Creation Lesson #10
Two types of People (Genesis 4:1-15)
In this lesson we will see many first in the Bible for instance the first people born on the earth, the first murder and murderer, and the first person cursed in the Bible. We will also see many types in this chapter such as a type of Jesus Christ, a type of the anti-Christ, a type of a person who obeys God and a type of one who goes against God and does it his own way.
Before we get into the lesson let us define what we mean by a type. Look at Hebrews 10:1.
“For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.”
Notice the law is said to be a shadow of something better to come. Now think about a shadow and how it works. If you have an object and a light on the one side of an object the shadow will be on the other side of the object. The shadow will represent the object but it will be distorted somewhat depending on the angle of the light from the other side.
Now in the Bible many things in the Old Testament are types of things in the New Testament. And because we are on the side with the light (that is things in the New Testament give light on things in the Old Testament) we can see the shadow in the Old Testament. And remember a shadow is not an exact representation of the object but it will be distorted somewhat.
Verses 1-15 :
Here we see Adam and Eve’s first children. It is possible that they were twins because the Bible said that she conceived and bare Cain and again bare his brother Abel. There is no conception mentioned before Abel. Abel was a shepherd and Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Now both boys brought sacrifices and as we see in the scriptures Abel’s was accepted and Cain’s was rejected. God deals with Cain and Cain refuses to do what God says. He then kills Able and tries to hide the fact. God questions Cain regarding the murder of Abel and then curses him as a result of his sin. To keep anyone from killing Cain God puts a mark on him and Cain leaves the presence of the Lord and dwells in the Land of Nod.
Now we will make some important remarks regarding the verse we have stated above and then show how Abel and Cain are types in the Bible.
- Why were the two boys sacrificing? Obviously it had been taught to them from their parents in regards to what God had done in Genesis 3:21. So they knew from their parents God expected blood for a sacrifice.
- What was the main difference between Cain and Abel’s offering? Abel had blood and Cain’s did not.
- So we see that from the beginning that God has required blood for a sacrifice to take away sin. Leviticus 17:11 (Under the Law) Colossians 1:14 (Under Jesus after the Law)
- Cain could have easily gotten a lamb from his brother, but like many today they refuse to ask Jesus to save them and try to work out their own way of salvation.
- The reason that Cain killed his brother is not specifically stated in Genesis but it is given in 1 John 3:12 and it is because his brother’s works were righteous and his works were evil. Envy is a terrible sin (Proverbs 27:4).
- Now in verse 10 God says that Abel’s blood cries unto him from the ground. Blood according to Numbers 35:33 defiles the land and the only way that it can be cleansed is by the blood of him that shed it. That is very interesting considering how many people are murdered today, it is a wonder that God can stand all the crying out from the ground just in America.
- Cain curse is that of being a fugitive and a vagabond. A fugitive is one who runs from Justice and a vagabond is one wanders from place to place.
Now we must look at verse 7 in detail for it is important. Here God tells Cain that if he does well he will be accepted and if he does not well sin lieth at the door.
- Now all Cain had to do was what God said to do. For saved people today that is all we have to do. But just as Cain we want to do what we want to do and not what God wants us to do. And that is where the problem really starts.
- This is the 1st time that the word sin occurs in the Bible.
- Sin is said to desire Cain and that is true for us in the respect that sin desires to run our life and have control of our body. Even after salvation the flesh is still corrupt and desires to be in control.
- But if we do the things that God said for us to do we can get victory over sins in our life and rule over them. But remember it is only through the power of the God that we can do what God says and get this victory.
- Romans chapter 6 deals with this very problem. Three things we can do to get victory over sin in our lives :
1) Know that the old man is dead (Romans 6:6)
- A dead man does nothing. If we could realize that the flesh is dead and when it wants to do something we should tell it that it is dead.
2) Reckon yourselves to be dead unto sin (Romans 6:11)
- The word reckon means to count on. We must first know that the old man is dead and then we must count is as dead and we will be able to do step one.
3) Yield our members to the service of God (Romans 6:13)
- After we have done steps one and two we can then use our body to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and not sin.
Cain and Abel as Types :
Abel is a type of a person that is saved by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today there is only one way to heaven and that is through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 14:6 ; Acts 4:12 ; Romans 5:9 ; Ephesians 1:7 ; Hebrews 9:12 ; 1 Peter 1:18-19 ; Revelations 1:5
Cain is a type of a person that refuses Jesus Christ who is God’s way of salvation and tries to earn his own or come up with another way.
Romans 10:1-4 ; Galatians 2:16 ; Ephesians 2:8-9
Abel is also a type of Jesus Christ in the following ways :
- He is a shepherd. Jesus is called a shepherd (John 10:11 ; 1 Peter 5:4)
- He is murdered for doing no wrong. So was Jesus Christ.
Cain is a type of the anti-Christ in the following ways :
- He is said to be of the wicked one (1 John 3:12)
- He has a mark put on him. The anti-Christ has a mark associated with him that people must receive to live (Revelations 13:16-17)
- He is cursed as the serpent was cursed in Genesis 3:14.
Creation Lesson #10 Handout
Two Types of People (Genesis 4:1-15)
1) What do we mean when we refer to something being a type of something else in the Bible?
2) Who taught Cain and Abel to sacrifice?
3) Why did God accept Abel’s sacrifice and not Cain’s?
4) What does the fact that God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and not Cain’s show us about God dealing with sin. List some verses.
5) How did Cain have an opportunity to do right?
6) What reason does the Bible give for Cain killing Abel? Give the reference.
7) In verse 7 we see something for us in a spiritual sense in regards to the subject of sin. What can we do so that sin will not rule over us? Give references.
8) List some things that Abel is a type of.
9) List some things that Cain is a type of.