Cain and Abel: The Birth of Human Conflict

WARS OF THE BIBLE SERIES

Since reforging my faith in Jesus Christ in recent years, and having an obsessive interest in military history, I have always been fascinated by the wars that take place in the Bible. Specifically, there’s a mention of a book called The Book of the Wars of the Lord, also known as The Book of the Wars of Yahweh. It’s referenced in the Book of Numbers and is supposedly a chronicle of the ancient Israelite military’s history, yet it has never been found, lost to the annals of time. 

Here’s the reference:

13 From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord.

Numbers  21: 13-14

I always wondered what would’ve been in that book. There have been many theories about the who, what, when, and why of this lost chronicle, but for me, it sparked an idea to examine all the wars referenced in the Bible. This first blog marks the beginning of that endeavor. 

What will this series cover? 

In this new series, entitled “Wars of the Bible,” I intend to examine every war referenced in the Bible, provide the historical context, and analyze the tactics and strategies employed. However, it would be a pointless exercise if I ignored the spiritual significance of these events and what they mean to believers or to someone curious about or actively seeking God. To explain why I feel compelled to do the latter, let me share a quick story. 

I recall taking a high school class that examined the Bible from a strictly literary perspective. The teacher, Mr. Miller, made it very clear that it was not Bible study. Looking back now as a believer, what made it even more ridiculous to me now was the fact that the teacher was a profound atheist. He was reading at the time (probably not by coincidence) a book called The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris.

The class, in the end, was an entirely pointless effort. Yes, we learned about some of the literary mechanisms found in the text. But it’s more than just a text. The Bible, at its core, is God’s word, and reducing it to something like Beowulf for study in my mind seems like studying it with a spiritual blindfold. Such an endeavor misses the entire point. But that’s not surprising, for this story, I think, is the perfect metaphor for how the West has lost its spiritual acumen, and, I dare say, its moral compass (but I digress). As such, I will not be making that same mistake. 

To kick off this new series, I decided to start right after The Fall with the story of Adam and Eve’s sons, Cain and Abel. After eating the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, it did not take long for human conflict to follow. In fact, it occurred immediately with the next generation. That’s where we will start this journey. 

Cain and Abel

4 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, and you must rule over it.”

8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Genesis  4: 1-16

"Cain Slays Abel" by Gustave Doré (1866).

Now, this isn’t a war in the sense that we would expect. But it’s an important moment for it highlights the suffering that would follow from the introduction of sin into the world after The Fall. The consequences of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God would remain a theme throughout the Bible. Israel's disobedience would time and time again lead them to ruin.

In Genesis 4, we see that Cain grew angry and jealous because God favored his brother’s offering over his. One might wonder, why would God pick favorites (we learn from others in the Bible, including Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and others, that one should never fall into the sin of favoritism, for it leads to disaster)? 

In this case, it appears that God was not playing favorites. Shepherds are not better than farmers, nor is fruit necessarily lesser than animal offerings, as both will be part of the later Levitical system. Then, what is going on here? 

What God says after rejecting Cain is telling. God tells Cain that if he does well, he will be accepted; and if not, sin will creep in, as we will see with his slaying of his brother in the next verse. Something about Cain’s offering was not as genuine as Abel’s offering. 

It’s a reminder that no matter how hard we might try to hide our true intentions, feelings, or sins, God sees all. Something about Cain and his offering was not as genuine as Abel’s. How do we know this? Abel’s offering seems to be more significant, reflecting that his heart was more wholly devoted and genuine toward God.

Cain desired God's approval, but he withheld his full commitment. God’s rejection exposed this, and rather than look inward and correct his heart, he turned to sin and killed his brother out of anger. There’s a lesson here. God does not want a quarter of us or even half of us. He wants all of us. 

With that in mind, here’s my spiritual takeaway: 

God desires our full devotion as he is fully devoted to us.

This is evident in how, no matter how far we might stray from Him, he will always pursue us as his son, Jesus Christ, would describe in the Parable of the Lost Sheep: 

12 “If a man has 100 sheep, but one of the sheep is lost, what will he do? He will leave the other 99 sheep on the hill and go look for the lost sheep. Right? 13 And if he finds the lost sheep, he is happier about that one sheep than about the 99 sheep that were never lost. I can assure you,

Matthew 18: 12-13

Join me in the next blog where I explore The War of Nine Kings: The Battle of the Vale of Siddim. We’ll learn about Elamite King Chedorlaomer and his alliance with three other Mesopotamian Kingdoms to fight against the rebellion of King Bera of Sodom, along with four other cities from the Jordan Plain, against Chedorlaomer’s rule. Abraham’s nephew, Lot, will find himself in the middle of this war, leading to a daring mission by his uncle and a company of warriors to rescue him from captivity.

Sources:

ESV Bibles. (2022). ESV men’s study Bible (R. Ortlund, A. Begg, R. K. Hughes, & others, Contributors; TruTone, Brown ed.). Crossway.

Images:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Titian_-_Cain_and_Abel_-_WGA22778.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Death_of_Abel.png