Have you ever considered the life of Cain from the standpoint of genetics and evolution? Most people have heard the tragic account of Cain and Abel. In Genesis 4 we are told that Cain killed Abel, then moved to the land of Nod, where he and his wife had a son who he named Enoch. There he built a city which he named Enoch after his son. Wait! Where did Cain get his wife and the people to build a city? This question poses several problems:
- A theological problem. Were there other humans already on Earth not descended from Adam?
- A moral/ethical problem. Marrying a sister is prohibited by law today, was outlawed by God in the Bible, and just seems wrong.
- A biological problem. We know that the intermarriage of close relatives often leads to birth defects due to inbreeding.
Where did Cain get his wife? Were there other humans on Earth?
Notice that there are no time markers in Genesis chapter 4 at all. We have no idea how many years passed before Cain was born, how much older he was than Abel, how old Cain was when he had a son, or when he built the city. We assume that Cain and Abel were the first two children born to Adam and Eve, but we are not even told that explicitly. From Genesis chapter 5 we know that Adam lived 930 years and had other sons and daughters. We don’t know how many were born before Seth. All we know is that chapter 4 focuses on Cain and his descendants while chapter 5 focuses on Seth’s. My friends had 7 children in 20 years, other couples have even more. In Adam’s 930 years he could have had 500 children, but let’s say it was only 50, or even 20. An old tradition says Adam had 33 sons and 23 daughters. They were told to be fruitful and multiply, remember? In Acts 17:26 we are told that God made every nation of men from one man. We know that Adam & Eve had Seth at age 130 (Gen. 5:3). If each child had 10 children (20 per couple), in four generations they could have had 10,000 (10x10x10x10) great-great-grandchildren. It isn’t hard to see where Cain’s wife could have come from.
What about the morel/ethical problem?
At that time there was no problem with marrying a sister or close relative, in fact it was a necessity. Much later Abraham was married to Sarah, who was a half-sister, and this was not uncommon or forbidden. Hundreds of years later, after the Exodus, God forbid the Israelites to marry a sister. This was likely a necessary rule to prevent disease in the nation, due to the biological problem we look at next.
Doesn’t the intermarriage of close relatives cause birth defects?
While marrying a relative will not inevitably cause deformities, since we all are related to varying degrees, marrying close relatives does cause problems today. This is a biological fact that requires some understanding of genetics. For Cain to marry his sister or a niece would not have been a genetic problem because so few mutations would have developed since the creation of mankind, but today the closer the relatedness the greater the risk. This effect has been detailed and documented extensively in the book “Genetic Entropy” by Geneticist Dr. John Sanford. We discuss this problem of inbreeding more extensively in Darwin and Genetic Entropy.
What was Cain’s motive for murder?
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 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, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 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 contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
Genesis 4:1-8
First, we should notice that Eve’s statement, “with the help of the Lord”, shows great insight. She recognized that it wasn’t just her sexual activity, but that God plays a role in the area of procreation. Later Eve says, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” (4:25) Again she credits God with her reproduction. It is clear that she was not only aware of the murder but that she loved Abel. “Cain killed him.” Can you hear her pain?
Next we notice the motive for Abel’s murder. God asks Cain, “Why are you angry?” What a great question! Cain is incensed that God accepted Abel’s sacrificial offering, but not his. Cain was angry with God, and jealous of the relationship Abel had with God. He wanted to worship God in His own way, but God made it clear that He did not approve. Rather than change, Cain took out his anger on what he decided was the source of his problems, Abel. Turning a deaf ear to God, who urged him not to sin, he murdered his younger brother.
How is Cain a Warning to Modern Man?
We might think, “Cain was just offering God what he produced as a farmer. How was he supposed to know God wanted something else?” Maybe God had told him before, maybe not, but God confronted and warned Cain. God made His will clear by accepting Abel’s sacrifice. God has the right to determine what He likes and dislikes. Cain’s reaction is typical of the religious leaders who opposed Jesus, and of many people today. People say, “I believe in God in my own way.” Rather than submit to God’s revealed will, they persist in doing things their way. John, a disciple of Jesus, writes: “We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.” (1 John 4:25) We can only have a relationship with God on His terms.
How does Cain’s life illustrate God’s mercy?
Exiled by God, Cain becomes “a restless wanderer on the earth”, cursed by the very soil he had loved to farm. The murderer is afraid of being murdered, pleading with God for a lesser punishment. Instead God promises to avenge his death and protects him with a mark. Cain not only survives but founds the first city and his descendants develop technology that survives to this day: tents and nomadic life, musical instruments, and the forging of bronze and iron. (Gen. 4:17-22) God is merciful to sinners!
How Do We See the Spirit of Cain in Islam?
Muslims regard Ishmael (Gen. 21) to be the ancestor of Arab tribes, and of Muhammad in particular. Islamic tradition furthermore holds that the Jews falsified the Hebrew Scriptures, and believe it was Ishmael, not Isaac, who was Abraham’s favored son. Little wonder that descendants of these brothers continue to fight today.
In Genesis 22, God tells Abraham to take his son Isaac, the child of Sarah, up Mount Moriah to be sacrificed. Isaac (laughter), given by God supernaturally, embodies the entirety of Abraham’s hopes and God’s promise to multiply his descendants like the sand of the seashore. Abraham dutifully binds Isaac and draws his knife to cut his throat, drain his blood, and burn his corpse. At the last moment an angel stops him and he learns that the Almighty does not want human sacrifice. Herein lies the basic problem: Jihadists never got the message. That’s why they regard both murder and suicide as sacraments.
Does God hate?
The story of fraternal enmity is a recurring theme in Genesis and one which God uses to display His glory and to teach us. Consider Jacob and Esau. Although Esau was born first of these twins, God predicts “the older will serve the younger”. Esau showed no interest in God or His promises so sold Jacob his birthright. Esau hated Jacob and made plans to kill him (Gen 27:41).His descendants worshipped idols. Centuries later God speaks of how he favored Israel’s descendants although they didn’t feel loved. “Jacob I loved but Esau I hated.” (Malachi 1:3; Romans 9:13) Why? Because God hates murder and God hates those who love violence. (Psalm 5:5, 11:5, 139:21).
Does God love Israelis but not Arabs?
God chose to bless a certain family (making them the rival of others). Jews were a special target of Mohammed and Jihadists today. But that doesn’t mean God accepts Jewish genetics as a blank check. “For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel.” (Romans 9:6) Follow the logic of the whole chapter to understand it is saying, most Israelis are far from God. Did you know that Ruth was a descendant of Esau? Yet she became great-grandmother of king David. God loves the whole world (John 3:16), but expects people to seek Him as Ruth did. Most do not. Jesus explains, “He who hates Me hates My Father also.” (John 15:23)
Is there an antidote to revenge?
Both sibling rivalry and murder continue to show the fallen nature of man in our world, but they don’t have to control us. Consider Joseph, envied and intensely hated by his brothers (fellow Israelis) who plotted to kill him but sold him to Egypt as a slave. Years later in a position of power, rather than take revenge on his brothers, Joseph recognized that “It was not you who sent me here but God.” (Gen. 45:8) Joseph was a type of the promised Messiah who was also betrayed, sold, beaten, and later greatly exalted by the King. May we develop the same charity toward others as Joseph, ruler over all Egypt, and see God at work despite the evil that others inflicted on us.
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