“Faith led Abel to offer God a better sacrifice than Cain’s sacrifice. Through his faith Abel received God’s approval, since God accepted his sacrifices. Through his faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead” (Hebrews 11:4 GW).
Perhaps Cain felt that the remote site of his brother’s murder would cover the criminal act he had committed against him (see Genesis 4:8). However, Cain was about to find that nothing can ever be hidden from God…
“Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is Abel your brother?’ He said, ‘I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?'” (Genesis 4:9).
We should note that God did not begin His conversation with Cain by making an accusation. Instead, He asked a simple question: “Where is your brother Abel?” (CSB). However, that question may prompt a question of our own: “If God knows everything, then why did He question Cain about the whereabouts of his brother? Didn’t God already know what Cain had done to Abel?”
In response, we should remember that questions are often designed for different purposes. In this instance, God’s question did not represent a request for information. Instead, this question presented Cain with a choice. He could choose to be honest with God about what he had done, or he could choose to respond in some other manner. Unfortunately, Cain made a poor decision in choosing his response.
Instead of responding to God in a manner that demonstrated respect for his Creator, Cain issued a sarcastic reply: “…’How should I know?’ Cain retorted. ‘Am I supposed to keep track of him wherever he goes?'” (Genesis 4:9 TLB). Once again, we can say that Cain’s disrespectful attitude toward God was reflected in his arrogant response.
“And He said, ‘What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth” (Genesis 4:10-12).
So, Cain was condemned to a bitter future- a future of drifting from region to region, looking for a place of his own, but never quite finding that place.
“And Cain said to the Lord, ‘My punishment is greater than I can bear!” (Genesis 4:13).
Cain’s reply offers another insight into his attitude toward God. One translation of Genesis 4:13 tells us that Cain responded to God’s judgment by saying, “This punishment is too hard!” (CEV). In other words, Cain didn’t feel bad about the fact that he did something wrong- he felt bad about the punishment he received for what he had done.