Cain rejected God’s way of taking Christ as God’s righteousness to cover him (Gen. 3:21; Phil. 3:9; 1 Cor. 1:30). Like the religious Jews, he sought to establish his own righteousness, ignoring God’s righteousness and not submitting to it (Rom. 10:3). Thus, his offering was an insult to God, and God rejected it.

The Hebrew word means to call out to, to cry unto, i.e., to cry out audibly. Because men realized that their life was vanity (see note Gen. 4:2¹) and that they were frail and mortal (see note Gen. 4:26^1a), they spontaneously began to call upon the name of Jehovah, the eternal One (see note Gen. 2:4⁴ in ch. 2). Although they were vain and weak, by calling on the name of the Lord, they were made rich and strong, for they entered into the riches and strength of the One on whom they called (Rom. 10:12-13 and notes). See note Acts 2:21¹.

According to Heb. 11:4, Abel’s offering, a sacrifice, was offered to God by faith. Faith comes by hearing the word of the gospel (14, Rom. 10:17). This indicates that Abel’s parents, Adam and Eve, must have proclaimed to their children the glad tidings that God had announced to them (Gen. 3:15, 21). Like his father and mother, Abel believed the gospel and presented his offering to God according to God’s revelation in the word proclaimed by his parents. Thus, the first family on earth was a family of the gospel, a family of believers.

Abel was the first priest of God, representing all the believers in Christ (1 Pet. 2:5, 9). In type, Abel offered Christ to God. According to Num. 18:17, the firstling of a cow or sheep or goat, a type of Christ, had to be offered to God. This offering included the sprinkling of the blood upon the altar for redemption and the burning of the fat as a satisfying fragrance to God. Hence, Abel’s offering, corresponding exactly with what was later revealed in the Mosaic law, proves that his way of worshipping God was according to God’s divine revelation, not according to his own concept.

Cain did not follow the way of God’s salvation through the anticipated redemption by the bleeding sacrifice (Gen. 3:21; Heb. 9:22) but continued man’s fall by presumptuously offering the fruit of his own labor to God. Cain’s way of worshipping God was to invent a religion according to his human concept and opinion (Jude 1:11 and note Jude 1:11¹), which were motivated by Satan, the subtle one (v. 7 and note Gen. 4:7¹; 1 John 3:12). Throughout the centuries and generations there have been countless followers of Cain, people in every place and time who have invented their own religion.

Or, laborer. In his occupation Abel took care only of God’s satisfaction, whereas Cain cared only for his own living.

Or, a shepherd, a feeder. Before the flood man was permitted to eat only fruits and vegetables (Gen. 1:29; 3:18), not meat (cf. Gen. 9:3). Thus, Abel’s tending of sheep was not to produce food for his living but to provide offerings for God’s satisfaction. Abel not only believed the gospel (see note Gen. 4:4¹) but also practiced the gospel and lived for it.

Meaning breath or vanity. As a result of man’s first fall, everything in human life became vanity (Eccl. 1:2-3).

Or, with the help of Jehovah.

Meaning acquired.

After leaving God’s presence (v. 16), Cain constructed a city for his protection and self-existence. Within this city he produced a culture without God. In the garden God was everything to man — his protection, maintenance, supply, and amusement. When man lost God, he lost everything. Man’s loss of God forced man to invent human culture, the main elements of which were cities for existence, cattle-raising for making a living, music for amusement, and weapons for defense (vv. 20-22). The godless culture invented in Gen. 4 will continue to develop until it climaxes in the great Babylon (Rev. 17, Rev. 18).

Meaning initiated, dedicated, trained.

Meaning wandering.

Both the blood of Abel and the blood of Jesus speak (Heb. 12:24 and note Heb. 12:24³). Abel’s blood spoke from the earth; Jesus’ blood speaks from heaven.

This lie showed Cain’s arrogance toward God. Cain’s murdering of Abel and his lying to God were alluded to by the Lord Jesus in John 8:44, indicating that in the acts of murdering and lying, Cain was one with the Devil, Satan, who was his source (1 John 3:12). Because Cain had rejected God’s way and God’s warning (v. 7), he was gained by Satan, the murderer and the liar, and became a murderer and a liar with Satan.

Cain murdered his brother because of his anger provoked by his religious jealousy (vv. 4-5). Throughout the generations those who worship God according to the flesh have opposed, persecuted, and even murdered those who worship according to the Spirit (Matt. 23:35; John 16:2; Rev. 17:6; cf. Gal. 4:29). In his offering to God and his murdering his brother, Cain was on the line of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In contrast, Abel was on the line of the tree of life. See note Gen. 2:9^3b, par. 2.

This clause is present in many ancient versions but lacking in the Hebrew text.

Sin and Satan are one (Rom. 7:8 and note Rom. 7:8¹). If we reject God’s way of salvation, Satan as sin is crouching at the door, waiting for the opportunity to seize and devour us (cf. Luke 22:31; 1 Pet. 5:8).

Meaning appointed. After the martyrdom of Abel, God appointed Seth to replace Abel in taking God’s way of salvation.

Meaning frail, mortal man.