Genesis 4-5

Genesis 4-5

The story of Cain and Abel is the beginning of the story of the consequences of sin. Genesis 3 introduced the idea that when we sin, there will always be consequences, whether they are immediate in our lives or in the lives of others. In the case of Adam and Eve it was both, for their children, Cain and Abel, were cursed with the sin nature just as they had been. Although we tend not to think of Abel as being a sinful man, Scripture clearly states that all have sinned. We only get a glimpse into Abel’s life in these few short verses and see some of the godly choices that he made.

The contrast is clear between Cain and Abel. Whereas Abel gave up the best of what he had for the Lord, Cain gave an ordinary gift that did not appear to be much of a sacrifice for him. For this reason, God chose to bless Abel and the offering that he had given and chose to turn away from Cain’s offering. This causes me to reflect on what I give. Do I always give the Lord my best? This does not only apply to the area of money. In my time, with my talents, in what I invest in, in how I live my life, do I keep it all to myself, do I only give what I feel comfortable with, or do I take that chance and give the best that I can trusting that God will take care of the rest? The latter choice is what Abel did, and he was clearly blessed.

As for Cain, God tells him to always do well or his best. It seems as if God is telling him that when we decide not to give our all, sin will be there waiting for us. So when we choose to be all about self, we let our defenses down. That allows a small crack, just like Adam and Eve had in the garden, in which Satan can crawl in and begin his work of deception. Sin is inevitable at that point, and the whole cycle of sin and consequences begins again. This is exactly what happened to Cain, for his choice to give less led to jealousy, and his jealousy over his brother then led to murder, and finally that murder led to a lie. This is almost a mirror image to Adam and Eve, and further points out that what we may think of as only one little sin can lead to something much worse. Cain’s life is yet another example of the consequences of sin as he too is exiled to a distant land.

The remainder of this chapter, along with Genesis 5, lists the genealogies of Cain and Adam (through Seth). These lists are commonly skipped when reading the Old Testament, and I must admit that I have done that very thing. But reading through them this time, I am reminded that nothing is put in Scripture without a purpose. For one, many of these names are mentioned later on, and if you do not recognize some of the family ties, you will miss some of the connections that Scripture makes. But these lists also give us insight into how some of these people lived. For instance, in the line of Cain we are told what certain people were known for, whether it be tools or music.

As for Adam’s line, we learn other tidbits of information that we would have never known had the genealogies been left out of Scripture. For instance, we are told that Enoch did not die, and that he was taken up from this earth because he walked with God. Although Enoch’s story only receives two verses in the midst of a genealogy list, his life is a great example of how we should live. He truly followed God, and that is what we should desire and strive for in our lives as well. Finally, we are introduced to Noah in this listing. One thing I had never noticed, possibly because I had skimmed through these verses so many times, is that Noah was born as one who would bring relief for his people. Important attention to detail is important, and I have once again been reminded to pay close attention to what the text actually says.

Matt