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Rev. Ronald C. Purkey, an ordained
Baptist minister, claims no
originality for these Bible study outlines.
However,
every Bible study posted on this website has been taught by Rev. Purkey.
The Sunday School Lesson of the Week is found on the Home Page.
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JUSTICE,
VENGEANCE, AND MERCY
January 2, 2022
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 4:1-15
KEY VERSE: And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy
brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. (Genesis 4:10)
INTRODUCTION:
1. “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and
women merely players,” wrote Shakespeare. “They all have their exits and their
entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.”
2. Remember those familiar words from English
Literature 101? Shakespeare was right: we have many roles to play in life as
from time to time we relate to various people and confront different
circumstances. The important thing is that we let God write the script, choose
the cast, and direct the action. If we disregard Him and try to produce the
drama ourselves, the story will have a tragic ending.
3. That’s what ruined Cain, the first human baby
born on the stage of Planet Earth: He ignored God’s script, “did his own
thing,” and made a mess out of it. Genesis 4 focuses the spotlight on Cain;
he’s mentioned thirteen times, and seven times Abel is identified as “his
[Cain’s] brother.” As you consider Cain’s life and some of the roles he played,
you will better understand how important it is for us to know God and do His
will.
I. THE BROTHER.
(Genesis 4:1-2a)
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and
she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. 2a And
she again bare his brother Abel. (Genesis 4:1-2a)
1. God commanded our first parents to “be fruitful,
and multiply, and fill the earth” (Gen. 1:28), and they obeyed this mandate
(Gen. 5:4). While it’s true that the building of a family isn’t the only
purpose for marriage, and not every marriage is blessed with children, it’s
also true that children are a precious gift from God (Gen. 33:5; 48:9; Psalm
127:3) and should be welcomed with joy. The Jewish people in the Old Testament
and the Christians in the first century church would be appalled at today’s
abortion statistics and the philosophies of the people who produce them.
2. The name “Cain” sounds like the Hebrew word for
“acquired.” Eve praised God for helping her through her first pregnancy. After
all, this was a new experience for her and she had no doctor or obstetrical
nurse to assist her. Her second pregnancy brought Abel into the world. His name
means “breath” and is the word translated “vanity” at least thirty-eight times
in Ecclesiastes. Cain’s name reminds us that life comes from God, while Abel’s
name tells us that life is brief.
3. Genesis is a “family book” and has a good deal to
say about brothers. Being the firstborn son, Cain was special; but because of
his sin, he lost everything and Seth took his place (Gen. 4:25). Ishmael was
Abraham’s firstborn, but God bypassed him and chose Isaac. Esau was Isaac’s
firstborn son, but he was rejected for Jacob; and Jacob’s firstborn son Reuben
was replaced by Joseph’s two sons (Gen. 49:3-4; 1 Chron. 5:1-2). In fact, God
even rearranged the birth order of Joseph’s sons (Gen. 48:8-22). Throughout Old
Testament history, God’s sovereignty is displayed in His choices of those who
receive His blessing, for all that we receive is because of God’s grace.
INSIGHT: Sibling
rivalry among brothers is another theme in Genesis. Ishmael persecuted Isaac;
Jacob left home so Esau couldn’t kill him; and Joseph’s brothers intended to
kill him but decided to sell him as a slave. When sin entered the human race,
it gave us dysfunctional and fractured families, and only the Lord can put
families together again.
II. THE WORKER.
(Genesis 4:2b)
And
Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. (Genesis 4:2b)
1. As his sons grew older, Adam put them to work in
the fields; and it became evident over the years that each boy had his own
interests and skills. Cain became a farmer and Abel became a shepherd, the
first of many shepherds found in the Bible, including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and
his sons, Moses, and David.
2. Adam certainly taught his sons why they worked:
it was a part of God’s creation mandate and they were co-laborers with God
(Gen. 1:26-31). Work isn’t a punishment from God because of sin, for Adam had
work to do in the Garden before he and his wife yielded to Satan’s temptation.
The biblical approach to work is that we are privileged to cooperate with God
by using His creation gifts for the good of people and the glory of God. (See
Col. 3:22-23; 1 Thess. 4:11-12; Ecc. 9:10.)
3. Work in the will of God isn’t a curse; it’s a
blessing. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work” (Ex. 20:9) was as
much a part of God’s Law for Israel as His command to rest on the Sabbath Day.
The Bible has nothing good to say about idleness or about the idle people who
expect others to provide for them (2 Thess. 3:6-15). Before He began His public
ministry, Jesus labored as a carpenter (Mark 6:3); and when he wasn’t traveling
or preaching, the Apostle Paul worked as a tentmaker (Acts 18:1-3).
INSIGHT: As Christians,
we don’t work simply to pay our bills and provide for our needs. We work
because it’s God’s ordained way for us to serve Him and others and thereby
glorify God in our lives (1 Cor. 10:31). We don’t work just to make a living;
we work to make a life, to develop our God-given abilities, and seek to
increase the quality and quantity of our labor. Martin Luther told the
dairymaids that they could milk cows to the glory of God, and Theodore
Roosevelt said that “the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard
at work worth doing.”
Perhaps the boys asked their father why their work
was so difficult, and Adam had to explain that God had cursed the ground
because of his own disobedience. “In the sweat of your face you shall eat
bread” was God’s sentence (Gen. 3:17-19), and there was no escape. But this
question gave Adam the opportunity to remind his sons of God’s promise of a
Redeemer and a day when creation would be set free from the bondage of sin
(Genesis 3:15).
III. THE
WORSHIPER. (Genesis 4:3-7)
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. (Genesis 4:3-7)
1. Adam and Eve had learned to worship God during
those wonderful days in the Garden before sin had brought its curse to their
lives and to the ground. Certainly they taught their children about the Lord
and the importance of worshiping Him. Workers need to be worshipers or they may
become idolaters, focusing on the gifts and not the Giver, and forgetting that
God gives the power to work and gain wealth (Deut. 8:10-20).
2. When God clothed Adam and Eve with the skins of
animals (Gen. 3:21), perhaps He taught them about sacrifices and the shedding
of blood; and they would have passed this truth along to their children. True
worship is something we must learn from God Himself, for He alone has the right
to lay down the rules for approaching Him and pleasing Him in worship.
3. God accepted Abel and his sacrifice, and perhaps
indicated this by sending fire from heaven to consume the animals (Lev. 9:24; 1
Kings 18:38; 1 Chron. 21:26); but He rejected Cain and his sacrifice. Cain
wasn’t rejected because of his offering, but his offering was rejected because
of Cain: his heart wasn’t right with God. It was “by faith” that Abel offered a
more acceptable sacrifice than Cain (Heb. 11:4), which means that he had faith
in God and was right with God.
4. In later years, the Law of Moses prescribed
offerings of grain and fruit (Lev. 2; Deut. 26:1-11), so we have reason to
believe that such sacrifices were acceptable from the beginning. But even had
Cain brought animal sacrifices and shed their blood, they wouldn’t have been
accepted by God because of the state of Cain’s heart. Abel brought the best
that he had and truly sought to please God; but Cain didn’t have that attitude
of faith. “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat
of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22; and see Isa. 1:11-13; Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6-8; Mark
12:28-34).
5. When God rejected his offering, Cain became very
angry. (The Hebrew word implies that he was “burning with anger.”) God spoke to
him personally and tried to lead him back to the way of faith, but Cain
resisted. It’s just like the Lord to give us another opportunity to obey Him,
and it’s just like stubborn sinners to refuse His gracious help.
6. The Lord warned Cain that temptation was like a
fierce beast crouching at the door of his life, and he had better not open the
door. It’s dangerous to carry grudges and harbor bitter feelings in our hearts,
because all of this can be used by Satan to lead us into temptation and sin.
This is what Paul meant when he wrote “neither give place to the devil” (Eph.
4:27). If we aren’t careful, we can tempt ourselves and bring about our own
ruin.
INSIGHT: The fact
that people attend religious meetings and participate in church activities is
no proof that they’re true believers. It’s possible to have “a form of
godliness” but never experience its saving power (2 Tim. 3:5). “These people
come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts
are far from Me” (Isa. 29:13; Matt. 15:8). The most costly sacrifices apart
from the submission of the heart can never make the worshiper right before God
(Ps. 51:16-17). “The way of Cain” (Jude 11) is the way of self-will and unbelief.
IV. THE
MURDERER. (Genesis 4:8-10)
INSIGHT: We can’t
separate our relationship with God from our relationship with our brothers and
sisters. (That includes our natural brothers and sisters as well as our
brothers and sisters in the Lord.) An unforgiving spirit, such as possessed
Cain, hinders worship and destroys our fellowship with God and God’s people
(Matt. 5:21-26; 6:14-16). It’s better that we interrupt our worship and get
right with a brother than to pollute our sacrifice because we have a bad spirit
within.
A. Murder. (Genesis 4:8)
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. (Genesis 4:8)
1. Anger is a powerful emotion that can lead to violence
and even murder. Jesus taught that anger in the heart is the moral equivalent
of murder with the hands (Matt. 5:21-26). Every year angry drivers cause
accidents that kill 28,000 people on the U.S. highways, and angry people who
have been fired from their jobs have killed hundreds of innocent people. Had
Cain heeded God’s warning and accepted His gracious invitation (Gen. 4:7), he
would never have become a murderer.
2. How soon after his worship was rejected did Cain
entice his brother away from home and kill him? Was it on the same day, or did
he brood over the matter a few days? He probably murdered his brother in his
heart many times before he actually committed the deed. He was envious of his
brother because of his relationship with God (1 John 3:12), and yet Cain was
unwilling to get right with God. When we hate others, it’s a sign we’re not
walking in the light (1 John 2:9-11) and that we don’t have God’s love in our
hearts (1 John 3:10-16).
B. Lying (Genesis 4:9-10)
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. (Genesis
4:9-10)
1. Cain was a child of the devil (1 John 3:12),
which means he was a murderer and a liar (John 8:44). He lied to his brother
when he enticed him to the place where he killed him. He lied to himself in
thinking that he could do such an evil deed and get away with it. Cain even
tried to lie to God and cover up his wicked deeds!
2. There’s a definite parallel between God’s
dealings with Cain in Genesis 4 and His dealings with Adam and Eve in chapter
3. In both instances, the Lord asked questions, not to get information (for He
knows everything) but to give the culprits opportunity to tell the truth and
confess their sins. In both instances, the sinners were evasive and tried to
cover up what they had done, but both times God brought their sins out into the
light and they had to admit their guilt.
3. Adam and Eve had run to hide when they heard
God’s voice (Gen. 3:8), but God heard Abel’s voice crying from the ground and
Cain couldn’t hide. The shedding of innocent blood pollutes the land (Num.
35:30-34) and that blood cries out for justice (Job 16:18; Isa. 26:21; Rev.
6:9-10). Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, and Cain became a rejected
wanderer in the earth.
INSIGHT: The more you
think about Cain’s sin, the more heinous it becomes. The murder wasn’t
motivated by sudden passion; it was carefully premeditated. Cain didn’t kill a
stranger in defense; he murdered his own brother out of envy and hatred.
Furthermore, Cain did it after being at the altar to worship God and in spite
of God’s warning and promise. Finally, once the horrible deed was done, Cain
took it all very lightly and tried to lie his way out of it.
V. THE WANDERER.
(Genesis 4:11-15)
INSIGHT: A vagabond has
no home; a fugitive is running from home; a stranger is away from home; but a
pilgrim is heading home. “I have set before you life
and death, blessing and cursing; therefore, choose life” (Deut. 30:19). Cain
made the wrong choice, and instead of being a pilgrim in life, he became a
stranger and a fugitive, wandering the land.
A. God’s curse. Genesis 4:11-12)
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. Genesis 4:11-12)
1. Jehovah had cursed the serpent (Gen. 3:14) and
the ground (Gen. 3:17), but He had not cursed Adam and Eve. However, He did
curse their son Cain, who was a child of the devil (the serpent). Cain had
defiled the ground with his brother’s blood, and now the ground wouldn’t work
for him.
2. If Adam toiled and struggled day after day, he
would get a harvest (Gen. 3:17-19); but for Cain, there would never be fruit
from his labors. So, he couldn’t continue as a farmer. All he could do was
wander from place to place and eke out a living.
B. Cain’s regrets. (Genesis 4:13-14)
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. (Genesis 4:13-14)
1. Cain never repented of his sins; his words reveal
only remorse and regret. He didn’t say, “My guilt is more than I can bear.” He
was concerned only with his punishment, not with his character. If he wandered
from place to place, he would be in danger; but if he stayed in one place, he
would starve. The earth had turned against him, God had turned against him, and
people would turn against him. Anybody Cain met would be a relative who might
want to avenge Abel’s murder. What could he do?
2. By hating and murdering his brother and refusing
to repent, Cain created for himself an intolerable life. He opened the door to
temptation (Gen. 4:7) and closed the door on his family, God, and his future.
No matter where he lived or what he did, Cain would always be a restless man
for whom there was no remedy.
C. God’s mercy. (Genesis 4:15)
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. (Genesis 4:15)
1. God did a strange thing: He put a mark on Cain
that would protect him from the assaults of people who wanted to kill him. We
don’t know what this mark was or why people would recognize it as God’s
protective seal; but it worked. This was purely an act of mercy on God’s part.
2. Why would God allow a diabolical murderer like
Cain to go free? In His mercy, God doesn’t give us what we do deserve; and in
His grace, He gives us what we don’t deserve. That’s the nature of God. God
spared Cain’s life, but that wasn’t the end of the story. Eventually Cain died
and “after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). The entire civilization that he
built was destroyed in the Flood, and the record of his life is left in Holy
Scripture as a warning to anybody who pretends to worship, plays with sin, and
doesn’t take temptation seriously. “The way of Cain” (Jude 11) is not the
narrow way that leads to life (Matt. 7:13-14).
CONCLUSION: What have we
learned from our study of Genesis 4:1-15?
First, we learned about unbelief (Genesis 4:1–7). When God killed
animals and clothed Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21), He taught the significance of
blood sacrifice (Heb. 9:22). Cain brought the wrong sacrifice in his hands and
had the wrong attitude in his heart. His was not a sacrifice of faith, and God
rejected it. God also warned Cain that sin was lying at his door, waiting to
pounce on him.
Second, we learned about hatred (Genesis 4:8). Cain’s anger
slowly became envy and hatred, and then it led to murder (Matt. 5:21–26). When
you start to play with temptation, you will soon be caught (James 1:13–16).
Cain was guilty of every sin that God hates (Prov. 6:16–19).
Third, we learned about hopelessness (Genesis 4:9–15). God’s question
to Adam and Eve was, “Where are you?” His question to Cain was, “Where is Abel
your brother?” Do we know where our brothers and sisters are? Do we care? Or
are we making excuses, as Cain did?
Fourth, we learned that now God curses a man! Cain was not
convicted about his sin; he was concerned only about his punishment. Cain’s
unbelief, hatred, and deceit destroyed every relationship in his life: his
relationship with his brother, God, himself, and the world around him. All of
us are pilgrims on this earth, but Cain became a fugitive, a wanderer. “Thou
hast made us for Thyself,” said St. Augustine, “and our hearts are restless
until they rest in Thee.”
INSIGHT: Cain tried to
compensate for his despair by building a “civilization” in the land of Nod
(“wandering”). Since Adam and Eve had many children, Cain must have married a
relative. He had many fine things in his city, but God rejected the whole thing
and gave Adam another son, Seth (“appointed”), to carry on the godly line.
THOUGHT TO REMBER: “Do right!
Though the stars fall, do right!” – Dr. Bob Jones, Sr.
REFERENCES: References used in these Bible studies are the Moody Bible Commentary, J. Vernon McGee’s Thru the Bible Commentary: (www.ttb.org), the Scofield Study Bible, the Believer’s Bible Commentary, Dr. Charles
J. Woodbridge Bible Outlines, Dr. Lee Roberson’s Sermons, Dr. Charles Stanley: (http://www.intouch.org/), Don Robinson’s Bible Outlines, Women’s Study Bible, The Bible Reader’s
Companion Ed. 3, The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version, Dr. Tony Evans (https://tonyevans.org/), KJV Bible Commentary, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines of the New
Testament ed. 4, Dr. David Jeremiah: (http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/), Dr. Cliff Robinson’s Bible Outlines, Dr. Robert Jeffress’ Pathway to
Victory (https://ptv.org/), Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines of the Old Testament, Dr. Alan Carr’s The Sermon Notebook (www.sermonnotebook.org), With the Word Bible Commentary, Wiersbe’s “Be” Series: Old & New
Testaments, Radio Bible Class Ministries (http://rbc.org/), selected illustrations and other references.
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