Genesis 4:1-16
Since the dawn of humanity, two races have been taking shape. Cain, the first man born on earth, is the ancestor of people who are righteous in their own eyes. He is satisfied with himself and his deeds and is unconscious of sin and its consequences. He appears before God with the fruit of his own work, fruit of a cursed soil. What notice could God take of this? Abel, the second man, is the head of the line of faith. He opens the roll of honour in Hebrews 11:4. The sacrifice which he offers is "more excellent" than Cain’s because it is offered with an understanding of God’s mind.
After man’s sin against God (Genesis 3:1-24), we have here his sin against his fellow-man. Cain kills his brother. And the Word which discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart exposes this motive — jealousy. "Wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil and his brother’s righteous" (1 John 3:12). When later, the Lord Jesus came to earth, the Jews put Him to death with the same motive. His perfection emphasized their own evil deeds. They spilled the blood of the true Just One and their punishment today is the same as Cain’s; they are dispersed and persecuted on the earth.