Cain’s Murder and God’s Justice — Genesis 4 Daily Word

Explore the tragic story of Cain’s murder of Abel in Genesis 4, examining how God’s justice responds to sin and the importance of true worship offered in spirit and truth.

Genesis 4:8-15 Daily Word

1. [Scripture]

[8] Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. [9] Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” [10] And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. [11] And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. [12] When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” (Gen 4:8-12, ESV)

[13] Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. [14] Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” [15] Then the LORD said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. (Gen 4:13-15, ESV)

2. Daily Word

# God accepts Abel’s offering, but does not accept Cain’s offering.

Because of this, “Cain was very angry, and his face fell.” So God said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?” “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” God receives the worship of all people. In particular, He seeks those who worship Him in truth.

[23] But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. (John 4:23, ESV) In other words, the worship that God accepts is true worship offered in spirit and in truth. Abel offered this true worship, but Cain did not.

Then what does it mean to worship in spirit and in truth?

First, it means believing that the Lord is with us. And worship that looks to God alone, lifting up thanksgiving and glory to Him — this is worship offered in spirit and in truth. That is why God says, “If you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door.” Goodness originates from heaven. Evil, on the other hand, comes from the earth. In other words, Adam was formed from the dust of the ground, yet he could not live without the breath of life that the Lord breathed into him. But when he received that breath of life and became a living being, he came alive. And so Adam, who walked with God, was placed in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and rule over what belonged to God. However, Adam was driven out of the Garden of Eden and now dwells on the earth.

Now is the time to cultivate the ground and connect with God through the fruit we receive from it. The way to do this is to live a life of offering thanks and glory to God so that the things of this earth may prosper — so that the work we are doing may go all the better. Therefore, not seeking good from God is ultimately an act of sin even in this earthly life, and it means choosing to live in sin, separated from God.

That is why God says in verse 7, “Sin is crouching at the door… but you must rule over it.” Yet Cain, contrary to God’s warning, fails to master sin and strikes down Abel. Then in verse 9, God asks, “Where is Abel your brother?” Cain replies, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” In this response, we can see a striking resemblance to Adam, who sinned and yet refused to repent.

# God once again asks, “What have you done?”

“The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.” Here, the word translated “ground” is the Hebrew word adamah, which carries the meaning of “to become red” or “to blush.” This tells us that Cain inherited the shameful sin of Adam, that the ground turned red with Abel’s blood, and that the ground is once again suffering disgrace on account of Cain’s sin. When we examine the compound word translated “voice of blood,” the word “blood” here refers specifically to the blood shed by one who is innocent.

The word “voice” is used with the meanings of “cry,” “thunder,” or “to declare.” Putting this all together: though Abel’s blood, soaked into the earth, could not speak for itself, a voice of blood poured forth from the ground — and God heard that cry of blood, which bore witness to Abel’s suffering and to Cain’s guilt. As a result, Cain receives a curse from God (vv. 11–12): “You are cursed from the ground… When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

Then in verse 13, Cain says something that appears to be a plea for mercy.

“My punishment is greater than I can bear.” This is a statement meaning “It is more than I can carry” — he is complaining that the punishment is too great for his sin. Yet God, who is rich in mercy, forgives Cain for coming before Him with a sorrowful heart. And so, in response to Cain’s fear that “whoever finds me will kill me,” God declares, “If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.”

3. Application

God is the One who forgives sinners of their sins.

However, the act of sinning reveals that there was a will within us to distance ourselves from God. Therefore, we must strive not to sin, and we must remain vigilant so that we do not sin even unconsciously. To that end, I pray that you will believe that we can become true worshipers only when we fix our eyes solely on the Lord and measure all things by His standard — and that today, too, you will live as a true worshiper, walking in spirit and in truth.

[Bible Questions]

Cain and Abel, fratricide, the wages of sin, God’s judgment, spiritual despair

Originally published in Korean at bible2u.com