Cain and Abel
The Book of Jasher (mentioned in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18) has another version of this tale. According to Jasher, Cain and Abel had a fight in the field that caused Cain to kill his brother in a fit of rage.
And in some time after, Cain and Abel his brother, went one day into the field to do their work; and they were both in the field, Cain tilling and ploughing his ground, and Abel feeding his flock; and the flock passed that part which Cain had ploughed in the ground, and it sorely grieved Cain on this account. And Cain approached his brother Abel in anger, and he said unto him, What is there between me and thee, that thou comest to dwell and bring thy flock to feed in my land? And Abel answered his brother Cain and said unto him, What is there between me and thee, that thou shalt eat the flesh of my flock and clothe thyself with their wool? And now therefore, put off the wool of my sheep with which thou hast clothed thyself, and recompense me for their fruit and flesh which tough hast eaten, and when thou shalt have done this, I will then go from thy land as thou hast said.
And Cain said to his brother Abel, Surely if I slay thee this day, who will require thy blood from me? And Abel answered Cain, saying, Surely God who has made us in the earth, he will avenge my cause, and he will require my blood from thee shouldst thou slay me, for the Lord is the judge and arbiter, and it is he who will requite man according to his evil, and the wicked man according to the wickedness that he may do upon earth. And now, if thou shouldst slay me here, surely God knoweth thy secret views, and will judge thee for the evil which thou didst declare to do unto me this day.
And when Cain heard the words which Abel his brother had spoken, behold the anger of Cain was kindled against his brother Abel for declaring this thing. And Cain hastened and rose up, and took the iron part of his ploughing instrument, with which he suddenly smote his brother and he slew him, and Cain spilt the blood of his brother Abel upon the earth, and the blood of Abel streamed upon the earth before the flock. And after this Cain repented having slain his brother, and he was sadly grieved, and he wept over him and it vexed him exceedingly. And Cain rose up and dug a hole in the field, wherein he put his brother’s body, and he turned the dust over it. Jasher 1:17-27
In this version of events we find Abel standing up against his brother, not the innocent boy described in the book of Adam and Eve. One thing that they both seem to have in common is the idea that Cain thought he could kill his brother without Adonai knowing. In both books, Abel obviously knows El Shaddai better than his older brother. The book of Jasher tells us that Cain repented of his actions, but if this is true, the repentance didn’t last long as he still lied to Adonai when confronted, which is something that all three accounts, Genesis, Jasher, and Adam and Eve, agree upon.
According to the first book of Adam and Eve, Cain did not repent of what he did. He felt no remorse. He took his brother’s life with his own hands and didn’t feel guilty, nor did he regret what he had done.
But the earth when the blood of righteous Abel fell upon it, trembled, as it drank his blood, and would have brought Cain to naught for it. And the blood of Abel cried mysteriously to God, to avenge him of his murderer. Then Cain began at once to dig the earth wherein to lay his brother; for he was trembling from the fear that came upon him, when he was the earth tremble on his account. He then cast his brother into the pit he made, and covered him with dust. But the earth would not receive him; but it threw him up at once.
Again did Cain dig the earth and hid his brother in it; but again did the earth throw hum up on itself; until three times did the earth thus throw up on itself the body of Abel. The muddy earth threw him up the first time, because he was not the first creation; and it threw him up the second time and would not receive him, because he was righteous and good, and was killed without a cause; and the earth threw him up the third time and would not receive him, that there might remain before his brother a witness against him. And so did the earth mock Cain, until the Word of God came to him concerning his brother. 1 Adam and Eve 79:9-15
The act of murder was so against creation that the earth itself would have nothing to do with it. According to this book, the earth itself was not ready to accept back anyone before Adam himself, especially not someone as righteous as Abel.
Cain had no regrets, but when the earth itself trembled at Abel’s death, Cain became frightened. Could it be that for some reason he never thought he’d have to answer to God for what he had done? He apparently felt he could hide his brother’s body from the Most High God, as he tried repeatedly to bury the evidence. What might be the lesson here? Adonai El Shaddai, the Lord God Almighty knows all, sees all and nothing can be hidden from Him.
Then was God angry, and much displeased at Abel’s death; and He thundered from heaven, and lightnings went before Him, and the Word of the Lord God came from heaven to Cain, and said unto him, “Where is Abel thy brother?” Then Cain answered with a proud heart and a gruff voice, “How, O God? Am I my brother’s keeper?” 1 Adam and Eve 79:16-17
As a parent, I can tell you that the worst thing for a child to do when in trouble is to answer a question with attitude, yet this is exactly what Cain does. He comes back at God with an attitude the size of Detroit! You can almost see the look on Cain’s face as he tries to act cool, like he’s done nothing wrong. God has given him a chance to confess to what He already knows happened, but Cain, like most of us, thinks that he’s “all that” and tries to literally get away with murder. It doesn’t take long for this attitude to disappear, replaced by terror.
Then God said unto Cain, “Cursed be the earth that has drunk the blood of Abel thy brother; and thou, be thou trembling and shaking; and this will be a sign unto thee, that whosoever finds thee, shall kill thee.” But Cain wept because God had said those words to him; and Cain said unto Him, “O God, whosoever finds me shall kill me, and I shall be blotted out from the face of the earth.” Then God said unto Cain, “Whosoever shall find thee shall not kill thee;” because before this, God had been saying to Cain, “I shall forego seven punishments on him who kills Cain.”
For as to the word of God to Cain, “Where is thy brother?” God said it in mercy for him, to try and make him repent. For if Cain had repented at that time, and had said, “O God, for give me my sin, and the murder of my brother,” God would then have forgiven him his sin. And as to God saying to Cain, “Cured be the ground that has drunk the blood of thy brother” that also, was God’s mercy on Cain. For God did not curse him, but He cursed the ground; although it was not the ground that had killed Abel, and had committed iniquity. For it was meet that the curse should fall upon the murderer; yet in mercy did God so manage His thoughts as that no one should know it, and turn away from Cain. 1 Adam and Eve 79:18-23
Even in His anger with us, He still extends mercy. I don’t understand how folks can believe that the “Old Testament God” was not a God of mercy, when His actions are clearly that of a merciful God. Once again, He curses the ground rather than man, just as He did with Adam’s sin. Cain’s intercession does bring some relief, as God relents regarding the penalty of death and allows Cain to continue living. We also are given some insight into what the “mark of Cain” may be. Remember, God had been saying, “I shall forego seven punishments on him who kills Cain,” as we continue to the end of the chapter.
And He said to him, “Where is thy brother?” To which he answered and said, “I know not.” Then the Creator said to him, “Be trembling and quaking.” Then Cain trembled and became terrified; and through this sign did God make him and example before all the creation, as the murderer of his brother. Also did God bring trembling and terror upon him, that he might see the peace in which he was at first, and see also the trembling and terror he endured at the last; so that he might bumble himself before God, and repent of his sin, and seek the peace he enjoyed at first.
And in the word of God that said, “I will forego seven punishments on whomsoever kills Cain,” God was not seeking to kill Cain with the sword, but He sought to make him die of fasting, and praying and weeping by hard rule, until the time that he was delivered from his sin. And the seven punishments are the seven generations during which God awaited Cain for the murder of his brother. But as to Cain, ever since he had killed his brother, he could find no rest in any place; but went back to Adam and Eve, trembling, terrified, and defiled with blood. 1 Adam and Eve 79:24-28
Our God is a merciful God, giving the sinner plenty of time to repent. It is His hope that we will repent of our false ways and return to Him, to His ways and His love. Yet we can be just as hard-hearted as Cain. He was given the opportunity to confess, repenting of what he had done, and all would have been forgiven, for we serve a loving God who wants no one to perish. Those who do perish, do so by their own decision. In His mercy, God is willing to wait seven generations for Cain to return to El Shaddai, but we all know that he doesn’t. What is the mark of Cain? An overwhelming sense of sorrow and a complete lack of peace plagued Cain for the rest of his life. This is the same mark that all murders bear. There is only one way to have this mark removed, and that is through prayer and fasting and repentance and weeping. We must truly be repentant of what we’ve done or we will face the same agony as Cain.