| Church School Lesson: Gift Giving That Matters |
"Gift Giving That Matters"
June 1, 2025
Background: Genesis 4:1-25; Print: Genesis 4:1-16;
Key Verse: Genesis 4:6-7; Devotional: Luke 20:45-21:4
Genesis 4:1-16 (ESV)
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.”
2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.
3 In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground,
4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,
5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
6 The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.
11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
13 Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
15 Then the LORD said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.
16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Genesis Chapter 4 (Commentary)
4:1-5 Even though Adam and Eve were exiled from the garden, God continued to bless them. With the Lord’s help (4:1), Eve gave birth to two sons—Cain and Abel. Both sons grew up hearing stories about God, so both knew that they should bring offerings to their Creator. In the course of time (4:3), both boys came ready to worship. But while the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering (4:4), he did not have regard for Cain and his offering (4:5).
What made the difference between the two offerings? We get a clue from the sort of offerings they brought: Cain offered produce from the ground, but we know that the ground was under the curse. This suggests Cain had aligned himself with the curse. The apostle John points this out, calling Cain “evil” even before he killed his brother (see 1 John 3:12). Abel, on the other hand, was exercising dominion over the animals, as God had commanded (Gen 1:28), as well as offering the required sacrifice of shed blood (see Heb 9:22). True worship must be what God will receive, not merely what we want to give. So God rejected Cain and accepted Abel, because one was evil and the other righteous.
4:5-7 Because God rejected his offering, Cain became both furious and despondent (4:5)—mad and sad at the same time. That makes for a dangerous combination. God gave Cain an opportunity to break out of his emotional funk, reminding him that if he did what is right, he would be accepted (4:7). The cure for emotional problems is found in spiritual realignment.
4:8-16 Rather than listening to God’s counsel and choosing to worship according to God’s pattern, Cain nursed his negative emotions until they manifested as murder (4:8). There is an eerie familiarity in what follows, echoing the interaction between God and Adam after the fall. Like Adam, Cain sinned. God asked him a question, not so that he could get information, but so that he could give Cain a chance to accept responsibility for his actions. Like Adam, the son shirked that responsibility, brushing off what he’d done (4:9). And just as he did with Adam, God punished Cain. This time, instead of the ground merely becoming cursed, it will never again give you its yield, God said, making Cain a restless wanderer on the earth (4:12). Cain was cast out, not just from the garden, like his father, but from the Lord’s presence altogether (4:16).