God blessed Adam and Eve with children. Cain and Abel seemed to have been the first. As they grew up Abel became a shepherd and Cain became a farmer. God commanded worship from them. "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh." (Hebrews 11:4) The only way Abel could have offered "by faith" was a result of a command of God. Both Cain and Abel worshipped the Lord and brought sacrifices to Him. Abel was a righteous man with a good and discerning heart. (Matthew 23:35) The blood that Abel shed in his sacrifice was looking forward to the "greatest" sacrifice Jesus dying for sins. God rejected Cain's gift and the rejection had a great deal to do with his heart. Satan controlled his heart. (1 John 3:12) The Bible speaks of those who corrupt themselves as "going in the way of Cain." (Jude 1:11) Cain was forced to leave God’s presence and to live in the land of Nod. When God banished Cain He put a mark upon him. No one today knows what that mark was. God gave Adam and Eve other children. One was a son named Seth. It was through Seth that the lineage of the Savior came.

            The story of Cain and Abel -- Genesis 4:1-10: Cain and Able were the first children born to Adam and Eve. They both grew up to take some responsibility in life. Cain became a farmer and Abel became a shepherd. Both men offered a sacrifice to God. But the condition of their heart was different. God's word says, "But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell." (Genesis 4:5) In anger Cain killed Abel. When he was questioned by God he gave that infamous reply, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Cain's heart was not right and so his offering was unacceptable. There were many fruit of the ground and oil offerings that were acceptable to God. (Leviticus 2:1-4) God said to Cain, "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door." (Genesis 4:7) If Cain did what was right his offering would be accepted. If he did not do what was right sin would be present. We must learn how to rule over sin and not allow it to overtake us. Cain should not have allowed sin to take charge over his heart and rule his life. Cain, like all sinners, hurt others. Sin is a selfish thing. The second commandment is, "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matthew 22:39) We are responsible for how we treat others.

            God's judgment against Cain -- Genesis 4:11-17: Cain murdered his brother in secret. However, his actions were clearly known by God. "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." (Hebrews 4:13) To try to hide your wrong or to deny your wrong will not cover it. God confronted Cain with the words, "The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground." Cain, like many sinners, showed no remorse for his sins. Cain's punishment was, (1) "When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength, and (2) A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. (Genesis 4:12) Cain thought the punishment was too severe. God showed mercy by protecting him from being killed. He placed some kind of mark upon him to protect him from murder and He promised sevenfold vengeance upon anyone who harmed him. "Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod." What a sad statement, "He went out from the presence of the Lord." Cain's first born son was named Enoch. He built a city and named it after his son. Where did Cain get his wife? If Adam and Eve were the first man and the first woman, and if Eve was the mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20) and if Adam and Eve had sons and daughters it is easy to answer that question. After the flood there was a start over with Noah's family where there was close inner marriage within families.

            Cain's offspring form a line of ungodly men -- Genesis 4:18-24: These few Bible verses provide us with a look at some of the genealogy of Cain. Remember, Cain had committed murder. Lamech, a descendent of Cain, began to practice polygamy. "And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah." (Genesis 4:19) This is a violation of God’s plan for one man and one woman to be married for life. It was through this line of people that "Jubal the father of all such as handle the harp and organ" was born. Another son of Lamech was an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron. God's plan was that man till the ground and produce his food. Cain's descendants chose city life. Metal working made it possible to ease the toil of producing food and also gave people advantages over others, for example in battle. Lamech was like so many today; his self-sufficiency was all he needed. He talked about my voice, my wives, my speech and I. He wanted to live his life independent of God. He even bragged about killing a young man who had wounded him or injured him. Lamech was of fierce and cruel disposition and would kill anyone who stood in his way. Today murder has become an acceptable way of life. His ugly attitude even caused him to mock God. "If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold."

            Seth's offspring form a line of godly men -- Genesis 4:25-26: God gave Adam and Eve another son to replace Abel. His name was Seth. Seth would be a man who loved God and he would produce a godly line of people. Seth had a son named Enos and the Bible says, "Then began men to call upon the name of the LORD." (Genesis 4:26) There are times when it seems that no one or only a very few love God and want to do what is right. God had made a promise concerning the seed of woman, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:15) Seth was born so that God's plan would not be defeated. When Eve said God, "appointed me another seed instead of Abel" she knew this was His way of fulfilling His promise. Abraham was a descendent of Seth. The Jewish nation of which the Savior was born was his descendants. God promised and provided a Savior through the lineage of Seth!