
The children of Adam and Eve
After Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they had to leave the Garden of Eden.
They came together as a couple and also had children. Eve was very proud when she gave birth to her first son, Cain, and shortly after, Abel was born.
God had told them to eat from the fruits of the field. But Cain was not content with merely gathering the fruits through hard work; he cultivated them, and from what he had left over, he offered a sacrifice to God.
Abel, on the other hand, was a shepherd. Sheep provide wool for making clothes, meat, and milk. Abel took one of the best lambs he had to offer it to God as a sacrifice. God knew this was not easy, as young lambs are very tender, and it was surely difficult for Abel to sacrifice one of them.
Thus, God accepted Abel’s offering but rejected Cain’s.
God wants us to have reverence for Him and to offer a sacrifice worthy of His greatness and holiness.
However, Cain did not understand this and reacted with anger and jealousy toward Abel.
God told him that if he acted rightly, he would have no reason to feel that way, and He warned him about sin, which was lying in wait at the door and which he needed to master.
But Cain did not listen to God and had such a heated argument with Abel that, when he had the opportunity in the field, he took a stone and killed him.
God confronted him, for He knew what had happened. Cain replied that he did not know where Abel was and added that he was not his brother’s keeper.
However, God faced him with what he had done and announced his punishment: from that moment on, whatever he cultivated would no longer bear fruit, and he himself would find no rest.
Cain protested, saying that the punishment was too harsh, that God was banishing him, and that anyone could kill him.
Then, God placed a mark on Cain’s forehead so that no one would kill him and that if anyone did, they would bear seven times the guilt.
Thus, Cain left the presence of God, not because God had banished him, but because he himself chose to no longer have a relationship with God.
Afterward, he lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Adam and Eve had another son to replace Abel. His name was Seth, and when Seth had a son of his own, people began to call on the name of the Lord.