Beloved, I am pleased to share with you today the above theme from Gen 4:1 onwards. Indeed, from the childhood of humanity, two races emerge. Cain, the first man born on earth, is the ancestor of all righteous people. Satisfied with himself and his works, unaware of sin and its consequences, he comes before God with the fruit of his own work, the fruit of cursed soil. How could God be there? Abel, the second man, is the head of the line of faith: he opens the honor list in Hebrews ch. 11 (Heb 11:4). The sacrifice he offers is “more excellent” than Cain’s because he is presented with the intelligence of God’s mind. After man’s sin against God (ch. 3), here we have his sin against his neighbor. Cain kills his brother. And the Word that discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart lays bare its motive: jealousy. “Why did he kill him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s were righteous” (1 John 3:11-13). When the Lord Jesus later came to earth, the religious leaders asked for His death for the same reason. His perfection brought out their own evil works. The Jewish people are currently sidelined, but they are still God’s beloved people.
The newborn child, although unable to perform the act that reduced Adam to the condition of a fallen creature, is nevertheless a participant in the nature of Adam: the same is true of the newborn child of God: the newly regenerated soul, although having remained absolutely alien to the accomplishment of the work of perfect obedience of the “Christ Jesus Man”, is nevertheless a participant in his nature. Undoubtedly, the sin of the first man did not stop on Adam alone, but it passed to all his posterity: justice did not stop in the second man either, but it abounded in several: but at the same time there is a true and present participation in a real nature, whatever the characters. The first nature is according to “the will of man” (John 1: 11-13); the second nature is according to “the will of God,” as James also tells us, “of his own will he has begotten us by the word of truth” (James 1:18).
It follows from all that we have said that, by nature, and by the circumstances in which he lived, Abel was no different from his brother Cain: in this respect “there is no difference!” (Rom 3:21-24). But they differed from each other; yet this difference was entirely in their sacrifices, and this makes the teaching which God wants us to find here very simple for any sinner convicted of sin, for anyone who really feels that not only is he a partaker of the fallen nature of the first man, but that he himself is a sinner. The story of Abel teaches us, in fact, by what way a sinner can approach God, and on what basis he can stand before him, and have communion with him; it teaches us clearly that if a sinner can draw near to God, it cannot be by virtue of anything that belongs to or is connected with his nature, and that it is outside of himself in the person and work of another, that he must seek the true and eternal foundation of his relationship with the righteous, holy and only true God. Hebrews chapter 11 develops this subject most clearly: “By faith Abel offered God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, and by this sacrifice he received the testimony of being just, God bearing witness to his gifts; and by him, being dead, he still speaks.” It is not Abel that is at issue, but of his sacrifice; it is not of the person who brought the offering but of the offering itself: and it is in that concerning the offerings that lies the great difference between Cain and Abel. The whole truth about a sinner’s position before God is enclosed there.
Man would be happy to make God his debtor, but “God wills mercy and not sacrifice,” for “he is happier to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), and surely it belongs to God. “Undoubtedly, the least is blessed by him who is more excellent” (Heb. 7:7). “Who gave him the first one?” (Rm 11.33-36). God accepts the smallest offering from a heart that has learned what David expressed in these words: “What comes from your hand we give to you” (1 Ch 29:14). But as long as man claims to take the place of “first” giver, God answers, “If I were hungry, I would not tell you” (Psalm 50:12), for, “God is not served by the hands of men, as if he needed something, he who gives to all life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:25).
It is the same for every poor sinner accused and condemned by himself. Christ is his substitute, his ransom, his “greatest sacrifice,” his All. Like Abel, he feels that the fruit of the earth can never benefit him; he feels that when he presented to God the most beautiful fruits of the earth, his conscience would nevertheless remain defiled by sin, since “without bloodshed there is no remission.” Only the perfect sacrifice of the Son of God can put the heart and conscience at ease; And all those who, by faith, grasp this divine reality, will enjoy a peace that the world can neither give nor take away. It is faith that already puts the soul in possession of this peace: “Having therefore been justified on the principle of faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).
This was “Cain’s path” this broad path in which thousands of people rush today. This is not to say that these people are devoid of any religious feelings: they would like to offer something to God; they find it right to present to him the product of their own labor, they know neither themselves nor God; But with all this, they make diligent efforts to improve the world, to make life pleasant and adorn it by all kinds of means. God’s remedy for purifying is rejected, and man’s effort to improve is put in its place, which is “the way of Cain” (Jude 1:9-13).
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped for your better understanding.
Descendants of Cain; Seth, son of Adam and Eve:
- Recognition offerings
Lev 7:12 If anyone offers it out of gratitude, he will offer, with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes kneaded in oil, unleavened cakes drizzled with oil, and cakes of flour flower fried and kneaded in oil. 2 Ch 29:31 Hezekiah then spoke, and said, Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the Lord, draw near, bring victims and offer thanksgiving sacrifices to the house of the Lord. And the congregation brought victims and offered sacrifices of thanksgiving, and all those whose hearts were well disposed offered burnt offerings. Psalm 116:17 I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the Lord; Jer 33:11 The cries of rejoicing and the cries of joy, The songs of the bridegroom and the songs of the bride, The voice of those who say, Praise the Lord of hosts, For the Lord is good, for his mercy endures forever! The voice of those who offer sacrifices of thanksgiving In the house of the Lord. For I will bring the captives back from the land, I will restore them as before, says the Lord.
- Wrath of man
Gen. 4:5 but he did not look favorably on Cain and his offering. Cain was very irritated, and his face was dejected. 1 Sam. 18:8 Saul was very irritated, and this displeased him. He said: They give ten thousand to David, and it is to me that they give the thousands! All he needs now is royalty. Acts 19:28 These words having filled them with anger, they began to cry out, “Great is the Diana of the Ephesians!” James 1:20 because man’s wrath does not fulfill God’s righteousness.
- Guilt, examples of
-The brothers of Joseph Gen 42:21 Then they said to one another, Yes, we have been guilty towards our brother, for we have seen the anguish of his soul, when he asked us for mercy, and we have not listened to him! That is why this affliction is happening to us.
-The Jews in the time of Ezra Nb 21:7 The people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord that he may remove these serpents from us. Moses prayed for the people.
-The psalmist Ps 40:13 (40:13) For innumerable evils surround me; The chastisements of my iniquities come to me, And I cannot bear the sight of them; They are more numerous than the hair of my head, And my courage abandons me.
-The scribes and Pharisees John 8:9 When they heard this, accused by their conscience, they withdrew one by one, from the oldest to the last; and Jesus was left alone with the woman who was there in the middle.
- Murder, examples
Gen. 4:8 When they heard this, accused by their conscience, they withdrew one by one, from the oldest to the last; and Jesus was left alone with the woman who was there in the middle. Jg 9:5 He came to his father’s house in Ophra, and he killed his brothers, sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone. He escaped only Jotham, Jerubbaal’s youngest son, because he had gone into hiding. Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, seeing that he had been played by the Magi, became very angry, and he sent to kill all the children of two years and below who were in Bethlehem and throughout its territory, according to the date he had carefully inquired of the Magi. Acts 7:58 dragged him out of the city, and stoned him. The witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
From all the above, we note that in the days of Cain the pleasant sounds of the harp and the organ prevented the cry of Abel’s blood from ringing out in the ears of man, so today other enchanting sounds drown out the voice of the blood of Calvary, and objects other than a crucified Christ captivate the eyes. Man deploys all the resources of his genius to make this world a hot greenhouse, in which develop, in their rarest forms, all the fruits that the flesh so ardently desires. Not only are the real needs of man as a creature provided, but also the inventive genius of the human mind has been put into work to create things which the heart covets as soon as it has seen them and without which life seems unbearable to it. To all this is added a great deal of so-called religion, for, alas! Love itself is obliged to confess that what passes for religion is, for the most part, but a nut of the great machine built for the exaltation of man. Man does not like to be without religion; it would not be honourable; wherefore he may wish to devote one day of the week to religion, or as he thinks and professes, to his eternal interests, and then six days to his temporal interests; But whether he works for time or for eternity, it will be, in reality, always for himself. This is “the path of Cain.” Weigh this carefully, reader, and see where this path begins, where tends and where ends up! How different is the way of the man of faith! Abel feels and recognizes the curse; He sees the filth of sin, and in the energy of his faith he offers a sacrifice that responds to all this and responds to it perfectly. He seeks and finds refuge in God Himself, and instead of building a city on earth, he finds only a tomb. The land on its surface, which showed the genius and energy of Cain and his family, was stained with the blood of the righteous. Let the man of the world, the man of God, the worldly Christian remember it: the earth on which we walk is stained with the blood of the Son of God. This blood justifies the Church, and it condemns the world and the eye of faith discerns, under the beautiful appearances and brilliance of this ephemeral world, the dark shadows of the cross of Jesus. « The figure of this world passes. » Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS PERSONAL LORD AND SAVIOR
I now invite anyone who wants to become a new creation by walking in truth to pray with me:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I acknowledge that I have sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as my personal Lord and Savior. I acknowledge that you died at the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and my faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I too can contemplate the wonders of your kingdom by walking according to your ways.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to be baptized by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
To you all worship, power and glory, now and for ever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “From Adam to the sons of Noah.” (Gen 5)
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.