The first major “crisis” in Bible was Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit from the tree which led to their banishment from the Garden of Eden. They were sent out to the world where they gave birth to two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain was a farmer and Abel was a herdsman. Cain offered God a portion of his crops for sacrifice and Abel offered God his largest portion of his flocks. Cain learned that God was more pleased with Abel’s sacrifice and became envious of his brother. This ultimately led to Cain murdering his own brother.
Cain and Abel
The first of many binary opposites is illustrated within this story of Cain and Abel from the Hebrew Bible. The story of Cain and Abel introduces the concept between good and evil. For example, Cain is portrayed as the evil and God is the good. Cain’s jealousy and anger led to the murdering of his brother, Abel, along with his deceptive responses to God, characterizes the evil in his character. However, God’s punishment of exiling Cain from his presence shows the mercy of good. The demonstration of the good of God opposing Cain’s evil. God punishes Cain by cursing him to the ground, exiling him from the land of Eden banished from his homeland and sent to stray on his own similarly to how God banished his parents, Adam and Eve, from the garden of Eden. The banishment from the grounds symbolizes the ground as a subject of God’s punishments.
I agree with your statement that Cain and Abel are supposed to be interpreted at opposite characters. However, you made the connection that Cain is evil and God is good, rather than Cain is evil and Abel is good. I do not think characterizing God as “good” is accurate because he is portrayed as a very emotional character in the Hebrew Bible. He causes a great flood when he believes mankind has become corrupt, and he also punishes both men and women for the actions of Adam and Eve. Cain can also be characterized as an emotional character. “And Abel too had brought from the choice firstlings of his flock, and the Lord regarded Abel and his offering but He did not regard Cain and his offering, and Cain was very incensed, and his face fell” (pg. 161). Cain’s decision to murder his brother and his decision to lie to God led to his downfall.