Genesis- The First Brothers

My computer has been a bit quirky lately so I've studied ahead. The story of Cain and Abel though is a story I would like to record my thoughts on. Genesis 4:1-16

First of all, the brothers had two different jobs...Abel kept the sheep and Cain tilled the ground. Abel was younger than Cain. Both brothers made an offering to God which may have been Cain's idea first, BUT he did not give of his first fruit. I wonder if it was the first fruit or the offering of blood that God liked so much. Is this the beginning of the sacrificial lamb's blood that God required from us? Cain gave from his harvest and Abel gave from his harvest, yet God respected Abel's offering of his first flock.

Cain was very upset about disappointing God and God had compassion on him even though he had not honored God. God foretold what would happen in verse 6-7 'And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. God told Cain to do well in his offering for God to accept him OR his emotions would end up causing him to lose power over his desire to sin.

Even after Cain killed Abel, God had compassion on him. His sin had cursed him and Cain felt he could not bear the punishment. So God marked him to keep others from killing him.

This brings to mind another verse in 1 Corinthians 10:13 'There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Although the books of Corinthians were not written until hundreds of years after Moses wrote Genesis, the same theme is there because it was inspired by God. How cool of God to breathe the words of the Bible so that we might know it and live by it. Back to the story, God gave Cain a way to bear his punishment. I'm not sure what this mark was, but God provided for Cain even after he killed Abel and was deported from the presence of God. I wonder what it felt like to cross that border of land with God and land void of God's presence. I imagine it being like stepping out of all things happy and well-lit.

The story of Cain and Abel is an important one to remember. Give your first fruit to God and seek his respect or seek to please him. Man, perhaps even our brother, will persecute us for living differently from society to please and honor God, but God punishes those who do us harm and we gain favor with God when we honor him. I'm continuing to enjoy the unraveling Bible stories of our beginning.