Legacy Lessons W/Vance K. Jacksonნიმუში

Cain, the firstborn of Adam and Eve. Cain, the firstborn of the next generation. Cain was born after the ejection of Adam and Eve, his parents, from the Garden of Eden. Cain was the firstborn into a generational cycle of sin. Cain was the first of mankind who was born into the wilderness. Cain, the first fruit of generational sin. Through Cain, we will soon see sin’s intent.

Notice, we see the generational manifestation of God’s Decree upon the sin of Adam, found in Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭KJV‬‬: “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”‭‭

Sin has generational consequences. Sin establishes generational cycles—and Cain was the firstborn in the wilderness. According to Genesis‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬ ‭KJV‬‬ “…Cain was a tiller of the ground.”

According to Strong’s Concordance, the Hebrew word for ‘tiller’ is (abad - H5647), means "To labour, to work, to work for another, to serve as subjects.” Cain tilled the ground. Cain toiled. Cain was the generational byproduct of sin.

In fact, God told Adam in Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭KJV, “Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;” Disobedience produces thorns and thistles for generations.

Cain was a tiller of the ground, and everything that he touched produced thorns and thistles. Things were thorny and slow to grow. As he tilled the ground, he toiled. Cain toiled and tilled. The ground yielded thorns and Cain reaped thistles. Sometimes, Cain would till the ground and work the land with his hands—and sometimes his efforts yielded fruit.

But oftentimes, he tilled thorns and thistles. Imagine laboring, toiling, and tilling—and yet harvesting little. Cain treasured the increase more than the God who holds increase in His Hands. In fact, Cain idolized the harvest. He valued the harvest more than He worshipped and honored God. Cain focused more on the toiling of his efforts than honoring the God who gave him the power to till the ground.

Genesis‬ ‭4‬:‭3‬ ‭KJV‬‬ declares, “And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.” In the process of time, Cain brought “of” the fruit of the ground. Cain brought a portion “of” what was produced. He brought “something” from his toilsome harvest. It wasn’t “what” Cain offered, but “how” he offered it.

Cain had worked and toiled for the resources that he had. Now, both brothers are presenting their offerings. God didn’t ask for all of their harvest. Cain and Abel both presented their offerings before God.

As we will soon discover, Cain’s offering reflected his hardened and thorny heart. Cain was a tiller of the ground—and his offering reflected his toilsome heart.