Cain and Abel questions

[Stope]

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gottena]">[a] a man with the help of the Lord.”
---Do you think she responded this way was perhaps because the son/seed was the seed spoken of by God that will "bruise [satan's] head"?



8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother.d]">[d] 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.
---Huh? Is God saying that Cain will not be able to harvest food from the ground anymore?

 

[Contra_Mundum]

I think it is reasonable to think Eve may have thought her firstborn was her deliverer, according to the earlier promise, Gen3:15. What I believe is as significant (if not more) in her words is her self-reliance, "I have gotten..." Compare with possibly a more chastened expression at 4:25, "God has appointed...."

Cain's punishment is tied to the expression of his pride (evidenced by his offering) as well as the ground's pollution with his brother's life-blood. He might eat what others produced; but the ground would not produce for him. I call it a miracle, of judgment.

 

[JimmyH]

I once heard a cassette tape by Donald Gray Barnhouse, preached at the Hawthorne Gospel Church in NJ, where he said that Cain and Abel was the first example of 'brotherly love.'

 

[Stope]

As always, thank you!

I think it is reasonable to think Eve may have thought her firstborn was her deliverer, according to the earlier promise, Gen3:15. What I believe is as significant (if not more) in her words is her self-reliance, "I have gotten..." Compare with possibly a more chastened expression at 4:25, "God has appointed...."

---In a related question, what do you think was the specific hope of the "Deliverer" for Eve? Up to this point she knows that her "seed" would "bruise His heel"? Does that imply anything profound for her? Further, she also knows that the serpant will "bruise your head", so it almost seems dualistic where there is damage done on both sides, but only damage as "bruise" does not equal death/vanquish... Thoughts?

 

[Contra_Mundum]

It's something of a balancing-act to a) acknowledge the limits of the revelation held by earlier generations, and to b) admit that we don't have every word of prophecy ever uttered. And by prophecy, I'm including the role of the prophet as preacher, as interpreter. Prophets meditated on the Word, and I'm sure they were infallibly assured at times that they had the true meaning and true implications of their revelation; and that went along with the history of revelation, the deposit of all the promises. Those are the content of what they preached.

And I suppose preaching and sacrifice both are the most ancient form of worship--divine Word and sacrament (the visible Word). Participation in the sacrifice entails man's prayer; there's your means of grace.

We should think our first parents were hoping for a son who would soon deliver them. What was not apparent to them (immediately) was that there would be a wait; there would be more souls, and so more souls for the Deliverer to save. And the work would be that much greater, and more demanding.

I don't know how clear it was how heroic was the necessary deliverance. Until you see for yourself how bad death is, and sin, and frustration, and futility, and murder, and pain, and grief... and have some history to reveal the depths that unchecked rebellion will produce, you can't fully appreciate what salvation will cost.

Did they at-first realize that the ultimate snake-bite is deadly? When they do reckon with it, do they understand what this "trade-off" entails: they live, he dies? Fits with the institution of sacrifice, OK. I don't yet see resurrection victory, though.

 

[hammondjones]

Owen:

In return hereunto, for the carrying on of the communion between them, the saints delight in Christ; he is their joy, their crown, their rejoicing, their life, food, health, strength, desire, righteousness, salvation, blessedness: without him they have nothing; in him they shall find all things Gal. vi. 14, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He has, from the foundation of the world, been the hope, expectation, desire, and delight of all believers. The promise of him was all (and it was enough) that God gave Adam in his inexpressible distress, to relieve and comfort him, Gen. iii. 15. Eve perhaps supposed that the promised seed had been born in her first-born, when she said, “I have gotten a man from the LORD” (so most properly, תֶא denoting the fourth case); and this was the matter of her joy, Gen. iv. 1.

from the recent publication of Communion with the Triune God, ed. Kapic & Taylor, footnote, pg. 237

Owen believes that the preposition "from" should be dropped so that the 'et is in apposition to Yahweh (i.e., "I have gotten a man, [namely,] Yahweh").

 

[Pergamum]

What did the ancient Jews believe? Did their commentaries speak of Eve expecting the Messiah?

 

[Stope]

What did the ancient Jews believe? Did their commentaries speak of Eve expecting the Messiah?

Thats a great thought, however, to my shame, I have no idea where to look for resources like that. Might you know of any?