"The Way Of Cain"

"Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain" 

(Jude. 1: 11)

"Cain, a name that lives in infamy"

The story of Cain

"Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.” Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 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. So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” 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." (Ge. 4: 1-15)

What can we say of Cain? He was firstborn. His mother Eve seems to have thought that he was the promised Messiah, the "seed of the woman" who would crush the head of the serpent who had deceived her. This is implied, I think, in the words uttered by Eve upon his birth - "I have acquired a man from the LORD.” GOD'S WORD Translation says: "Adam made love to his wife Eve. She became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "I have gotten the man that the LORD promised." He therefore is the first false Messiah.

In "Eve’s Messianic Hope For Cain In Genesis 4:1—Ordinary Hebrew Terms For Child," T. DAVID GORDON (See here) gives the following translation and comments (emphasis mine).

"Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man (אִישׁ) with (the help of) the LORD.” (Gen. 4:1) 

Translators and commentators have often noted two difficulties in translating the first verse of Genesis 4. First, the preposition translated “with” is the particle ʾeṯ, which ordinarily is used to mark the direct object of the verb, as it does here twice, before “Eve” and before “Cain.” If it were translated in the same manner here, the text would read: “I have gotten a man—namely Yahweh.” The particle can sometimes (though somewhat rarely) be used to mean “with” or “by,” as in 1 Chronicles 2:18, “Caleb the son of Hezron fathered children by his wife Azubah…” This translation still makes the verse suggest an almost improper intimacy between Eve and the Lord, which is probably why the translations add “with the help of the Lord,” even though the noun “help/helper” (ꜥēzer), so prominent in describing Eve in Genesis 2:18, is not employed here."

Next, he writes:

"Second, and even more inexplicably, Eve called her newborn infant a “man,” employing the ordinary Hebrew word for a full-grown, mature male (ʾı̂š, pronounced “eesh”). It is profoundly unlikely that any mother would refer to her newborn infant as a “man.” The usage here is, to my knowledge, unique in the Hebrew Bible, which uses eight other terms to refer to newborn (or even pre-born) infants. Therefore, Eve’s usage here is likely Messianic; she piously hoped the first “seed of the woman” (Gen 3:15) would un-do the wrong she had done, that he would become a full-grown man, an adult and valiant warrior who would crush the head of the seed of the serpent, and so, when newborn, she referred to him in language ordinarily reserved for a full adult male. There are many terms translated “child” in some English translations of the Hebrew Bible."

I believe this is correct. Eve thought that Cain, her firstborn, was the promised Messiah. However, it does raise questions about her belief in the virgin birth of the Messiah (which is inferred by the Messiah being called the seed of the woman, i.e. "her seed"). Did she think that Cain was of the seed of Adam, the result of their sexual union? Or, did she think God had given her this promised seed apart from Adam's sperm?

In the "Answers in Genesis" web page (See here) we read the following under the sub-heading "Whom Did Eve Think She Had Gotten?" (emphasis mine):

"In Genesis 3:15, God promised a redeemer (the offspring of the woman), but did Eve understand this? The meaning of Eve’s statement in Genesis 4:1 has been debated based on the translation of the Hebrew particle ʾet (אֶת): 

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord. [italics mine]

Some translations take ʾet as the preposition “with” (ESV; NASB), which some believe to be either a positive expression (Eve acknowledging God’s help) or as an expression of arrogance (God created the first man, so I [Eve] have created the second man). However, ʾet is most naturally taken as the direct object marker, making the text naturally read: “I have gotten a man, namely, the Lord (YHWH).” In other words, Eve thought the child was the promised seed of Genesis 3:15 (although she was mistaken). 

The direct object marker ʾet (אֶת) occurs five times in Genesis 4:1-2 but is only translated once (in verse 1 as “with”, ESV). It would seem the reason ʾet is translated as “with” (or even “from” see NKJV) is that otherwise it looks like Eve was expecting a divine Messiah. The most natural, contextual understanding of Eve’s words is “I have gotten a man, namely, the Lord (YHWH)” although it is theologically objectional to those who do not like Messianic overtones. But how do scholars know Eve could not have known this? The New Testament author Jude tells us that Enoch prophesied about the second coming of Christ (Jude 14). If Enoch knew this, then why is it impossible that Eve could not have known about the coming Messiah?"

The Situational Irony

Charles Dickens, well known 19th century author of England, wrote many good books, and one I will borrow now to use to describe the case with Eve mistaking Cain for the Messiah. That book is called "Great Expectations." Without a doubt Eve had great expectations for Cain! But, what a great disappointment to her he became! Rather than being the promised righteous seed, the God-man, he turns out to be "of the devil." So wrote the apostle John:

"not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous." (I John 3: 12 nkjv)

In the 19th century there arose a group of Baptists that became known as "Two Seed Primitive Baptists" and were followers and supporters of Elder Daniel Parker who wrote two treatises on the subject. They believe that Cain was literally "of the wicked one" by the Devil having sex with Eve. But, that is surely not what the apostle meant by Cain being "of the wicked one." Every lost sinner is "of the wicked one," as Jesus said to those who rejected him among the Jews, saying to them -

"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it." (John 8: 44 nkjv)

They were not literally, seminally, biologically, the sons of the Devil. They were so because they were like him, imitating him. The context of Jesus' words show this to be the case. You are of the Devil because you murder and kill as he did. You are of the Devil because you lie and reject the truth as he did. Etc. 

Not only did Cain not live up to his mother's expectations, but he miserably failed. In fact he is the picture of what it means to "sin," which is often in the new testament from the Greek word "hamartia." Britannica says this about the classical meaning of the word: "hamartia, (hamartia from Greek hamartanein, “to err”), inherent defect or shortcoming in the hero of a tragedy, who is in other respects a superior being favoured by fortune." It also was originally used as an archery term to describe when an arrow missed the target. In the Greek version of the Old Testament (Septuagint), certain soldiers of the tribe of Benjamin are described as those who could “sling stones at a hairbreadth, and not miss” (Judges 20:16). "Not miss" has the Greek word hamartia. Aristotle first used the term in Poetics to describe a tragic hero's error in judgment that leads to his downfall.

Cain was like Ishmael, yea, like all sinners, a morally "wild man." Ishmael was described prophetically in these words:  "He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man’s hand against him." (Gen. 16: 12 nkjv) In fact Job says that man is born wild, morally speaking, born like a wild ass's colt. (Job 11: 12) He is untamed, being under the control of his depraved nature. He will remain so till his spirit is broken by the work of the Lord. Christ tames the sinner, domesticates him as it were, when he converts him. What a tragic downfall we see in Cain! What character flaws too! 

Thus, Cain was the first hero to have a tragic downfall or to miss the mark. He is a picture of hamartia. He failed through a flaw in his character. Further, Cain did it all in regard to sin. What particular sins stand out in Cain?

Sins of Cain

1. Envy and jealousy

2. Pride and arrogance

3. Hate and Anger

4. Murder

5. Lying

6. Unbelief or false religion

7. Impenitence (lack of remorse)

8.  Insulting God

Character Flaws

1. Coward ("my punishment is greater than I can bear")

2. Selfish

3. Carnal & Sensual (fleshly) a natural man

4. Lover of self (Narcissist) 

5. One who covets, lusts

6. Rebellious nature and spirit (against God) and others (self willed)

Why The Difference?

There is no doubt that Cain and Abel were different people. Their characters were different. One was "of that wicked one," and the other was "of God." One was righteous in his character and in his works while the other was wicked in both. One was a believer in God, one who loved God and desired to please and serve him, and the other was a practical unbeliever. 

It could not be that all their differences were the result of natural birth, as a result of genetics, for they both had the same parents. They were both born under the curse pronounced upon all men for the one sin of Adam. They were born alienated from God and righteousness, born slaves to sin, "by nature children of wrath." (Eph. 2: 3) The reason why one was righteous and one was not is not because of any physical or natural distinction. The reason why one had "faith" and the other did not is also not due to family lineage or environment, that is, on how they were raised, for they were of the same home. Both Cain and Abel had the same parents, the same social environment. So, why the difference in their characters and deeds? Both had "free will" to some degree, so why did one choose the wrong path and the other the right path? Both were born in sin and conceived in iniquity. 

"Who makes you to differ from another?" (I Cor. 4: 9)

One had true religion and worship, a right understanding about God, and the other had a false religion.

Where did Abel get his faith? Answer: from the word of God that promised a redeemer and redemption through his sacrificial work. It was also the gift of God, what he gave or produced. So we read this commentary on the differences between Cain and Abel:

"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 speaks." (Heb. 11: 4)

Cain was a man who did what was right in his own eyes. He wanted to come to God on his own terms, by his works, by way of merit.

"The way of Cain" refers to any individual who attempts to approach God on his or her own terms rather than on God’s terms. The way of Cain describes any religious system that attempts to earn God’s favor by works and rituals rather than by reliance on God’s grace.

Cain is a portrait or prototype of a man who is a willing slave to sin. He was a "despiser of those who are good" (I Tim. 3: 3). Cain talked to God. He knew God. He was no atheist. He was religious, giving homage and performing ritual to God. Cain wanted to come to God on his own terms and not on God's terms. On the other hand, Abel was a man who was a slave to God and righteousness. 

Abel offered a bloody sacrifice, showing his understanding of the way of salvation through the promised Messiah. Cain came to God and his altar without blood, offering rather the fruit of his own labors. There was something wrong with the gifts offered by Cain. On the other hand, God bore positive testimony to the sacrificial lambs Abel brought to God. Abel understood the idea of a sacrifice and substitute, the very essence of the gospel message. The story says that God had "respect" to both Abel and to his sacrifice, but he had not respect to Cain and his offering. (Gen. 4: 4) By clothing Adam and Eve with the skins of slain animals (Gen. 3:21), God made it clear that the only way of forgiveness is through the shedding of blood. It appears that Abel understood the way of salvation as being through a suffering substitute, through the promised "seed" of Eve.

The Way of Cain

"Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core." (Jude 1: 11)

The "way of Cain" is set in contrast to the "way of Abel." The way of Cain is the very same way of all sinners who follow their own depraved hearts. Everyone who is on "the broad way" that leads to destruction is in the way of Cain. On the other hand, all those who are on the "narrow" and "strait way" are going in the way of righteous and believing Abel. (Matt. 7: 13-14) Solomon said that "the way of transgressors is hard" (Prov. 13: 15). This is the way of Cain, the way of the rebel and the criminal.

"Raising Cain"

Perhaps you have heard of the expression "raising Cain." What does that mean? Got Questions organization says (see here) these things (emphasis mine):

"The phrase raising Cain is an American idiom first recorded in the early to mid-nineteenth century, but its origin traces back to the Bible. To raise Cain means to cause a lot of trouble, to create a great commotion, or to behave in an uncontrolled, disruptive way. The word Cain is capitalized in the expression because it refers to the Old Testament Bible character Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve who killed his brother Abel."

"In the phrase raising Cain, the verb raising means “conjuring or summoning something like a spirit, demon, or ghost.” The usage of the verb in this sense has been around since the Middle Ages. Thus, raising Cain means literally “conjuring up the murderous spirit of Cain.” The idea is that the risen spirit of Cain would be a destructive force, capable of making serious trouble, acting wildly, violently, or causing a significant disturbance. For example, we might say, “The students are raising Cain while the teacher is out.” We don’t mean that the students are literally conjuring Cain’s evil spirit from the dead, only that they are completely out of control. Raising Cain also describes criminal activity or mischievous acts. For example, we might say, “The rival street gangs are raising Cain tonight.” It’s not that the street gangs are practicing necromancy but that they are engaging in criminality. To raise Cain is to act “in the spirit” of Cain."

"The phrase raising Cain is similar in meaning to the expressions raising hell and raising the devil. In fact, some use raising Cain as a euphemism to avoid saying the more profane raising hell. Incidentally, the first published example of the idiom appeared in this pun-based joke in the Daily Pennant, a St. Louis newspaper, on May 2, 1840: “Why have we every reason to believe that Adam and Eve were both rowdies? Because they both raised Cain.” A newer version of the joke goes something like this: “Adam and Eve were the world’s first troublemakers. They both raised Cain.”"

Friend, are you in the way of Cain? Are you trying to save yourself by your own works? Are you trying to bargain with God as Cain? Are you living a life of sin and rebellion or are you living a life that is pleasing to your God and Creator? Wrote the apostle Paul:

"Whatever things were written afore time in the old testament scriptures were written for our learning."(Rom. 15: 4)

The story of Cain and Abel has been preserved for all generations so that we may learn what is most important in life. I hope you will receive this valuable instruction in righteousness.