If someone did, they would suffer 7 times over. 15-16)? He put a mark on him so that no one would kill him. Again, he was unrepentant about killing Abel. I noticed that he only cared about himself. Can stated that he wouldn't survive with this judgment placed upon him. He would be a restless wanderer on the earth. He told him that he would no longer be able to work the ground as he had before. Describe in your own words God's judgment on Cain and his reaction (vv. Cain tried to dismiss the entire affair by saying, "am I my brother's keeper?" This struck me as an unrepentant attitude about having killed his own brother. But God already knew what he had done anyway. In verses 9-10 how does the exchange between God and Cain strike you? Cain tried to hide the sin of killing Abel from God. The freedom to obey leads us out of bondage to sin. Obedience leads to righteousness and pleases the Lord. Knowing what God wants (obedience) from us, being willing to submit to his commands helps us to overcome the temptation to sin. If we stay focused on the Lord and God's Word, we would 'master' when sin comes tempting us in our lives. What resources do we have to overcome sin? We are told to 'resist the devil and he will flee from us'. Instead of listening to the whole counsel of God (by noting that he could have ALSO presented an acceptable offering to God like Abel did) he focused in on his own emotions and anger which led him to sin. What happens when we refuse to admit that we are on the wrong track? The anger can lead to sinful actions. Cain is told that sin is crouching at the door and he must master it. Instead, he let his anger lead him to sin by killing his brother. He admonished him that if he did what was right, wouldn't he be accepted too? Perhaps if Cain thought about it, he could have gotten an acceptable offering like Abel's and presented it to the Lord. How do verses 6-8 describe God's response to Cain and Cain's reaction? God asked him why he was angry. This led Cain to be angry and probably jealous of his brother, too. In verses 1-5 what do we learn about the two brothers and their offerings? Abel's offering was acceptable to the Lord. Cain was the firstborn son who tended the soil. What impresses you about Cain and Abel? They were the first children of Adam and Eve. Therefore, they do not face the fact that abortion is indeed, murder. They do not see the intrinsic value of the unborn as being made in the "image and likeness" of God. This is regarded as the 'choice' of the pregnant woman. This misconception causes them to rationalize that an unborn human being in the womb can be aborted for any reason. I think that those who do not believe in God as Creator and instead, think that macro-evolution is a fact, view the developing fetus as nothing but "a blob of tissue" that does not have value as a human being. What situation in your life shows a link between people's view of God and their treatment of others? Lately, the abortion issue has been discussed a lot at my other blog. Scan chapter 5 to trace the line from Set to Noah - the subject of the next study. How does the chapter help you understand the characteristics and consequences of sin?Īsk the Lord to help you recognize his voice urging you to stay on the track of his will.
What gives an element of hope in the midst of this sad story (vv. How do you see this reality in our own civilization?ġ1. The lifestyle of Cain's family is a picture of humanity: technical progress matched by moral decline. In verses 17-26 life goes on describe Lamech's attitude and action.ġ0. In what way does seeing God's protection of Cain in the midst of punishment give us encouragement?ĩ. In verses 9-10 how does the exchange between God and Cain strike you?ħ. What resources do we have to overcome sin?Ħ. What happens when we refuse to admit that we are on the wrong track?ĥ. How do verses 6-8 describe God's response to Cain and Cain's reaction?Ĥ. In verses 1-5 what do we learn about the two brothers and their offerings?ģ.
What impresses you about Cain and Abel?Ģ. Present it to God prayerfully before you begin your study.ġ. Think of a situation in which a wrong attitude on your part led to a sinful action. What situation in your life shows a link between people's view of God and their treatment of others? We now look at this principle at work in the newly created human family. He declared, "When God is not God, man is not man." He had seen how rejection of divine authority leads to inhuman actions. A Lutheran bishop who lived in East Germany suffered fierce persecution by the Nazis and then the Communists.