Two Brothers

Cain and Abel. The first two sons of Adam and Eve, in order of their birth after they were expelled from the garden. Cain’s name means “acquire,” while Abel’s had the less affectionate meaning of “breath or nothing.” It would seem that Eve believed Cain was the promised deliverer that God spoke of in the garden directly after their sinful fall. To that end, she named him in a manner that meant she acquired the man God would send–the Seed of the woman–to overthrow the serpent.

We know that Christ, according to the flesh, is the Seed of Abraham, Genesis 22:18, Galatians 3:16. The Christ would descend from Abraham’s people, the Jews. Before Abraham, however, God foretold that the serpent’s destroyer would come from the Seed of the woman, incorporating first Eve (the first woman to exist) and then Mary, who would be chosen to birth our Lord apart from having a husband, Luke 1:34. The Seed, of which God spoke in the garden then, could not have been Cain since Adam and Eve conceived him through sexual intercourse, making Cain Adam’s seed or heir, Genesis 4:1.

Sadly, and not without a hint of irony, Cain became the first true son of the Devil, 1 John 3:12. This speaks to where Cain’s spiritual loyalty lay. He may not have been an outright Satanist, but he embodied the sinful pride and arrogance that was the Devil’s hallmark. It was the sin that cost Lucifer his place in Heaven as the covering cherub at the very throne of God. It was also the sin that cost Cain his place by his family and made him an outcast among men.

Abel, whose name betrays some sort of lamentation that the woeful condition of man had not been lifted, was of a different sort. He, according to Jesus, was a prophet, Luke 11:50, 51. That being the case, Abel was the first recorded prophet in Scripture, save of course for the words of God Himself when He spoke face to face with Adam and Eve about the eventual reconciliation of humanity through the Seed of the woman. Abel believed God, and his actions demonstrated his faith, Genesis 4:4. It was clear at this point in history that God issued a mandate, seemingly before the men had reached maturity, about the proper method of worshipful approach to God. Abel obeyed and brought what God commanded; Cain did not obey and brought what he deemed to be appropriate.

In this we see genuine faith and the inception of human religion. Cain is the first religious leader. He substitutes God’s word for his own and then becomes enraged when someone (in this instance Abel) comes to him in an effort to lovingly correct him. Human religion owes its profitable livelihood to the pride of one man who refused to follow a simple commandment. In this, Cain reveals his lineage. Adam, understanding that what God said was true, chose disobedience and sadly aligned himself with Satan, 1 Timothy 2:14. Cain followed Adam’s (and Satan’s) choice to put their own will and decisions above God’s express commandment, and the ensuing disobedience bred sin and death. But while Adam appeared repentant, Cain did not.

Abel, when he saw his brother’s offering rejected, spoke with him in the field; which field this was we are not told. It might have been Abel’s where he kept his flock, or Cain’s, where he grew his produce. The Septuagint contributes to the text, as we read from Genesis 4:8, “And Cain said to Abel his brother, Let us go out into the plain.” Abel’s intentions were to reconcile Cain back to God for his sin; Cain, for his part, seemed intent on leading Abel into a trap. This aligns with the tenor of Scripture. If a man’s death was not the result of malicious intent he is a manslayer, and may flee for refuge according to Hebrew law, Numbers 35:22-25. However, malicious intent labels the perpetrator as a murderer, whose sole verdict was death, Numbers 35:16-21, see also Genesis 4:8-11. Cain could not harm God, and was wroth that God rejected his religious piety, so he instead killed God’s mouthpiece: an action of imputed deicide that Jesus lamented was still ongoing in His time, again, Luke 11:50-52.

Two brothers born of the same parents each had radically different spiritual destinies. Cain was the first man to ever experience natural birth. Abel was the first man, so we may assert, to be saved by the witness of another. Cain became the world’s first murderer, following in Satan’s footsteps of practicing what is evil, while Abel became the first murder victim, and that for standing on God’s truth even at the cost of his life. To that end, Abel also became the first martyr for the faith.

What is the takeaway from the two brothers? One is that lineage or pedigree does not entitle anyone to anything. Cain and Abel were not saved because they were the sons of the world’s first people who were close to God in a way precious few could have boasted. Two is that expectation can harm our understanding of Scripture. Cain’s arrival seemed joyous in a sense that went beyond the arrival of new life. But in the end Cain was a son of the Devil and instead of delivering humanity, he opened the door to religion: man’s reinvention of God and His word for his own expedience, profit and moral comfort. All religion, from Rome to Islam to Hinduism, finds its roots in Cain, and from Cain the seducing spirit that bred in him pride and rebellion. We are informed that Abel, though dead, still speaks, Hebrews 11:4. Likewise his brother speaks, and his language is the voice of Hell. He invites dissidence. He encourages mankind to interpret truth to their own advantage and convenience. He champions pride. And for those who advocate his legacy, they will suffer a similar fate.