Week 2

Fall 2024

9/8/2024

Central Passage: Genesis 4

Consider the names of Adam and Eve’s firstborn children. Cain comes from a verb that means to possess or acquire, and Abel means vapor or breath, which is the same word the author of Ecclesiastes (and numerous places in Psalms and Proverbs) uses to refer to the vanity of life under the sun (Eccl 1:2). Despite the curse of sin that now leads to death, God gave life to Eve, and she acquired a blessing despite sin’s curse. However, Abel’s name both foreshadows his fate and reminds us as readers that the wages of sin are death, for life is like vapor that is here one moment and gone the next.

Many of us are familiar with this story as the first murder recorded in the Bible. It seems strange why God would not have looked favorably upon both brothers’ offerings, yet the author, Moses, clues us into their heart motivations. God did not reject Cain’s offering because he wanted a sacrifice of blood, as some believe. Instead, Abel brought the firstborn and the fat portions of his flock; in other words, he brought his best to God, entrusting himself to God. Cain simply brought “an offering” with no indication that it was the firstfruits or the best offering. God knew Cain’s faithlessness and inclination toward wickedness through his offering. However, God still graciously spoke to Cain (4:6-7). And despite Cain’s murderous response instead of repentance, God protected him (4:15).

It’s also notable that Cain went east. Take notice of that cardinal direction throughout the Bible. Adam and Eve appear to have been driven east from the garden (Gen 3:24). Cain settled to the east. The inhabitants at Babel were settled in the east (11:2). The eastward direction often symbolizes the way of exile and estrangement from God. However, note that the front of God’s temple and tabernacle faced east, calling exiles back into His presence. He even protected Cain as he settled in the east. He also was with His exiled people in Babylon. As we trace God’s story of salvation from creation, fall, redemption, and new creation, we already begin to see God’s desire for redemption within exile (cf. Gen 4:26b).