"And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord."
Most students of history could tell you that Sir Walter Scott's mother was a superior woman, well educated, and a great lover of poetry. Byron's mother, on the other hand, was proud and ill-tempered—much like her son. Lord Bacon's mother was a woman of superior mind and deep piety, while the mother of Nero was a murderess. Certainly, this is not always so, but there is no doubt that children often do take on many of the traits modeled by their parents.
In our text, the world was just starting—what would become of it? Eve, the first mother, was also the first sinner. Her first child was Cain, the first murderer. It certainly didn't have to be that way, but it was. Why? Well, I'm sure you remember from yesterday, that it was Eve who decided to disobey God and go her own way—the first false start! That decision would prove to be costly—very costly, for everyone. She and her husband are now out of the Garden of Eden, and in a place where they must pick up the pieces and start all over again. They conceive their first child and name him Cain, whose name means "to procure, to buy, and to have gotten." Her response is very interesting—"I have gotten a man from the Lord." Now, on the surface, it looks like her focus has changed—no longer is she determining her destiny, but the Lord is. And yet, most of her statement is still wrapped around herself—the big "I" is still out front—I have gotten; I have procured; I have bought this blessing. And isn't that the attitude that develops in Cain, and leads him towards his false start? When he and his brother Abel bring their offerings, "the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell." Why the different responses by the Lord? Well, first of all, Cain only gave fruits and vegetables, while Abel made a blood sacrifice. In the previous generation, when the Lord killed some of His own precious animals to make clothes for Adam and Eve, He was instituting a millennia-long pattern of the shedding of blood. This would point to Jesus, and ultimately be fulfilled at the Cross of Calvary as the holy Son of God takes away your sin and mine!
But even Cain's sacrifice was only a symptom—a sign of a deeper disease. 1 John 3:12 tells us why Cain killed his brother—"…his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." And since what we do comes from what is in our hearts, his heart was evil, too. God had, in His mercy, warned Cain, but he still killed Abel. Even after the fact, God called him to repentance, but he wouldn't do it—Cain was absolutely insistent on going his own way—the big "I". Of whom does that remind you—his mother? Does it remind you of you? Are you tired of the false starts in your life? In this Christmas season, seek the Lord—a tremendous price has been paid to give each of us a very fresh start!
~ Rev. Roy D. Warren, Jr.
