Please allow me the opportunity to show you a great example of mankind's failings. They are not just one man's failings, but the collective failings of all mankind -- a microcosm of the failed philosophy of "Us versus Them" exclusion and rejection instead of "Love your neighbor as yourself" inclusion and acceptance. Yes, we are called to be "our brother's keeper."
“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”
In Genesis 4:7, God reveals that sin — apparently a demonic presence — is crouching, waiting for a chance to enter Cain’s heart and rule him from within. God insists that Cain must master it or it will master him. In other words, Cain has the ability to defeat sin — if he so chooses. We learn that Cain chooses to kill his brother, Abel, instead of being his ‘keeper’.
Cain was jealous of his brother because God looked with favor upon Abel’s offering because it contained blood while Cain’s offering was a fruit ‘n’ veggie tray that didn’t have any blood of a sacrificed animal in it. The Law requires the shedding of blood for the debt of each sin to be removed from anyone’s Heavenly court record.
“In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”
Cain sought to eliminate his brother because he thought his brother was the problem. The problem with what, though? You see, Cain had no spiritual discernment and he was easily led astray from the Will of God simply because he chose to remain bitter against God for favoring Abel, though Abel did what was right in the eyes of God.
Just like his parents who served the devil and were kicked out of the Garden of Eden after being bonded to Satan by sin, death, and a freshly-ratified Meal Covenant, Cain finds himself in the same dilemma: Repent and serve God OR continue in the family curse of rebellion.
Photo by Jeremy Perkins on Unsplash
When Cain murdered Abel, he thought he was ridding the earth of a rival — God’s beloved — thinking he would no longer have to deal with his little brother taking his place in the family structure and stealing his attention. Surely, he thought there would be no more sibling rivalry.
But we know Abel wasn’t Cain’s problem. Cain had many problems. If he was willing to kill his baby brother, he was certainly in some sort of desperate situation that the Bible does not explain. Ultimately, the issues surrounding this horrific situation are unnecessary because people have been murdered throughout history.
A short time later, God asked Cain for the whereabouts of his brother. God knows Abel is dead, so it’s not that God is clueless as to where Abel is (God knows everything about everything), but He gives Cain the opportunity to either tell the truth or to try and cover up the murder.
“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
The remarkable part of this true story is that Cain thought by following Satan’s ways of doing things, he would take the shortcut to gaining what Abel had. Satan always tries to get people to take shortcuts to circumnavigate God’s plans — even Jesus!
What a powerful awakening Cain received when God — our Judge and King — meted out justice! Cain learned the hard way that the devil is a liar and the father of lies and he is not to be trusted. History has proven over and over that Satan always over-promises and under-delivers.
Ever since that first murder, certain deceived people have continued to believe the lies — take the bait of Satan — and decided that they’d rather kill their brother than see him succeed … all the while being jealous of their success. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 100 times, “There’s never a murder without jealousy.”
The Curse
Cain was a man of the earth, a farmer, while Abel was a shepherd. If Cain truly wanted to be blessed, you might think he’d know to barter with Abel as Abel was the man in charge of the animals God would accept for a sacrifice. Being a man of the soil, he could easily trade some crops for a suitable lamb or kid so he could please God and have his sins redeemed. Upon deeper contemplation, it would seem Cain didn’t care about his sins, he just wanted to have God’s favor and must have thought, like their parents, that God was holding out on him.
“The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.””
He was warned. He blew through the “ROAD CLOSED” sign, so to speak. Could he have known that by disobeying God he would not only be punished for his rebellion, but that the punishment would fit the crime? Cain killed his brother in his own field, so he had “home-field advantage,” so to speak, as opposed to being out with the livestock in Abel’s field.
By murdering his brother, Cain soon discovered the curse associated with his crime. He became a restless wanderer on the Earth because his field was no longer going to produce food for him. The blood of Abel offered up a testimony that spoke against Cain and God responded to it with the curse. Why? Because Abel was a prophet.
“Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.”
Could you imagine if each and every single person in the world had each other’s back? The devil couldn’t get a foothold — ever — and there would be no lack of anything and no problems. Imagine that … because that is God’s desire for each and every one of us.
Conclusion
Interestingly enough, what Cain imagined would gain him Abel’s livestock not only did not make that happen, but he lost what was his, as well. His dastardly deed caused him to lose out on everything —even his home.
Cain settled down, had kids, and built a city, but his descendants, to this day, murder and restlessly wander the Earth because of the generational curses that have yet to be broken off certain family lines by the Blood of Jesus.
We are ALL — no matter who or where we are — expected by God to be “our brother’s keeper”.
Prayer
Father God in Heaven, hallowed be Your Name — the Name above all names! I thank You for blessing me with this wisdom and these perspectives on life and how we are clearly meant to honor You by loving our neighbor as ourselves. Unlike Cain, we are to have each other’s back and help out each other. If I am to “be the change I wish to see in the world,” I’m going to need Your help, Lord. Many times as I deal with my own issues, and feel weak, I think, ‘I need to leave it to someone else,’ but I see very clearly how You want us to enjoy every single Divine Appointment wherever we are. I ask, Lord, that You would reveal Yourself to me, heal me from the inside out, and help me bless every single person every single day of my life. Please free me from any and all generational curses (iniquity) and please forgive my ancestors for all their sins, all the way back to Adam and Eve, as well. I also ask that You would please let me know what other things I need to confess and repent of, if necessary. In the Name of Your Son, Jesus I pray, amen.
Banner photo credit: Elizeu Dias on Unsplash