Within the account of Cain and Abel is a picture of the difference in character between the end time “brothers” of Jesus Christ, who is referred to in the New Testament as the “last” Adam (1 Cor. 15:41-49, Romans 5:14). Seth was given in answer to Cain’s sin of murdering his brother. Their names reveal much in regards to the intervention of God on behalf of all mankind.
Genesis 4:1-8 – The “End Of Days” Brothers in type; Cain, Abel, and Seth (words are from the NASU version).
Eve – “life-giver; life, living”
Cain – “possession”; the Lord’s, the “last” Adam’s child, His “own possession” (John 1:6-13)
Abel – “breath”
keeper – “shepherd, to associate with, to pasture, to tend, to feed”
tiller – “to work, serve, cultivate, enslave”
course – “end, at the end of (used of time)”; literally, “at the end of days” for “course of time”
(It was this one word that the Holy Spirit used to stir me into looking deeper.)
firstlings – “a birthright, a right of the firstborn”
fat portions – “the richest or choice part, best part”
regard – “to look at, to regard, to gaze at”
master – “to rule, to have dominion, to reign”
field – This was the same place, same Hebrew word, Esau came from right before he sold his birthright to Jacob in Genesis .
rose up – “to rise, to arise, stand up”
At the end of this age, we are all being called to present the offering of our lives before the Lord. As with Cain and Abel, He is looking at what we have brought to Him, followed by His verdict of Divine justice.
Cain (“possession”)
He represents those in the church who have become the Lord’s, the “last” Adam’s child, His “own possession” (see John 1:6-13 below), but have foolishly squandered their “right to become children of God” (see John 1:6-13 below).
The “Martha complex” (Luke 10:38-42). They work, work, work as a “tiller of the ground,” and then become upset at their sisters and brothers who seem to be doing less in their eyes, but have God’s approval.
Because Cain did not “master it,” (i.e. his envy toward his brother), it mastered him to the point that a murderous spirit towards his brother arose within. (See Genesis 27:41; Jacob and Esau.)
Abel (“breath”)
It is the shepherds, the “keeper of flocks,” filled with the “breath of life” (Gen. 1:30, Rev. 11:12) that the devil and those controlled by him desire to remove. After his death, God raised up a substitute (i.e. Seth).
Hebrews 12:24 – “…and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.”
Seth (“put, i.e. substitute; compensation”)
The third child of Adam and Eve, would become the listed firstborn son in the lineage of Adam (Gen. 5:1-3).
Compensation – “something, typically money, awarded to someone as a recompense for loss, injury, or suffering.”
Jesus, the One raised from the dead, is our compensation, our substitute for the loss received from the devil in the Garden of Eden. In theology, it is referred to as the “Substitutionary Atonement”; Jesus Christ dying as a substitute for sinners. His death on mankind’s behalf ensures that the “breath of life” will continue through Him to all who receive Him as Lord and Savior. He is the “firstborn among many brothers” (Rom. 8:29).
In Summary
Cain, as the first son of Adam and Eve, was the rightful son who had the right of the firstborn. Because he did not master the sin in his heart, resulting in the murder of his brother Abel, he would forfeit that right.
Abel, the next in line, was obviously dead and unavailable to fulfill the right.
Seth, therefore, would be the one would inherit, by default, the right of the firstborn. He would be the substitution for those who would not be able, or refused through rebellion to inherit the blessing. This is proven by his being listed in Genesis 5:3 as the firstborn son in the lineage of Adam. He is a picture of the substitutionary death (i.e. atonement) of Christ for all who would receive His death on their behalf.
Romans 15:15-16 – “I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel [the “word of truth” in Col. 1:5] of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”
As a priest of God (i.e. a Christian), we have a responsibility to proclaim and teach the gospel truths regarding the difference between the holy and the profane to people so that their lives will become an acceptable, living sacrifice before the Lord, preparing them for the Holy Spirit to fill the temple of their body with His glory.
The final thought – A bitter brother was overcome with sin, resulting in his loss of the right of the firstborn in the inheritance of his father, Adam. He took the “breath of life” (i.e. murder) from his brother, Abel, whose sacrifice was acceptable before God. But the Lord brought forth Seth, the “substitute,” who would continue the lineage of his father, possessing the right of the firstborn. All this is a picture of Christ, the last Adam, who would retain the right of the firstborn Son, and be filled with the “breath of life” (i.e. the Holy Spirit). These divine characteristics would then be passed on to His lineage, into all His brethren that would receive Him as their Lord and Savior. Amen!
Comments