Genesis 4:13-26

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

God's Judgment of Cain and the Birth of Seth

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. God’s grace is not a guarantee of God’s approval.

  2. Man’s advancement is not a guarantee of God’s approval.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Are we using our skills to advance the world or the Kingdom?

QUESTIONS

  1. Was Cain sorry for his sin?

  2. What were the consequences of Cain’s sin?

  3. Where did Cain get his wife?

  4. The Lord set a mark on Cain. What did this mark do for Cain? Does God’s grace to Cain show God’s approval?

  5. In this portion of Scripture, who is mentioned as an exception to the general decline of moral and spiritual values?

ANSWERS

  1. No, there was no repentance. He was only sorry for the consequences of his sin.

  2. The ground would no longer produce the fruit for him, which he was so proud of. Cain would be a fugitive and vagabond on the earth, his life would be in danger, and he was sent out from the presence of the Lord.

  3. Cain married his sister, or perhaps a niece.

  4. The mark was God’s protection over Cain’s life, but it did not mean that God approved of Cain.

  5. In the line of Seth, Enosh was born and "men began to call on the name of the Lord."

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. If things are going reasonably well for you, does this mean that God has put His stamp of approval on your actions? Read Matthew 5:45. This is called God’s common grace, but it is not a sign of His approval. Do you have God’s approval on your actions?

  2. As the line of Cain grew, there was an advancement in technology and the arts, but man’s rapid advancement did not mean he advanced spiritually. Actually, the line of Cain went downhill morally and spiritually. Today, there is phenomenal advancement in technology, but man has not advanced morally and spiritually. How do you view this?

CHALLENGE

  1. Are you using your skills to advance the world or the Kingdom of God? What skills are you using for the Lord?

KEY VERSES

  • “Cain said to the Lord, ‘My punishment is greater than I can bear!’“ Genesis 4:13

  • “The Lord set a mark on Cain.” Genesis 4:15

  • “Eve bore a son and named him Seth, ‘For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.’ As for Seth, to him also a son was born, and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.” Genesis 4:25-26

Genesis, Old Testament, TalksRon ReidGENESIS 4:13-26