Week 1: Day 4

Genesis 4 

Key Text  

“Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.” Genesis 4:8                                                                                                            

Cain and Abel: Enmity between the Seeds 

In Genesis 4:4 the Lord had regard for Abel’s offering but not for Cain’s. There are two reasons for giving an offering: (1) hope for something in return or (2) in response to what’s already been given. As believers in Jesus Christ, we should make an offering in response to the great gift we’ve been given—forgiveness of sins.

Hebrews 11:4 tells us that by faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable offering than Cain. Cain had a sense of works-based entitlement, the opposite of grace, and received the punishment for failure to walk in worshipful humility before God—judgment. An entitlement mentality leads to bitterness toward others around you. Cain saw himself as the righteous one and saw Abel as the problem; he therefore did away with the problem.  Do not be like Cain (1 Jn 3:12)—imaging his father, the devil—but instead trust in Jesus, who was the perfect and ultimate offering for our sins. Christianity is built on grace, which snuffs out the entitlement division between brothers.

David Prince, “Raising Cain in the Church,” Preached 2/13/2013, Prince on Preaching Website, Accessed 4 December 2015, Available from http://www.davidprince.com/2013/02/13/raising-cain-in-the-church-genesis-41-10/.

Connection with Newer Testament  

John 8

For the Kids

Explain or demonstrate the difference between a child’s sincere “thank you hug” and a “getting ready to ask you for something hug.” Our worship of God should be like the first kind of hug, a thankful response to Jesus for forgiving us and giving us eternal life.

Prayer Prompts  

  1. Ask God to reveal any entitlement attitudes in your heart today. Could it be that you are giving in order to get something from God?
  2. Are you harboring bitterness in your heart toward others? Perhaps someone got promoted instead of you. Maybe someone has more money or better health. Ask God to help you find your satisfaction in him and him alone.