Old Testament Lesson 4
Cain and Abel
Genesis 4 & 5 – Cain and Abel
Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant
and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the
LORD I have brought forth a man.” 2 Later she gave
birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In
the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of
the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought
fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.
The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5
but on Cain and his offering he did not look with
favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was
downcast.
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry?
Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right,
will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is
right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have
you, but you must master it. ”
8 Now 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.
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother
Abel?”
“I don’t know, ” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your
brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11
Now you are under a curse and driven from the
ground, which opened its mouth to receive your
brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work
the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you.
You will be a restless wanderer on the earth. ”
13 Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than
I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land,
and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a
restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds
me will kill me.”
15 But the LORD said to him, “Not so; if anyone kills
Cain , he will suffer vengeance seven times over. ”
Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who
found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from
the LORD’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east
of Eden.
17 Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant
and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a
city, and he named it after his son Enoch. 18 To Enoch
was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael,
and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and
Methushael was the father of Lamech.
19 Lamech married two women, one named Adah and
the other Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was
the father of those who live in tents and raise
livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the
father of all who play the harp and flute. 22 Zillah also
had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools
out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was
Naamah.
23 Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for injuring me.
24 If Cain is avenged seven times,
then Lamech seventy-seven times. ”
25 Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to
a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted
me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed
him.” 26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.
At that time men began to call on the name of the
LORD.
From Adam to Noah
This is the written account of Adam’s line.
When God created man, he made him in the likeness
of God. 2 He created them male and female and
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blessed them. And when they were created, he called
them “man.”
3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his
own likeness, in his own image; and he named him
Seth. 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and
had other sons and daughters. 5 Altogether, Adam
lived 930 years, and then he died.
6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the
father of Enosh. 7 And after he became the father of
Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and
daughters. 8 Altogether, Seth lived 912 years, and
then he died.
9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the
father of Kenan. 10 And after he became the father of
Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and
daughters. 11 Altogether, Enosh lived 905 years, and
then he died.
12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the
father of Mahalalel. 13 And after he became the father
of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other
sons and daughters. 14 Altogether, Kenan lived 910
years, and then he died.
15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the
father of Jared. 16 And after he became the father of
Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons
and daughters. 17 Altogether, Mahalalel lived 895
years, and then he died.
18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the
father of Enoch. 19 And after he became the father of
Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and
daughters. 20 Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and
then he died.
21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father
of Methuselah. 22 And after he became the father of
Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had
other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365
years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more,
because God took him away.
25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became
the father of Lamech. 26 And after he became the
father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and
had other sons and daughters. 27 Altogether,
Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died.
28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29 He
named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the
labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground
the LORD has cursed. ” 30 After Noah was born, Lamech
lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31
Altogether, Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died.
32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father
of Shem, Ham and Japheth.
TOPIC:
choices,
attitudes
toward
God
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 4:1-17, 1 John 1:9
Style:
comedy/conversation:
the
story
of
. Cain and Abel is told with a comparison
.
of
their
attitudes
toward
God
Cast: NARRATOR, ADAM, EVE, CAIN, ABEL, PERSON
Set
&
Props:
2
baby
dolls,
sign
The Story of Cain and Abel
NARRATOR: In the beginning, there was Adam and
Eve, who had been created by God and had the luxury
of living and working in the Garden of Eden. Not only
was it a perfect place to live and work, but they only
had ONE rule to obey – which they broke – and thus,
were banned from the Garden of Eden forever...
ADAM and EVE sadly appear as NARRATOR continues.
NARRATOR: Exiled. Ousted. Kicked to the curb.
ADAM: Okay, we get it.
NARRATOR: Busted, sent packing, fineeshed!
ADAM: Alright already!
NARRATOR: Toast, crispy, end of story.
ADAM: Dude!
NARRATOR: Sorry. I get carried away. But all you
had to do was NOT eat from the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil.
EVE: Not as easy as it sounds.
NARRATOR: Which brought sin into the world.
ADAM (pointing at Eve) And she started it.
EVE: Oh! Don’t you start, you were right there with
me! (To everyone) And by the way, everyone, it was
NOT an apple. Everyone ALWAYS assumes it was an
apple.
NARRATOR: Got it, it WAS a fruit, but not an apple.
Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, they were banished
from that perfect Garden of Eden. Evicted. Driven out.
ADAM: ENOUGH!!!!
EVE: And we did feel very bad about eating that fruit.
Really.
ADAM: Yes we did.
EVE: And we did tell God we were very, very sorry.
ADAM: And God forgave us.
EVE: (to Adam) So WHY did God make us leave the
Garden?
NARRATOR: God cast them out, showed them the door
(Adam and Eve glance at NARRATOR with disgust) – for
a very good reason: God loved them. God wanted to
protect them - from themselves, and keep them away
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from the tree of LIFE, which would have kept them,
and all the rest of us, in that sinful state forever, with
no hope, with noADAM: Can we move on?
NARRATOR: Yes! Adam and Eve moved on and
brought children into this world. (Eve takes a baby doll.)
EVE: I have been given a man-baby with the help of
the LORD.
(Eve hands the baby to Adam who looks down on it.)
ADAM: Let’s call this baby - Cain.
NARRATOR: Which means “spear.” Probably.
ADAM: It’s a cool name. Cain! Man of the spear.
NARRATOR: And they named the next son
(Eve takes another baby doll.)
EVE: Let’s name this one, Abel.
NARRATOR: Which means “vanity.”
ADAM: (to Eve) What kind of name is that?
EVE: It’s a reminder for us to be humble? I don’t
know. Maybe I just like the name.
NARRATOR: (to Adam) Don’t argue with the woman.
Just – go and raise them the best you can.
EVE: That shouldn’t be too hard. Just look at them.
They’re perfect little angels.
NARRATOR: Ah, remember, you all brought sin into
the world.
(Adam and Eve glare back at NARRATOR as they exit.)
NARRATOR: So Adam and Eve raised their children
as best as they could, teaching them about God.
Ultimately, it is everyone’s choice whether they will
choose to follow God or not.
(Abel appears.)
NARRATOR: Abel, whose name means “vanity”, was
actually rather quite humble. He was a keeper of
flocks, a shepherd, a livestock expert –
(Abel glances at narrator to move on)
And that’s all I can come up with for that. Anyway,
when it was time to bring an offering to the Lord,
Abel took the very best of his flock.
ABEL: Because everything that we have – we get
from God, and so God deserves the very best from us.
(Abel exits, and then Cain appears)
NARRATOR: Now the older brother Cain, whose
name means “spear”, actually became a tiller of the
ground, a farmer, a crop planter, a sower in the fields
and orchards –
CAIN: We get it.
NARRATOR: When it was time to bring an offering to
the Lord, Cain did NOT bring God the very best of his
crops. In fact, it sounds like he may have only given
God the yucky stuff that had fallen, and been left
rotting on the ground. Not even good enough to be
considered “leftovers.”
CAIN: Well, yeah, I mean, why not? Seriously! It’s not
like God is actually going to eat it anyway.
NARRATOR: Needless to say, God accepted Abel’s
offering, but did NOT find Cain’s offering acceptable
at all.
CAIN: And WHY not? Just WHAT was wrong with
mine?! Huh?! Maybe I’m just rotten to the core. Pun
intended.
NARRATOR: God obviously saw that Cain was angry,
and that his conscience was bothering him. God also
pointed out to him that if Cain did not work on his
attitude, he would fall into sin.
CAIN: (waving that off) Ah! What does God know?
NARRATOR: Well... everything! And you know, you
should talk to your parents about your issues. They
can definitely relate and could help you out there.
They sinned - they worked it out with God –
CAIN (bitterly) They’re probably too busy with the
rest of their kids.
NARRATOR: Then talk to your brother, Abel. He’s
good- people. He’s got a good grasp on things.
CAIN: (mocking) Oh, my perfect brother, Abel.
(angrily shaking fists) I HATE my brother, Abel!
NARRATOR: Your attitude is really starting to get out
of hand. Don’t you think you should work that out?
CAIN: I’ll work it out. I’ll work it out MY way!
(Cain stomps off stage right.)
NARRATOR:. Ahhh, so Cain went to find Abel out in
the fields. Things did not work out very well. Cain
wound up killing his brother Abel. God spoke to Cain
– again, asking him, “Where is your brother Abel?”
CAIN: (enters, head hanging down, he then looks up)
What? I’m not my brother’s keeper. Am I? Why
should I know? Why do You ask?- (suddenly alarmed)
What do YOU know?
NARRATOR: Of course, God knew what Cain had done!
But God wanted Cain to ADMIT what he had done.
CAIN: I refuse to admit anything I’ve done on the
grounds that it could incriminate me.
NARRATOR: God told Cain that He knew anyway - that
the voice of his brother’s blood was crying to Him from
the ground. And because of this, Cain would pay. Let’s
call it poetic justice.
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CAIN: I HATE poetry!
NARRATOR: You do realize your hatred for everything is getting you into a lot of trouble? Like, because you spilled
your brother’s blood onto the ground, the ground has become cursed for you. If you try to plant anything, it’s not
going to grow. And God said you’d become a vagrant, a wanderer on the earth, a nomad, a drifter, a bumCAIN: Got it! And, (falling to his knees to plead) Lord, please, no, this cannot be, Lord. This punishment is just too
much! It’s too much. I cannot take it! Not only can’t I do the work that I love, or see Your face anymore, but as I live
on the streets and in wilderness like a drifter, whoever finds me will kill me. My life will be in constant danger.
NARRATOR: So God sent out a warning, that if anyone would kill Cain, THAT person would suffer seven times
greater. And so God gave Cain a sign (Cain is handed a sign with “A SIGN” written on it.)
NARRATOR: Ahhh, except, not that kind of a sign.
(The sign is taken away from Cain.)
NARRATOR: It was a sign from God to help put Cain’s mind at ease, that God would keep His promise to protect
Cain. Of course God always keeps His promises, even though God knew Cain wasn’t so good in trusting God. God
just wanted to help Cain out – because God is GOOD like that.
(Person steps out and stands beside Cain.)
PERSON: God IS good. No matter how bad we have been, God will forgive us when we ask, so we can have a close
and personal relationship with God.
CAIN: (muttering) I’ll keep that in mind.
NARRATOR: Then Cain left, and settled east of Eden, in the land of Nod, which ironically means “exile”. As Cain’s
parents were exiled from the Garden of Eden, Cain was exiled from the land where he had grown up. Whether Cain
ever chose to have a close relationship with God after that – we don’t exactly know, but we DO know, that we have
our own choice to make.
Thinking About God’s Word
1. How do Eve’s words following Cain’s birth show that she believed God’s promise that He would give a Savior?
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2. Why was God not pleased with Cain and his offering? (Look up Hebrews 11:4, Genesis 4:3, 4, 7)
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3. What evidence is there to show that God was very concerned about Cain? ____________________________________________
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4. Are we our brother’s keeper? Explain your answer. _____________________________________________________________________
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5. What punishment did God pronounce on Cain? ___________________________________________________________________________
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6. What was Cain’s response to his punishment? (See Genesis 4:13-14). _______________________________________________
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7. Where do sins such as jealousy, bitterness, hatred, envy, and wrongful anger have their beginning? (See Matthew 15:19).
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8. What is God’s warning to us in this story? __________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9. How was the way Cain and Abel worshiped God different from how we worship Him today? _______________________
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10. Was the mark that God set on Cain a blessing or a punishment? ________________________ Why? __________________
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Working with God’s Word
11. What name did Adam give his wife? ___________________
12. Who was Eve’s first child? ___________________
13. Who was Eve’s second child? ___________________
14. What did Cain bring as an offering?________________________________________________________________________
15. What did Abel bring as an offering?________________________________________________________________________
16. With whose gift was the Lord pleased?___________________
17. Why was Cain cursed? ________________________________________________________________________
18. What would no longer yield crops for Cain? ______________________________________________________________________
19. How did the Lord protect Cain from being killed? ________________________________________________________________
Circle the correct answer.
20. The name Eve means
EVIL
EVER
21. Killing is forbidden in the THIRD
MOTHER
FOURTH
WOMAN
FIFTH
SIXTH
22. Abel was a
FARMER
CARPENTER
MASON
SHEPHERD
23. Cain was a
FARMER
CARPENTER
MASON
SHEPHERD
24. God cursed Cain and made him a
25. Adam was the BROTHER
26. Cain
COULD
COULDN’T
FOREIGNER
COUSIN
FATHER
WANDERER
UNCLE
Commandment.
BEGGAR
SINNER
of Cain and Abel.
have had his sin forgiven.
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