Story 4: Cain and Abel

Genesis 4:1-26

The Bridge: Adam and Eve had two children. Cain, the firstborn, was a farmer and Abel was a herder.

The Story:

• Cain and Abel brought offerings to God. Abel brought a first-born from his flock. Cain brought some produce from a garden. God rejected Cain’s offering but favored Abel’s sacrifice because Abel had followed the example God gave when He killed an animal to cover Adam and Eve’s sin.
• God warned Cain, “If you do well, will not [your countenance] be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” (Genesis 4:7).Cain remained angry. He ignored God’s warning and killed Abel.
• So, God said to Cain, “…What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” (Genesis 4:10-12).
• After leaving his home “Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son.” There many others born through the descendants of Cain, some of whom were evil. (Genesis 4:17-24)
• Adam and Eve had another son named Seth, and through his descendants “men began to call upon God” (Genesis 4:26).

What does this story tell us about sin?