All the Righteous Bloodshed on Earth
Cain and Abel brought offerings to God, and God only accepted Abel’s offering. Cain became angry with Abel and killed him.
"Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have produced a man with the help of the LORD.” Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground.
In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen?
If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door;
its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And when they were in the field,
Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain,
“Where is your brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”
And the LORD said, “What have you done?
Listen; your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground!
And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive
your brother’s blood from your hand."
When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength
You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me.” Then the LORD said to him, “Not so! Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance.” And the LORD put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him. Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Ge 4:1–16.
If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-seven fold." (Gen 4:24)
By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks.
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Heb 11:4.
For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death.
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), 1 Jn 3:11–14
How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?
Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), 1 Jn 3:16–22.