Cain is first-born. That would have specific meaning to an ancient audience. Being first-born male implies that he would receive the first-born blessing (a spoken blessing of assurance passed from the father to the son) and the bulk of the inheritance (a double portion of the father's house). After sacrificing to the Lord (Cain his vegetables/produce and Abel his animal), Abel (the youngest) is blessed (by God) and Cain (the eldest) is not. I think the text is specifically targeting the first-born blessing here and I am not alone in this assessment. Philo of Alexandria (a Jewish philosopher of the first century) seems to hold a similar view. The blessing/choice of God goes to the younger male rather than the traditional/cultural first-born. Why? I think two reasons. First, because of the nature of the sacrifice. Abel brought a blood sacrifice, meaning he intended to atone for his sins (whatever they might have been). A blood sacrifice in the ancient world represented humble submission. Cain brought vegetables and grains, which could certainly be considered a voluntary thank offering, but it is not an offering for atonement. Abel pleases God through repentance and humility, Cain tries to please God by showing off his best rather than humbling himself. Second is the way they perceive the prize (that is, the blessing of God itself). I think Cain expected it, not so much as a reward but as a right. After all, he was the firstborn which was a place of authority and power, not a place of humility. Land stewardship was considered more appropriate for the first-born male because it implied household authority and a greater status of wealth. Tending to the sheep was less significant, many times reserved for the youngest because it required long hours of solitude away from the home and away from any meaningful social discourse. This sort of chore was not necessarily associated with wealth and authority. Look at the many Bible characters who spend a significant amount of time shepherding (in a humble solitude); Jacob, Moses, and David all spent a significant amount of time keeping sheep before being elevated to authority by God Himself. Abel was merely doing what he thought God wanted him to do, not expecting the first-born blessing because of his birth order and humble state. Cains reaction of anger (that is, falling) only serves to strengthen and preserve the nature of this particular theory. In fact, I believe it suggests that the blessing was something much more than a cyclical event (happening year after year for good crops) where Cain may have done better next year (something of an annual competition perhaps?). It is more suggestive of a one-time event and a one-time blessing, better explaining Cains extreme reaction. Cain sees the prize as more valuable than his brother, as we shall see. An attitude that God judges from the heart, even though it is now hidden (as part of the reason Cain loses the blessing), all will in time be revealed by his actions.
We have now properly set the stage for the murder of Abel by Cain. The first-born blessing cannot be lost to strangers, it must stay in the family. If Abel is dead, the blessing would then revert back to the rightful (at least in Cains eyes) first-born. Cain is manipulating (by removing his brother) the situation to get what he thinks is rightfully his. Such behavior is typical in politics, especially where high office, power and wealth is involved. The bedrock of jealousy is the lens through which someone views the prize, as greater than the life of his brother. Here brother-hood and the precious life of a human being (chosen by God to receive the benefit) is devalued and the benefit itself is elevated to a higher status. We see this in Cains reply to Gods question (where is your brother?) when he says explicitly, "am I my brothers keeper?" Everyone knows the right answer to that question. It is emphatically YES! Cain further implicates himself by this simple answer, challenging God to a debate on familial relationships and responsibility and God is quick to make good on Cains challenge?
I think this story both foreshadows conflicts to come and explains their relevance. I am referring to the theme found over and over in Genesis of the blessing by-passing the older and being given to the younger.
From God to Adam, then by-passing Cain and going to Abel and after Abel is murdered by Cain, it finds its way to Seth (the third son of Adam and Eve). Then to Isaac rather than the elder Ishmael, to Jacob over Essau, and passing by Reuben to Judah. Why is this important? Because it shows a pattern to be repeated by Israel. When they are chosen by God to be a special people. God chooses them over the Egyptians, over the Babylonians and over the Canaanites when they enter the land. And if we conclude that Philistines were indeed Greek settlers, then we may say that God chose them over the Greeks as well. The land of Canaan is already inhabited when Israel arrives, but God chooses the Israelites, new-comers compared to the older and more established Canaanites, to inherit the land. Finally, in the New Testament, God giving the full weight and measure of the blessing to His son, Jesus the Christ who then becomes the representative of Israel (the chosen).
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