Who Is Who in the Holy Bible: Cain

From the Wednesday Bible study series. The slides are on the Bible study page.

THE NAME. Cain (Hebrew), Genesis 4:1, meaning acquired, possession or possessed.

VITAL STATISTICS. Where: outside the Garden of Eden, present-day Iraq or Iran. Occupation: farmer, then wanderer. Parents: Adam and Eve. Brothers: Abel, Seth. His story is told in Genesis 4:1-17.

KEY VERSE. 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. Genesis 4:7.

NARRATION. In spite of parents' efforts and worries, conflicts between children in a family seem inevitable. Sibling relationships allow both competition and cooperation, and in most cases the mixture of loving and fighting eventually creates a strong bond. In Cain's case, the troubling potential became a tragedy.

STRENGTHS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS. The first human child. The first to follow in his father's profession, farming.

WEAKNESSES AND MISTAKES. When disappointed, he reacted in anger. He took the negative option even when a positive possibility was offered. He was the first murderer.

LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF CAIN. Anger is not necessarily a sin, but actions motivated by anger can be sinful; anger should be the energy behind good actions, not evil ones. Cain had a choice: correct his attitude about his sacrifice to God, or take out his anger on his brother. What we offer to God must be from the heart. The consequences of sin may last a lifetime.

RECAP. God evaluates both our motives and the quality of what we offer Him (Proverbs 21:27). How do you react when someone suggests you have done something wrong? Choose God's way instead of Cain's way of retaliation and revenge. Sin is waiting to attack and destroy (Genesis 4:7), and we cannot master it in our own strength. Turn to God for help.