Cain and his death in the bible. Cain and Abel - the biblical story of the brothers. Continuation of the parking example

One of the chapters of the Bible tells about the brothers Cain and Abel - the elder and younger sons of Adam and Eve. It is known that the elder brother killed the younger - this was the first murder of one person by another in history. Rereading the pages of the Holy Book, a person never gets an answer to the question: ? Banished from Paradise for committing sin, Adam and Eve found themselves in a world similar to the one in which people live today. For the first time they learned about the suffering of people, in this world everyone was mortal. They had an eldest son, Cain, and then a younger son, Abel.

Each of them chose his own path in life. Cain began to cultivate the land and grow bread on it, Abel tended sheep. Both of them sincerely worshiped the Almighty. When the time came to confirm their love for the Creator by making a sacrifice to him, both did it without hesitation. Cain put the seeds of the harvest on the sacrificial place, Abel brought a young lamb. But the Almighty accepted the gift of only Abel, sacred fire descended on his gift and the smoke rose straight into the sky. Smoke drifted from Cain's sacrifice along the ground. Cain did not show humility, was filled with anger. His face changed, darkened. Seeing this, the Lord began to admonish Cain to come to terms with his will, not to commit evil deeds.

But Cain's mind was clouded, he thought only of revenge for the offense. By cunning luring Abel to a deserted place, Cain kills his brother. And there is no remorse for your deed. Cain thinks only about how to hide the committed crime from everyone. He even forgets that the Lord sees everything and knows about all his actions. The merciful God gives him the opportunity to repent by asking where Abel is. But there is no repentance. Cain replies that he is not obliged to keep an eye on his brother. Having lied to the Lord, he is rejected by them. As a punishment, the Lord puts on him the mark of immortality, which makes him an eternal wanderer. Cains are now called vile people capable of low deeds.

Why did Cain kill his brother Abel? Cain did not understand the choice of the Most High, before Cain there was no guilt of Abel. Many believe that Cain was guided by a feeling of envy for his brother, who had a softer disposition than, perhaps, won over to God. This assumption is consistent with the opinion of adherents of the Muslim faith.

There are other assumptions, why Cain killed his brother Abel... Christianity claims that Abel lived according to righteous laws, therefore his gift was accepted by the Lord. Cain's thoughts were evil. There was no sincere love for the Almighty in his sacrifice. Therefore, his sacrifice was rejected. The test to which the Lord Cain was subjected, confirmed the wickedness and envy of his character. He could not defeat his pride, resign himself to the will of God, which caused the tragedy.

The stories in Scripture are confirmed by life. In various situations, a person is faced with a choice whether to succumb to temptation and commit a vile act, or to be merciful to his neighbor, forgiving him human weaknesses. There is an assumption that Abel was much stronger than his brother physically. After Cain's attack on Abel, Cain began to beg for mercy. Merciful Abel released his brother, and he killed him.

But whatever versions and assumptions about why Cain killed his brother Abel, did not exist, the conclusion suggests itself that the feeling of envy of Cain for Abel is the main reason for fratricide. After reading the first few dozen chapters of Holy Scripture, we learn the secret of the origin of man, delve into our inner world. The secrets of the creation of plants, animals and, most importantly, man are revealed to us.

This is a story about the second generation of people. They were the first to be born on earth, and not supernaturally created. Their names were Cain and Abel. History has made their names a household name.

Not much time has passed since the fall of Adam and Eve... Wanting to regain the lost communion with God, they lived following the first commandments: to have dominion over animals, to cultivate the land and give birth to children.

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How it all happened

The two eldest sons, Cain and Abel, became their consolation and helpers. The first was engaged in agriculture, the second preferred cattle breeding. Both brothers offered sacrifices to God from the fruits of their labor. But only the younger's gift was accepted. The elder, angry, lured Abel into the field and killed him there.

God called Cain and asked where his brother was. But he answered insolently, declaring in response that he was not a keeper for his brother. But the Lord already knew about the first crime committed on earth. And His sentence was harsh: from that moment on, the murderer does not receive strength from the earth, but still becomes a wanderer and an exile. Cain considers such a punishment very harsh, he is afraid that for his crime anyone who meets on his way will also kill him. But God makes a mark on the forehead of the first murderer and informs that the one who killed Cain will be rewarded seven times more.

And the eldest son went far away, to the land of Nod, where God gave him a wife, from whom the descendants of Cain went.

And Adam and Eve had other children who began to call on the name of God, that is, they were pious.

Questions and answers

This simple story still raises many questions. And the most important of them:

Why Cain killed Abel

Indeed, what happened between the brothers? After all, the Bible does not say that they quarreled or had a hostile relationship. Even the occupations of Cain and Abel were different and could hardly communicate often. Having conceived to kill the younger brother, the elder called him into the field, and he went. Hence, he could not even imagine how it would turn out for him. There was no discord between the brothers.

All interpretations call the cause of the tragedy envy. Indeed, envy may be absolutely invisible externally, but its results are destructive to human relations. She became the cause of many crimes, wars, tragedies. Cain envied his brother that his offering was accepted by God and was unable to cope with his feelings.

Why God Didn't Accept Cain's Gift

Any Bible commentator points out that it is not the sacrifice made by a person that is pleasing to God, but the feeling with which a person makes it. And the gospel story about a widow who put only two small coins in the temple piggy bank is a confirmation of this. Christ says about her that since the woman gave all her daily food, her gift is more valuable than all others. Only through great love can you give what you yourself really need and it was such a sacrifice, with love, that was pleasing to God. Its material expression does not matter.

Abel brought "from the firstborn" and from "their fat". This means that he brought the best he had and that his offering was loving.

It is written about Cain that he brought "from the fruits of the earth", without specifying the quality and quantity. Most likely, he just separated some part, not choosing especially. This approach indicates the negligence of the elder brother in relation to God, the lack of reverence for his Creator. That is why his sacrifice was not accepted..

How the brothers determined whose sacrifice was accepted

In all Old Testament times, the main method of sacrifice was to put a gift on a stone altar and set it on fire. Traditions and interpreters report that when Abel's sacrifice was burned, the smoke from it rose up. Cain's smoke drifted across the ground. In various pictures and engravings for this story, this is exactly how it is reflected.

What was Cain's punishment

The punishment for the first murder was very severe:

• God cursed the first killer
• Cain will no longer receive strength from the earth,
• become an eternal exile.

Not getting strength from the ground meant that from now on, agriculture will be an even more difficult trade. If Adam, as a punishment, was assigned that he must work in order to obtain food, then for his son from now on this work became not only diligent, but often not entirely successful. So that the results are enough only for existence, but not for prosperity.

God makes the first killer an eternal exile, that is, completely deprives him of communication with his parents and himself. And this is probably even worse. People need to communicate, share thoughts, feelings, hopes. If a person is deprived of such an opportunity, then he may even go crazy from loneliness. So Cain says that his punishment is greater than he can bear.

In addition, he fears that anyone he meets could kill him. But God puts a mark on his forehead and says that the killer of Cain will be avenged sevenfold. If you remember that in those days people lived for a thousand years, Cain's punishment seems absolutely terrible. For a thousand years, wandering the earth, deprived of communication with the most dear people, eating poorly, enduring various disasters and diseases and not even having the opportunity to die so that it all ends.

Although God, by his mercy, nevertheless gives the elder brother a wife and children.

Who Cain Married

At the time of the events described, there are only 4 people on earth:

• Adam,
• Cain,
• Abel.

Where did Cain's wife come from? The fact that Scripture does not mention other people does not mean that they were not there. Perhaps they were created from the earth, like Adam, maybe this wife was also created from the flesh of her husband, like Eve. But if God created the whole earth, plants, animals and people, what could prevent him from increasing the population in both natural and supernatural ways?

How did it happen that some parents had such different children: the pious meek Abel and the envious, capable of killing Cain? Of course, in our time we can see how children in one family have radically different characters. But every modern person has thousands of different ancestors behind him, and no one can say with certainty whose genes will dominate in each particular person.

The first brothers had only a father and mother, who were, in fact, one flesh, respectively, they could not have different genes. Abel and Cain, too, could take an example only from their parents, who throughout their subsequent life tried to atone for the sin he had committed, which means they were very virtuous. There was no influence of the environment, that is, the brothers could not get into different surroundings, because there were no other people.

The Bible says that God gave man free will... People live and become what they themselves want to be. Original sin distorted human nature, but if you try, it is possible to influence this process. God Himself speaks directly to his elder brother: “If you don’t do good, then sin lies at the door. He attracts you to him, but you dominate him. " That is, it is a matter of inner work on oneself. Abel coped with this task, but Cain did not.

The story of the conflict between Cain and Abel you can read it not only in the Bible. There are similar legends in other beliefs. And there are many versions of the origin of these legends. According to one of them, the description of the first murder is a story about the relationship between the first farmers and livestock breeders, who were at enmity with each other. Everyone chooses what to read and what to believe... But one thing is for sure: this story is very instructive and will raise many more interesting questions.

The first children Cain and Abel made sacrifices. Abel sacrificed a lamb, in which there was grief and blood when he was killed, and Cain brought vegetables, in which there was no grief and blood. The Lord accepted Abel's sacrifice, but Cain did not accept the sacrifice and Cain got angry and killed his brother. Why did Cain kill Abel? To answer this question you need to look at anger, where did we get it from?

If we look at the difference between the lives of Cain and Abel, we will see a distinctive feature in the fact that Abel walked by mortifying sinful flesh, about Cain cultivating its properties. And this is the opposite of doing the Lord's works, which are designated as evil works and righteous works:

(1 John 3: 11,12)

To understand the difference between righteous deeds and evil deeds, let us answer ourselves to the following questions:

1. How did sin appear in a person's heart?
2. What is suffering or baptism of fire for?
3. What is the difference between righteous deeds and evil deeds?
4. Why can't we forget the omnipotence of the Lord?

1. HOW DOES SIN COME IN HUMAN HEART?

Check out Genesis 3: 1-21

1 The serpent was more cunning than all the beasts of the field, which the Lord God made. And the serpent said to his wife, Has God truly said, Do not eat of any tree in paradise?
2 And the wife said to the serpent, We may eat the fruits of the trees,
3 only of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of paradise, God said, do not eat them or touch them, lest you die.
4 And the serpent said to his wife, No, you will not die,
5 But God knows that on the day you taste them, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods knowing good and evil.
6 And the woman saw that the tree is good for food, and that it is pleasing to the eyes and desirable, because it gives knowledge; And she took of its fruit and ate; And she gave also to her husband, and he ate.
7 And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.
8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in paradise during the coolness of the day; and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of paradise.
9 And the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, Where are you?
10 He said: I heard your voice in Paradise, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.
11 And he said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you not eaten from the tree from which I have forbidden you to eat?
12 Adam said, The wife you gave me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.
13 And the Lord God said to his wife, Why have you done this? The wife said: The serpent deceived me, and I ate.
14 And the Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, you are cursed before all cattle and before all the beasts of the field; you will walk in your belly, and you will eat dust all the days of your life;
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. it will hit you in the head, and you will sting it in the heel.
16 To his wife he said: By multiplying I will multiply your affliction in your pregnancy; in illness you will bear children; and your desire is for your husband, and he will rule over you.
17 And he said to Adam, Because you listened to your wife's voice and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, saying: Do not eat of it, cursed is the land for you. with sorrow you will eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles she will bring forth for you; and you will eat the grass of the field;
19 In the sweat of your face you will eat bread, until you return to the ground from which you were taken, for dust you are, and to dust you will return.
20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve, for she became the mother of all living.

(Genesis 3: 1-21)

This is how the tragedy of mankind began, when instead of the properties of the Lord's love: joy, patience, meekness, mercy, etc. (Gal 5,22-23), they acquired the properties of demons and the devil himself.

22 But the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, mercy, faith,
23 meekness, abstinence. There is no law on those.
24 But those who are Christ's crucified the flesh with passions and lusts.
(Gal. 5: 22-24)

The first was disobedience to the Father. We and our children have inherited the weakness of the body for this sin. We disobeyed our parents, our children disobey us. The second sin was death, which people did not have before the fall. The third sin was shame, and they made themselves garments from fig leaves. The fourth sin was fear, which people did not have before. Further resistance and hostility. When the Lord asked Adam why he ate the forbidden fruit, he did not go to repentance, but angrily replied that the fruit was given by Eve, which the Lord had created. Assume that it is Your own fault. This was followed by a curse.

The descendants of Adam and Eve were to use suffering as a means of cleansing their souls from the devil's inheritance. Abel went this way and his sacrifice was accepted. Kain went the opposite way and was doomed. All mankind of the earth, along with Noah and his family, went along the Cain path. The Lord saw that humanity neglected this medicine for salvation and they were brought up to the place of mortification of sinful properties:

4 At that time there were giants on earth, especially since the time when the sons of God began to enter the daughters of men, and they began to give birth to them: these are strong, glorious people from ancient times.
5 And the Lord saw that the corruption of men on earth was great, and that all the thoughts and thoughts of their hearts were evil at all times;
6 And the Lord repented that he had made man on earth, and grieved in his heart.
7 And the Lord said, I will destroy from the face of the earth the men whom I have created, from man to cattle, and creeping things and birds of the air, for I have repented that I made them.
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
(Genesis 6: 4-8)

To neglect the gift of the Lord - sorrow, for salvation and instead of mortifying sinful properties to cultivate them, there is a great evil in the eyes of the Lord God, the Lord of heaven and earth. And the Lord saw that the corruption of men on earth is great, and that all the thoughts and thoughts of their hearts were evil at all times; and the Lord repented that he had made man on earth, and grieved in his heart. The Lord destroyed humanity with a flood.

For us, people of the end times, warnings are written in the New Testament so that we do not neglect the sufferings of the Cross and choose the path of growing them to the place of mortification of sinful lusts:

3 Beloved! having all the zeal to write to you about common salvation, I considered it necessary to write you an exhortation - to strive for the faith that was once betrayed to the saints.
4 For certain people have crept in, who from ancient times were destined for this condemnation, the wicked, turning the grace of our God into [a pretext for] debauchery, and rejecting the one Sovereign God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 I want to remind you, who already know this, that the Lord, having delivered the people from the land of Egypt, then destroyed those who did not believe,
6 and the angels, who did not retain their dignity, but left their dwelling place, he keeps in eternal bonds, under darkness, at the judgment of the great day.
7 How Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, like them who committed the fornication and walked after other flesh, being subjected to the punishment of eternal fire, are set as an example, -
8 So it will be with these dreamers, who defile the flesh, reject principalities, and curse high authorities.
9 Michael the Archangel, when he spoke with the devil, arguing about the body of Moses, did not dare to pronounce the reproachful judgment, but said: "May the Lord forbid you."
10 But these speak evil of that which they do not know; what by nature, like dumb animals, they know, thus they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe to them, for they walk in the way of Cain, give themselves over to the deception of wages, like Balaam, and perish in stubbornness like Korah.
(Jude 1: 3-11)

From these teachings recorded in the Holy Scripture, we see how, due to the deception of a person by the devil, he adopted demonic properties: disobedience, death, shame, fear, rebellion, etc. But we see the compassion and love of the Lord, who hastened to the rescue of the fallen man and the blood of lambs created an antidote - suffering, which by accepting one can free oneself from the devilish properties and return the properties of the Lord's love to their place.

Man has been given the free will to use these antidotes or to act against the will of the Lord and grow them for his own destruction in the place of mortification of sinful properties. These two paths are called the Cain path and the Abel path.

13 Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the path leading to destruction is wide, and many walk by it;
14 For narrow is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few find it.
(Matthew 7:13, 14)

2. WHAT IS THE BAPTISM OF FIRE NEEDED FOR?

11 I baptize you in water for repentance, but he who follows me is stronger than me; I am not worthy to bear His shoes; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire;
(Matthew 3:11)

Christians of our day need to pay more attention not only to the baptism with the Holy Spirit, which we receive at the new birth.

But also to the fiery baptism, which is the way of cleansing from the sinful properties inherited from the fallen Adam.

A loving God hurried to the salvation of mankind and dressed Adam and Eve with leather clothes.

7 And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.
(Genesis 3: 7)
21 And the Lord God made for Adam and his wife coats of skins, and clothed them.
(Genesis 3:21)

The blood was shed and the sorrow of the lambs went to heaven. The Lord created a medicine that destroys the devil's legacy and in place of it reproduces the properties of the Lord's love. The first sons of Adam and Eve made sacrifices. The Lord accepted Abel's sacrifice for he sacrificed a lamb - sorrow and blood. But Kaina did not accept the sacrifice, for he donated vegetables.

John the Baptist spoke of the coming of our Lord and King as coming to baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire. The Jews leaving the Egyptian captivity were accompanied by a cloud - a symbol of the Holy Spirit and a pillar of fire - a symbol of fiery baptism.

In the New Testament we find the continuation of the sacrifice, which is suffering and a medicine that destroys the devil's legacy:

5 Put your members to death, then: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil lust, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
6 for which the wrath of God comes against the sons of disobedience,
7 in which you too once were converted, when you lived between them.
8 But now you put away everything: anger, anger, anger, slander, foul language of your lips;
9 do not tell lies to one another, putting aside the old man with his deeds
10 and putting on a new one, which is renewed in knowledge in the image of Him who created it,
11 where there is no Greek, no Jew, no circumcision, no uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but Christ is all and in all.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, saints and beloved, in mercy, kindness, humility of mind, meekness, longsuffering.
13 condescending one another and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against whom: as Christ forgave you, so you.
14 Most of all [put on] love, which is the totality of perfection.
(Col. 3: 5-14)

Thus, we see that there are two ways of living a Christian: after the regeneration from the Holy Spirit.

THE NARROW WAY OF SACRIFICE

1 So I implore you, brethren, by the mercy of God, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, [for] your reasonable service,
2 and do not conform to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may know what the will of God is, good, acceptable and perfect.
(Rom. 12: 1,2)

A Christian can follow the path of Abel with the sacrifice of suffering to destroy the anger in himself. This is the way of doing the works of the Lord's grace.

(Rom. 5: 3-5)

A WIDE ROAD TO DEATH

38 and whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
39 He who has saved his soul will lose it; but he who has lost his soul for my sake will save it.
(Matthew 10: 38,39)

Coming to the Lord's supper, we remember the Lord's instruction to remember suffering as a medicine for the properties of the devil's nature.

Cain and Abel offered sacrifices. Kain was faithful to himself to serve the Lord without suffering and blood. His sacrifice was not accepted, for the Lord determines that such labors are evil in His eyes. These are the works of the curse of the law, which the Pharisees diligently carried out. Abel brought a lamb with blood and suffering and his sacrifice was accepted.

Does the New Testament record the reason why Cain killed Abel?

11 For this is the gospel that you have heard from the beginning, that we love one another,
(1 John 3: 11,12)

The Apostle Paul with a grieving heart writes about the Philippians, whom many became enemies of the cross of Christ:

17 Imitate me, brethren, and behold those who walk in the image that you have in us.
18 For many, of whom I have often spoken to you, and now speak even with tears, are acting as enemies of the cross of Christ.
19 Their end is destruction, their god is the womb, and their glory is in shame, they think about the earthly.
(Phil. 3: 17-19)

The Apostle Jude writes that such went the way of Cain:

11 Woe to them, for they walk in the way of Cain, give themselves over to deceiving wages, like Balaam, and perish in stubbornness like Korah.
(Jude 1:11)

OUTPUT

We asked the question: What is the baptism of fire necessary for? The answer is clear. There are two ways: narrow to salvation and wide to destruction.

Narrow to salvation - there is Abel's path of suffering or fiery baptism, which destroys the properties of sinful flesh inherited from fallen Adam and creates the properties of the Lord's love.

The wide path to destruction is the Kain path, opposite to the first. This path without suffering is only outward religiosity, designated as the curse of the law. Sinful properties are not destroyed, but cultivated.

3. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE OF RIGHT FROM CASES OF EVIL?

12 not like Cain, [who] was of the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, but his brother's deeds were righteous.
(1 John 3:12)

From the teachings of Holy Scripture it is clear that anger can be destroyed by the medicine given to us from the Lord - suffering. Several hundred sufferings for Christ and anger will not remain. But there is also the opposite way. It is to neglect the Lord's medicine and instead of mortifying the devil's heritage in us, to cultivate them.

(Hebrews 6: 7.8)

Anger can be burned and rid of it. To do this, you need to take the Lord's medicine - suffering. There is another way. Rejecting God's medicine is suffering and growing her anger even more.

An example with parking a car.

Here is just one example from my life. Today I arrived at the home group and parked the car by the side of the road, as I often did. A man appeared from a neighboring house and began yelling that I should park the car in another place, because I stood opposite his exit from his yard and this interferes with his passage.

The "devil's legacy" - hostility and anger was immediately excited in my heart. After all, a person can be controlled at his own discretion on his site, but not on the street, especially since there was no sign restricting the stop of the car. I objected that I saw no reason to move the car, because there was plenty of room to leave his yard. In response to these words, a car driven by a woman appeared from his yard and without any hardships, freely drove and left. You see, I say, the woman just drove by.

But anger and rebellion raged in my heart. There was also gloating that his arguments about the inconvenience of leaving the courtyard were unfounded, for a woman had just passed by. But the Holy Spirit reminded me that the course of my feelings and thoughts is carnal, Cain.

We need to distinguish between these two opposite streams:

13 Is any of you wise and wise? Prove it really by good behavior with wise meekness.
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and contentiousness in your heart, do not boast and do not lie against the truth.
15 This is not wisdom descending from above, but earthly, spiritual, demonic,
16 For where jealousy and contentiousness are, there is confusion and all evil.
17 But the wisdom that comes down from above is, first, pure, then peaceful, modest, obedient, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and unhypocritical.
18 The fruit of righteousness in the world is sown by those who keep the peace.
(James 3: 13-18)

Remembering these Scriptures, at some moment I felt the filth of the devil's inheritance and carnal thinking in my heart, which is the opposite of the Lord.

5 For those who live according to the flesh are mindful of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit are mindful of the spiritual.
6 To be fleshly minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 because carnal mind is enmity against God; for they do not obey the law of God, nor can they.
8 Therefore those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
(Rom. 8: 5-8)

Yes, in truth, sinful flesh cannot submit to the Lord's commandment to love the enemy, and if you are forced to walk two mile. Sinful flesh can only be mortified in suffering, so that, through much suffering, it can achieve its complete destruction:

1 Therefore, as Christ suffered flesh for us, you too will arm yourself with the same thought; for he who suffers in the flesh ceases to sin,
2 so that the rest of the time in the flesh to live no longer according to human lusts, but according to the will of God.
(1 Pet. 4: 1,2)

Our Lord Jesus Christ set an example of sacrifice and endured to the end, until the death of the cross. He did not swear at the intruders, but on the contrary, asked the Heavenly Father to pity them, for they do not know what he is doing.

The apostle Paul points us to this example:

3 Do nothing out of ambition or vanity, but out of humility, honor each other as superior to yourself.
4 Do not take care of yourself [only] each one, but each also about others.
5 For the same feeling must be in you as in Christ Jesus:
6 He, being in the image of God, did not consider it a robbery to be equal to God;
7 but he humbled himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming like men, and looking like a man;
8 He humbled Himself, being obedient even to death, and the death of the cross.
9 Therefore God also exalted him and gave him a name that is higher than every name,
10 so that every knee of heavenly, earthly, and hell may bow before the name of Jesus,
11 and every tongue has confessed that it is Lord Jesus Christ to the glory of God the Father.
(Phil. 2: 3-11)

For the same feeling must be in you as in Christ Jesus.

The hallmark of sacrifice is suffering. When Cain and Abel offered sacrifices, the Lord accepted Abel's sacrifice, for there was suffering. Cain sacrificed vegetables in which there is no suffering and therefore his sacrifice was turned away.

Suffering- there is a means that destroys sinful properties: fear, disbelief, pride, greed, envy, resistance, etc., in order to acquire the properties of the Holy Spirit instead: love, joy, calmness, mercy, and more.

Symbol of Suffering- there is a cross and, coming to the Lord's supper, we remember our duty to go through sorrows as a cleansing and healing remedy.

The Apostle Paul points out this very clearly:

5 For if we are united to him in the likeness of his death, we must be [united] and in the [likeness of] resurrection,
6 knowing that our old man was crucified with Him, so that the body of sin might be abolished, so that we should no longer be slaves to sin;
7 for he who is dead is freed from sin.
(Rom. 6: 5-7)

Continuation of the parking example.

This whole test lasted two or three minutes. I realized that in this test I can only do two things. Or mortify your sinful flesh: show humility and fulfill the will of the one asking in order to move to another place. With humility in this test, destroy another fortress to the Promised Land, following the goal until you are completely freed from the properties of sinful flesh.

1 Therefore let us be afraid that, when there is still a promise to enter into His rest, one of you may not be late.
2 For it was announced to us also, as to those; but the word they heard did not benefit them, not mixed with the faith of those who heard.
3 But we who have believed enter into rest, because He said: “I have sworn in My anger that they will not enter My rest,” although [His] works were accomplished even in the beginning of the world.
4 For nowhere is it spoken about the seventh [day] thus: and God rested on the seventh day from all His works.
5 And here again: "they will not enter into my rest."
(Hebrews 4: 1-5)

I could have acted the opposite - proudly, for the truth was on my side and made another enemy for myself. But the main thing is that my sinful flesh would grow by one fortress. In this test, I would be an adulterer and an enemy of the Lord:

1 Where did you get your enmity and strife? is it not from here, from your lusts, which are at war in your members?
2 If you wish and do not have; you kill and envy - and you cannot achieve; you quarrel and quarrel - and do not have, because you do not ask.
3 You ask and you do not receive, because you ask not for good, but in order to use it for your lusts.
4 Adulters and adulterers! do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity against God? So, whoever wants to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
5 Or do you think that it is in vain that the Scripture says: "The spirit that dwells in us loves to jealousy"?
6 But the more grace gives; therefore it is said: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God; Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you; cleanse your hands, sinners, correct hearts, double-minded.
9 Be distressed, weep and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into sorrow.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
(James 4: 1-10)

CONCLUSION ON THE DIFFERENCE OF CASES RIGHT AND EVIL

12 not like Cain, [who] was of the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, but his brother's deeds were righteous.
(1 John 3:12)

From the teachings of Holy Scripture it is clear that anger can be destroyed by the medicine given to us from the Lord - suffering. Several hundred sufferings because of Christ and anger will not remain. But there is also the opposite way. It is to neglect the Lord's medicine and, instead of killing the devil's heritage in us, to grow them.

That is the difference between righteous deeds and evil deeds:

7 The land that drinks the rain that falls on it many times and grows a grain useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God;
8 but one that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is close to damnation, whose end is burning.
(Hebrews 6: 7.8)

SECOND CERTIFICATE

Read the passage 1 Pet. 3: 7-12

7 Likewise, you husbands, treat your wives wisely, as with a weaker vessel, showing them honor, as joint heirs of a graceful life, so that you will not be hindered in your prayers.
8 Finally, be all of one mind, compassionate, brotherly, merciful, friendly, humble;
9 Do not return evil for evil, or curse for curse; on the contrary, bless, knowing that you are called to this, in order to inherit the blessing.
10 For whoever loves life and wants to see good days, keep his tongue from evil and his mouth from crafty speech;
11 shy away from evil and do good; seek peace and strive for it,
12 For the eyes of the Lord [are turned] to the righteous and his ears to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil (to destroy them from the earth).
(1 Peter 3: 7-12)

The word of the Lord is that husbands love their wives.

No man in the world can love a wife when she resists his will, until he is purified through many sufferings. This is a fact, and if someone is engaged in outdoor window dressing, then he just needs to take a closer look at the two people in the sanctuary. One was a Pharisee, the other was a mitar (Luke 18: 9-12).

Examples of superficial religiosity.

The brother, who was in an enemy relationship with his ex-wife, believed. Already elderly, having passed over sixty years, they lived in one large stone house, dividing the floors through the court. This house had two fronts. He is a father and husband, who worked and built this house all his life and an ex-wife with his daughter and her family. The brother's resentment against his wife, who ruined her life and wanted to take away through court and a roof over her head, was great. From the very first days we began to study so that he could learn to love his wife and overcome all bad things with kindness and love. The brother tried, but could not, and almost every day he fell from his wife's sarcasm. After all, they are divorced and live separately.

Somehow, he was going to help her cut the logs brought for firewood. I called a friend and began to saw logs using an electric craze. It was possible to cope with the thinner ones, but it was difficult to take the thick ones in two and fill them with craze. The brother, knowing that his wife has a chainsaw, asked her to give him for cutting thick logs. The wife regretted the expensive foreign instrument and refused to give it, citing that it belongs to the daughter's husband and could not give it without his knowledge. My brother knew it was a lie, but he swallowed the bitter pill and went on to work. It was time for dinner, but no one invited to the table, and here the brother's patience ran out. He approached his wife and began to shame her for doing worse than a vicious enemy. In their area, the hostesses, even hiring assistants to cut firewood for money, have the custom of preparing dinner. And she, to people helping her with a gift, from a good heart, did not even offer a cup of tea. They gave up the work they had begun and parted with a grieving heart.

At this home group meeting, I was forced to stop my brother from his tirade of condemning his wife. He needed to switch his thinking from condemnation to justification. Two sisters stood up for him, who felt sorry for their brother and said that where they say he would talk about his troubles, if not among brothers and sisters.

It is possible to speak out, but it is important to distinguish between the flow of the spiritual and the carnal.

If a brother could tell how he received the Lord's test with his wife when cutting wood and that he could not stand this test and, for the sake of sinful flesh, was finally angry. If he would say that it is a pity for his wife, who, while still in the power of Satan and sin, cannot do otherwise, then I would understand his feelings. But he spoke against the command of the Lord to love his wife and treat her as a weaker vessel.

The test must be passed, and not grumble like a Jew in the desert where they were killed. It is written:

(James 1: 12-15)

But the brother did not see the beam in his own eye, but he saw the twigs in the wife's eye.

1 Do not judge, lest you be judged,
2 for with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with what measure you mete, it will be measured to you also.
3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not feel the beam in your own eye?
4 Or how will you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” and behold, there is a log in your eye?
5 Hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see how to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
(Matthew 7: 1-5)

Brother "from birth" was three years old and he still did not understand in practice the meaning of suffering as a cleansing fire from devilish properties. He did not understand that he had to repent for his carnal, Cain's behavior in order to kill anger, about not growing it in his relationship with his wife.

The Bible records the golden rule:

12 So in all that you want people to do to you, so do you to them, for in this is the law and the prophets.
(Matthew 7:12)

Reading this saying of the Lord, one involuntarily ponders. How many fiery tests must be passed in order for a brother to forgive his wife and begin to love her. Any person will respond to love with love. But if he only sticks to superficial religiosity, which in practice is a by-law curse, then his anger will not diminish, but on the contrary will increase.

I remembered a recent conversation with a believer who was baptized ten years ago. She truly wondered what was happening to her mother. After the death of her father, she moved to live with her with her husband and son. Ten years of living together passed, and according to her, the mother became worse and worse in relation to her own daughter. From the speech of the Christian woman, it was not difficult to understand that she spoke negatively about her mother and therefore was under the curse of the law.

What does it mean to be under the curse of the law?

The answer is simple. There are righteous and evil deeds. If a person has confused the Will of the Lord. Instead of accepting suffering in an undeserved accusation as a medicine for liberation from diabolical properties and conquering evil with good, instead of a blessing, it creates a curse:

5 so the tongue is a small member, but it does a lot. Look how a small fire kindles how much substance!

(James 3: 5.6)

This curse surrounds all of her being and she herself lives in it. The sister spoke negatively about her mother and was now casting a curse on her relationship with her mother. She did not see and did not understand this. This is called - be under the law of damnation, for it comes through our mouth:

10 From the same mouth comes a blessing and a curse: it ought not, my brethren, for this to be so.
(James 3:10)

When we were examining this case, I said that a brother can never overcome the evil of his wife with kindness and love if he does not ask the Lord for understanding to understand the differences between evil and good works, the difference between grace and the ordained curse.

THIRD CERTIFICATE

In a home group, one sister said in surprise: "After all, your sermon shows that for many years I followed the path of Cain and did not understand it."

She shared her example. She was lucky. Finally, she managed to bake a cake that had never been baked before. In the morning, she rejoiced at her luck and asked her husband to cut it beautifully. The husband, not understanding her desire, cut the cake in his own way. When the wife saw that the cake was cut not into different parts, but into triangles, and not into long strips, she was numb with grief. An avalanche of indignation followed from these emotions. As the saying goes, the mood spoiled for the whole day.

This was followed by the preparation of a special filling for the cake and she prepared everything. The phone rang and she hurried to it, instructed her daughter to put in a little honey and mix everything thoroughly. When she returned, she was again upset and outraged because her daughter put two tablespoons of honey in the place of a teaspoon. This changes the taste of the fill. The daughter received a dose of reproaches and accusations for her negligence.

The sister was surprised that not through suffering, but for many years, she acted like Cain. She did not put to death sinful lusts, but nurtured them.

How dangerous are inflammations of lust. We can see this from the examples in the Bible.

Next, we traced what it means to be a disciple of Christ and understand that after being born of the Holy Spirit, one must take the path of purification. In suffering, one should not grumble, but thank for it, for this is the acceptance of the antidote to the properties of the devil's heritage. We need to come to perfect cleansing so that the Holy Name of the Lord may be glorified in our bodies. On this path, we must not forget the omnipotence of our Lord Jesus Christ.

20 And in the big house there are vessels not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and earthen; and some in honor and others in low use.
21 So whoever is clean of this will be a vessel of honor, sanctified and useful to the Master, fit for every good deed.
(2 Timothy 2: 20.21)

4. WHY CANNOT FORGET THE LORD'S Omnipotence?

29 Are not two little birds being sold for an assarius? And not one of them will fall to the ground without [the will] of your Father;
30 But the hairs of your head are all numbered;
(Matthew 10: 29,30)

This verse describes the Lord's omnipotence over the rulership of the earth in great detail, including counting the hairs on our heads.

Let's go back to the examples described above.

The first thing that the brother should understand is that the test with his wife, when cutting wood, does not occur without the will of the Lord. When baking a cake, a sister should not forget that it was not without the will of the Lord that the husband cut the cake not at her will and the daughter put in two tablespoons of honey not without the will of the Lord. Why is this so? Answer on the topic.

The children of the Lord must walk the path of suffering, which is the antidote to the devil's inheritance. Reading the Holy Scriptures, we see how the Lord cares for his children so that they would be cleansed of the devil's inheritance: anger, irritation, pride, greed, fear, envy, and more and were prepared for eternal cooperation with the Lord.

Let's take a look at the power of the Lord with the people of Israel:

Check out Exodus 14: 1-14

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
2 Tell the children of Israel to turn and camp before Pi-Hachiroth, between Migdol and between the sea, before Baal-Zephon; in front of him, camp by the sea.
3 And Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They have gone astray in this land; the wilderness has shut them up.
4 But I will harden the heart of Pharaoh, and he will pursue them, and I will show my glory in Pharaoh and in all his army; and the Egyptians know that I am the Lord. And they did so.
5 And it was told to the king of Egypt that the people had fled; And the heart of Pharaoh and his servants turned against this people, and they said, What have we done? Why did they let the Israelites go so that they would not work for us?
6 [Pharaoh] harnessed his chariot, and took his people with him;
7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over all of them.
8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel walked with a high hand.
9 And the Egyptians chased after them, and all the horses with the chariots of Pharaoh, and the horsemen, and all his army, and overtook them who were stationed by the sea, at Pi-Hahiroth before Baal-Zephon.
10 Pharaoh drew near, and the children of Israel looked round, and, behold, the Egyptians were following them: and they were greatly afraid, and the children of Israel cried to the Lord.
11 And they said to Moses, Are there no tombs in Egypt, that you have brought us to die in the wilderness? what did you do to us, bringing us out of Egypt?
12 Isn't that what we said to you in Egypt, saying: Leave us, let us work for the Egyptians? For it is better for us to be in bondage to the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.
13 But Moses said to the people: Do not be afraid, stand still and you will see the salvation of the Lord, which He will bring to you today, for the Egyptians whom you see today will no longer be seen for ever.
14 The Lord will fight for you, but you be calm.
(Ex. 14: 1-14)

We know that the Lord dried up the sea and led the Israelites along the bottom to the other side, and the Egyptians who were chasing them drowned. But we can ask a question, why did the Lord have to frighten the Israelites, who were so frightened by the hardening of the heart of Pharaoh, so that he would chase after this people?

Let's answer this question with the concept of the healing power of sorrow.

Sorrow is a cure for the properties of sinful flesh and therefore, in sorrow, one should not be angry, as a brother was angry with his wife, or a sister for a spoiled cake, but thank the Lord for this test. This is recorded in the Bible:

15 Take heed that no one repays evil for evil to whom; but always seek goodness to each other and to all.
16 Rejoice always.
17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
19 Quench not the Spirit.
(1 Thess. 5: 15-19)

Thus, a disciple of Christ must understand that the Lord has taken up his teaching. All conditions will come from the Lord, even to the smallest detail, and how we act in these conditions depends on us. Either we will come out victorious, having accepted the test of sorrow sent by the Lord, in order to burn sinful flesh, or, on the contrary, we will choose to please the flesh, we will bring it up from it and perish.

12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation, because, having been tested, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him.
13 In temptation, do not say: God is tempting me; because God is not tempted by evil and He Himself does not tempt anyone,
14 but each one is tempted, being carried away and deceived by his own lust;
15 But lust, having conceived, gives birth to sin, but sin that has been completed gives birth to death.
(James 1: 12-15)

THE WINNERS

7 He who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.
8 But the fearful and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and the murderers, and the fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. This is the second death.
(Revelation 21: 7,8)

There are many examples of victory in cleansing suffering in the Bible.

The example of the prophet Daniel.

Let us remember the prophet Daniel, when his enemies set a trap for him with death. They asked the Persian king Darius to issue a decree so that everyone who would ask for something in a month - a man or God, not a king, would be thrown to the lions. Daniel knelt with his requests to the Lord and he did this every day.
Daniel knew about the decree issued and understood that if he kneeled in prayer, he would be thrown into the lions' pit. This is a test of fiery suffering, and realizing that it was from the Lord of heaven and earth, the Lord, he decided to accept the antidote: suffering.

12 Beloved! fiery temptation sent to you for testing, do not shy away, like adventures strange for you,
13 but as you share in Christ's sufferings, rejoice, and even in the manifestation of His glory you will rejoice and triumph.
14 If they revile you for the name of Christ, then you are blessed, for the Spirit of Glory, the Spirit of God rests on you. He is blasphemed by that, and glorified by you.
15 If only one of you does not suffer, as a murderer, or a thief, or a villain, or as an encroachment on someone else's;
(1 Peter 4: 12-15)

And Daniel was not put to shame in the faith of the Lord, for salvation had come:

Read the passage Dan 6: 19-28

19 And in the morning the king arose at dawn and went hastily to the lion's den.
20 And coming to the ditch, with a plaintive voice called Daniel, and the king said to Daniel: Daniel, servant of the living God! Your God, Whom you serve unfailingly, could He save you from the lions?
21 Then Daniel said to the king, King! live forever!
22 My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions, and they did not harm me, because I was clean before Him, and even before you, O king, I did not commit a crime.
23 Then the king rejoiced exceedingly for him and commanded that Daniel be raised out of the den. And Daniel was lifted up out of the den, and no damage was found on him, because he believed in his God.
24 And the king commanded, and those people who accused Daniel were brought in, and cast into the lion's den, as they themselves, and their children and their wives; and they did not reach the bottom of the moat, when the lions took possession of them and crushed all their bones.
25 After that, King Darius wrote to all nations, tribes and languages ​​throughout the whole earth: “Peace be to you, multiply!
26 I have given a command that in every area of ​​my kingdom they should tremble and revere the God of Daniel, for He is the living and enduring God, and His kingdom is indestructible, and His dominion is infinite.
27 He delivers and saves, and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth; He delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. "
28 And Daniel prospered both in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus of Persia.
(Dan 6: 19-28)

Daniel knew the value of the fiery test, which destroys the devilish properties inherited from the fallen Adam. He also knew that there is an opposite way, so that in the place of deliverance from fear and unbelief they grow for their destruction:

(Heb. 10: 32-39)

THE FALL OF SOLOMON

Read on for an excerpt Deut. 29: 18-20

18 May there not be among you a man or a woman, or a race or a tribe, whose heart now turns away from the Lord our God, to walk to serve the gods of those nations; let there be no root between you that grows poison and wormwood,
19 such a person who, having heard the words of this curse, would boast in his heart, saying: "I will be happy, although I will walk according to the will of my heart"; and the one who is well fed with the hungry will be lost in this way;
20 The Lord will not forgive such a person, but immediately the Lord's anger and His fury against such a person will kindle, and all the curse [of this covenant] written in this book will fall on him, and the Lord will blot out his name from high places;
(Deut. 29: 18-20)

In Deuteronomy it is written that serving other gods will be blotted out of the heavenly kingdom. King Solomon, instead of mortifying sinful lusts in suffering, nurtured them and, therefore, departed from the commandments of the Lord:

Check out 3 Kings 11: 1-10

1 And King Solomon loved many foreign women, besides the daughter of Pharaoh, the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Idumeans, the Sidonians, the Hittites,
2 of those nations about which the Lord said to the children of Israel: "Do not enter to them, and let them not enter to you, lest they incline your heart to their gods"; Solomon clung to them with love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines; and his wives corrupted his heart.
4 During the old age of Solomon, his wives bowed his heart to other gods, and his heart was not completely devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father.
5 And Solomon began to serve Astarte, the deity of Sidon, and Milch, the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as David his father did.
7 Then Solomon built a temple for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is in front of Jerusalem, and for Moloch, the abomination of the Ammonites.
8 So he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because he turned his heart away from the Lord God of Israel, who appeared to him twice.
10 and commanded him that he should not follow other gods; but he did not fulfill what the Lord commanded him.
(1 Kings 11: 1-10)

Before the Teacher, the Holy Spirit, revealed this truth to you and me, about two opposite ways: mortifying sinful properties in suffering or cultivating sinful lusts, we could not answer many painful questions.

We often discussed the question of when a Christian's apostasy from the Lord begins. Now everything has become very simple and clear.Our old, sinful flesh cannot obey the will of the Lord, therefore we must joyfully accept the antidote - suffering.

3 And not only by this, but we also boast in sorrows, knowing that patience comes from sorrow,
4 from patience, experience, from experience, hope,
5 but hope does not shame, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
(Rom. 5: 3-5)

Check out Hebrews 10: 32-39

32 Remember your former days, when you, being enlightened, endured a great struggle of suffering,
33 themselves, in the midst of reproaches and sorrows, serving as a spectacle [for others], then taking part in others who were in the same [state];
34 For you also felt sorry for my bonds, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, knowing that you have a better and lasting property in heaven. (1 John 3: 11,12)

We Christians need to distinguish between evil deeds like Cain and righteous deeds like Abel.
Their difference is that in trials we accept grief as an antidote to the devil's legacy. We must believe the Lord that if we take the antidote - sorrow, then after a while we will be cleansed of anger, greed, unbelief, envy, pride, etc., for it is written:

5 I am the vine, and you are the branches; He who abides in Me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.
6 He who does not abide in Me will be cast out like a branch and wither; but such [branches] they gather and cast into the fire, and they are consumed.
7 If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 By this my Father will be glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.
(John 15: 5-8)

But we also need to know the opposite — the evil deeds of Cain. This is serving the Lord by throwing away the labors of suffering. Evil deeds is the direction of the fire of suffering not on your log, in order to burn it, but on your environment, in order to set fire to all being inflamed from hell:

4 Behold, the ships, no matter how great they are and no matter how strong winds are rushing, go with a small rudder wherever the helmsman wants;
5 so the tongue is a small member, but it does a lot. Look how a small fire kindles how much substance!
6 And the tongue is fire, an embellishment of unrighteousness; the tongue is in such a position between our members that it defiles the whole body and inflames the circle of life, being itself inflamed by hell.
(James 3: 4-6)

Not blessing, but cursing - we set fire to all existence and ourselves live in this curse. It's the same with passions. We can burn them in the fire of suffering or grow them to the point that we will no longer be able to get rid of them.

The Lord warned Cain that sin was at the door, but he was powerless in the face of the passion of murder. The Lord warned Solomon twice, but he was powerless to cast off the cultivated sin. Therefore, it is written:

4 For it is impossible - once enlightened, and having tasted the gift of heaven, and become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 and those who have fallen away, to renew again by repentance, when they again crucify the Son of God within themselves and curse [Him].
7 The land that drinks the rain that falls on it many times and grows a grain useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God;
8 but one that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is close to damnation, whose end is burning.
(Hebrews 6: 4-8)

Cain neglected the antidote - sorrow, and died forever from the increased lusts of the devil.

Let us be afraid to cultivate the evil root of the enmity of interfaith strife.

The Lord has commanded us to love our brothers.

11 For this is the gospel that you have heard from the beginning, that we love one another,
12 not like Cain, [who] was of the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, but his brother's deeds were righteous.
(1 John 3: 11,12)

Check out Hebrews 10: 32-39

32 Remember your former days, when you, being enlightened, endured a great struggle of suffering,
33 themselves, in the midst of reproaches and sorrows, serving as a spectacle [for others], then taking part in others who were in the same [state];
34 For you also felt sorry for my bonds, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, knowing that you have a better and lasting property in heaven.
35 So do not leave your hope, which is to be rewarded with great reward.
36 You need patience in order to fulfill the will of God and receive the promise;
37 For a little more, a very little, and the Coming One will come and will not delay.
38 The righteous will live by faith; but if anyone falters, my soul has no delight in him.
39 We are not one of those who hesitate to perish, but [stand] in faith for the salvation of the soul.
(Heb. 10: 32-39)

With the Lord's blessings, Brother Leonidas. Latvia.

The brothers Cain and Abel, the most famous brothers in the Christian religion, are familiar to everyone. Their story while reading the Bible made me think about a lot. About what lesson they taught humanity, how fratricide influenced the fate of descendants. In this article, I will talk about the story of the two brothers and its different interpretations.

Probably, there is no person who has not read this biblical story or heard about it. Just in case, let me remind you what happened between the two legendary brothers, and tell you about the details.

Cain and Abel are two brothers, children of the founders of the entire population of the Earth, the sons of Eve and Adam. They were born after they had eaten the forbidden fruit, and God expelled the couple from the Gardens of Eden.

The Creator instructed his sinned children to engage in hard physical labor, to find food themselves, to take care of food. Cain was engaged in agriculture, and Abel grazed cattle in the meadows.

The story about Cain and Abel describes the legendary fratricide committed on Earth. The planet was still young then, although it underwent many changes and felt all the negative power of the first sin of Adam and Eve. The elder brother was the first to be born on this planet, and the youngest was the first to die on it.

This story is told in the fourth chapter of Genesis.

Why did the murder happen?

The brothers were obliged to sacrifice the fruits of their labor to God. The younger brother gave these gifts sincerely, with a pure heart. He did not feel greedy and was grateful to the Creator, despite his hard lot. Therefore, God received him with gratitude and gave him his favor.

The elder brother gave the fruits of his labors out of duty. He had no love for the Creator, and his gifts were rejected. Full of resentment and envy, in a fit of anger, Cain killed his younger brother. This act was the first terrible crime to desecrate the land.

After the committed fratricide, Cain tried to cover up the traces of the crime, he did not confess to God what he had done. When asked where Abel had disappeared, he replied that he was not following and guarding his brother, therefore he had no idea where he disappeared.

God hoped to receive a confession and make Cain repent, but he chose to hide his sin and wanted to avoid punishment. For this monstrous offense, the creator cursed the killer, saying that the earth would no longer give him fruit and strength. Cain was exiled and doomed to wander forever in the land of Nod.

From that moment on, a period of wanderings and suffering of the elder brother began, which he could not bear. He cried out to God with a request that any person he met on the way should kill him.

In response, God commanded that no one could kill Cain, so as not to receive revenge seven times more than he deserves. Therefore, the life of the elder brother continued in torment and suffering.

How did Cain's wanderings end? Here are the highlights of the Bible's story:

• Cain gave birth to a son named Enoch and became the founder of his family, as well as the city of the same name.
• There is no definite information about Cain's wife. In different sources one can see opinions that his wife was his sister, named Avan, or a girl named Sava.
• The family of Cain has seven tribes. It ceased to exist after the Flood, in which the descendants of the fratricide could not escape.

It is also indicated that the innocent soul of Abel led a horde of other martyrs who persecuted members of the older brother's clan all their lives. His soul could not rest until the clan was completely wiped off the face of the earth.

The meaning of brothers' names

Cain's name symbolizes jealousy in all its forms. Currently, it has become a household name, personifying a person full of evil, meanness, capable of committing a crime against his family members.

Abel is translated from Hebrew as breath, powerful positive life energy. Other sources give a translation from the Akkadian language - "son".

Other interpretations

The story of the two brothers became known to modern society through the study of the oldest manuscripts. The most famous of them was published presumably in 250 BC and is called the "Dead Sea Scrolls".

In this and other historical manuscripts, Abel is presented as the first person to become a victim of a cruel murder, a martyr who atoned for the sin of his parents before God. The image of Cain is presented in the form of a monstrous killer, the personification of evil, its first manifestation in the human world.

There is another opinion of researchers: some of them believe that the legend of the two brothers came from the Sumerians, who wrote about the conflict between farmers and shepherds. The Kabbalah indicates that the elder brother was not the son of Adam, but the fruit of the love of Eve and the angel Samael. In other sources - the devil's offspring, which was born after the adultery of Eve with Satan himself.

Watch a video about the biblical story of two brothers:

Notable facts

This biblical story did not leave researchers and scholars alone. Therefore, over time, many interpretations and interpretations of the first fratricide appeared.

Here are the most interesting ones:

1. In biblical stories, the story of Cain and Abel is not the only one in which God preferred the youngest of the brothers. This event was repeated at least three times - with David, Joseph and Esau.
2. This story has become an archetypal example of fratricide, envy and betrayal. Various interpretations can be found in works of art in almost any art form.
3. In the Middle Ages, there was a legend that the Creator sent his elder brother into exile on the Moon, so that from there he looked after earthly life, yearned for it, but had no opportunity to return. Therefore, people, during the full moon, can take a closer look and see the image of the older brother threatening the younger one.

There is another interesting opinion that the sin committed by Cain became the prerequisite for various wars, the cause of which is blood feud. The author of the opinion believes that the reason for contention is the inequality of people before God and the battle for justice.

CAINE AND ABEL

It was hard for Adam and Eve to part with paradise, but it was even harder for them to get used to work and illness. The animals no longer obeyed and were afraid of them, and the land did not always bring them fruit for food.

Soon, children were born to Adam and Eve. They had two sons: Cain and Abel. The eldest, Cain, was engaged in arable farming, and the youngest, Abel, tended the flock.

One day the brothers wanted to make a sacrifice or gift to God. They made two fires, Cain sprinkled grains of bread on the fire, and Abel put a lamb, and both lit their fires.

Abel brought a gift to God with all his heart, with love and prayer, and therefore the smoke from his fire rose in a straight column to Heaven. Cain offered his sacrifice reluctantly and carelessly and did not pray to God at all, and the smoke from his sacrifice spread on the ground. From this it was clear that the sacrifice of Abel is pleasing to God, and the sacrifice of Cain is unpleasant.

Cain became very annoyed, but instead of praying to God more fervently and asking the Lord to accept the sacrifice from him, Cain envied his brother and killed him out of anger. Then the Lord asked him:

- Cain, where is your brother Abel?

It was God who asked him so that the killer himself would repent and ask for forgiveness. But Cain did not repent and answered boldly:

“I don’t know, am I my brother’s keeper?”

The Lord told him:

- No, you killed your brother, and now you will not find peace for yourself anywhere!

Cain's murder of Abel

Cain was frightened and exclaimed:

- Great is my sin! Now the first person I meet will kill me!

But God said:

- No, I will put on you such a sign that no one will kill you, you will live, and your conscience will always torment you!

Since then, Cain has never been able to lift his face to the sky. Gloomy and pensive, tormented by shame, he never found peace for himself and soon completely left his relatives in a distant land.

Adam and Eve wept and grieved a lot when they learned about the death of Abel. It was the first grievous grief on earth. Now they regretted paradise even more. If they obeyed God, they would live in paradise, and there would not be such a misfortune. God saw their tears and gave them a third son named Seth. He was a kind and gentle boy, and the Lord loved him very much. Cain also had children, but they, like his father, were angry, disrespectful and envious. Cain's children began to be called children of men, because they thought only about the earthly and did not strive for God. Seth's children were pious and turned to their Creator all the time, so they were called the sons of God.

It happens that you too inattentively pray to God, especially before going to bed. But know that God does not listen to inattentive prayer. If you pray, then do it with all your heart, with love for God, then the Guardian Angel will transmit your prayers to Heaven to God and the Lord will willingly fulfill all your requests.