The root of sin, as seen in chapter three, now produces fruit in this chapter. This chapter of Genesis covers an extended period of time, but the Bible doesn’t reveal just how much time elapses between the time Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden and when their son Cain travels to the land of Nod and his children are born and subsequently have children of their own. Cynics often pose the question, “From where did Cain’s wife come?” The Bible doesn’t say, but because of the extended time that evolved it may safely be assumed that his wife came from a line of births that started with Adam and Eve, just as is the case of every person that has been physically born of man and woman on earth.

But the most significant feature of this chapter is the demonstrable event that depicts the two major dynamics available to man in his approach to his Creator. Although this was not the first time these two dynamics are mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 3:7, 21), their contrast becomes clearer, especially in light of New Testament commentary on the issue. But for certain there are only two. One approach will always fail; the other will always succeed. One is born of Satan; the other of God. One is meritorious on man’s part; the other is totally without merit on his part. The one that is of Satan and is meritorious is the choice of the masses (religion); the other that is of God and is non-meritorious is chosen by the few (Christianity).

The word translated knew in the Hebrew is a common euphemism or expression meaning sexual intercourse. This act between a man and woman was and is God’s ordained way for the following:

The act of physical union between Adam and Eve impregnated Eve and she conceived (a term of internal development within the womb) and then bore two sons who she named (the first) Cain and (the second) Abel. Because of the construction of the Hebrew in this passage, it can be understood that Eve gave birth to twins. Regarding the birth of the first child, Cain, Eve made a statement, which in the Hebrew text, may be translated in a couple of ways, e.g., (1) “I have acquired or gotten a man with the help of the Lord.”, or (2) “I have acquired or gotten a man, even the Lord.” She may very well have thought her first child to be the Promised Seed that would crush Satan’s head as mentioned in Genesis 3:15. But this was not to be the case. That honor was to be awarded to a humble virgin by the name of Mary who was engaged to a carpenter named Joseph thousands of years later (Luke 1:26, 27).

Regarding her two sons, Eve would later be dramatically awakened to the nature of the sin nature and its natural outcome. But before this horrific human-event, which also depicts the two major dynamics available to man in approaching his Creator, she only knew her first son, Cain, in his profession as a gardener or farmer, and her second son, Able, in his profession as a shepherd.

And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

In this commentator’s mind these two verses are the most important within the entire chapter. It is here that the Bible student is first introduced to the two major dynamics available to man in his approach to God. One is wholly meritorious on man’s part, a tool of Satan, and it is displeasing to God. The other is non-meritorious on man’s part, a product of faith, and it is most pleasing to God. Both dynamics are represented in the offerings brought unto Jehovah by the brothers, Cain and Abel.

The phrase, “in the process of time,” may also be translated “at the end of days.” This phrase has been understood to mean either at the end of a specified period of time, such as the end of the year, during the “in-gathering” of the fruits of the land; or at the end of the week, such as the Sabbath. Regardless of the time frame, it involved a ceremony of worship to Jehovah, which undoubtedly had been taught to the brothers by their parents. This is understood by the words, “Cain brought,” an indication that something was transported to a “specific place,” which would further indicate that the “specific place” was known through revelation. It may also be safely assumed that the brothers would not only be following the instructional words of their parents, but would also be following their example.

Yet the offerings made by the brothers were different in the following ways:

Although all three aspects of Abel’s offering are important, the underlying quality that makes anything done by man or any approach of man to God acceptable and pleasing to God is faith. Faith may be understood as simply “taking God at His Word” or “placing one’s complete confidence (trust)” in God and His Word. When anyone goes beyond this parameter, he can not hope to achieve the approbation (approval) of God. And yet this is exactly the path that Satan convinces man to follow. It is a dynamic that requires man to places his confidence (trust) in himself and what he believes is proper in the recognition and worship of God. This then is a meritorious procedure on man’s part in coming to and satisfying God. The problem with this is that it is impossible to please God without proper faith—and proper faith can never be placed in man; it must always be placed in God and His Word (Hebrews 11:6).

The principle of faith is one of the, if not the most, important lesson for both the unbeliever and the believer. It is the “instrument,” for lack of a better word, exercised by the will that apprehends salvation; for it is only when one, who understands his need of salvation, makes a genuine decision (of the will) to place his full confidence (trust) in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross that he is saved (permanently granted eternal life). This then is proper faith for the unbeliever for salvation.

But once a person becomes a Christian through the new birth, the principle remains the same in order to achieve experiential (different from immediate and eventual) sanctification—the daily purification process available to every Christian that leads toward holier living; for it is only by faith that one is able to “walk in Christ” (another way of saying “to be filled with the Holy Spirit”), which is understood by a correct interpretation of Colossians 2:6. This then is proper faith for the believer for sanctification.

Cain’s offering, being one without faith and contrary to revealed truth, was born of Satan and was, in fact, in God’s sight, evil (1 John 3:12; Jude 11). On the other hand, because Abel exercised proper faith, he was deemed righteous and his offering was righteous (Matthew 23:35; Hebrews 11:4; 1 John 3:12). And because Abel’s offering was indeed righteous, thereby revealing his personal righteousness, his offering and actions continue to serve as an example for mankind to this day (Hebrews 11:4).

And what was this example that continues proclamation even now? What does it confirm? It most definitely confirms the truth contained in Ephesians 2:8 & 9, which states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” The way of God is by “grace through faith,” and is “never by the works (or ideas or efforts) of man.”

It further confirms that the only righteousness man may have is an imputed righteousness from God,” a righteousness that stems solely from and is the direct result of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary (Romans 3:10; 2 Corinthians 5:21). It was on the cross that Jesus bore and became man’s sin and paid the penalty-price for all sin; so that God’s justice and holiness could be satisfied and thereby impute to man (those who accept by faith) the righteousness of God (Romans 3:25).

These two dynamics are herein evident in this passage of scripture. And this is why this commentator believes these two verses are the most important within this chapter. The sad part of these two verses is that once Cain realized that God had no pleasure in or respect for his offering, instead of learning a lesson and swiftly attempting a proper faith-linked sacrifice, he became angry with God and became depressed—not because he felt he had done wrong, but because “it couldn’t be done his (Satan’s) way.”

Able, on the other hand, became an honoree of the “roll call of faith” and is known as the first to be recorded within God’s Word as the following:

This was a special time on earth. It was a time when God continued to talk personally and verbally with man. It is not that God doesn’t talk with man today, but somewhere and in sometime after the fall of man in the Garden of Eden this protocol has become a rarity rather than a commonalty. Here, just as in the Garden of Eden when man first sinned against God, God approaches man. This has always been the way of grace. Man never truly seeks out God; it is left to God to seek man.

Now 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 killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?” And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.” And Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.” And the LORD said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him. Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.

In this passage the reader is made acutely aware of the fruit of the sin nature. Cain was so angered over being rejected and his pride so damaged that he went so far as to plot against and murder his own brother. It is important to understand that the outward act of murder started within the will and involved a decision to murder. In God’s sight, both the desire to murder and the act of murder carry the same weight (Matthew 5:21, 22; 15:19).

Where did Cain get his wife? The book of Genesis does not answer the question directly, but Genesis 5:4 asserts that Adam and Eve had other sons and daughters besides the three sons whose names appear in the text. Given the longevity of people at that time, Cain married one of his own sisters or even a more distant relative. Marriage of close relatives was not forbidden then, nor was it genetically risky.

Verses 17-24 lists Cain’s posterity, and a series of firsts, as follow:

God now blessed Eve once again by introducing through her the godly line of Seth. It was through this line that the Messiah would eventually be born. And to Seth was born a son who was named Enosh. From this time forward a system of worship of Jehovah was instituted and integrated within society.