The First Murder
4-21-24
Comedian Steve Martin once proposed that a solution for overpopulation would be to enforce the death penalty for parking violations. We all know that's just a silly comic gag. We also know that not every crime can be punished in the same way. There isn't a difference in sin in God's eyes. The person who commits a small little white lie is just as guilty and deserving of hell as the mass murderer. But that's not the case when it comes to our society. We have to differentiate between crimes and levy punishments that are appropriate for each one. That's why murder is deserving of the death penalty and a parking violation should only receive a ticket and maybe a small fine.
As far as our judicial system is concerned the worst crime that anyone can commit is murder. There is no greater negative impact that we can have on society than to take the life of another human being. Sadly, to the shame of humanity, our history is littered with acts of murder.
In 2019, according to the FBI's crime clock, a murder occurs in the United States once every 32 minutes. Worldwide, there are roughly 1728 homicides every day. That translates into just over one murder every minute. That means since we started this message, two people have been murdered somewhere in the world. By the time we're finished, one person in the United States will have been killed and about 60 people worldwide will be a homicide victim.
It doesn't matter what country you're talking about; it doesn't matter about all of the many different variables that factor into why humans kill other humans. The bottom line is this: where there are humans there is murder. I'll put in my two cents at this point. Gun control doesn't make any difference. The cities in the US that have the strictest gun control laws are the ones with the highest rates of violent crime and murder. I'll get off my soap box now. We can trace the crime of murder all the way through the Bible to see where it all began. It all began at the very beginning of human history. Let's read the story of the very first murder from Genesis 4:1-10.
What I think is one of the interesting facts about this story is how early on in human history the first murder took place. That goes back to what we said earlier: humans are murderers. We are murderers not because we commit murder; we are murderers because we have murder in our hearts. We can make that statement even broader: we are not sinners because we have committed sin; we sin because we are sinners.
The problem that we all have is in our heart. We do wrong because we are wrong. We are wrong all the way to the core of our being. It's at our very core where murder is desired. Murder is merely one of the many fruits of a heart problem that we all share as humans. Murder is the result of a twisted, selfish notion that came to all humankind as a result of Adam and Eve's fall into sin in Genesis 3.
This very first murder involved the third and fourth people who ever lived on the earth. You might think that it would take some time for sin to gradually become worse with each succeeding generation. We might think that Cain and Abel told little fibs. After that, we might witness petty theft by the third generation. Extortion and racketeering might be evidenced by the fifth generation and then sometime after that would come the first murder. What we learn here is that corruption doesn't come in degrees. It doesn't emerge slowly. Sin corrupted humankind entirely from the moment Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. So we shouldn't be surprised that the second sin recorded in Scripture is the most grievous sin a human can commit.
We all know the general story. God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden. Satan came along and tempted them and they sinned by disobeying the one command that God had given them: Don't eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. After an unknown period of time had passed, Eve became pregnant and gave birth to their firstborn son, Cain. The name Cain means either to acquire or to create. Adam and Even then produced another son whom they named Abel. Abel means breath, vapor or futility. We are told that Cain chose to follow in his father's footsteps and become a farmer. Abel, on the other hand, was a shepherd, a keeper of flocks.
Again, after some undesignated period of time, these adult brothers brought offerings to the Lord. We are not told in Scripture, but we can only imagine that Adam had brought his boys up to love, honor and glorify the Lord. No doubt, he taught them about bringing offerings to God and what the Lord required of them.
It's pretty clear from what these verses say that one of the boys paid attention and did what he was supposed to while the other didn't. Notice how Scripture describes the two offerings. (vv. 3-5). Cain is said to have brought some of the fruit of the ground; Abel is described as bringing the firstborn and the fattest of the flock. God was displeased with Cain's offering but was satisfied with Abel's.
We are not told directly why God was displeased with Cain and pleased with Abel. But I think that the very description in these verses of each of their offerings helps us see what is going on. It seems like Cain didn't bring his best while Abel did. Cain's offering was not what God desired, it might have just been some grain that he grabbed without thinking much about it. Abel's offering was what God desired. He brought his very best to God. Abel's offering was excellent; Cain's was mediocre. Cain came in his own way. Abel came God's way. The manner in which they approached God revealed the authenticity of their faith. Heb. 11:4. True faith is marked by obedience. 1 John 3:10-12.
This should serve as a warning to all of us who think that God will accept anything we choose to bring to Him as long as we're sincere. We need much more than sincerity in order to be right with God. Some say there are many paths to God and no particular belief is right or wrong, what matters most is that we are sincerely seeking Him. If someone sincerely places their trust in any means or any person other than the Lord Jesus Christ who shed His blood for our sins, God will sincerely not receive you. John 14:6; Acts 4:12.
How about you this morning? What kind of offerings and sacrifices are you bringing to God? In terms of finances, Scripture tells us to tithe. It also says that God loves a cheerful giver. I personally think you would be hard pressed to justify to God cheerfully giving less than a tithe. That would only be partial obedience. Finances aren't the only thing we give to God. What about your time? Would you say that you are doing all that you can to glorify God and help advance His kingdom? Is there an area of service or ministry in the church where God wants you to be involved? If that's the case, then are you obeying Him and getting involved in what you need to be involved with? Or are you sinfully saying, no Lord? Always be totally and completely sincere in who you are and in what you do. But sincerity is not enough. Also make sure that you give what God wants you to give and that you do what God wants you to do.
Notice Cain's reaction to God's rejection of his offering. (v. 5). As a result of doing what was wrong and experiencing God's just response, Cain grew angry and sullen. It's an interesting reaction. He knew what he was supposed to do and he chose not to do it. Then, when he didn't receive God's favor, he grumbled. Today, someone in his place might complain about fairness and always getting the short end of things.
The word translated countenance is the Hebrew word for face. We would say today that his face fell. He became extremely angry and his face showed it. The Bible doesn't say why he became so angry, but it makes sense that maybe at least part of what made him so angry was jealousy. He didn't want to be outdone by his younger brother. God's favor on Abel's sacrifice quite possibly stirred Cain's jealousy.
Jealousy is an interesting reaction. For one thing, it usually targets the least logical person. Cain was angry and took out his rage on Abel, yet Abel did absolutely nothing wrong. Cain could have been resentful towards the Lord for rejecting his offering. He might have been angry with himself for failing to do what God wanted him to do. But Abel wasn't involved with any of that at all, other than doing right.
Of course, the Lord knew what was going on and He knew why Cain was angry. Yet in His grace, He confronted Cain. (vv. 6-7). God here is giving Cain an opportunity to turn around; He's giving him a chance to repent. Cain's opportunity to do right isn't over just because he failed to do the right thing earlier. He can repent, obtain the proper offering and return to God with a humble, obedient heart. In other words, it's never too late to start doing the right thing.
Cain sounds like he would fit in very well with our culture and society today. As a culture, we often fail to take responsibility for the consequences of our disobedience. We rationalize wrong doing. Children and adults who are struggling with issues in life are told that they are tragic victims of life and therefore not responsible for their poor decisions. The truth is that we are all responsible for each and every choice that we make in life. The consequences we reap are our own. Put on your big boys pants and take responsibility for all that you do.
Sin is a snarling beast waiting for us to relax; waiting for us to drop our guard and forget to stay alert. Sin is just waiting for us to be at our weakest so that it can devour us. But if we take responsibility for our sins; if we confess them to God and take ownership for our decisions and how we live our lives; if we repent and obey the Lord, we can master sin. Sin might be able to devour us, but it can't devour Christ.
Unfortunately, Cain paid no attention to God's advice. His resentment grew like a cancer. (v. 8). The Hebrew word translated killed him is a term used for murder, judicial execution, and animal sacrifice. Charles Swindoll says regarding this point of the story that if he were writing a novel about this, he would have Cain hiss the words, "You want a sacrifice? There's your sacrifice!"
We have no idea how much time passed between verses 8 and 9. We are also not given any details of what happened during that time. It's not a far stretch to imagine that Cain hastily buried his brother's body in the very field where the soil was red with Abel's blood. Cain may have walked away with a shrug and washed up for dinner.
Eventually, God confronted Cain. (vv. 9-10). God knew exactly what Cain had done. God shows grace. The all-knowing God asked the murderous Cain a rhetorical question to convict him of his sin. But his heart was too hard for him to comprehend the gravity of his own evil deed. He reveals in these verses his complete lack of knowledge of God, the absence of remorse and his utter contempt for Abel.
It would be great if this story ended on a happier note. It would be awesome if we could wrap it up with a pleasant epilogue. Something like, "And as a result, Cain turned to the Lord, repented, accepted His grace and lived the rest of his days in humble and worshipful adoration of God." Unfortunately, as far as the biblical record is concerned, that did not happen.
We need to be careful about shaking our heads in condemnation of Cain. The same murderous heart that Cain inherited from the Fall beats within each of us. Sin crouches at your door, at my door, at everyone's door, just as it did Cain. Have you ever hated anyone so much you wanted to kill them? That emotion is much more common than most of us would like to admit. But thankfully for us, all of our sinful thoughts, attitudes and actions have been paid for by Christ.
Because Jesus has forgiven us all of our sins, we need to forgive others. There is absolutely no reason and no excuse for not offering forgiveness to someone. It doesn't matter is they've asked for it or not; it doesn't matter if they accept it or not; it doesn't matter what they've done to us, we need to forgive. Eph. 4:31-32. We've recently talked about how important unity is to the church. United is created, nurtured and maintained by dealing quickly with the sin in our hearts and by forgiving others.
A key lesson that we can learn from the story of the first murder is that we need to be careful to never leave sin or conflict unresolved, especially with God. Address your sin. 1 John 1:9. If you have lingering anger in your heart it will not magically disappear all on its own. The fact of the matter is that it will actually multiply and grow stronger. Most wrongs don't take care of themselves. They require attention and effort.
There is a grave danger when we hold onto resentment or anger. Anger is not a sin; it's just an emotion. But anger can and does become sinful when we don't deal with it in a godly, biblical manner. If we hold onto it, it will most likely destroy you and quite possibly bring harm to someone else.
In resolving conflict or sin, no matter who is guilty or at fault, the best place to start is in your relationship with God. Whatever you've done, own it. Hold yourself accountable to God, confess any and all sin. Do this and you'll have a lasting positive impact on the people around you.
As our singer and musician come now, we invite you to respond to any negative emotions you might be dealing with. Turn them over to God. Confess. Repent. If you need to ask forgiveness of someone, go and do that right now. If you need to extend forgiveness, take care of that right now also as we stand and sing.
Prayer.