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Bible Study Why Did Cain Murder Abel?

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Dramione love 3333
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After reading this Bible story tonight in my Message Bible it suddenly occurred to me that I never knew the answer to this question. Did Cain really have a motive for committing such a violent act towards his brother, or was he just doing it out of spite evil like a lot of the school shooters you read about and see on the news these days?
 
Jealousy. Both Cain and Abel made sacrifices to the Lord of their produce (Cain a farmer, Abel a shepherd), but God showed favor only to the younger brother.

"And it happened in the course of time that Cain brought from the fruit of the soil an offering to the Lord. And Abel too had brought from the choice firstlings of his flock, and the Lord regarded Abel and his offering but did not regard Cain and his offering. And Cain was very incensed, and his face fell." Genesis 4: 3-5
 
Jealousy. Both Cain and Abel made sacrifices to the Lord of their produce (Cain a farmer, Abel a shepherd), but God showed favor only to the younger brother.

"And it happened in the course of time that Cain brought from the fruit of the soil an offering to the Lord. And Abel too had brought from the choice firstlings of his flock, and the Lord regarded Abel and his offering but did not regard Cain and his offering. And Cain was very incensed, and his face fell." Genesis 4: 3-5

I was interested when I noticed that one offering reflected works and the other reflected redemption. There was no "shedding of blood" in Cain's sacrifice, but Abels cost a life. "Works salvation" (oxymoron) people have always been at enmity with those saved by grace and the blood of Jesus....
 
Cain and Abel, like their parents, were hot for "The Seed of the Woman" that was going to gain them access back into the Garden in Eden.
God had told them to farm for food. So Cain, the first born, was doing exactly as God had said to do. Abel didn't farm...as the "younger and lesser" son his job was to raise sheep for clothing. (The family was huge at this point... probably at least 20,000+)

The section in Genesis "and it happened in the course of time" can also be translated as " at the appointed time" (Hebrew is a metaphoric language) Meaning that this activity had been going on for many years. All with the same disappointment of not gaining access into the Garden.

It was such a little thing that got everyone kicked out and here they are doing this monumental task of farming every year for everyone...

And then to Cain's horror and frustration Abel has an offering that wows God and really pleases Him. It wasn't even really farming...it's about clothing. Abel's sacrifice was saying that God would have to clothe them appropriately and that they couldn't do it themselves. Here Cain was, doing exactly as God said for years now and for whatever reason they can't seem to get back to the Garden...

Rage, envy, frustration, and doing it for everyone else probably went into the mix of emotions that caused Cain to do what he did. (Envy is wanting what someone else has in order to deprive them of having it... very different from jealousy)
 
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