CAIN, THE CITY BUILDER 

When questioned by God about his absent brother, Cain showed no fear of God as his parents had done when He sought them; in fact Cain flagrantly lied. This demonstrated a further degeneration of human character in those days. Cain’s sin, so awful in its brutality, was to bring about an even greater separation from God. He was even afraid of being murdered following his dastardly act. However, God in His providence gave him a mark that safeguarded him from those who might seek to retaliate following the murder of Abel.

Eventually, ‘Cain went out from the presence of the LORD’, and lived in the land of Nod, v. 16 (‘Nod’ means wandering). There he put his energies into new things, and in due course built a city, naming it after his son, Enoch, presumably hoping for a settled and civilised future for his offspring in an ordered and beautiful city, v. 17. Now we see the development of the world, in addition to the flesh and the devil, as already seen in connection with Cain.

The Greek word kosmos, sometimes used for ‘the world’ in a derogatory sense, means order and harmonious arrangement. It is man’s collective arrangement of his own affairs, leaving out God, but introducing all the best things that human imagination can invent. In later generations, Cain’s offspring showed many kinds of skills in terms of animal husbandry, as well as developing expertise in music and metal-working. However, social advancement was not matched by spiritual progress, and their part of the world became a place where violence and revenge was commonplace, and even boasted about.

Cain’s actions in his long life-span dictated a particular way of life that, however resourceful, brought no pleasure to God at all, Jude 11. However, Abel in his shortened life had no children and built no cities; nevertheless he earned first place in the gallery of faith, ‘God witnessing that he was righteous … he being dead yet speaketh’, Heb. 11. 4; 1 John 3. 12. At least someone pleased God in those days, Heb. 11. 6!