The Value of Life: A Story of Cain and Abel
Age Group: Kindergarten – Third Grade
Passage: Genesis 4:1-15
Click to Print: “The Value of Life” Bible Lesson
Bible Lesson
Introduction:
Have your parents or perhaps a teacher at school ever given you a task to do and given you very specific instructions as to how to do it?
Sometimes, when an authority (parents, teachers, pastor) tells us how they want us to do something we think we know a better way to do it.
If you are given a job or an assignment to do, is it obedience if you do it but not the way you were told to do it?
Maybe you were told to clean your room and instead of folding and hanging up your clothes, you stuffed them in the bottom of your closet. You cleaned them up but you didn’t do it in the way you were told.
When we do a task but don’t do it how we are told to do it, then that is disobedience. One day when you are older and have a job, it is going to be very important to do things the way your boss tells you to do it. Sometimes we may thing we have better ideas, but it is more important that we first obey the authorities God has placed in our lives.
God has given us specific instructions as to how we are to live in His Word, the Bible.
Today we are going to learn about a young man who chose not to follow God’s instructions:
Two Different Brothers
1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.
2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
After they were cast out of the Garden, Adam and Eve had two sons. The oldest son was named Cain and the younger son was named Abel. One of the results of sin coming into the world was that now man had to work very hard to provide food, clothing, shelter, and other things that he needed.
Cain and Abel each had a particular job. Cain was a tiller of the ground that means he was a farmer. Abel was a shepherd and took care of sheep.
Two Distinct Offerings – Vs. 3-5a
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.
Cain and Abel each brought a sacrifice to offer to the Lord. Cain brought some of the food which he had farmed. Abel brought one of the best first born sheep from his flock.
God was pleased with Abel’s sacrifice, but God was not pleased with Cain’s.
One of the requirements for a sacrifice was that blood had to be shed. This was a picture of Jesus’ blood being shed on the cross for our sins. The animal sacrifices did not save anyone, but they pictured the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.
God had specific requirements for the way sacrifices were to be done. However, He was most concerned with man’s heart.
A Defiant Response – Vs. 5b-7
5 And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
The real problem with Cain was a heart issue. God told him there was sin in his heart. Instead of repenting and turning away from this sin, Cain became angry that God did not accept his sacrifice. He became jealous and angry because God accepted his brother’s sacrifice and not his.
A Devastating Murder – Vs. 8
8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
Cain became so angry with Abel that one day as they were out in the field, he rose up against Abel and killed him. This was the first murder in the history of mankind.
God created man in His image. Because of this, man’s life is a precious thing. God commands us not to kill. Jesus took this even further and told us that we should not hate anyone either. To hate someone is the same as to kill them.
Sadly, we have a lot of anger and hurt in our world today. This is all a result of sin coming into the world when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God.
A Discerning Question – Vs. 9-10
9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
God asked Cain a question. He said, “Where is your brother Abel?” God already knew the answer to the question He asked Cain. God is all-knowing. He knows everything single thing we do, whether it is good or bad. The Bible says even a child is known by his doings. God already knew that Cain had killed Abel.
God asked this question to give Cain an opportunity to confess what he had done. Cain did not take this chance to repent of his sin. Instead, Cain denied what he had done. He said he did not know where Abel was. He asked God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
When we sin there are always consequences to pay.
A Divine Curse – Vs. 11-15
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
13 And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
15 And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
God placed a curse upon Cain. He said that the earth would no longer produce like it had in the past. God also said that Cain would be a fugitive and vagabond, meaning that he would always be on the run. He would never be able to settle down in one place to live his life. He would always be running away from what he had done.
Cain was sacred that people would hunt him down and try to kill him. Because of this, God put a mark on Cain and said that anyone who tried to kill him would pay for it seven times greater.
Application
Exodus 20:13, “Thou shalt not kill.”
The sixth commandment in the Bible says that we should not kill. Life is a sacred thing. We should not take another person’s life and we should not even hate someone. Hating someone in our heart is the same as killing them in God’s eyes.
God tells us that we should love our neighbor as ourselves. He wants us to love those who may not like us or are unkind to us. And He tells us to love our enemies and do good to them.
Cain should have respond with love to his brother and repented of the sin in his heart instead of becoming jealous and angry. God wants us to have pure hearts that love Him and want to obey Him and do what is right.
We must value life because God values life.
God wants us to show unconditional love to others just as He shows unconditional love to us.
Supplemental Ideas
Memory Verse:
I John 4:11, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”
Click to Download FREE I John 4:11 Memory Verse Printable
Recommended Songs:
Beloved Let Us Love One Another
Lesson Activity:
Think of one person who has been unkind to you. Find a way to show kindness to them over the next week.
Suggestions:
- Write a note
- Give them a small gift
- Invite them to play with you
- Find a way to help them with something
- Do a chore for them, if it is a sibling
Discuss the importance of showing love to others even when they hurt us. God told us to turn the other check if someone hits us. This means we should not try to retaliate or get even with them.
Other Resources:
For free Bible illustrations to go with this story, visit Free Bible Images