LESSON FOUR
CAIN AND ABEL

•	TEXT: Genesis Chapters four and five.
•	THE TWO OFFERINGS:
•	Scriptural Reference:
•	"By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain" (Hebrews 11:4).
•	In the above Scripture it does not state that Abel was a more excellent man than Cain was. 
•	It was Abel's sacrifice that was more excellent. 
•	Cain was a religious man. He was no infidel or atheist. 
•	He acknowledged the existence of God and was prepared to worship Him in his own way.
•	Cain might have been a fine man in many ways but he was not a spiritual man of faith. 
•	The sacrifice that he brought to the Lord proves this. 
•	No doubt Cain's offering was a very beautiful one. 
•	Very likely he had selected the choicest fruits and the most beautiful flowers. 
•	No doubt he had worked hard to prepare a beautiful and attractive altar. What was wrong with it? 
•	Why did not God accept it? 
•	Let us list the reasons why it was unacceptable to the Lord:
•	Cain's offering was bloodless and "without shedding of blood is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22).
•	It was the works of his hands.
•	It was the fruit of the ground, but God had cursed the ground (Genesis 3:17).
•	It completely lacked the element of faith.
•	Now let us consider why God accepted the sacrifice of Abel.
•	Abel recognized that blood had to be shed for the remission of sin.
•	Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice because he did it "by faith."
•	"Faith cometh by hearing" (Romans 10:17). 
•	Both Cain and Abel had been told of God's act in the garden in clothing their parents with the skins of animals signifying that blood had to be shed. 
•	However, it was Abel who believed and obeyed.
•	Undoubtedly God accepted Abel's sacrifice by sending fire to consume the sacrifice. 
•	There was no visible sign of Divine approval for Cain's sacrifice.
•	THE FIRST MURDER:
•	Cain was angry that all his work would stand for nothing. 
•	He was angry that the sacrifice of his younger brother should be preferred above his own. 
•	He was angry and jealous of his younger brother and fearful that he would lose his birthright and that Abel would rule over him. 
•	His pride and self-righteousness were hurt.
•	His attitude showed just how wrong Cain really was.
•	God spoke to Cain and tried to give him a second chance. 
•	"If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? 
•	If thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. 
•	And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him" (Genesis 4:7). 
•	This Scripture is a difficult one to explain correctly and there are different interpretations. 
•	A common interpretation is that God told Cain that there was a proper sacrifice, a sin offering (lamb), lying at the door of his tent. 
•	If he would present this proper sin offering, his sacrifice would be accepted and that he would still retain the right of the firstborn and rule over Abel.
•	At any rate God had patience with Cain, instructed him, and gave him a second chance. 
•	However, Cain would not accept reproof and correction. He still thought that his sacrifice was better than that of Abel. 
•	When he was alone with Abel, he continued the argument and in anger he killed his brother. 
•	This was the first murder.
•	It should be noted that the first murder took place because of a religious quarrel.
•	CAIN'S PUNISHMENT:
•	Scriptural Reference:
•	"My punishment is greater than I can bear" (Genesis 4:13).
•	Adam made an excuse and tried to hide from God. 
•	So it was with his first son, Cain. 
•	So it always has been with the entire human race, the descendants of Adam and Cain.
•	Sin cannot be hid. 
•	"Be sure your sin will find you out." 
•	Man never has been able to learn this truth. 
•	When confronted with this sin, he lied and made an excuse. 
•	"I know not. Am I my brother's keeper?"
•	Cain's punishment would be severe. 
•	Everywhere he would go, the ground that held the blood of his brother would be against him. 
•	Memory and remorse would always follow him and he would not be content in any one place very long. 
•	He would be a fugitive and a vagabond. 
•	Cain cried out, "My punishment is greater than I can bear." 
•	Like thousands of others, Cain now realizes that he had done wrong, but he is still more occupied with his punishment than with the sin, which caused it.
•	"And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod" (Genesis 4:16). 
•	Nod means "wandering" - there is no peace or rest for the wicked. 
•	They are like the waves of the sea, like wandering stars lost in the darkness. 
•	Cain's greatest punishment was that of going out from the presence of God.
•	What complete and utter hopeless despair, gloom,
•	sorrow and remorse! 
•	Such is the punishment of a sinner banished from the presence of God!
•	TWO CLASSES OF PEOPLE: Cain and Abel are representatives of two classes of people, of two religions.
•	Both were children of fallen parents, born outside of the garden after the fall. 
•	Both children needed salvation.
•	Cain represented a religion of good works, a religion that denies the atonement and has only a form of godliness but denies the power thereof. Abel represents a religion, which has faith in the finished work of Calvary, and knows the need of repentance and the new birth.
•	ENOCH:
•	The fourth chapter of Genesis gives the names of the lineage of Cain down to seventh the generation. 
•	These all were godless and materialistic and all eventually perished in the flood. 
•	This chapter closes with the birth of Adam's third son, Seth, from which Jesus Christ would be born.
•	In chapter five we should note verses one and three: "God created man, in the likeness of God made he him" (verse one). 
•	"And Adam . . . begat a son in his own likeness, after his image" (verse three). 
•	This proves that we are all made in the likeness of Adam.
•	Chapter five traces the lineage of Seth and each one ends with death. Eight times we read, "And he died." 
•	There is an exception when we come to Enoch, the seventh from Adam. 
•	Enoch was a wonderful character. 
•	He is one of but two men who went to heaven without dying.
•	Enoch may be studied by the following:
•	He walked with God (Genesis 5:24).
•	He pleased God (Hebrews 11:5).
•	He preached and warned of coming judgment (Jude 14).
•	He named his son, Methuselah, revealing the revelation he had received of coming judgment. 
•	Methuselah means, "When he is dead it shall be sent." This may be one reason Methuselah lived so long.
•	He is a type of the church to be caught away when Jesus comes.
•	Before the flood there was great spiritual darkness but the testimony of Enoch stands out like a beacon light. 
•	So it is with the true church today.

LESSON FOUR
SELF HELP TEST

A. How was Abel's sacrifice more excellent than Cain's?

B. Show how God gave Cain a second chance.

C. Describe the punishment of Cain.

D. Write a character sketch of Enoch.