WORLDS
Our world is made up of many worlds which are held together by needs and desires. The world of Adam and Eve was the only true world where two could be one. When their family grew, other worlds began and some collided with others. When Cain's world collided with Abel's world, they did not survive the collision. Abel's world was destroyed in physical form and Cain's world was slowly destroyed because of the aftermath of destruction.
Cain's world was shaped by Cain's own needs and desires, while Abel's world was created by God's needs and desires. Abel's world never threatened nor endangered Cain's world. Cain's world was always odds with Abel's world. To believe that Cain and Abel were best buddies and that their recorded fight was the first altercation would be naive and unassuming.
Genesis 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
Genesis 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
The word’s in Genesis 4:3 “And in process of time it came to pass” eludes to an amount of immeasurable time. It had to be an amount of time which Abel learned to raise sheep and Cain learned to till the ground. The idea of these word’s are confirmed in Genesis 38:12;
Genesis 38:12 And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah's wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.
Judges 11:4 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
There are many other scriptures which mention the same phrase denoting an unknown passage of time, but, this passage of time could have the elusion to the life time God has given to a man. According to the 70 years that is allotted to man Psalms 90:10;
Psalms 90:10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
By God as man’s normal life span, the phrase “And in the process of time” at least could be imagined fairly as some time from 0 years to 70 years.
If we imagine that Cain and Abel had from 0 to 70 years to grow the amount of hatred to allow and excuse Cain to kill Abel. Cain’s world was guided by Cain’s self centered ambivalence toward Abel. Somewhere during the time of Cain’s birth and the death of Abel, Cain had learned and experienced the effect of Satan. How do we know this with certainty, because of the outcome of Cain’s action.
Mathew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Cain’s actions proved whom he was serving and to whom he was listening. Cain’s world was governed and controlled by Satan. According to Jesus Cain loved Satan. Cain loved Satan more than he loved Abel. Cain could not let Abel share in Cain’s world. Cain built mental and emotional defenses against God, family and love. Cain let hatred, destain and self-centeredness override his brotherly love and adoration. Instead of Cain’s world allowing itself to converge and be share by Abel’s world, Cain chose to repel and override everything taught to him by his father and Mother. This happened over a period of time, a gradual building and continued peppering of small insignificant words and actions by whoever and whatever offended Cain.
The offenses would have been misconstrued and become fodder for Cain’s paranoid disposition. He would have to have been influenced by someone who could migrate into Cain’s thoughts changing Cain from being a servant to God’s will into Satan’s servant and Cain’s own human frailty and misguided thoughts.
Cain’s world was enfolded with Adam and Eve’s teachings and experiences, Cain shared their worlds as did Abel. Abel and Cain were brothers, but they were not twins. They did not share the same time lines or experiences until Abel was born.
It is my opinion that Cain was at least 10 to 20 years older than Abel. My reasoning comes from the fact that Cain had a wife.
Genesis 4:17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
The wife would have been the offspring of Adam and Eve and the sister to cain. She would have been of child bearing age which would be around 13 years or older.
I believe their trades were different because of there ages. Cain was taught to be a farmer tilling the ground in order to provide for the families food. Abel was taught to attend to long term needs by raising sheep providing food and clothing.
By way of natural cause and effect, or time and chance, Cain and Abel’s offerings for sacrifice were much different.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
Cain’s sacrifice would have been welcomed by God for a number of years before Abel washable to sacrifice due to their ages. Cain’s sacrifice was pleasing to God for a time until Abel offered his first lamb to God. Then all things changed for Cain.
The attention given to Abel by God, Adam and Eve may have been greater and more freely than that given to Cain. The correct stock to gather, information for the proper care and feeding of the sheep would have involved many more people in the duty of herd care than farming. Many more of Cain and Abel’s brothers and sisters would have been placed under the governing hand of Abel. Cain’s jealousy and ire could have been extremely agitated by the success and acceptance of Abel as a leader greater than himself let alone the future respect paid to Abel for Abel’s offering to God. Cain’s world would have been in such upheaval because of his own deception, that murder was premeditated and committed in Cain’s heart way before the actual murder. Cain willfully sinned, Cain knew to do good, but did it not.
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Cain’s world was changed within his own mind. Nothing had changed outside of his own concept and perception. Cain had decided that he would be better off without Abel sharing his world. So he premeditated the death of his brother and struck his killing blow through deception in order to get close enough to make his kill sure.
Cain knew what it would take to make his sacrifice acceptable to God, but Cain chose not to go beyond God’s requirement.
This obviously was not the first sacrifice given by Cain. Both knew what was required to bring for God as a sacrifice. Abel may have been going to Cain and acquiring his own vegetable sacrifice from Cain, but after raising sheep and being impressed to offer up a lamb, Abel brought more than what was required.
Genesis 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Not only did Abel bring an accepted sacrifice, he also brought “of the fat thereof”. Abel brought more than Cain brought, who only brought a requirement. Abel gave from his heart to please his God. Cain gave nothing more than a requirement for duties rendered. Cain knew that Abel would continue to give from his heart, which was Abel’s treasure.
Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Cain’s treasure was within himself, he had no intention of giving anything more of himself than was required.
Genesis 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Cain was full of wrath, which biblically refers to DEATH and he was depressed. Cain wanted to retaliate and was totally despondent because He was shown a way that was directly against his own wants and needs. Cain could not retaliate against God, so he targeted his brother to destroy. After all, in Cain’s mind, if Abel had not been around to impress God, Cain would still be in favor with God.
Cain’s world and Abel’s worlds collided in such a catastrophic trajectory that they spun out of control and into the arms of death and sorrow. Cain’s world was given over to Satan. Cain lost his LOVE for his brother.
Abel is awaiting the Second Resurrection. Cain has ended his life in the eternal Judgment of the Lake of Fire. Cain’s world and his offspring became Satan’s world which Satan continued to rule over Cain’s world until the age of Noah and the flood.
We each dwell and are in control of our own world. Our neighbor’s are our brothers in Christ or out of Christ. If we do as Jesus did while here on earth, which Jesus lived in his world according to the will of God, then we share Jesus world, which is eternal. We can then share in each and every ones worlds who share their worlds with Jesus. We are to make our worlds, ONE world, in which we serve God through Jesus Christ. In order to do this we must follow the commandment which our Lord gave to all mankind and which is the foundation of salvation.
Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Matthew 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Matthew 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Matthew 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Written by: Charles E. Cohenour Jr.
