Week 3: Genesis 4 – Cain and Abel’s Sibling Rivalry

Week 3: Genesis 4 – Cain and Abel’s Sibling Rivalry

As a family, read Genesis 4 together. Afterwards, share the following discussion.

What happened?

Cain and Abel were brothers and were the first kids of Adam and Eve.  Cain was a farmer who grew fruits and vegetables, while Abel was a shepherd. “And in the process of time…Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock” (Genesis 4:3-4).  The book of Hebrews tells us that by faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did (Hebrews 11:4). God was pleased with Abel’s sacrifice, but not with Cain’s.

What was supposed to be an opportunity to worship God turned into a battle of sibling rivalry.  Cain put his desire to be better than his brother in front of the opportunity he had to worship and serve God. Cain became very jealous and angry toward Abel.  The Lord saw this and encouraged Cain to do what was right, but Cain didn’t listen to God. By allowing jealousy into his heart, Cain began to hate his brother.

Why is this important to us, today?

Abel approached His worship to the Lord with the right heart, but Cain did not.  Abel focused only on his desire to please God and do what was right.  Cain, however, focused on pleasing himself and turned his energy toward anger with God and his brother.  Because God loved Cain, He challenged him to correct his attitude and make things right. Rather than repent, Cain unwisely gave in to jealousy and anger.

What makes you angry or jealous? You can’t always avoid having these feelings, but God wants to help you correct them. Why? Because wrong attitudes and thoughts lead to sinful actions.

Spend a few minutes talking about what you just read by answering these questions together:

What were the differences between Cain and Abel?  What should Cain have done differently? Discuss ways you can each give your best, as Abel did.

How can we better follow God this week?

We, too, have the choice to either love God and give Him our best or selfishly focus on what we want.  After learning about Cain, what should you do when jealousy creeps into your heart? In what ways does God try to get your attention when your attitude is wrong? Stop now and ask God to help you see and hear how He wants to correct your attitude this week.