human race.

GOD'S ILLOGICAL LOVE

In Genesis 4:15, God did something quite surprising. After God cursed Cain, Cain pleaded for mercy(Genesis 4:13-14). So God placed a mark on Cain and declared that anyone who kills him will face His wrath. Did Cain deserve that mercy? This was a man who just murdered his younger brother. Yet God showed him amazing love by protecting him. That is how illogical God's Grace love for mankind is. Even in our sins, God loves us.

WHO DID CAIN MARRY?

This is one of the most popular questions we ask anytime we read the story of Cain. In Genesis 4:17, the Bible told us Cain had a wife. How? Who did he marry? Does that mean there were other people on earth? Did he marry his sister?

Biblically, it is impossible that there could be other people on earth who were not born of Adam and Eve. The Bible clearly stated that Adam and Eve had other children aside Cain and Abel (Genesis 5:4).

Cain and Abel were the first sons of Adam but not their only children. Since the Bible didn't tell us at what age Cain got married, it wasn't also stated at what age he killed Abel. It was therefore possible that as at the time he got married, Adam and Eve had female children who were grown. Which means Cain married his sister. In our current world, it is an incest but we cannot be sure if it was wrong at that time.