Cain: The First Angry Man and His Poor Choice of Emotion
And the Lord…did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?” – Genesis 4:4-6
We are continuing our exploration of the person and character of Cain, the son of Adam and Eve. Today, we will be considering his emotional constitution; he was an angry man. In fact, he was the first (hu)man in recorded history to be described as angry and sad, the synonym for a fallen countenance.
As we had read earlier, Cain got himself into this rather undesirable position because he was not deliberate in his relationship with and service to God. While his brother, Abel, went out of his way to pick the choicest among his produce as sacrifice to God, Cain did not observe such diligence. Rather, he probably chose the worst of the pack among his livestock for the sacrifice he was offering to God, which must have angered God so much that He in turn rejected both Cain and his sacrifice.
The mistake that Cain made then is easy to make nowadays when most of what we know about God is what we hear in religious gatherings, not from a disciplined study of His ways in His word. Cain probably assumed that since God was not there to see him, he could get away with just giving Him whatever he wanted. After all, it was of his own volition that he wanted to offer this sacrifice to God, not because God Himself asked for an offering.
He must have gotten wiser later when God rejected his hapless offering and dismissed him from His presence. This divine rebuttal made Cain very angry and sad, such that it showed in his expression and attitude. It is interesting to note that even his father, Adam, who was let down by his wife in the fruit-eating saga, did not become angry at her or divorce her on account of this. Or what offense was worse than the one Eve did, pressuring her husband into eating the forbidden fruit, and by so doing incurring the wrath of God?
But, Adam, even while he must have been disappointed at the turn of events and felt aggrieved by the punishment God meted out to him, he did not become angry as to cast away his wife or maltreat her for what she did. Instead, he maintained a mature disposition and even christened her a good name.
However, in the case of Cain, he reacted poorly to rejection and went down in the annals of history as the first man to be labeled as angry and sad; a poor choice of emotion indeed. Instead of asking himself some hard questions, why God would accept his brother’s offering and reject his own, he chose the easy route of anger and the path of least resistance of sadness.
Anyone can easily get angry and become sad when things are not working their way. But it takes a higher level of consciousness to choose peace over anger, joy over sadness, and a positive attitude in response to a negative development. Cain was just like most of us in this regard, and it cost him badly.
Men in the Bible: Lamech – The First Polygamist and Second Murderer Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the…
Men in the Bible: Lamech – The First Polygamist and Second Murderer
Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah… Then Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for hurting me. – Genesis 4:19,23
Today, our spotlight shall be on the man, Lamech, who earned the appellation of being the first polygamist in recorded history as well as the second man to commit a murder after Cain.
Lamech was the great, great, great grandson of Cain, as he was in the fifth line of the genealogy, being sired by Methushael, the son of Mehujael, the son of Irad, the son of Enoch; the son of Cain.
However, the first thing of note that was recorded for Lamech was that he married two wives. That was a first of its kind as his forbears before him and contemporaries around him seemed to have been content with just one wife. But, in his own case, he entered the record as the first polygamist.
Also, Lamech became renowned for the wrong reason by killing someone in annoyance, Some temper he must have had to have reacted with murderous violence which resulted in him killing someone, a young man, who had injured him.
The Bible does not tell us much about the identity of the man that Lamech killed, apart from the fact that he was young, obviously younger and weaker than Lamech himself, and that the young man first hurt Lamech before he met with his fate.
We also do not know if the young man in question hurt Lamech deliberately. However, from Lamech’s own account, he revealed himself as a bully and a hot-tempered man whose reaction to being hurt by a weaker one was to kill the person in anger. That is not a good act to follow.
Apart from the fact that Lamech was hot-tempered, his confession also revealed that self-control was not one of his strengths. This accounted for his murderous instinct, as he could not restrain himself from lashing back. That was also not a desirable example to set for anyone.
Cain – The Man God Did Not Respect And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to…
Cain – The Man God Did Not Respect
And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord… And the Lord…did not respect Cain and his offering. – Genesis 4:3-5
But then, what could be the reasons God accepted Abel’s offering, whereas Cain had both his person and his sacrifice rejected? While there have been many submissions on what might be responsible, the Bible does not expressly provide a detailed background on what led to what. However, there is a reason to draw a strong inference from the events leading to that point to help us know why Abel was accepted and Cain was rejected.
Let’s consider the passage below:
And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering… – Genesis 4:3-5 [Emphasis ours]
This passage helps to see that it was the extra effort that Abel put in that got him accepted by God, whereas indifference might have cost Cain so dearly as to have him rejected by God. This is because the Bible provides additional information about the kind of offering that Abel brought, the firstling and the fattest, there was no such descriptor to qualify Cain’s own sacrifice.
That suggests he probably just picked whatever came to hand for the sacrifice and was not deliberate in choosing the best and the premium of his harvest as his present to God. And because God is very choosy and rather discriminating (yes, you read that right, God is very picky) as to the kind of offering that is presented to Him, He refused to acknowledge both Cain and his offering.
Therefore, Cain went down on record as the first man to be rejected by God because he was rather random and carefree in the choice of sacrifice he offered to God, unlike his younger brother who went out of his way to pick the very best among his flock as presents to God. That is a mark of honor.
It is possible that many of us today may be falling guilty of the same mistake that Cain made by not being deliberate in the service we render to God. This is even more tricky in our days where we do not really offer tangibles such as animals and farm produce to God. Our time, our attention, our efforts, our money, and our priorities are the sacrifice that we mostly offer to God today. The big question is, what is the quality of these resources that you devote to God? Is the quality premium or questionable?
As far as God is concerned, there is no middle way. You are either pleasing or displeasing Him. The same applies to your service to Him, whether quality or poor. The offering that is acceptable to God is the one without blemish, that means it must be of the highest standard. Please take some time to read in detail the kind of offering God accepts here.
God has described Himself as a jealous God, which means He has sensibilities which can be gratified when pleased, or offended when His preferences are not met, ignored, or disregarded. May you not be reckoned as someone who displeases God.
Men in the Bible: Cain – The Man that God Did Not Respect And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the…
Men in the Bible: Cain – The Man that God Did Not Respect
And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord… And the Lord…did not respect Cain and his offering. – Genesis 4:3-5
Another man in the Bible that we will consider today is Cain, the firstborn of Adam and Eve. Cain was a farmer, a tiller of the ground, while his brother Abel was a shepherd.
At some point, Cain and Abel decided to present an offering to God from their produce. But while God accepted the offering of the younger Abel, there was a poignant twist to the sacrifice of Cain, as the Bible records that God neither respected him nor his offering.
This is a heartbreaking development for anyone. Imagine making so much fuss about offering a sacrifice to God, with all the ceremonies of picking and preparing the offerings, only to get to the place of worship and receive a verdict of “not accepted” from God. May that not be your portion in Jesus Name.
But then, what could be the reasons Abel’s offering was accepted by God, whereas Cain had both his person and his sacrifice rejected? While there have been many submissions on what might be responsible, the Bible does not expressly provide a detailed background on what led to what. However, there is a reason to draw a strong inference from the events leading to that point to help us know why Abel was accepted and Cain was rejected.
Men in the Bible: Abel – A Man that God Respected Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and…
Men in the Bible: Abel – A Man that God Respected
Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering. – Genesis 4:4
The second man in the Bible we will explore in this series is Abel. Although shortlived, as the Bible passage above tells us, Abel was respected by God.
Now, it is not often that one reads that God respects mortals. In fact, Abel was the only person in the Bible to be so conferred with the honor of commanding God’s respect. The question is, why was this so, and what did he do to impress God and command His respect?
A leaf through previous verses before our reference passage shows that both Abel and Cain, his senior brother, offered sacrifices to God from the produce of their labor. However, Abel did something very unusual, which would later become a divine requirement thousands of years later for anyone who wishes to offer things to God.
Abel offered the firstborn of his flock and the best (the fat) among the lot to God as a sacrifice. By this token, he showed his honor and respect for God. Little wonder that God repaid the gesture by showing him respect in return.
Thousands of years after Abel’s offering, God would later command Moses and also establish in the holy scripts that the firstborn of every creature, both man and beast, were His and must be offered as a sacrifice to Him or redeemed with money or animals in the case of human firstborn. God also stipulated that anyone who wanted to bring a sacrifice to Him should bring the fattest (the best) of whatever items they are offering to Him. If they were meant for God, whatever is being offered must be the best of the pack, not the worst of the lot.
Abel, on his own part, was not privy to these preferences of God as he lived several years before God communicated them to His servants, and they were codified in the books of the law. However, of his own volition, Abel willingly and cheerfully offered the best of his breeds to God as a sacrifice, and with this gesture, he provoked the admiration of God and, by so doing, became a man that God respected.
Another lesson we can learn from God is His disposition to a balancing act. He is not a God of extremes. Even though some who profess to follow Him go to extremes in His name or make extreme claims on His behalf, extreme is not a label that one can pin on God. He balances the acts.
Understanding God: He is Not Moved by Sentiments
Another lesson we can learn from the personality of God is that sentiments do not move Him. Therefore, He cannot be deceived into making a wrong judgment or call, as humans tend to do.
Understanding God: He is A Creator
He is a Creator. This is not to be interpreted loosely, particularly in the light of our contemporary use of the word. God is the ultimate Creator, as He created all things, even the ends of the earth (Isaiah 40:28).
Understanding God: God of the Beginning
There is no better way to begin this journey of exploring the people and entities in the Bible than to start with God. He is not just the beginning but is the origin of all things.
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Men in the Bible: An Impetuous and Impudent Man
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Men in the Bible: A Man with Little Foresight
Sometimes what looks like a smart choice can hide the seed of a mistake. This reflection from Scripture invites us to think again about how foresight — or the lack of it — shapes a man’s story.
Men in the Bible: The First Man to Tithe
Before laws, temples, or traditions, one man honoured God with his substance. Abraham’s tithe was not commanded, demanded, or enforced. It flowed from reverence.
Fathers in the Bible: A Destiny-Shaping Father
What makes a man a truly aware father? Discover how one man’s prophetic foresight shaped his son’s destiny and changed generations forever.
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