Read: Genesis 4
In Genesis 4
we have the story of Adam’s sons Cain and Abel.
It is interesting to note that Adam was originally a gardener, Abel was
a shepherd and Cain was a farmer (v. 2).
Both Abel and Cain brought offerings to the Lord. Scripture does not tell us the details of why
they made offering to the Lord but we can assume that it was some sort of act
of worship. Hebrews 11:4 sheds some more
light on their offerings, “
Cain brought a grain offering (Lev. 2:1), Abel brought a sin offering to
the Lord (Lev. 4), acknowledging himself to be a sinner and in need of a
redeemer. His offering was brought in
faith and his offering was accepted by the Lord (v. 4). Here we see the vast importance of
worshipping God according to His will and not our own. We can bring offerings to the Lord that are
not pleasing to Him, although they are offerings. We must bring what pleases Him, not what
pleases ourselves.
God approaches Cain and gives him hope, “if you do what is right, will you not be
accepted? (v. 7)” God also warns
Cain of what will happen to him if he doesn’t do what is right. God is giving Cain the opportunity to do what
is right but Cain choses to become angry with his innocent brother
instead. The Saviour is willing to save
Cain but in pride and anger, Cain chooses his own path. In verse 8 we read of the first murder committed
in the world as Cain kills Abel. Here we
see how envy turned into anger and hatred leading to murder. Sin is destructive in all its forms. We must
not let sin creep in because it will eventually destroy ourselves and
others. In verse nine we find that God
approaches Cain, asking where Abel was.
God says that Abel’s blood calls out to Him from the ground, for the
punishment of the murderer. In verses
11-12, God states two parts of Cain’s punishment. First, the ground would not yield crops for
him; secondly, Cain was to be a wanderer on the earth. Cain’s response in verse 14 shows that he
also would be hidden from God’s presence and that he feared death. In verse 15 we see God’s grace and goodness
as the Lord puts a mark on Cain to protect him from being killed. We then read of Cain’s family, his wife gives
birth to a son and names him Enoch (v. 17), he also built a city. Verse 18 gives us the genealogies of Cain up
until Lamech, who was the first polygamist mentioned in scripture, having married
two wives. This shows the fallen state
of Cain’s descendants. Lamech had
several sons: Jabal taught the use of tents and feeding cattle (v. 20);
Judal was the inventor of musical instruments (v. 21); and Tubal-Cain was the
inventor of smith-work (v. 22). Verse 23
then records some strange words that Lamech spoke to his wives. Lamech boasts of killing a young man, making
himself out to be greater than God, who pronounced a mere seven-fold judgment
on anyone who sought vengeance on Cain (v. 15) but Lamech would take 77-fold
vengeance if needed. The chapter
concludes with the birth of Seth (v. 25) to Adam and Eve. The woman’s seed was re-established with a
holy line by which the Messiah could come from.
The final verse tells us that men began to call on the name of the Lord
(v. 26)! True followers of God are now
being distinguished; two paths are emerging - the path of Cain and the path of
Seth.
Prayer and Journaling
1. We can bring offerings to the Lord that
are not pleasing to Him although they are offerings. We must bring what pleases Him, not what
pleases ourselves. We can serve without
the right attitude, we can give without being cheerful, we can obey but our
hearts remain in rebellion. Ask the Lord
to show you any places where your actions and the attitudes of your heart are
not in alignment. You may be doing the
right “stuff” but your heart may be far from God. Give Him permission to speak truthfully into
your heart and then repent of any sin that He reveals to you.
2. Even
though Cain murders Abel, God treats Cain fairly and honestly. God gives Cain a chance to repent and do the
right thing but Cain refuses. Here we
see the goodness of God, He is willing to save Cain but Cain chooses a life of
rebellion instead. Even in his
rebellion, God protects Cain with a mark showing the grace and goodness of
God. Ask the Lord to show you times when
He protected you, even though you may not have made the right choice. Thank Him for His love and goodness and that
He is willing to save us all! Pray that
many would accept salvation and turn from their wicked ways to love and serve
Him. Pray that they would see God
rightfully.
3. At
the end of this chapter we see the first instance of generational sin. Lamech commits the same sin as his
great-great-great grandfather. The
following are lists of things that can be generationally inherited:
- General Health Predispositions - high blood
pressure, heart problems, diabetes, cancer, etc.
- Temperament - shyness, aggressiveness, anxiety,
fear, etc.
- Spiritual Weaknesses – attitudes or behaviors,
(look at the list on Day 3 question 1)
- Demonic Influences and Curses
Often the big issues that we deal with
in our lives are generational, meaning that they have been problems for our
parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents and often become problems for
our children. Ask the Holy Spirit to
reveal to you any generational issues that are affecting you or your
children. Go through the list on Day 3,
question 1 prayerfully, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what
generational sins affect you. Now go
through each, one by one, confessing these sins and asking the Lord to break
any generational tie that may exist. For
bigger issues, commit to doing this regularly or consider booking a personal
prayer ministry appointment or attending after service prayer.
