The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1907-01-25
THE STORY OF
CAIN AND ABEL
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Sunday School Lesson for Ian. 27, 1907
Specially Prepared tor This Paper.

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LESSON. TEXT.-Gen. 4:s-15 Memory
GOLDEN TEXT.-"whosoeve hateth
his brother is murderer. John 3:l5
TIME. Unknown, although Ussher's
chronology, which Is generally UNDER
stood not to be correct, gives II as Il. Z.
PLACE.-outside the Garden of Eden.
but probably in the same region, which
whole region was called Eden, near the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES. The
Evil Hating the Good.-Psa. ll:2; 1892;
1895; Prov. 29:lO; Jer. 1913; Hab. 1:lS;
etc. The Cure.-John 1894. So; Rom. 1873.
10, l6 1921; l3S-l0; Gal. SIP; Phil. 2:2-4;
John 2:lO. Show how love is the cure.
New Testament Light.-Caln was 'of
that wicked one" q John 3:12). who was
n murderer from the beginning" John
SAD. The reason of the difference I'm the
cry unto God CJas. 5:l; Rev. $40. Christ's
blood speaketh better things, or louder
than the blood of Abel (Heb. 12:2D.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
"The picture of Cain and Abel por-
trays how from the first opposition
has subsisted between good and evil,
between faith and self-will, between
obedience and lawlessness. The two
brothers brought up in the same FAM
lily, became the types. the one of sin,
the other of righteousness. "-Ryle.
The Two Sacrifices, True and False
Worship.-V. 3. I'm process of time"
An indefinite note of time. Ii prob
ably was many years. Cain brought
the fruit of the ground" The products
of his business. as was natural and
proper. AN offering unto the Lord, F"
Jehovah, who had made himself
known in the garden, and probably
since.
V. 4. And Abel, he also brought of
the firstlings of his flock" Either
the first born, which God afterwards
demanded EEK. 1912. or the choicest
and best Job 1913. Cook. And
the fat thereof" Literally, the fat
ness of them, /. e., the latest Of the
firstlings, the best he had, or. as Dill
mann, their fat pieces" the part to
be burned. THE Lord had respect
unto Abel and to his offering" 1T is
impossible to know in what way the
Lord showed his favor. but it was, in
any case, a visible sign of satisfac-
ton. KEEL
The Anger of Cain. % 1t was
against his brother (2) 1t was with
out good cause. go IL grew out of
envy and jealousy. (4) 1t was inten-
sified by his own consciousness of be-
Ing in the wrong. and the desire TO
quiet his conscience by blaming 9TH
ers. 60 IL was against God 90 1t
was violent. ill-tempered, beyond the
control of reason. CD 1t was the feel
ing of hatred in the wicked toward
those who are better because they are
continual reproof.
V. s. "And Cain talked with Abel
and his brother" Hebrew, And Cain
said unto Abel his BROTHER after
which there is. in many of the Hebrew
copies. blank space left. as if some
thing had been omitted. Bush. He
talked over the matter with his
brother He went on in familiar inter-
course with him, and it was during
one of these conversations that his
anger was again infiamed. Others rep.
resent Cain as asking his brother to
go away from the home into lonely
field for the purpose of doing evil to
him. Cain slew him." Whether
he intended to kill. or struck blow
in anger, and the result was more
than he expected. we do not know.
Am | My Brothers Keeper?-Only
Cain-like men ask Gains question. We
all are our brothers keepers. God has
made the circles of family, friendship,
acquaintance, race, humanity, SO that
each of us has an influence in them,
and we are responsible for that influ-
ence No one lives or dies to himself.
And God gives us wealth, position, in
tellect, not for ourselves alone, but
that we may be better keepers of our
brother. Cd We are keepers of our
brothers, not by debating to them, but
by brotherly love; (2) by helping
them, as the good Samaritan, or as
the righteous in Matt. 25:31-46; CD by
considering their welfare in all our
business relations; (4) by using every
influence for their good, doing to 9TH
eTS III ali TtldIlOHS DIS we WOulu lHdJ
they should do unto u.s."
The Voice of Abel Still Heard
1.-The blood that speaketh better things
than that of Abel" Heb. 1920. HE
being dead yet speaketh" Heb. 11:D.
Here is a fine picture of Abers work
He is living and speaking down all
the centuries one long triumphal
march, scattering blessed gems of
truth to all ages. like Prince Siddartha
in his fathers dream in The Light of
Asia.
Gains punishment consisted ~ in
the strengthening of his evil charac-
ter. He added lying and selfishness to
murder. GU He set himself in opposi-
ton to God and his laws, changing
from the light of blessings to the evils
that are the necessary consequences
of defying Gods laws. (3) His life
work was a failure. (4) He lost the
blessings of companionship with the
good. He was lonely, estranged from
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