BAD KIDS OF THE BIBLE: CAIN
Text: Genesis 4:1 – 16
Before I get into this morning’s sermon, I’d like to show you three videos. We’ve had a lot of bad weather this winter, and lots of snow and ice can weight down trees and make them dangerous. This first video is called, “How Not To Cut Down a Tree.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxK6Cdb-_bw
Not only can snow and ice be dangerous on trees, it can also weight your roof down and cause it to collapse. This next video is called, “How Not To Remove Snow from Your Roof.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-AvCFskYIY
And finally, when the weather gets bad outside, a lot of people stay indoors. If the weather is bad for very long, people start to get cabin fever and start looking for things to entertain themselves. This last video is called, “How Not to Use a Treadmill.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWCE02HrMV4
Not only are videos like these entertaining to watch, but they are very instructive as well – they teach us what NOT to do!
Today, I am going to begin a new series called, “Bad Kids of the Bible.” The Bible is filled with stories of good children like David, the three Hebrew children, and Samuel, and we can learn a lot about how we should live our lives by looking at theirs. But the Bible also records the stories of not so good children, the “bad kids of the Bible.” Over the next several weeks we are going to look at some of their stories, not because they are good examples of what to do, but because they are good examples of what NOT to do.
Our first story is about the original bad kid of the Bible – Cain. You can find his story in Genesis chapter 4. Let’s turn there and read about it now.
[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.
Adam and Eve had been cast out of the Garden of Eden because of their sin. We don’t know how much later, but eventually, they had a son, and they named him Cain. Again, we don’t know how much time passes, but another son, Abel, is born as well. Cain and Abel probably sat at their parent’s feet and heard them tell tales of what life was like before they sinned. They talked about living in the beautiful garden that God had created for them, and how that God would come down in the cool of the evening and talk with them. But things were different now. Before, God had provided for their every need. Now they had to work to survive.
The Bible says that Cain became a farmer, and Abel became a shepherd. Both of these professions involved a lot of hard work. Maybe Cain became resentful of God and believed that his parent’s punishment was too severe. After all, all that they had done wrong was eat a piece of fruit, right? Who did God think He was to ban them from the garden that He had given them in the first place? And what about the work? Cain was constantly fighting off birds and other animals from destroying his crop. Then there was the weeds and thorns that had to be removed from the crops on a continual basis. What had Cain done to deserve these hardships?
One day, the boys decided to bring an offering to God. We are not told why, but maybe Abel had suggested it. Abel brings the best of his flock, and Cain brings some of the fruits and vegetables that he had grown. The Bible says that God accepted Abel’s offering, but rejected Cain’s, causing Cain to become even more bitter and resentful. God even scolds Cain for his attitude and warns him that he needs to check his emotions. Instead of listening to God, Cain walks away angry.
Some time passes, and one day Cain finds Abel out in the field, and says, “Let’s go for a walk in the fields.” Abel looks over his flock to make sure that there are no predators in sight, and turns to walk with Cain. We are not told how long Cain had nursed his grudge and resentment of his brother, but as they were walking, he sees a small, sturdy limb laying on the ground, picks it up, and strikes his brother. He hits him over and over again, until his brother does not move. Cain looks around to make sure that no one is watching, throws the limb over into the weeds, and walks away.
Several hours pass. Cain is out in the fields working with his crops, and he hears the voice of God. “Where is your brother?” Cain lies to God, and utters those famous words, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” God knows exactly where Abel is, and Cain refuses to accept responsibility. He sneers at God, as God pronounces sentence for the first murder. He complains that God’s punishment is too severe, and he stomps off out of the Lord’s presence into a land east of Eden.
Now, certainly, we don’t want to model our behavior after a person like Cain. As I said earlier, Cain gives us an example of what NOT to do, and I think there are three things that we can learn from his story. First of all, I think Cain teaches us that we should always bring our best to God. There have been many opinions over the years as to why Abel’s offering was accepted and Cain’s was not. Some have suggested that God had required a blood sacrifice, and that Cain had decided to do things his own way. My own personal opinion is that that is not true. I think the biggest clue that we have about this mystery is found in verses 3 through 5. The NLT puts it this way: “[3] When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. [4] Abel also brought a gift – the BEST of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, [5] but he did not accept Cain and his gift.” I believe that the reason that God didn’t accept Cain’s offering is that Cain brought God his leftovers.
Abel’s offering was the best that he had to give. He took the best lamb from his flock and presented it to God. Abel’s gift was an act of worship and devotion, a way of thanking God for prospering him. Cain, on the other hand, had kept the best of his crop for himself, and had given God the fruits and vegetables that were bruised and overripe. He had offered what was diseased and rotting. Cain gave out of sense of obligation. He was not thankful for what God had done for him. God complains of this type of giving centuries later when he speaks through the prophet Malachi, “[6] A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? [7] Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible. [8] And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts. [13] Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord. [14] But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.” (Malachi 1:6 – 8, 13, 14)
We need to learn an important lesson here. Whatever we do for the Lord, whatever we offer to him, it needs to be our best. I have often thought of this when I hear singers get up to sing and say things like, “I haven’t practiced in months, but I just felt like I should sing.” Are they really giving their best to God by doing that? Does God accept it? Is he pleased with it? What about preachers or teachers that never study and get behind the pulpit with the attitude that God will just fill their mouths with something. Are they really giving God their best? Do you put 10% in the offering plate because you feel obligated to do so, and then go and spend the rest of it without giving God a second thought? Do you come and put in your time on Sunday morning so you can forget about God the rest of the week? Whether it is time, talent, or treasure, God deserves our best, not our leftovers.
Secondly, Cain teaches us that we need to learn to control our anger before it controls us. Listen to the warning we are given in the book of James. I’ll read it in the NLT. “[19] Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. [20] Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” (James 1:19, 20) We are also told by Paul that we shouldn’t let anger fester in our lives. Ephesians 4:26, 27 reads, “[26] And don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, [27] for anger gives a foothold to the devil.”
Now I know that Cain didn’t have the book of James or the book of Ephesians to guide him in conquering his anger, but he did have the counsel of God. God warned Cain, “[6] 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.” God was telling Cain that he needed to control his anger, or it would control him. Sadly, instead of listening to God, Cain decided to nurse a grudge.
I have know people that wouldn’t speak to each other for years because of something silly. A friend of mine hadn’t spoken to another friend of mine for years. I asked him why he was so angry, and he said, “It was so long ago, I don’t remember.” Other people don’t speak to each other because of something more serious. When I was in the third grade, my great-grandparents passed away. They lived in Michigan. I remember going there in the summer of 1976 for the funeral. After the funeral was over, we went to my great-grandparents house and found a huge argument going on in the living room. My grandfather asked what was going on, and quickly found out that his brothers and sisters were fighting over their parent’s belongings. My grandfather scolded them for their behavior, and they shared a few choice words with him. My grandfather took us back to our hotel, and we left the next day. He never spoke to them again.
If you are angry and holding a grudge, you need to deal with it now. Don’t let it fester into something that will destroy you and the people that you love. If Cain would have listened to God’s advice, things would have probably turned out much different. Cain is an example of how we should NOT deal with the anger in our lives.
Finally, Cain’s story teaches us that God expects us to watch over and care for one another. Cain’s infamous reply to God was, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” was his way of telling God to leave him alone and stay out of his business. However, throughout God’s Word we are told to BE our brother’s keeper. We are told to encourage and support one another at all times. The author of Hebrews tells us that that is one of the main reasons we should go to church. “[23] Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) [24] And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: [25] Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23 – 25) He goes on to say that we have the responsibility of helping one another overcome sin and temptation. “[13] But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13). The apostle Paul says the same thing in Galatians 6:1, 2, “[1] Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. [2] Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”
I have heard preachers say that God’s army is the only army in the world that shoots its wounded. As much as I hate to say that that is true, I have seen it many times. We need to take responsibility for one another’s spiritual well being. That is still another reason why we need to go to church on a regular basis. When we go to church we receive the teaching we need to grow as a Christian, and we get the love and support from our brothers and sisters to continue to grow and not fall. If you know a brother or sister that is in need of help, don’t go spreading rumors and talking about them behind their backs. Pray for them, encourage them, listen to them. Do for them what God has done for you.
In closing, I would like to end Cain’s story by saying that he eventually learned his lesson and turned to God for forgiveness, but the evidence suggests that he never did. The remainder of chapter 4 in Genesis talks about the children and grandchildren of Cain, and their names reveal the attitude that continued in Cain’s descendants. Cain goes off to the land of Nod and begins to build a city, a direct rebellion against God who told him that he would be a wanderer the rest of his life. He has a son named Enoch. Enoch has a son named Irad, whose name means “fugitive.” Irad has a son named Mehujael, whose name means “wipe out the name of God.” Mehujael’s son was named Methusael, whose name means “those who believe in God are dead.” And then we are told of his son, Lamech, who name means “poor and lowly.” It appears that Cain taught his family to hate God as much as he did. He most likely lived out his days rebelling against God and cursing him for the punishment that he had received for killing his brother.
Don’t follow Cain’s example. When you do something for God, always do your best. Learn to control your anger before it controls you. Watch over and care for your brothers and sisters. And finally, if you have sinned, ask for forgiveness instead of rebelling against God and slapping away his offer of mercy. Cain was certainly a bad kid of the Bible, but you don’t have to follow in his footsteps.
