Can It Get Any Worse? (Cain and Abel)

You really should read Genesis 4.  The story of Cain and Abel is that of tragedy and heart ache.  We saw how Adam and Eve rebelled.  The next three stories are examples of rebellion.  In this story we find ‘rage.’  Rage is anger out of control.  Being angry is not a sin (even Jesus got angry) but anger is a sin when it is misdirected and mishandled.  Are we mad at the right person?  Are we showing our anger in the right way?  Rage is violence.  Cain is the firstborn and should be a man of promise.  We find he fails.  God accepts the offering of his brother the herdsman Abel but not Cain the farmer’s.  I don’t think it is meat vs veggies.  I believe Cain did not give his best and he was rebelling.  His anger shows he has major issues within and God confronts him about this and lets him know he has evil knocking at his door.  He is warned to get control of it or it will control him.  Cain doesn’t listen and kills his brother and shows no real remorse only for his situation and not his brother’s death.  And so Cain leaves as a nomad.  He winds up founding a city (the first city founder is a murderer which is an interesting comment).  Cain has a descendant who follows suit and becomes a murderer.

Two notes of hope in this sad sad story.

First the mark of Cain shows God loves us even when we do not want love.  The mark is not a punishment but a sign to protect Cain.  God clothed Adam and Eve even though they sinned.  God cares for his children just like the dad in the prodigal son who waits for his son to come home.

Second there is a move to God by people.  At the end of chapter 4 we find people beginning to call upon God.  This will be short lived when we get to the next story but it shows that some turned to God.

What does this say for us today?  Violence is such a way of life.  Yet God is good and greater than the violence of our day.  May we learn from this story of bloodshed and seek to bring peace.

Blessings,

Derik