Genesis 4:1-8 -- Cain and Abel

Genesis 4:1 Adam was intimate with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, “I have had a male child with the Lord’s help.” 2 Then she also gave birth to his brother Abel. 

The first two baby boys!

Genesis 4:2 Now Abel became a shepherd of flocks, but Cain worked the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain presented some of the land’s produce as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also presented an offering—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he looked despondent.

So, why was Cain so upset?  The Lord had not accepted his offering, but had accepted Abel's.   But why?  Why did God accept Abel's offering but not Cain's?

Genesis 4:6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you furious? And why do you look despondent? 7 If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

Cain's offering was not accepted because he did not do what was right.  Hebrews says the following:

Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.

Another passage that speaks of Cain is 1 John:

1 John 3:12 We should 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.

Cain's deeds were evil and his offering not acceptable to the Lord.   Abel's deeds were righteous and accepted by God.  Both men offered sacrifices to the Lord.  What was offered is not the reason one was rejected and the other was accepted, it was the how.  Cain had evil in his heart when he offered his sacrifice, but Abel's was offered with the right heart.  After God rejected Cain's offering, Cain took matters in his own hands.

Genesis 4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Yes, killing the one you hate or are jealous of will solve all your problems!  NO!  It just creates more problems!  One sin will lead to more sin.  "But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it."  Genesis tells it plainly.  You must rule over sin or sin will rule you.  Cain let sin rule him.  His anger and jealousy over Abel caused him to sin further and kill his own brother.