Cain Kills Able - Cain Shows His True Colors!

Well after Cain shows his first signs of becoming rebellious towards God.  God gives him another chance by telling him - if he would just do what is right then he would forgive him and everything would be good again.  (This was when Cain brought God the fruits of the field instead of a blood sacrifice)  Now Cain just gets more mad & more rebelious.

Have you ever felt this way?  Your parents or boss makes you do something and you get mad and want to do something worse just to show them whose boss.  Sometime your anger gets to you doesn't it?  Here God warns Cain about this when he told him that sin was crouching at his door and it desires for you - But you must master it.  What do you think this means?

 
You see God already knew what Cain was going to do if he didn't master his anger (sin).  Did you know that anger is a sin?  It is because of the distruction it causes.  Here Cain instead of listening to God and getting control of his anger, lets his anger grow inside of him and ends up killing Able. 

Now even after killing Able, Cain was still mad.  He must have really been mad!  Because most people that get mad and do something crazy usually feel remorse afterwards, but Cain didn't.  How do we know this?

The Lord comes to Cain and asked him where his brother was.  Cain answers him with another question.  Am I my brothers Keeper?  Well this was a mighty smart way to address God wasn't it? 

This just amazes me that Cain had this much anger and hatred in him that he would kill his own brother and disrespect God at the same time.  Talking about spitting in someones face!!

Next we will look at Gods punishment for Cain. 


If you are reading this and you are a member of the Youth Group at Lake Swamp Baptist Church -  I expect to hear some questions about these things tomorrow night. :)   

Hey Guys thanks for taking time to read these posts.  Feels free to comment or ask questions.  I would love a chance to answer them.

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Cain And Able - Where Did The Blood Sacrifice Start?

Yesterday we talked about Cain and Able's Offering to God.  Lets look at this a little closer because there is a lot questions around these offerings.

• How did Cain and Able know to give a blood offering to God?

Lets go back to when Adam & Eve first sinned.  They were still in the garden of Eden.  They had eaten the fruit from the tree of knowledge.  After they ate this fruit, their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked. (this was the first effect of there sin. They were ashamed of their nakedness)   God knows what they have done and sees that they have used fig leaves to cover their nakedness.

• What does God do here and why?  Adam and Eve made an attempt to cover their sin with fig leaves.  This was not acceptable to God as a cover for their sin. So God shows them what he expected in order to be forgiven for their sin.  
• God makes the first Blood sacrifice recorded in the Bible.  He sacrificed a animal to make new skins for Adam and Eve to wear in order to cover their nakedness (their sin). From this act we know that not only does God tell us what he wants - He shows us what he wants.  (Later on he shows us more specifically what he wants from us through his son Jesus)

Lets remember that Cain and Able were grown men when they made their offerings to God.  More than likely they had made numerous offerings to God that was accepted before the one talked about in Genesis 4.  But for some reason Cain decided to disregard what God wanted and give something he wanted to give instead of what God wanted him to give.  Even though he disregarded what God expected of him, God still gave him another chance to redeem himself.  He then gets mad and lets his sin nature take over him so much that he kills his brother Able.

Why didn't God accept Cain's offering?  First God had commanded them to give blood sacrifice, we know this because he did this himself when he made Adam and Eves clothes to cover their sin & later own he makes it law for everyone to do this in order to be forgiven for their sins.(This of course was before Jesus Christ came and give himself as the blood sacrifice that will cover all of our sins)

Lets look at a real world example of debt & payment

God required a certain payment for sin.  Now lets look at this in how even a sinful world expects certain things for payment of a debt. (After all sin is actually a dept that has to be paid to God) Imagine that you owe a huge amount of money to the bank, and you go to the bank and say, "I know that I owe you a lot of money. However, I am totally broke, and cannot pay my debt with money. (but I have another plan to pay you.) Here's my plan: Every day, I will come and vacuum the carpet at this bank . Thus I will work for you until I pay off my debt. " How would the bank respond to your proposition? Perhaps the bank would get angry, or perhaps they would laugh at you, however, what is certain is that they would not accept your offering! Why would the bank not accept your offering?  Because there is no way you can pay your huge debt to the bank with some feeble "good works."

Cain and Able - Brothers that go Different Directions With God

Because of  Adam & Eve's sin every person since them has been born into sin.  Starting with there very first two sons.  Cain and Able. 
Lets look at what happened with them a little closer.  If you read Genesis 4:4-7  we see that Cain and Able both brought an offering to God.  God took Able's offering and looked at Able with favor, but Cain he didn't look at with favor. 

This is so powerful !!  WHY?  Because he simply expected Cain and Able to see themselves as sinners just like he wants us to do today. 

To explain this further - In the old testament times you had to bring offerings to God.  If you wanted forgiveness for sin it had to be a blood offering.  See Able saw himself as a sinner and brought the correct type of offering to God (a blood offering).  Cain on the other hand didn't see himself as a sinner so he brought God a offering that was not of blood. 

The very first thing we need to do before we are saved by the blood of Jesus is to realize that we are sinners,  and are not perfect beings & we fall short of God's glory. 

In verse 7 God even explains to Cain that if he does what is right then he would look upon him in favor also.  Cain just didn't see himself that way and was not willing to change.  If fact he took it a step further and let his jealousy and anger turn into murder.  WOW - what a way to go wrong!   

Ask yourself today are you a Cain or Able?  Don't let your own self righteousness keep you from knowing God.  Just because you are a good person doesn't mean you are going to heaven.  You must realize that you are a sinner because you were born into a world of sin.  You have to realize that through Christ you can be saved, but you have to except him into your heart.  In order to except him into your heart you have to confess you are a sinner and then except him.  You see he already paid the blood sacrifice for you - all you have to do is believe and except him. 

Gods Punishment for Sin - What Happened Next?

Now after God gives his punishments - he kicks them out of the Garden of Eden.  The bible doesn't say anything about doing away with the garden of Eden it says he placed Cherubim and the Flaming Sword (which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life)  See if Adam and Eve could get to the tree of life then they could once again live forever and God would not allow this because they were now sinners. 

Now the Bible goes straight into Adam & Eve getting pregnant.  Eve gave birth to Cain then gave birth to Able.  Able was a keeper of flocks and Cain was a tiller of the ground.  We are fixing to see the different heart that these two brothers have. 

It says that Able brought a offering to God - the firstlings of his flock and their fat portions.  Cain gave of the fruit of the ground.  God had regard for Able's offering, but no regard for Cain's.

Now some people see this as God doing wrong - because both brothers gave their offering to him. So why did God have regard for Able and not Cain?  Well God knows everyones heart and he knew Cains heart.  Cain did not give from his heart and God knew this.  Cain proves his selfishness and sinfulness in his reaction to God not having regard for him.  Cain got angry at God even though he was the one that done wrong in the first place.

Tomorrow Ill talk more on Caine and Ables different personalities that leads to the 1st murder in the Bible and Gods forgiveness.

Gods Punishment for the first sin.

Why do you think Adam ate from the tree of knowledge if he knew it was wrong?
What was there punishment for breaking their one and only rule?

First of all this first question is really just my view on this.  The Bible just isn't clear on why Adam took and eat the fruit.  The Bible says that man was made in Gods image, so this would mean that Adam had a lot of the same qualities as God.  One of those qualities is Love.  Gods love for us is never ending so Im guessing that Adams love for Eve was a pure love.  What would have happened if Eve had eat the fruit and Adam didn't?  Well they would have been separated, Eve would ave grown old and died while Adam lived on.  In a way I think Adam gave his own life for Eve.  This also means that Adam chose Eve over God.  Just something to think about.

First he punished the Serpent (Satan) he cursed him to to crawl on his belly and be forced to eat the dust of the earth for the rest of his life.  Does this mean that snakes are a symbol for Satan ?  Im not sure.  But I know Im scared of them! :)
He also punished the woman by greatly multiplying her pain at childbirth at the same time she would still want to have more children.  Why do women want to have children even they have to suffer so greatly during the time of childbirth?  Well its because God made it that way.
Then to Adam - God cursed the ground.  Adam and every other man that works the ground in order to eat will have to fight the weeds,thorns & thistles.  Farming is very hard work because of these things. So to this day the curse goes on.
The last and maybe worst punishment - They were kicked out of the Garden of Eden.  No more perfect place to live, but work and suffering would take its place.

Lets look at the world now - because of sin and greed we have became nations of suffering.  This will not end until he comes back to defeat the serpent.  And establishes his kingdom for those that believe upon him.
 

Genesis - A closer look at the first Book of the Bible.

Do you think Eve knew about the law that God had given them? (Not to eat from the tree of knowledge)
Well Lets look at this. 
Genesis 2: 16-17  God told Adam that he could eat from any tree in the garden except for the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  He said if you eat from this tree you will surely die. 





Now Eve hasn't been created at this time.  In fact right after God told Adam this - he decided to create Eve.  Genesis 2: 21-22 Gives details about Eve coming from one of Adams ribs.

Now - did Eve know about the law - not to eat of the tree of Knowledge of good and evil?
Well in Genesis 3: 1-3  The Serpent comes to Eve and out right ask her. Did God tell you that you can't eat from any particular tree in the garden?  Then Eve goes on to tell him - yes in fact he did say we can't eat from the thee of Knowledge because we will die if we do.  The he proceeds to tell her how she would not die, but in fact she would become like God and God doesn't want her to be like him. 



 I want to point out something here.  When the Bible talks about the Serpent - It isn't talking about a serpent like a snake or some other animal.  Adam and Eve had dominion over all the beast of the earth so they would have not have let something below them influence them like this.  No this word Serpent was a word describing what kind of personality this being had.  The Serpent was actually an Angel.  This Angel Satan came to Eve and coned her into eating from this tree.  Now of course it was Eves own greed for power and knowledge that caused her to actually eat this fruit. 

If you ever notice most people that con you start by asking you questions.  When they find a problem you have then they offer a fix to it.  How many people have gotten damage done to there home during a tornado or hail storm of something only for someone to come to them offering to fix there house cheaper than anyone else - only to run away with there money?  To me these people have serpent personalities. 

Why do you think Adam ate from the tree of knowledge if he knew it was wrong?
What was there punishment for breaking their one and only rule?

In the beginning - God created the Heavens & the Earth.

The Bible is the revealed truth.  Where did this revealed truth come from?  Well God of course :) Some people say that men wrote the Bible and it had nothing to do with God, but it was Gods relationship with man that got this revealed truth into the written word.

First of all Moses wrote Genesis.  Genesis is one of the most important books of the Bible. It gives a inside view of how God wants to have a relationship with man.  He still wants to have this very same relationship with us today if we would just let him. 

God made the Garden of Eden as a perfect place on earth for man to dwell.  Eden had everything man needed.  All man had to to was stay from the Tree of Knowledge.  Do not eat from this tree or you will surely die. 

Lets look at what happened. The serpent came and tempted Eve and Eve ate from the tree.  She then went to Adam and told him what she had done.  Adam then ate from the tree himself.

Do you think Eve knew about the law that God had given them? (Not to eat from the tree of knowledge)
Why do you think Adam ate from the tree of knowledge if he knew it was wrong?

Tomorrow we will look into the answers to these questions.