The Two Altars: The Religion of Cain
Introduction: The First Religious War
We come now to the first family outside the Garden. The gates of Eden have been shut, and the flaming sword of the cherubim is turning every which way. Adam and Eve are now in the cold, hard world, under the curse, but also under a promise. God had promised that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent's head. And so, when their first son is born, we see a flicker of that hope, perhaps a tragically misplaced hope, in Eve's words.
But this story is not primarily about sibling rivalry, as it is so often neutered in our Sunday Schools. This is the foundational account of the two religions that will be at war for the remainder of human history. This is the story of the City of God and the City of Man. This is the story of true worship and false worship. And we must be clear from the outset: false worship is never content to be left alone. It is inherently envious, resentful, and ultimately, murderous. The first murder was not over property or a woman; it was an act of religious persecution. The first martyr died because he worshiped God correctly, and his brother could not stand it.
This chapter sets the stage for the whole of redemptive history. There are two seeds, two lines, two ways of approaching God. There is the way of Abel, which is the way of faith, blood, and grace. And there is the way of Cain, which is the way of works, pride, and resentment. Every person in this room, every person on this planet, is walking in one of these two ways. There is no third way. And so, we must pay careful attention, because the spirit of Cain is alive and well, not only in the world, but crouching at the door of the church itself.
The Text
Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a man with the help of Yahweh.”
And again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a cultivator of the ground.
So it happened in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to Yahweh of the fruit of the ground.
Abel, on his part, also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And Yahweh had regard for Abel and for his offering;
but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell.
Then Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is lying at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
Then Cain spoke to Abel his brother; and it happened when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
(Genesis 4:1-8 LSB)
The First Family and the First Hope (vv. 1-2)
We begin with the first birth outside the garden.
"Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, 'I have gotten a man with the help of Yahweh.' And again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a cultivator of the ground." (Genesis 4:1-2 LSB)
Eve's exclamation is telling. "I have gotten a man with the help of Yahweh." There is a sense of triumphant faith here, but it is likely a misdirected faith. Many commentators believe that Eve thought Cain was the promised one, the seed who would crush the serpent. She says, "I have gotten a man," perhaps even thinking, "I have gotten the man." If so, this is a profound irony. The one she thought was the savior would turn out to be the first murderer. The one she thought would crush the serpent's head would prove to be the serpent's seed.
Then Abel is born. His name means "breath" or "vapor," a tragically prophetic name for a life that would be so quickly extinguished. We are told their occupations. Cain was a "cultivator of the ground." He was a farmer, working the very ground that God had cursed because of his father's sin. Abel was a "keeper of flocks," a shepherd. This is a significant distinction. Cain works with the curse; Abel tends to life, a picture that will echo down through Scripture with the patriarchs, with David, and ultimately with Christ, the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.
The Two Altars and the Two Hearts (vv. 3-5a)
Now we come to the central issue: the two acts of worship.
"So it happened in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to Yahweh of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part, also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And Yahweh had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard." (Genesis 4:3-5a LSB)
Why did God accept Abel's offering and reject Cain's? This is not a divine whim. And it is not, as some might suggest, a prejudice against vegetables. The Mosaic law would later include grain offerings. The difference was not in the what but in the how and the why. The book of Hebrews tells us plainly: "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain" (Hebrews 11:4). Abel's offering was an act of faith; Cain's was not.
Look at the description. Cain brought "of the fruit of the ground." It is non-specific. It has the ring of a casual, perfunctory duty. He's bringing the products of the cursed ground, the fruit of his own sweat and labor, and essentially saying to God, "Here, this should be good enough." This is the religion of human achievement. This is salvation by works.
But Abel's offering is described with great care. He brought "of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions." This was the best. The firstborn belonged to God, and the fat portions were considered the richest part of the animal. This was costly. More than that, it was a blood sacrifice. Adam and Eve were clothed with animal skins, a clear lesson that sin requires death, that innocence must be shed to cover guilt. Abel understood this. By faith, he brought a substitute, an atonement, acknowledging his sin and his need for a gracious provision from God. His worship was centered on God's grace.
Cain's worship was centered on his own works. He came to God as a proud producer. Abel came as a humble sinner. And so God had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering He had no regard. Notice the order. God looks at the worshiper first, then the worship. God accepted Abel, and therefore his gift. God rejected Cain, and therefore his gift. Right worship flows from a right heart, a heart made right by faith.
The Face of Pride and the Grace of God (vv. 5b-7)
Cain's reaction to God's rejection is deeply revealing.
"So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell. Then Yahweh said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is lying at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.'" (Genesis 4:5b-7 LSB)
A man of faith, when rebuked by God, would be broken and repentant. Cain is neither. He is "very angry." At whom? At God. And his face fell. This is the sullen pout of offended pride. He believes he has been wronged. He brought his offering, did his religious duty, and God had the audacity to reject it. This is the indignation of the self-righteous.
And yet, God condescends to him with astonishing grace. He comes to Cain and reasons with him. "Why are you angry?" God is not mocking him; He is inviting him to self-examination. He lays out the two paths. "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?" The offer of reconciliation is wide open. The phrase "do well" means to do what is right, to bring the right sacrifice with the right heart. Repent, Cain, and you will be accepted. The door is not shut.
But then comes the warning. "And if you do not do well, sin is lying at the door." The word for "lying" is that of a predator crouching, ready to pounce. Sin is personified as a wild beast, coiled and waiting. And its desire, God says, is for you. This language is a direct echo of the curse on Eve in Genesis 3:16, where God says to her, "Your desire shall be for your husband." Sin wants to master Cain, to consume him. "But you," God says, "must rule over it." Cain is given a command and a responsibility. He is not a helpless victim of his feelings. He is to fight. He is to master this beast of resentment before it devours him.
The Fruit of False Worship (v. 8)
Cain does not heed the warning. The beast is not mastered. It pounces.
"Then Cain spoke to Abel his brother; and it happened when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him." (Genesis 4:8 LSB)
The anger that was directed at God is now redirected to God's representative, the true worshiper. This is always the way of the world. Because they cannot strike God, they strike His people. John tells us not to be surprised by this: "Do not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous" (1 John 3:12). Cain did not kill Abel over a land dispute. He killed him because Abel's righteous worship was a constant, standing rebuke to his own proud, faithless religion.
The religion of works, when it is shown to be insufficient, does not repent. It murders. The blood of Abel is the first to cry out from the ground, a testimony to the lethal hatred that the seed of the serpent has for the seed of the woman. This is the first religious war, and it is a pattern that will repeat itself down through the ages, culminating in the murder of the ultimate righteous brother, Jesus Christ, by the hands of the self-righteous religious establishment.
Conclusion: The Way of Cain and the Blood of Christ
The story of Cain and Abel establishes the two fundamental approaches to God. The way of Cain is the default religion of fallen humanity. It is the religion of self-righteousness, of human effort, of bringing to God the works of our own hands and demanding that He be impressed. It is a religion that looks good on the outside, but it is rooted in pride and unbelief. And when it is rejected, its true nature is revealed in envy, anger, and violence.
The way of Abel is the way of the gospel. It is the way of faith. It acknowledges that we are sinners, that the ground is cursed, and that we cannot approach a holy God on our own merits. It understands that a blood sacrifice is required, that a substitute must die in our place. It comes to God not with hands full of our own accomplishments, but with empty hands, trusting in His gracious provision.
Every one of us is born a child of Cain. We are born trying to justify ourselves. But God, in His grace, calls us to leave the altar of Cain and to come to the altar of Abel, which ultimately points to the cross of Jesus Christ. Abel's blood cried out from the ground for vengeance. But the book of Hebrews tells us that the blood of Jesus "speaks a better word than the blood of Abel" (Hebrews 12:24). It does not cry for vengeance, but for pardon. It does not cry for condemnation, but for cleansing.
The question for us today is simple. At which altar are you worshiping? Are you trying to appease God with the fruit of your own cursed labor? Or have you, by faith, laid your hand on the head of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world?