Sunday School Lesson
June 1
Lesson 1 (KJV)
The Offerings of Cain and Abel
Devotional Reading: Luke 20:45–21:4
Background Scripture: Genesis 4:1–25
Genesis 4:1–16
1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 And the LORD said unto Cain, why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. 9 And the LORD said unto Cain, where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?
10 And he said, what hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
13 And Cain said unto the LORD, my punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
15 And the LORD said unto him, therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
Key Text
The LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?—Genesis 4:6–7a
Sacred Altars and Holy Offerings
Unit 1: The Genesis of Altars and Sacrifices
Lessons 1–5
Lesson Aims
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. Compare and contrast the offerings of Cain and Abel.
2. Define what doing right required of Cain and Abel.
3. Commit to a practice of “doing right” through his or her giving.
How to Say It
Pentateuch Pen-ta-teuk.
Introduction
A. Limited Resources
For over 30 years, my wife has worked as an editor of children’s Sunday school curriculum. She has always had a passion for teaching children about the Bible, so this job has been an ideal position for her. Her duties include editing lessons, selecting worship songs and choruses for children to learn, deciding which teaching pictures should accompany each lesson, and providing a variety of other helps for the teacher. And she works for just one of several companies that offer such materials!
The number of resources available nowadays for teaching children the Bible is staggering. Printed materials have been around for many years; add to that all of the resources that today’s technology has made available to teachers. Over the 30-plus years that my wife has held her position, she has had to receive appropriate training from time to time so she can keep up with how ministering to children in a church setting has changed. Imagine what it was like for the first parents, Adam and Eve, to try and teach their two sons, Cain and Abel, about the God who created them. Their resources were limited, to say the least! They could have used the world around them, “the things that are made,” as Paul stated, to draw attention to the greatness and power of the One who created them (Romans 1:20). What did Adam and Eve understand about such basic matters as prayer, worship, and giving? We take these acts for granted, but what kind of instruction did the first family receive (if any)? In today’s lesson, we examine the first acts of worship recorded in the Bible, as carried out by Adam and Eve’s two sons, Cain and Abel.
B. Lesson Context
The book of Genesis does not explicitly claim an author. But Exodus 17:14; 24:4; 34:27; Numbers 33:2; and Deuteronomy 31:9; Matthew 19:8; Mark 10:5; John 5:45–47; etc., suggest that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, a section we call the Pentateuch. However, many modern scholars have proposed that the text of the book of Genesis we possess today is a composite work of several different sources written hundreds of years after Moses would have lived. Because Genesis was part of the Law of Moses and Moses was certainly capable of writing, it seems best to take Genesis as having been authored by Moses.
The account of the offerings presented by Cain and Abel follows the eviction of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. That was a consequence of their sin against God. Adam lived 930 years (Genesis 5:5), but determining how long Adam and Eve lived in the garden is impossible. Neither can the events of today’s lesson be reliably dated.
I. Two Births
(Genesis 4:1–2a)
A. Cain (v. 1)
1. And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
In a context such as this, the word knew implies sexual intimacy between Adam and Eve. As a result, Cain was born. The Genesis record indicates that this was the first child of the first couple. God commanded the first couple to “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Genesis 1:28), and Cain is the first evidence of that obedience. Cain sounds like the Hebrew word for “acquire.” Eve praised the Lord, acknowledging that this child was acquired from the Lord. The name Eve comes from a Hebrew word meaning “living.” Adam had given her that name “because she was the mother of all living” (3:20). Eve was privileged to experience the fulfillment of that name.
B. Abel (v. 2a)
2a. And she again bare his brother Abel.
Eve then gave birth to Abel, though we do not know how much time passed between the births of the two sons. No words of Eve are recorded following Abel’s birth. The name Abel comes from a Hebrew word meaning “breath” or “vapor.” The intentionality of their names should not be lost, as a Hebrew hearer would recognize the lesson of each of the sons’ names. Cain reminds us that life comes from the Lord, while Abel’s name would remind the hearer that life is brief, like a vapor.
What Do You Think?
What baby shower gifts could you give that give thanks to the Lord for the newborn child?
Digging Deeper
In what ways is parenthood strengthened when the Lord is worshipped?
II. Two Offerings
(Genesis 4:2b–7)
A. Different Occupations (vv. 2b–4a)
2b. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. The account records the occupation of the two boys: Abel became a shepherd, while Cain tilled the soil. Tilling the ground is what Adam began to do after he and Eve were sent out of Eden (Genesis 3:23).
3–4a. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof.
Adam and Eve would have taught their sons how to worship as they had learned from God while in the garden. While we do not know when the brothers began to offer sacrifice, we do know that they chose to worship through their giving. It is clear from the text that each man gave from the produce of his labors. Cain, already described as a “tiller of the ground,” brought something from the ground, most likely a grain or vegetable offering. Abel, a “keeper of sheep,” offered something from the firstlings, or firstborn, of his flock. This description brings to mind later laws given to Israel (Exodus 13:12; 34:19). Nothing is said, however, about Cain bringing the “firstfruits” of the soil, which was also later commanded of Israel (23:19). This may point to a higher quality of offering on Abel’s part. Another indication of higher quality may be seen in how Abel brought … of the fat as a part of his offering. Once again, later requirements in the Law of Moses indicate the significance of offering the fat of an animal because “all the fat is the Lord’s” (Leviticus 3:16). The fat was considered the choice portion of the meat and thus the best part of the sacrifice.
What Do You Think?
How will you use your gifts of time, talent, and treasure as an act of worship to God?
Digging Deeper
What indicators of legalism should you be alert for in that regard?
B. Different Reactions
(vv. 4b–5a)
4b–5a. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering. But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.
Why did the Lord accept Abel’s offering but reject Cain’s? One proposal is that Abel’s offering was a blood sacrifice, while Cain’s was only a grain offering, not costing him much. If so, the hearts or attitudes of the two men were the key factor distinguishing the two offerings.
At this point, the New Testament offers some important insights. Hebrews 11:4 states, “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous.”
Our text does not indicate precisely how the Lord expressed His acceptance of Abel’s offering and His rejection of Cain’s. Later, the Lord will speak to Cain, so He may have addressed each of the brothers, much as He had earlier spoken to the serpent, Adam, and Eve (Genesis 3:14–19).
C. Cain’s Anger (v. 5b)
5b. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Cain could have reacted with either remorse or anger. He chose the latter. So great was his bitterness that his facial expression showed his displeasure. As the sacrifices were acts of worship, Cain’s heart posture is obvious.
What Do You Think?
What techniques can you adopt to control your anger?
Digging Deeper
To what extent does Jonah 4 help you with that question?
You, Karen?
I watch a lot of online video clips of law enforcement officials making arrests. The name Karen often appears as part of the titles of these clips as a derogatory designation of someone who behaves in an “I’m entitled” kind of way.
The “Karens” of the videos are often extremely angry as they resist arrest. They will loudly attempt to justify, excuse, or otherwise “explain away” the behavior that has landed them in handcuffs. They close their ears to anything the officer has to say. They ask “Why?” relentlessly, although the officer has explained things five times already.
Anger is a God-given emotion. Anger is not sinful in and of itself—Jesus himself became angry on more than one occasion (Mark 3:5; 11:15–17; John 2:13–17). But there’s a difference between godly anger (Romans 2:8) and worldly anger (Ephesians 4:26, 31; James 1:20; etc.). Be warned: failure to discern the difference can make you a “Karen”—or worse, a Cain!—R. L. N.
D. The Lord’s Warning (vv. 6–7)
6. And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? God had addressed Adam with a series of questions following his and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:9–11). He questioned Eve as well (3:13). Then the Lord confronted Cain about his anger. His questions were designed to make Cain think about his condition, and they prepared him for the counsel the Lord was about to provide. The Lord was as concerned about the offerer as He was about the offering.
7. If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
All was not lost for Cain. He did not have to remain angry. But Cain’s heart needed to change; though the word repent is not used in this passage, Cain needed to do just that and determine to do what was pleasing to the Lord. If he did not take this step, sin was ready to exercise even further control over him. While the Lord did not specifically mention the devil, the language used in this verse is reminiscent of what Peter says about how the devil is like a roaring lion on the prowl, “seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
The Lord’s warning assumes that Cain had some understanding of sin. (This is the first time the word is used in the Bible.) Perhaps his parents had told him about their own sad experience with sin in the Garden of Eden and tried to warn Cain not to follow that same path. Sin did not have to have the upper hand with Cain, any more than it did with his parents. If Cain did what was right, he would indeed rule over sin.
Recognizing Mercy
When I was young, there was a time I became so angry that I decided I would tell my mother that I hated her. When I did, however, I was met with mercy. She appeared unfazed. Her love for me did not change—whether or not I was angry. Her love quelled my anger, and I regretted my actions.
We see God’s mercy on display in the story of Cain and Abel. Instead of killing Cain, God spared him. God had every right to put him to death, but that’s not how the story goes.
Through Christ Jesus, God also offers us mercy today. We deserve to die eternally for our sins, but Jesus took the penalty for us. He paid off a debt we never could. Is there ever any reason to be angry with God? No! (See Jonah 4.) And until we humble ourselves in repentance, we will miss the joy of knowing God’s deep, bubbling fountain of mercy and life. Are you missing it now? —J. K.
III. Two Outcomes
(Genesis 4:8–12)
A. Cain Kills Abel (v. 8)
8. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. Anger is a powerful emotion that can be a gateway to sinful actions. Perhaps at some point, Cain persuaded Abel to go to a field, where the older brother took his younger brother’s life.
First John 3:12 offers insight into what motivated Cain to do the terrible thing he did to his brother. John contrasts the message of loving one another with the actions of Cain, “who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother.” John then raises the question of why Cain killed Abel. The answer? “Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.” Rather than heed the Lord’s counsel to do what was right, Cain harbored his bitter, envious feelings toward his brother to the point of killing him. It is sobering to consider that this early in the biblical record (we are still in single-digit pages in our Bibles), such a tragic act has occurred.
B. The Lord Confronts Cain
(vv. 9–10)
9. And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?
The Lord knew where Abel was and what Cain had done to him, just like He knew Adam’s location when He asked him, “Where art thou?” (Genesis 3:9). The question allowed Cain to do something right (3:7) rather than allow sin to tighten its stranglehold on him. Cain, however, denied knowing where Abel was. He even became defiant in his reply: Am I my brother’s keeper? Cain tried to deflect God’s question away from himself, much like his father had done in his response to the Lord after being confronted with his disobedience (3:12).
What Do You Think?
In what senses are we to be “our brother’s keeper”?
Digging Deeper
At what point do our responsibilities end in that regard, if at all?
10. And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
The Lord asked yet another question of Cain—a question that revealed His full awareness of what Cain had done to his brother. The Lord’s description of how Abel’s blood was crying to Him from the ground may indicate that Cain had buried his brother’s body in an effort to conceal his deed. His parents, too, tried to hide their sin (Genesis 3:8).
The writer of Hebrews mentions Abel’s blood, contrasting it with Jesus’ blood, which speaks a message of “better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24). Abel’s blood cried out for judgment on his brother. Jesus’ blood given at the cross speaks grace and forgiveness.
C. The Lord Punishes Cain
(vv. 11–12)
11. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand.
Previously, the Lord had cursed the serpent because of its role in deceiving Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:14). Here, Cain was cursed from the earth, meaning that the focus of the curse was to be the ground from which Cain made his living. Later, the Law of Moses will describe an act such as Cain’s shedding of his brother’s innocent blood as a defilement of the land (Numbers 35:33).
12. When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
The Lord had already told Adam that the ground would be cursed “for thy sake;” that is, because of his sin (Genesis 3:17). Working the soil would become a rigorous, demanding task, and the ground would produce thorns and thistles (3:18–19). Here, God told Cain that his labor in the soil would yield nothing in return. Thus what had been the source of productivity and satisfaction for Cain would become a source of frustration and devastation.
The Hebrew word translated earth at the end of this verse differs from the word earlier rendered ground and indicates a much larger area (perhaps the entire planet as it does in Genesis 1:1–2). Cain was consigned to live as a fugitive and a vagabond, likely having to search for food from whomever would be willing to share with him.
IV. Two Epilogues
(Genesis 4:13–16)
A. Cain’s Anguish (vv. 13–14)
13. And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Cain was grieved to hear that his livelihood was being taken from him. While he saw his punishment as severe, at a later time, the Lord declared that death was the appropriate punishment for murder (Genesis 9:5–6; Exodus 21:12). Thus, Cain’s punishment was less severe than it could have been.
14. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
At no point did Cain offer any admission of guilt or remorse for his action; like his father (see Genesis 3:12), Cain saw God as the culprit to be blamed for what lay ahead for him. Cain acknowledged that he could well become the target of revenge for his killing of Abel. Perhaps he was thinking of future family members who would learn of his despicable act. That Eve knew about it is clear from her statement in Genesis 4:25. One wonders how much Cain read into other people’s thinking about the evils of his own heart. If others were like him, he was indeed in grave danger.
Of course, it was not true that Cain would be hidden from the Lord. That is an impossibility for anyone, as David recognized (Psalm 139:7–12).
B. The Lord’s Provision (v. 15)
15. And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
The use of the term sevenfold likely signifies completeness; that is, full vengeance will be carried out on anyone who kills Cain. It’s all too easy to speculate about the composition of the mark placed upon Cain and where it might have been placed on his body; it would have had to be someplace visible, such as his forehead.
A primary point not to be overlooked is the Lord’s measure of grace by not administering the punishment of the death penalty that Cain, in fact, deserved. But such a penalty isn’t announced until Genesis 9:6.
C. Cain’s Departure (v. 16)
16. And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
We do not read of any expression of gratitude on Cain’s part for the Lord’s provision of protection from possible vigilante justice. Cain simply went out and began a new phase of his life in the land of Nod, a designation that means “wandering.” It was certainly a fitting location for someone who had been sentenced to live as a vagabond.
What Do You Think?
What are some ways to teach others to recognize God’s presence?
Digging Deeper
How will you be an accountability partner for a person as he or she tries to notice the presence of God?
Conclusion
A. Cain’s “Worship War”
From time to time, churches have engaged in what have come to be called “worship wars.” Usually, the issue that creates the conflict is the style of music. Cain, however, was engaged in another kind of worship war. It had nothing to do with music. Cain’s worship war went much deeper.
Faith, which God has always required from those who would please Him (Genesis 15:6; Hebrews 11:6), was absent from Cain’s offering. Instead of seeing Abel’s righteous act as something to learn from and imitate, Cain responded in anger. John says that Cain’s actions were evil (1 John 3:12), and evil will always seek to persecute and silence righteousness.
Prophets such as Isaiah challenged God’s people in his day to recognize that, despite all of the observances of worship in which they participated (incense, sabbaths, assemblies, feasts, and prayers), it was all worthless. Why? “This people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me” (Isaiah 29:13). Jesus quoted these words to the religious leaders of His day, whose worship, like that of the people in Isaiah’s day, was filled with religious actions “but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:7–8).
In many churches today, an abundance of resources aid in worship through modern technology. It is sobering to consider that if the condition of our hearts is deficient, our worship may be just as unacceptable as Cain’s was.
B. Prayer
Father, help us to take our preparation for worship more seriously. Before we enter the sanctuary of our church building, may we make sure that our hearts are a fitting sanctuary for Your presence. May we never forget that we are living sacrifices, called to worship and serve You between Sundays as well as on them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
C. Thought to Remember
Make your life an offering to the Lord.
Standard Publishing. KJV Standard Lesson Commentary® 2024-2025 (pp. 914-932). David C Cook. Kindle Edition.