Gen 4:1-16 NASB Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, "I have gotten a manchild with the help of the LORD." (2) Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. (3) So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground. (4) Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; (5) but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. (6) Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? (7) "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." (8) Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. (9) Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" (10) He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground. (11) "Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. (12) "When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth." (13) Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is too great to bear! (14) "Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." (15) So the LORD said to him, "Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold." And the LORD appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him. (16) Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

• What was the difference between the two offerings? Was it because one was animal and the other merely grain?

  • What was God's view of each offering? (Heb 11:4,6)

  • What is most important to God? The offering or the relationship?

  • How do we make offerings to God without the faith to support it?

• How did Cain react to God's decision? What does this reveal about the relationship between God and Cain? When you don't feel favor from God, how do you react? How should we react?

• Verse 6 "do well" is ָיַya¯ṭab_: A verb meaning to be good, to be well, to be pleasing. In the causative stem, it means to do good, to do well, to please, to make pleasing. It is often used in idiomatic expressions with heart (le¯b_ [H3820]), meaning to be pleased or to be happy (Jdg_18:20; Jdg_19:6, Jdg_19:9; Rth_3:7); and with eyes, to be pleasing to someone else (i.e., pleasing or good in their eyes [Gen_34:18; 1Sa_18:5]). The term does not necessarily carry a moral weight but can be translated adverbially as "well." For instance, see Mic_7:3 where their hands do evil well (cf. 1Sa_16:17; Pro_30:29; Isa_23:16). The word can also imply morality (Psa_36:3 [4]; Psa_119:68).
  
  If this is the meaning of “do well” what does this indicate about Cain's response to God when God didn't “regard” his offering?
  
  

• What does it mean “if you don't do well, or make pleasing, or be pleasing, sin is crouching at the door? What does this reveal about our attitudes power over our actions? What was God doing with Cain in verse 6? What does this reveal about God's character?

• Eve was talked into her sin – God is trying to talk Cain out of his sin? What was the difference between Eve and Cain? (1Jn 3:12) What does this reveal about how man changed after the fall and how that effect our relationship with God and our neighbor?

• Why did Cain kill his brother?

• What does God do after Cain kills his brother? What does the discipline tell you about God's character? What does Cain's reaction to his discipline tell you about him? Why didn't God destroy Cain or allow him to be destroyed?

WHAT IS BEING TAUGHT ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

GOD'S CHARACTER

APPLICATION