ch. 4

v. 3 - "in the process of time" - it is difficult to know what

caused Cain & Abel to have different attitudes &

characteristics - psychology would probably

attribute it to heredity or environment.

"Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering" -

exhibiting a spirit of careless unconcern for the will of God

A bloodless sacrifice - of the fruit (not fruits) of the ground -

offering with a stingy hand as many of God's worshippers still

do? God deserves the first-fruits of our years, powers and labor.

v. 4 - Abel too brings an offering Abel's worship was offered in

the way prescribed - God does not leave men to invent

forms of religion - Christianity condemns will-worship.

Col. 2:18

Cain was a formalist - Abel, a worshipper of God in spirit &

truth. Neither Cain nor Abel was in no doubt of his position -

the mind of God had been explicitly revealed!

Cain had pious parents, a good home, an honorable calling,

a religious profession, and yet was lost. Abel had a short life

and a sad death but he was safe! Faith in Christ, the promised

Seed made the difference!

v. 5 - Divine displeasure with Cain and his offering

vs. 6-7 - the first use of the word sin - the entrance of sin into

the world through eating of forbidden fruit had quickly

resulted in much more bitter fruit - namely murder - the

Serpent was quickly striking at the seed of the woman,

corrupting her first son and slaying her second, thus

trying to prevent the promise in ch. 3:15

There is no great sin committed but it has been seen

at the door first. Doing not well precedes the direct

presumptuous sin. Cain was warned by God Himself

before his fallen countenance darkened his heart with

crime and his brother's blood - what a picture of the

gradual degradation of the conscience - disobedience

of God's command in some minor point - a sense of

estrangement from God - sullen brooding and pouting

against God and man - violent self assertion.

v. 8 - Cain murders Abel

v. 9 - Cain lies - "I know not" - he was wicked and

profane thinking he could hide his sin from God -

unjust in denying himself to be his brother's keeper -

obstinate and desperate in not confessing his sin.

v. 10 - "What hast thou done?" - "the voice of thy brother's

blood crieth unto me" -

vs. 11-12 - Cain cursed - the earth was to be against him -

their tillage of the ground was not to prosper which

perhaps drove the Cainites to city-building and

mechanical invention.

vs. 13-14 - Cain's language is not that of confession but of

desperation - Cain deplores not the enormity of his sin

but the severity of his punishment, under which he

reels and staggers as one amazed.

"from thy face shall I be hid" - to be hidden from the face of

God is not to be protected by His guardian care - Numbers 6:24-27

v. 16 - a very serious mistake - "And Cain went out from the

presence of the Lord"

vs. 17-26 - the decline of civilization before the Flood - I

remember studying this when I first came to Hopkinsville

in reference to Christ's words about the end of time being

like in the days before the Great Deluge!

v. 19 - Lamech was the first polygamist of whom mention is

made, the first by whom "the ethical aspect of marriage,

as ordained by God, was turned into the lust of the eye

and lust of the flesh.

The names of his wives suggest sensual attractions - Adah -

the Adorned - Zillah - shadow - but a second wife is hardly

a wife; she is only the shadow of a wife.

The idea of shutting God out is behind the devising

of the harp and organ. Metal tools and implements of all

kinds were available to produce creature comforts as well

as musical instruments to stimulate the emotional and

aesthetic senses - although these can be used for good purposes -

they can easily can be used as a means of rebellion against

God - witness MTV and other examples - the latter seems to

have been their effect and perhaps their purpose, among the

descendants of Cain.

"Naamah" the lovely - the sister of Tubal-cain.

Note the growing sexual laxity among the Cainites by general

lust and promiscuity implied in ch. 6:1-4 and Matthew 24:38.

vs. 23-24 - Lamech's song and poetry is characteristic of

much human poetry and writing in his assertion of

man's self -sufficiency and independence of God?

Jude 11 warns of the way of Cain. With the creature comforts and advantages

accruing from the rapidly developing science and technology of the day, it was not

long before "the wickedness of man was great in the earth " - ch. 6:5 - Each man

and each clan did whatever they wanted to do, to the extent that their strength and

skills permitted. There was nothing to restrain them except the superior strength

and skill of others - a demonstration of long ago that men cannot be left to their own

devices - laws and government s are absolutely necessary.

vs. 25-26 - the births of Seth and his son Enos (mortal, decaying

man)

"then began men to call upon the name of the Lord" - denotes

the appropriate acts and exercises of the stated worship of God!

THIS IS OPPOSITE OF SECULAR SEPARATION OF CHURCH & STATE