I recently noticed that my post on Genesis 1-3 has been one of my more popular posts. The post is essentially a list of the main points in Genesis 1-3. I think this shows that making things as simple as possible is helpful. It may also shows the popularity of the Bible’s opening chapters.
Here is my summary of Genesis 4:1-16 along with the main points.
Summary: Cain kills his younger brother Abel then faces God’s judgment.
Main Points
- We should give offerings to our Creator. This is the first mention of sacrifice in the Bible and it occurs without explanation. Cain and Abel understood that they should give gifts to their Creator. Since Cain was a farmer, he brought some of the “fruit of the ground.” Abel was a shepherd so he brought “some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat” (WEB). Later, in Leviticus, the third book of the Bible, Israel’s sacrificial system will be explained in detail. Israel was commanded to give animal and food offerings on a regular basis at the tabernacle and later temple. The entire system was a means of bonding with God. While animal sacrifices have ceased, the New Testament also refers to believers offering sacrifices to God. These offerings include our bodies, praise to God, and doing good and sharing with others (Rom 12:1; Heb 13:15-16).
- The Lord’s judgment is fair not arbitrary. There was something wrong with Cain’s offering. The Lord was happy with Abel and his offering but not with Cain and his offering. After Cain expressed anger at this disapproval, the Lord said, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” (Gen 4:7). The Lord was not being unfair. Cain did not do what was right. The text does not make Cain’s fault explicit, but some believe his giving was miserly while Abel’s giving was generous. Abel gave his very best—”the firstborn of his flock,” but Cain merely brought “some of the fruits of the soil.” Where does a faulty offering come from? A faulty attitude. If Cain wasn’t giving his best to God, it was because he was holding back the best for himself. We must admit that if we gave an offering that wasn’t accepted, we would probably be angry and upset like Cain. And how would we feel about Abel, the younger brother? It’s easy to belittle Cain and think we are morally superior, but how different is our heart really from Cain’s heart?
- Sin is an evil force ready to attack us. God tells Cain that sin is crouching at his door. Sin is more than our personal transgressions. Paul mentions how Jews and Gentiles are “all under the power of sin” (Rom 3:9; cf. Rom 6:6, 14). Hence, sin has attacked us and defeated us. Sin is ruling over humanity, but a Savior has come who allows us to rule over sin.
- Envy clouds our judgment. Why did Cain murder his brother? The text doesn’t make this explicit, but it’s reasonable to assume that Cain was envious of Abel because Abel received something he wanted—God’s approval. How would killing Abel help Cain’s problem with God? This makes no sense. Envy was distorting Cain’s reasoning. Instead of turning inward and changing his behavior or attitude, Cain targeted his brother.
- When we lie, we are speaking the serpent’s language. When the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother, Abel?” Cain responded, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” Cain killed Abel so he would have known where to find his body. This is the first human lie in the Bible. Cain is now speaking the serpent’s language. Jesus calls Satan, “the father of lies” (Jn 8:44).
- God is just so he defends the innocent and judges the guilty. God hears the cries of the victims. Contrast this with the founding of Rome, where Romulus kills his brother Remus. In the story, Romulus is defended because Remus trespassed the city limits. The Bible, however, tells things from the side of the victims so it condemns the murderer. “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground. Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. From now on, when you till the ground, it won’t yield its strength to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth.” The comparison between Romulus and Remus comes from René Girard, a French philosopher and literary critic. In his readings of the world’s ancient literature, he noticed that myths always defend the murderers because the story is told from their perspective. But the truth lies with the dead. It is the truth of the innocent victim. The Bible is unique because it repeatedly gives voice to the victims, such as Abel, Joseph, Job, and Jesus.
- Sin leads to wandering. The Lord tells Cain that the ground will no longer produce for him and he will be a fugitive and wanderer. Then Cain leaves the Lord’s presence and lives in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Nod means wandering. Sin causes us to lose our comfort zone, our homeland. It drives us outside of where we belong. This is a recurring theme in the Bible: Adam and Eve being sent out of the Garden of Eden, Cain, and Israel being exiled to Babylon.
- The Lord shows mercy in judgment. He says anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over then he put a mark on Cain to prevent anyone from killing him. The mark must have been observable to others, but the Bible doesn’t identify the mark.
- God judges the guilty, but he also extends forgiveness to the guilty. The New Testament says that the blood of Jesus speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (Heb 12:22-24). How so? The blood of Abel cries out for justice. The blood of Jesus cries out for forgiveness. While on the cross, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them . . .” (Lk 23:34). Admittedly, this is not a major point in Genesis 4, but the fact that God shows mercy to Cain leads us in this direction.
*I have started posting these chapter summaries on YouTube.
After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. For a deep dive into church history and the character of God, see my book Surprised by Hell.