Cain was a server of the ground (Gen. 4:2b, lit.). To serve the ground is to earn a living, which is for the sustaining of one’s own existence, not for God’s purpose in His redemption. This indicates that although Cain knew God, he cared only for his own existence. He cared neither for God’s purpose nor for God’s satisfaction. Throughout the ages, all unbelievers have been toiling and laboring in order to earn a living. They diligently serve the earth, not God, and they care only for themselves, not for God or for God’s economy.
Cain served God religiously according to his own way and after his own will. He rejected the redemption by blood that was required and ordained by God, and according to the flesh he envied and murdered Abel, a faithful witness of God (Gen. 4:4-5, 8). Eventually, he was rejected by God. Therefore, Cain took the godless way, which is not the way of redemption ordained by God. Thus, the way of Cain became a model (Jude 11a), representing the way of death taken by all godless people throughout the ages, a way that is out of death, in death, and unto death.
Cain is also the representative of all those who murder the real worshippers of God because of religious jealousy. This exactly corresponds to the word of the Lord Jesus in John 16:2: “An hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think that he is offering service to God.” History confirms that the Roman Catholic Church has killed more genuine Christians than the Roman Empire. The Roman Catholic Church alleged that the believers of Jesus were heretics. Hence, after the time of Martin Luther, one of the items in an oath taken by Catholic bishops was that they had to persecute those who held heretical beliefs. Several popes even passed edicts ordering Catholics to destroy all those whom they called heretics. One of the popes said that a person could redeem himself from his sin of murdering a Catholic if he killed a Protestant. Just in Rome alone, over one million nine hundred thousand Christians were killed. Thus, Revelation 17:6 says that the woman, the Roman Catholic Church, was drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. All these historical facts are represented by Cain’s murdering of his brother Abel. All such murderers are walking on the same pathway as Cain.
Eve gave birth again, to Cain’s brother Abel (Gen. 4:2). Abel means “vanity, like a breath.” This name may indicate that, because they were disappointed with their first child, Cain, Adam and Eve had the feeling and concept that the life of fallen man was vanity. Their second son, whom they begot and named Abel, must have inherited the same realization and feeling.
In contrast to Cain, Abel not only knew God but also took God’s way. According to God’s foreordained redemption, he presented an offering of God’s delight with the shedding of blood; that is, he offered the firstlings of the flock and the fat of the lambs. Thus, he was justified by God (Gen. 4:4; Heb. 11:4). In taking such a way of redemption, he believed in the God-ordained offerings according to God’s revelation; he neither acted according to his preference nor trusted in his deeds or works. He knew that as a fallen sinner he could not cover or conceal his sinfulness with his own works and by his own behavior. He realized that he needed to present an offering with the shedding of blood for his redemption (Heb. 9:22) and for the satisfying of God’s righteous requirement that he might be accepted by God and have fellowship with God. What Abel did corresponded exactly to the requirements of the Mosaic law, which was given later. This proves that the way of redemption that he took in worshipping God was according to God’s divine revelation and not according to his concept.