CAIN
By Timothy Glover
Cain is remembered for killing his brother Abel out of jealousy. Both he and his brother had offered their sacrifice to God. Cain, being a tiller of the soil, brought what he had, the fruit of the ground. God was not pleased with his offering. According to Heb. 11:4, Abel, his brother, offered his sacrifice by faith and God was pleased as it was a “more excellent sacrifice than Cain’s. This implies that Cain’s offering was not pleasing because it was not offered by faith.
Cain is also remembered for his jealousy. This sin can lead us to destruction. Solomon wrote, “Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy” (Prov. 27:4)? Such envy led Cain to murder his brother. Later, John illustrates the importance of loving your brother by citing Cain as an example of one who hated his brother. “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” Again, “if a man say, ‘I love God’, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen” (1 Jn. 4:20; cf. 3:12, 13)?
Finally, Cain is remembered for his depression. The text says that his countenance had fallen. Of course, his depression was caused by sin. Still, the cause of much depression today is the result of sin and the improper handling of guilt. Think about what God said to him, “If you do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Several things are implied here.
First, he was depressed as a result of the fact that he had not done well.
Second, his countenance and depression could be erased if he would repent and change his course to “do well.”
Third, if he failed to repent, his depression would result in further sin, guilt and depression.
Fourth, the choice was his - he could go either way. We are warned not to go the “way of Cain” (Jude 11). When humiliated or rebuked, do we get angry and depressed rather than acknowledge our wrong and seek reconciliation? Do we, then, since we refuse to acknowledge our wrong, envy others who are “doing well?” Does such lead to hatred in our hearts or lying about that brother? When we are angry, sin is crouching at the door. Compare how David dealt with sin in Ps. 32:3-5, 7 and follow his example, not Cain’s.
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