Chronological Life Application Study Bible Sampler - Book - Page 16
BEGINNINGS
undated–2100 BC
GOD’S CHOSEN FAMILY
2100–1800 BC
BIRTH OF ISRAEL
1800–1406 BC
POSSESSING THE LAND
1406–1050 BC
UNITED MONARCHY
1050–930 BC
2. CAIN AND ABEL
The tragic story of Cain and Abel shows how dramatically sin had affected humanity. Less than
a generation after being banished from the Garden of Eden, jealousy leads to murder.
Cain Murders Abel
of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, 5but he did not accept Cain
Now Adam* had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked
and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to dejected.
6“Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain.
Cain, she said, “With the Lord’s help, I have produced*
a man!” 2Later she gave birth to his brother and named “Why do you look so dejected? 7You will be accepted
if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what
him Abel.
When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door,
Cain cultivated the ground. 3When it was time for eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be
the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a its master.”
8One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out
gift to the Lord. 4Abel also brought a gift—the best
GENESIS 4:1-16
Gn 4:1a Or the man; also in 4:25.
Gn 4:1b Or I have acquired. Cain sounds like a Hebrew term that can mean “produce” or “acquire.”
ABEL
Abel was the second child born into the world, but the first one
to obey God. All we know about this man is that his parents were Adam and Eve, he
was a shepherd, he presented pleasing offerings to God, and his life was ended at
the hands of his jealous older brother, Cain. • The Bible doesn’t tell us why God liked
Abel’s gift and disliked Cain’s, but both Cain and Abel knew what God expected.
Only Abel obeyed. Throughout history, Abel is remembered for his obedience and
faith (Heb 11:4), and he is called “righteous” (Matt 23:35). • The Bible is filled with
God’s general guidelines and expectations for our lives. It is also filled with more
specific directions. Like Abel, we must obey regardless of the cost and trust God
to make things right.
• Mentioned in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11
Strengths and
accomplishments • First shepherd
• First martyr for truth (Matt 23:35)
• God hears those who come to him
Lessons from
• God recognizes the innocent person and sooner or later
his life
punishes the guilty
• Where: Just outside of Eden
Vital statistics
• Occupation: Shepherd
• Relatives: Parents: Adam and Eve. Brother: Cain.
Key verse
“It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering
to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he
was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his
gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his
example of faith” (Heb 11:4).
Abel’s story is told in Genesis 4:1-8. He is also mentioned in Matthew 23:35;
Luke 11:51; Hebrews 11:4; 12:24.
Gen 4:1 Sexual union means oneness and
total knowledge of the other person. Sexual
intercourse is the most intimate of acts,
sealing a social, physical, and spiritual relationship. That is why God has reserved it for
marriage alone.
Gen 4:2 No longer was everything provided for Adam and Eve as it had been
in the Garden of Eden, where their daily
tasks were refreshing and delightful. Now
they had to struggle against the elements
in order to provide food, clothing, and
shelter for themselves and their family.
Cain became a farmer, while Abel became
a shepherd. In parts of the Middle East
today, these ancient occupations are still
practiced much as they were in Cain and
Abel’s time.
Gen 4:3-5 The Bible doesn’t say why
God did not accept Cain’s gift. Perhaps
Cain’s attitude was improper, or perhaps
his gift was not up to God’s standards.
Proverbs 21:27 says, “The sacrifice of an
evil person is detestable, especially when
it is offered with wrong motives.” God
evaluates both our motives and the quality
of what we offer him. When we give to God
and others, we should have a joyful heart
because of what we are able to give. We
should not worry about how much we are
giving up, for all things are God’s in the first
place. Instead, we should joyfully give to
God our best in time, money, possessions,
and talents.
Gen 4:6-7 How do you react when someone
suggests you have done something wrong?
Do you move to correct the mistake or deny
that you need to correct it? After Cain’s gift
was rejected, God gave him the chance
to right his wrong and try again. God even
encouraged him to do this! But Cain refused,
and the rest of his life is a startling example
of what happens to those who refuse to
admit their mistakes. The next time someone
suggests you are wrong, take an honest look
at yourself and choose God’s way instead
of Cain’s.
Gen 4:7 For Cain to subdue the sin that
was waiting to attack and destroy him, he
would have to give up his jealous anger so
that sin would not find a foothold in his life.
Sin is still waiting to attack and destroy us
today. Like Cain, we will be victims of sin if
we do not master it. But we cannot master
sin in our own strength. Instead, we must
turn to God to receive faith for ourselves and
turn to other believers to receive encouragement and strength. The Holy Spirit will help
us master sin. This will be a lifelong battle,
but it will be over when we are face to face
with Christ.
Gen 4:8-10 This is the first murder—taking
a life by shedding human blood. Blood represents life (Lev 17:10-14). If blood is removed
from a living creature, it will die. Because
God created human life in his image, only
God should take life away.
Gen 4:8-10 Adam and Eve’s disobedience
brought sin into the human race. They may
have thought their sin—eating a piece
of fruit—wasn’t very bad, but notice how
quickly their sinful nature developed in
their children. Simple disobedience quickly
degenerated into outright murder. Adam and
Eve acted only against God, but Cain acted
against both God and other people. A small
SPLINTERED NATION
930–586 BC
EXILE
586–538 BC
RETURN & DIASPORA
538–6 BC
into the fields.”* And while they were in the field, Cain
attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.
9Afterward the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your
brother? Where is Abel?”
“I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s
guardian?”
10But the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen!
Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground!
11Now you are cursed and banished from the ground,
which has swallowed your brother’s blood. 12No longer
will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter
how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.”
13Cain replied to the Lord, “My punishment* is too
great for me to bear! 14You have banished me from
the land and from your presence; you have made me a
homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!”
JESUS CHRIST
6 BC–AD 30
15The Lord replied, “No, for I will give a sevenfold
punishment to anyone who kills you.” Then the Lord
put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to
kill him. 16So Cain left the Lord’s presence and settled
in the land of Nod,* east of Eden.
The Descendants of Cain
GENESIS 4:17-24
Cain had sexual relations with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain
founded a city, which he named Enoch, after his
son. 18Enoch had a son named Irad. Irad became
the father of* Mehujael. Mehujael became the father
of Methushael. Methushael became the father of
Lamech.
19Lamech married two women. The first was named
Adah, and the second was Zillah. 20Adah gave birth to
Gn 4:8 As in Samaritan Pentateuch, Greek and Syriac versions, and Latin Vulgate; Masoretic Text lacks “Let’s go out into the fields.”
means “wandering.” Gn 4:18 Or the ancestor of, and so throughout the verse.
sin has a way of growing out of control. Let
God help you with your “little” sins before
they turn into tragedies.
Gen 4:11-15 Cain was severely punished
for this murder. God judges all sins and
punishes appropriately, not out of vengeance,
but because he desires to correct us and
restore our fellowship with him. When you’re
corrected, don’t resent it. Instead, renew your
fellowship with God.
Gen 4:14 We have heard about only four
people so far—Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel.
Two questions arise: Why was Cain worried
about being killed by others, and where did
he get his wife (see Gen 4:17)?
Adam and Eve had numerous children;
they had been told to “fill the earth” ( Gen
1:28). Cain’s guilt and fear over killing his
brother was heavy, and he probably feared
repercussions from his family. If he was
capable of murder, so were they. The wife
Cain chose may have been one of his sisters
or a niece. The human race was still genetically pure, and there was no fear of side
effects from marrying relatives.
Gen 4:15 The expression “sevenfold
punishment” means that the person’s
punishment would be complete, thorough,
and much worse than that received by Cain
for his sin.
Gen 4:19-26 Unfortunately, when left to
themselves, people tend to get worse instead
of better. This short summary of Lamech’s
family shows us the variety of talent and
ability God gives humans. It also presents
the continuous development of sin as time
passes. Another killing occurred, presumably
in self-defense. Violence was on the rise.
Two distinct groups were emerging: those
who showed indifference to sin and evil,
and those who worshiped the Lord—the
descendants of Seth (Gen 4:26). Seth would
take Abel’s place as leader of a line of God’s
faithful people.
THE CHURCH
AD 30–present
Gn 4:13 Or My sin. Gn 4:16 Nod
CAIN
In spite of parents’ efforts and worries, conflicts between children
in a family seem inevitable. Sibling relationships allow both competition and cooperation. In most cases, the mixture of loving and fighting eventually creates a strong
bond between brothers and sisters. But for Cain, the conflict and jealousy overcame
whatever love he had for Abel. And while we don’t know many details of this first
child’s life, his story can still teach us. • Cain was angry. Furious. Both he and his
brother Abel had given offerings to God, and his had been rejected. Cain’s reaction gives us a clue that his attitude was probably wrong from the start. Cain had a
choice to make. He could correct his attitude about his offering to God, or he could
take his anger out on his brother. His decision is a clear reminder of how often we
are aware of opposite choices, yet choose the wrong one. We may not be choosing
to murder, but we are still intentionally choosing what we shouldn’t. • The feelings
motivating our behavior can’t always be changed by simple thought-power. But here
we can begin to experience God’s willingness to help. Asking for his help to do what
is right can prevent us from setting into motion actions that we will later regret.
Strengths and
accomplishments
Weaknesses
and mistakes
Lessons from
his life
Vital statistics
Key verse
First human child
First to follow in father’s profession, farming
• When disappointed, reacted in anger
• Took the negative option even when a positive possibility
was offered
• Was the first murderer
• Anger is not necessarily a sin, but actions motivated by
anger can be sinful. Anger should be the energy behind
good action, not evil action
• What we offer to God must be from the heart—the best
we are and have
• The consequences of sin may last a lifetime
• Where: Near Eden
• Occupation: Farmer, then wanderer
• Relatives: Parents: Adam and Eve. Brothers: Abel, Seth,
and others not mentioned by name.
“You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse
to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the
door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its
master” (Gen 4:7).
•
•
Cain’s story is told in Genesis 4:1-17. He is also mentioned in Hebrews 11:4;
1 John 3:12; Jude 1:11.
17
16
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