v.1-16
1. What is the attitude of Cain to God?
What he saw as important, the LORD or the response of the LORD to their offerings in v.3-5?
4b And the LORD was pleased with Abel and his offering, 5 but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased.
Pleased (NET) simply means “to gaze at, to have regard for, to look on with favor [or “with devotion”].” The text does not indicate how this was communicated, but it indicates that Cain and Abel knew immediately. Either there was some manifestation of divine pleasure given to Abel and withheld from Cain (fire consuming the sacrifice?), or there was an inner awareness of divine response.
about their sacrifices (NET) one (Cain) merely discharges a duty at the proper time, while the other (Abel) goes out of his way to please God with the first and the best.
2. repeated words:
A. So Cain became very angry, and his expression was downcast
Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your expression downcast?
B. if you do what is right, you will be fine?
But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door
do (BDB) do well, right, ethically
God questioned the reason for Cain's negative response when he was not being accepted. And He wanted Cain to reflect that the reason why he was not accepted was due to his own fault, namely, he did not do well or do the right thing. His offering was causal and not out of faith to God.
Principle: If a person only focus on the positive feedback from God or man, but neglect our own fault of not pleasing the LORD in the first place.
Or the other hand, this kind of not accepting the negative feedback from God will have more dangerous consequences: sin is ready to take over us v.7b and the punishment of sin v.8-14
3. Cain gave in to sin's domination and suffered the punishment
Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. v.8
Cain lied to God v.9a
Cain denied his responsibility over his brother v.9b
Protested to God regarding his punishment v.13-14
Reflection: Instead of complaining about the disease (which may be a punishment from God), I need to focus on looking if there is any reason God do not like me. Instead of complaining the pain of separation from my loved one, I need to focus on looking if I see my loved one as my idol.
Focusing on my complain and being angry will led to further sin. Those will have more dire consequences.
Do I care more about offering to please God in serving in VBC? Or do I care more about the positive response from God e.g. more people will come to the church? Although more people coming may be an indicator that God pleases with VBC, but it can show up in other ways. The bottom line is am I serving for the blessings from God or am I serving God? Do I like His blessings more than Him Himself?
Question: This morning with God
1/ How do you know God (the Jewish idea of knowing is not mere intellectual apprehension of a fact but experiential, intimate, active, existential knowledge)? To what extent?
2/ What is Cain's problem?
He loved the positive feedback from God but not doing good in pleasing God.
3/ In what ways does Cain disclaim responsibility for his actions? What are the results of his actions?
He disregard of not doing good in pleasing God when he focused on the negative feedback from God while Abel got the positive feedback.
God warned him of the more dangerous sin was coming, but he did not take that warning. He let sin dominate him and he killed his brother. He lied to God and neglected responsibility over his brother. He was punished by God to be banished.
4/ Who is responsible for your actions?
Myself
v.17-26
1. Repeated phrase:
v.1 Now the man was intimate with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created a man just as the LORD did!”
v.17 Cain was intimate with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch
v.25a And Adam was intimate with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth, , saying, “God has given me another child in place of Abel because Cain killed him.”
26 And a son was also born to Seth, whom he named Enosh. At that time people began to worship the LORD.
What is the similarity and difference?
In v.26, it seems to have a relationship that when people give birth to a child they will remember the Lord like what Eve did in v.1, and 25. It was probably due to the fact that procreation reminds people of the creation of God. However, no worshipping or thanking of the Lord was mentioned by Adam/Eve not Cain/his wife until Seth who fathered Enosh. Seth began to worship the LORD. Just like Abel who gave the best to the Lord, Seth worship or call the name of the Lord in prayer (BDB-call with name of י׳ (i.e. use it in invocation).
Reflection: When I experience special blessings, will I think about God? Or just forget about it like Adam/Eve or Cain/his wife? How many thanksgiving have I missed to give God?
Not only I should not forget, but I should pursue God and call upon Him or worship Him. Do I turn my thanksgiving into a moment looking at the greatness of God/worshipping God? Or I just did nothing after I give thanks?
2. Repeated pattern, the genealogy of Cain in v.17-18 and it stopped at Lamech. Why? What were specials about Lamech?
a. Lamech took 2 wives and violating God's plan for marriage of one husband and one wife.
b. When his wives gave birth to their child no more mentioning about God (same as Cain and his wife). (The name of God was not even mentioned in the whole clan of Cain v.17-24).
c. There were 3 "experts" among his sons: live in tents and keep livestock, play the harp and flute, able to heated metal and shaped all kinds of tools made of bronze and iron. Imagine their family live: one of their son brought them food to eat from the livestock, and in their "family tent," another son play some wonderful music from their instrument. Finally, the "IT" 3rd son was highly talented and having advanced technology that can significantly improved their lives. It was almost like a middle-class live nowadays.
d. v.23b I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for hurting me. (NET-probably refers to a youthful warrior here, not a child.)
24 If Cain is to be avenged seven times as much,
then Lamech seventy-seven times!”
Obviously Lamech knew what God had said to his ancestor Cain, but he told others that he had more protections than Cain, not from God, but from his own power. He was able to kill anyone who hurt him.
Summary: Lamech came from a family line (Cain's) that God was not important and was not being worshipped. He chose to rebel the marriage plan of God and went his own way. When he got children he never thank God. As a rebel, he was well established and he was physical fitted. Therefore, he was so proud and thought that he did not need God.
Reflection: Am I like Lamech? So proud of my own power to protect myself? What I did in the past give me the illusion that I am invincible? The advantage of my disease reminds me that I am vulnerable. When just an area of 2cm of my body went wrong, it can be the end of my life.
Question: This morning with God
5/ What happens to man and his environment to make him suddenly call upon the name of the Lord?
When Seth gave birth to Enosh
6/ Compare this and today's situation. Would these people call on God for anything different today?
Seth may give thanks to God which we should do the same when we experience blessings.
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