Spiritual Survival Guide
8: Bible Studies for Inside and Out
Prisoners in the Bible: Cain and Abel
READ
1 Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat por- tions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offer- ing he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your broth- er’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
LISTEN
Crime and punishment. Resentment and temptation. Violence and murder. We’re surrounded by all of this, but none of it is new. In fact, it’s as old as the first human family. It’s easy to see what happens when things go terribly wrong in our families and in our cities. What’s harder to see is why. Why are people acting the way they do? What’s going on under the surface? These are the kinds of questions that God’s Word starts to explore right from the beginning of the Bible. Just after describing God’s creation of human beings and our Fall into brokenness and sin, we get the story of two brothers, Cain and Abel. It’s partly a story of sibling rivalry escalat- ing into violence, but it’s so much more. Above all, it’s an exploration of God’s relationship to us and his response to our violent tendencies. The story starts with an act of worship. Cain and Abel both bring an of- fering to God—each one offers up something of their own to God. But something goes wrong right off the bat. It turns out that there’s some- thing defective and unacceptable with Cain’s offering. There’s something mysterious and unspoken going on here. Abel seems to have given sacri- ficially to God, offering up the “choice cuts” to God. Cain, on the other hand, seems to have given “something, but nothing special.” Something is in motion, and it won’t end until one of them is dead and the other is living a cursed, but protected existence under God’s care. As we read and discuss this story of Cain and Abel, ask yourself what we can learn from God’s Word about human nature and God’s character.
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