Who Were Cain and Abel?

Caine

In spite of parents efforts to maintain a degree of sanity in their homes, conflicts between children are inevitable. In most cases, the mixture of loving and fighting eventually creates a strong bond between brothers and sisters. Now Can being the first born of Adam and Eve must have had a real problem with anger since he got very angry actually furious because both he and his brother Abel made sacrifices to God, and his had been rejected. Cain's reaction to his sacrifice being rejected gives us a clue that his attitude from the start was probably wrong.

Cain had a choice to make. He could correct his attitude about his sacrifice to God, or he could take out his anger on his brother Abel. In fact God even told Cain what to do by asking him, (Genesis 4:7) "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?" His decision is a reminder of how often we are aware of opposite choices, yet we choose the wrong thing as Cain did. Out of his furious anger Cain became the first murderer, by killing his brother Abel. Anger is like a drug that clouds our minds to a point where we can't think rationally. Anger causes us to do things we would never do in other circumstances. Feelings that motivate our behavior can't always be changed by simple thought. We must stop and ask ourselves what the consequences of acting on any feelings would be. By asking God, we can experience His willingness to help us. By doing what is right we can stop actions that we will later regret.

Cain's story is told in Genesis 4:1-17. He is also mentioned in Hebrews 11:4; 1 John 3:12 and Jude 11.

Abel

Abel was the second child born into the world but the first to obey God. All we know about Abel is that his parents were Adam and Eve, he was a shepherd, he presented pleasing offerings to God, and his short life was ended at the hands of his jealous older brother Cain.

The Bible doesn't tell us why God liked Abel's gift and disliked Cain's, but both Cane and Abel knew what God expected. Only Abel obeyed. Abel is remembered for his obeience and faith (Hebrews 11:4), and he is called "righteous" (Matthew 23:35).

The Bible is filled with God's guidelines and expectations for our lives. We must like Abel obey regardless of the cost and trust God to make things right.

Abel's story is told in Genesis 4:1-8. He is also mentioned in Matthew 23:35; Luke 11:51; Hebrews 11:4 and Hebrews 12:24.

Content provided in whole or part by IBS-STL Global Life Application Study Bible, NIV.