The story of Cain and Abel is one of the best known stories in the Bible. The two first humans born on the earth- brothers. And the story ends in murder.
Our story begins in a very innocent, and even righteous way. These brothers decide to bring an offering to the Lord. Cain, it seems, was the one who initiated this idea, and Abel followed suit.
Genesis 4:1-5- And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
The problem was that Cain brought an offering of self. He toiled and labored and sweat for the gift he was bringing to the Lord. But the Lord didn't want self-righteous works. Isaiah tells us exactly why this wasn't acceptable.
Isaiah 64:6- But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
God wants us to come to Him knowing that we aren't worthy, and accepting that He has made an acceptable way. Back in the Old Testament, it was through a blood offering- a lamb. God told Cain that there was a way he could offer a gift and be accepted.
Genesis 4:6-7- And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
God was trying to get him to understand that he could overcome the temptation he was feeling. The sin of anger and rejection didn't have to rule over him, he could conquer them by submitting to what God had shown him.
But Cain had a hard time fighting against these feelings.
Genesis 4:8- And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
Notice that Cain talked with Abel. I often wonder what they were talking about. Perhaps Cain was trying to do right and was talking with Abel about getting a lamb. It's a possibility.
But, in the end, the anger that raged inside of him became too much to bear. Nor did he admit his sin when questioned about it.
Genesis 4:9-12- And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
God cursed Cain for his sin. He became the farmer who couldn't grow anything. All that labor that he was so proud of was now a memory.
And that's exactly what Cain's sin boiled down to- Pride. The same sin that made Lucifer fall from his position in heaven. The same sin that keeps men from calling on the Lord Jesus Christ to save their souls.
The offering has already been paid. All you have to do is believe, acknowledge, and accept. And yet it is so hard for some because, like Naaman, they want to prove themselves worthy.
Ezekiel 16:44-50- Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter. Thou art thy mother's daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite. And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters. Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways. As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters. Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.
What was a Hittite? A race of military warriors which worshiped many idols. We know how God feels about idolatry. And yet, God said that Samaria's sin was worse than idolatry.
What was an Amorite? A nomadic race of people who came through and consumed what wasn't theirs. They hired Baalam to come and curse the children of Israel, and then through their subtlety, cause Israel to sin against the Lord and turn to idols. And yet, God says that Samaria's sin is worse than causing an entire nation to sin.
What was the sin of Samaria? Pride is the first word mentioned. It's one of the things the Lord hates!
Proverbs 6:16-19- These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
If you asked people to give a list of what God hates, they would probably list some of the 10 Commandments, however, in Proverbs, the very first item on the list is Pride.
Leviathan is called the king over the proud. This means that he is the baddest of the bad. But it doesn't stop there. Pride leads to all the other sins.
Job 41:34- He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.
John 8:44- Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Christ called the religious leaders of His day the children of the devil. Why? Because their pride wouldn't allow them to acknowledge the truth that their religious ways had been corrupted and that the Messiah was not going to lower Himself to their standards.
Their pride led to them rejecting and crucifying their Messiah. And in so doing, they brought a 2,000 year curse upon their people.
I John 2:16- For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
James 4:10- Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
The Bible is full of paradoxes. The way up is to go down. If you want God to bless you then you've got to humble yourself and realize that your works aren't going to be able to cut it. You need to accept God's way of doing things, even when it hurts your pride, or you may just find yourself cursed like Cain.
