The Cry of Cain
Raising a Seth in a World of Cains and Abels
By Dr. Keith M. Waggoner
Introduction: Raising a Seth in a Broken World
How can you raise a Seth instead of just raising Cain… or even an Abel, for that matter?
That question is more than poetic—it’s prophetic. Because every parent, mentor, leader, or coach is always raising one of the three. You’re either raising a man entitled and destructive, a man good but vulnerable, or a man strong, wise, capable and redemptive.
Let’s rewind to the first family in human history.
Adam and Eve had two sons: Cain, the firstborn, and Abel, the second.
Cain was a farmer—practical, self-sufficient, proud.
Abel was a shepherd—devoted, sincere, soft-hearted.
Each brought an offering to God.
Abel brought the best of his flock—his firstborn lambs and the richest portions.
Cain brought some of his crops. Not the best. Just… enough.
God honored Abel’s offering. He rejected Cain’s.
And from that moment, the seed of bitterness grew in Cain’s heart.
He invited Abel into the field. And there—jealous, resentful, and unrepentant—he murdered his brother.
God confronted him, and in that moment came a cry so ancient, it still echoes in every courtroom, rehab center, and broken marriage today:
“My punishment is more than I can bear!”
Or in modern terms:
“I cannot withstand the consequences of my actions.”
That is the Cry of Cain.
And if we listen to it carefully, we’ll discover how not to raise a Cain—or even an Abel—but a Seth.
Because long after the blood stained the ground, and long after Eden was lost, Adam and Eve bore another son.
His name was Seth.
And he wasn’t just another child—he was the reset. The hope. The seed of redemption.
So let’s examine the archetypes of these three brothers—Cain, Abel, and Seth—and learn how to raise sons and daughters who carry the strength of Seth instead of the scars of Cain.
“I cannot withstand the consequences of my actions.”
This is the cry of Cain.
And it is the same cry we hear today echoing in the broken lives of men and women who were never taught that everything in life has a price.
It’s the cry of the addict.
The adulterer.
The betrayer.
The coward.
The parent who raised children without discipline.
The teenager who wanted freedom without boundaries.
The man who wanted respect without responsibility.
And it’s a cry that keeps echoing… generation after generation.
We must stop the echo.
We must raise a Seth.
I. Cain: The Archetype of Entitlement and the Dark Triad
Cain is not just a figure of history—he is a psychological archetype:
The man who refuses accountability.
The man who resents reality.
The man who tries to cheat God’s system and curses God when it doesn’t work.
When Cain’s offering was rejected, he didn’t examine himself. He lashed out in rage and murder. Why?
Because he embodied the Dark Triad of Evil:
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Narcissism – “It’s all about me.”
Cain was consumed with self. His ego couldn’t bear correction. -
Machiavellianism – “I’ll hurt you to get what I want.”
He premeditated Abel’s death and used deception to lure him into the field. -
Psychopathy – “I feel nothing for your pain.”
Even after the murder, Cain showed no remorse—only fear of punishment.
Cain represents the archetype of the manipulative destroyer—the man whose pride births violence.
II. Abel: The Archetype of Innocent Vulnerability
Abel, on the other hand, was righteous. He gave God his best—the firstborn of his flock, the fat portions—true sacrifice.
But his fatal flaw was naïveté.
Abel is the archetype of the good man who fails to see evil coming.
He was:
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Excellent, but unguarded
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Righteous, but unaware
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Giving, but unprotected
Abel represents those who are crushed under the weight of evil because they were never trained to see it.
Goodness alone isn’t enough.
Righteousness must be married to wisdom.
Sacrifice must be backed by strength.
III. Seth: The Archetype of Redemptive Masculinity
Then comes Seth.
The Scripture says:
“And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, ‘God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.’” — Genesis 4:25
Seth is the son of promise.
The reset.
The rebuilder.
The son born after the curse, after the heartbreak, after hard lessons had been learned.
And here’s what is most important:
“At that time, men began to call on the name of the Lord.” — Genesis 4:26
Not in Abel’s day.
Not in Cain’s generation.
But in Seth’s line—revival began.
Seth is the archetype of the righteous warrior-king:
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Wise as a serpent, yet innocent as a dove
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Capable of sacrifice, but unwilling to be slaughtered
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Tender with the innocent, dangerous to the wicked
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Fully human, yet aiming toward divine alignment
He is the antidote to the Dark Triad.
He has identity, integrity, and inner strength.
He will not manipulate.
He will not surrender to entitlement.
He will not destroy what is sacred to God.
Instead, Seth begins a lineage that leads through Moses (the lawgiver), David (the warrior-king), and ultimately Jesus Christ—the perfect man, the Savior, the Lion and the Lamb.
Seth is where legacy returns to the path of promise.
IV. The 4 P’s of Manhood: The Responsibilities of Seth
If you want to raise a Seth—or become one—you must commit to the 4 P’s of Manhood. These are non-negotiable archetypal callings that define every son of promise:
1. Provision – The Responsible Builder
A man must provide—not just money, but vision, value, and structure.
Provision means:
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Anticipating needs before they arise
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Creating stability out of chaos
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Leading the family with clarity and direction
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Offering identity to his household
Provision is the outward expression of internal order.
A man who cannot provide is not ready to lead.
2. Protection – The Warrior in the Garden
To protect is not simply to defend. It is to become dangerous in the service of good.
This is not aggression—it’s discipline under threat.
A Seth-like man:
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Has a mind prepared for battle
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Can recognize evil early
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Knows how to stop harm before it spreads
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Protects others with presence, strength, and skill
He embodies the maxim:
“It is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.”
3. Passion – The Power to Suffer for What You Love
We have misunderstood passion.
The root of the word passion comes from the Latin passio, which means:
“to suffer.”
That’s why we call Christ’s death The Passion of the Christ.
Because no word existed to describe love so fierce it willingly embraces suffering.
To be passionate is:
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To delay gratification
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To bleed for what is holy
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To discipline your desires for the sake of your future
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To love your family, your mission, and your God enough to sacrifice for them
True men don’t just feel—they act on what matters, regardless of the cost.
4. Presiding – The Call to Lead with Vision and Humility
To preside is to sit above the chaos without being disconnected from it.
It’s the ability to lead self first—then lead others into clarity, courage, and conviction.
To preside well means:
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You have trained your emotions
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You take responsibility when others won’t
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You offer direction in the storm
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You lead with love, not control
A man who presides is not perfect—but he is anchored.
V. Final Charge: Raise a Seth or Bury an Abel
It is easier to raise a boy in the truth than to repair a man broken by lies.
Cain represents the entitled manipulator.
Abel represents the unaware innocent.
But Seth… Seth is the integrated man—the one forged by wisdom, truth, suffering, and calling.
And we need more of him.
We don’t need more excuses.
We don’t need more victims crying “I cannot withstand the consequences of my actions.”
We need sons of promise.
We need the seed of Seth.
Men who walk in the ways of Moses, David, and Christ.
Men who will provide, protect, love with passion, and preside with authority.
The legacy of Cain ends in wandering.
The legacy of Seth ends in salvation.