Many interpretations of the Cain and Abel story have been written.  In most of them, Cain will come to epitomize the darkened lineage in the generations of man.  Cain represents Satan’s nature, and in the context of the story, many interpret him as the child of Satan; Cain represents the rebellion within, the assault on righteousness; Cain is ungoverned sin, grudge-ridden.  Cain murders his brother, Abel, and Cain becomes ‘he who wanders’, untethered to any righteous attribution.  Poisoned with anger, he will initiate affliction upon mankind.  ‘Kayin’ means to acquire (possess), and by Cain and his progeny, this lust toward acquisition will culminate in violent actions needed to possess lands, wealth, and women.

 

                                                Cain is always associated with Satan or evil.   

Gn. 3.15, “enmity…and between thy seed and her seed;”

 

 

 

‘Hevel’ (Abel) refers to being empty, and on the surface, his name interprets as a lack of substance;* also, ephemeral, short-lived.  Another interpretation would view Abel’s emptiness as an openness or readiness to receive God.  Abel’s description of ’emptiness’ also indicates innocence and that one can be filled with the righteous spirit of God, and leads us to the spiritual notion that a person must empty themselves before they may receive.  Thus, and as we shall see, Abel represents and intimately connects the attributes of Faithfulness and Righteousness, which are demonstrated in his sacrifice.  (Righteous Abel, P. 1).

*ancient-hebrew.org

 

 

Abel’s sacrifice acknowledges the source of all good (God), he performs a faithful act, and by giving his best, he sets a standard of righteous attribution for all people.  Abel demonstrates that if filled with faith (steadfast), each person will tend toward righteous acts.  Abel represents the righteous.  In the interaction between Cain and Abel, it is clear that God blesses those who manifest righteousness.  This righteous manifestation points to the source of that expression, later known in biblical history as the kingdom within.  Jesus will reveal the kingdom within as one of the great secrets of the Way.

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E V E   N A M E S   C A I N

Cain is the first person born, the elder of the twins Cain and Abel.  Later, as Cain sees himself as first but also foremost, his problems begin.  However, we start in chapter 4.1, “I have gained me a son with the help of God.”

By pronouncing first that she had ‘gained’, which lends itself to how we acquire, and similar to how the forbidden fruit in the Garden was acquired, this tell-tale sign is compounded by putting acquisition and Self first, as indicated by the phrase “…gained me.”   In a similar manner, Cain will put himself first.  He will not use wisdom to self-inspect, and will put himself foremost, and what will become his agenda.  He believes God does not recognize his efforts, that he is being mistreated in some way, and he will act upon this belief.  His nature comes across as divisive.  Alternatively, Abel receives the blessing of God through faith and righteous behavior, simply.  Abel does not struggle; Cain constantly struggles.

Mankind’s conundrum of grasping versus receiving is portrayed with the birth of Cain and Abel.  This unresolved problem, or schism, was handed down generationally to Cain and Abel and remains a recurring issue even today.  Sowing and harvesting are foundational and portray receiving.  Grasping suggests opportunism without justification.  Sowing and harvesting offer a pathway; gain may not offer any pathway—Cain sows into himself, Abel sows into God.

Eve’s afterthought is also questionable: “…with the help of God.”  God is mentioned second, not first.  In Eve’s case, she repeats the same mistake as in the Garden, placing God in second place and thus plucks the fruit.  As for Cain, Kayin (Kain) also relates to being sharpened as a spear and being self-centered.  This nature of Acquisition relates to the flesh, for that is the purpose for which we acquire.  It also relates to how we acquire ourselves.  As we will see later in this series, Cain will admirably demonstrate greed and acquisition, and his acquisition of himself, his self-possession, will become his trademark.

 

 A common viewpoint interprets Eve as seeing herself as mankind’s co-creator with God, and thus unwittingly puts herself in a presumptuous position: God is mentioned second, and Cain is attached to gain, or as ‘Eve’s acquisition’.  This viewpoint seems a harsh indictment of Eve, for Eve would naturally see herself as a co-creator.  She can do what Adam cannot do, have babies, and assuredly realizes this unique position.

However, the allegory of Cain and Abel illustrates two lessons for the Way. The first lesson concerns how we name our world, and the second describes humanity’s nature and how it prioritizes itself above God’s requirements.

 

The results of the fall become apparent in how Eve names Cain.  The fallen man names his world after his delusion as to good and bad.  Later, and after her family is destroyed, Eve names Seth as ‘granted (to) me’ instead of mentioning her gain.

 

 

How do we carelessly speak and name?   From how we name the world, what then may result?  Eve’s misuse of the spoken word reflects the lesson of how we name the world and how our misbegotten creations come into being.  Cain later speaks carelessly, resenting God’s authority and God’s plan.  Cain’s life will later become reckless, driven by a desire for gain, including a quest for recognition.  Desire, lust, and wrath will later turn him toward infamy.

 

 

Sowing good seeds names your world.

 

 

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The following scripture relates to Cain in many ways: “How can your words be good when you yourselves are evil?  For the words that the mouth utters comes from the overflowing of the heart.  A good man produces good within the store within himself; and an evil man from evil within produces evil,” Jesus said in Matt. 12.35, when he speaks to the Pharisees.

 

 

As to the judgments man makes of himself, Cain will later tell God that he does not know where his brother is—Cain’s words are lies.  He utters inanities, such as “Am I my brother’s keeper,” when he knows he has already killed Abel.  Cain’s nature cancels God’s imputation toward honesty.  Cain names after himself, what he considers his righteous work and his rightful status (as the eldest).  The beast he has become defends the same beast who did the deed.  Cain’s statements infer the mortal or earthbound mind and a lack of conscience.  Deceits, lies, and cover-ups begin almost immediately.

The storehouse within Cain is evil, and as we shall see, Cain will continue to produce evil.  He strives after gain and status, and while Abel accepts the bounty of the land and is grateful, Cain is vain and possessive.  As many do today, Cain presses himself toward God, and in doing so, he becomes distant from God, relying instead on personal values and how he sees things, yet not truly seeking God or His counsel.  Abel is growing closer to God and demonstrating a higher path, a deeper relationship, or what should be described as a more enlightened condition.

 

The story of Saul and David illustrates the difference between being distant from God and having a relationship with God.  Headstrong describes Saul (I Sam. 13.13; 15.11).  Saul continues to move away from God.  David, regardless of grievous faults, demonstrates a heart after God.  He accepts conviction.  The righteous remnant, David, is preserved.

 

 

                                                                 

We will see that Cain is adept at reaching out, but never reaches or looks within.  Consumed with himself, Cain jealously pursues himself: self-absorbed, self-centered, and selfish in a way Abel clearly is not.  In such a person, false pride, arrogance, and extreme behavior cannot be far behind.

Cain develops a grasping, calculating nature.                                                               

 

 

Teaching and Pathway

 

 

Cain lacks the attribute of self-inspection, which is critical to the Path of the Way.  Jesus refers to looking at oneself when mentioning ‘the board in the eye’.  For if the kingdom of God is within, Cain never seeks that kingdom.  He cannot look at himself, and as we shall see, neither will he allow the spirit to reflect upon him.

Cain’s conscience is seared, and Cain continues to pursue himself.  Cain appears to seek the most benefit for the least amount of work, as he will demonstrate with his offering.  In a sense, he determines his best advantage by being sly and calculating, portrayed as wholly unrighteous, rather than pursuing a more noble path.

The story of Cain and Abel represents a seemingly unresolvable schism.  This schism is defined in many teachings, often perceived as a dichotomy between good and evil, flesh (or fallen) nature and spirit nature, or earthbound verses spirit-led.    The Way teaches that this schism must be healed, often directed toward unity or oneness with God (Jn. 10.30), not only in teaching and understanding, but also in daily life or pathway.   It is a turning over to the spirit, or the spiritual nature.

 

In Jesus’ time, the attempt to heal this schism had fostered a misguided legalism, one that increasingly followed the law with meticulous precision.  Soon, the voice of the prophets disappeared.*   

*Ezra, priest and scribe (450 BC), initiated the Second Temple. Legalism increased until the arrival of Jesus. 

 

 

 

Although pathways and teaching are thought of as two distinct things, they should not remain separate.  If you enter upon a path you will be taught according to that path.  It does not appear that Cain has accepted teaching or absorbed a moral compass from his parents, and as to the pathway, those “who leave the path of uprightness” (Proverbs 2.13) describe Cain quite well.  Meanwhile, Hebrews 12.13 says, “make straight pathways for your feet,” describes Abel.

Both Jewish and Christian teachings offer a vision of oneness with God, which can be viewed as the ultimate healing of the schism.  Jesus reflects this message of healing the schism in Matt. 5.48, “Be ye therefore perfect (whole),” which means assuming the better righteousness.*  Jesus’ statement also effectively establishes that animal sacrifice is no longer the way to righteousness or At-One-Ment (Atonement).  It is the Self that must be given over.  This marks a pivotal and definitive turning point in the history of Judaism.

*”Perfection for Matthew means the better righteousness… the total and unreserved obedience to the whole person”  (see, Mt. 5.20). Harper’s Bible Commentary. Ed. James L. Mays. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1988. Print.

As a Nazarene, Jesus goes directly to the man himself, not an outward act such as Pharisaic or Sadducean sacrifice, nor the current over-brooding pathway of following legal rules to gain righteousness.  The Way is a pathway of wholeness with God, and for a Christian, wholeness with Christ, a wholeness best exemplified by Jesus himself.  Jesus demonstrates completeness, oneness, or wholeness with God and in his walk with God.  Inner healing, based on love and forgiveness—a principle often mentioned by Jesus—is a powerful principle in action, capable of transforming lives.  Contrarily, Cain has no interest in such a pathway of transformation.

 

Matt. 5.48 in the New English Bible reads, “There must be no limit to your goodness, as your heavenly Father’s goodness knows no bounds.”   

Without uniting teaching and practice with the pathway, the enlightenment of the Way remains intellectual (legalistic) and hollow.

Throughout his ministry, Jesus spoke to Jews who had not yet had the spirit awakened within them.  Jesus first tells them that the kingdom of God is within; God abides with the person always and is ever-present.  Second, Jesus then provides the teaching that must accompany the understanding of God within, which emphasizes love and communion.  Third, he speaks copiously about how to walk on such a pathway.  For example, he talks about love first, but if a judgment is required, render such a judgment with some measure of compassion (Jn. 8.10-12).  This unified pathway is illustrated throughout Jesus’ ministry.

Jesus’ teachings will become the final interpretation of the Law and the sayings of the Prophets, which the Essenes believed was the Messiah’s primary task. The Belief-Faith teaching will initiate the pathway; Love-Forgiveness becomes a cornerstone, for they touch all other attributes. With continued development and study, Knowledge-Wisdom will be the final assumption.  More profound knowledge and the practice of love and forgiveness will become the key elements (Mt. 7.1-8), not the law or personal law.  This pathway was known to the Essenes, particularly the Nazarene Essenes, and is mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls as the Way.

Abel seems to comprehend this notion of a pathway, whereas Cain has no clear direction or pathway and remains a dullard.  In the Cain series, we will observe a continuing decline in Cain and the generations to follow.

 

I hope you have enjoyed this article.  Feel free to leave comments.  Other related articles include, Early History of the Way, Cain & Abel, which continues this series, and God in the Tent.

 

God Bless!