Am I My Brother's Keeper?
"And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.
Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering,but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
So the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.
"Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"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.
"And Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is greater than I can bear!Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.
"And the Lord said to him, "Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden." (Genesis 4:3-16, NKJV)
That's how the story transpired, between Cain and Abel, and that's how we get the (sarcastic) question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Usually, the one who asks the question is thinking, they are NOT responsible for anyone else's well-being, other than their own, but clearly, biblically, that is incorrect. If that were true, why would God ask Cain, "where is Abel, your brother?" Surely, God who knows ALL things, knew what had befallen Abel. He knew the location of Abel, knew Abel's state, knew his blood was seeping into the ground, that he had created, etc. Yet, He asked this question. WHY? The question is more about the state of Cain, than it is about Abel--it isn't even a question--because God knows about Cain, too, but it is, a chance for Cain to repent.
God is EVER merciful. Remember, Adam after he sinned? God didn't go after him saying, "Adam, I caught you, you're filthy now, you have transgressed!" God went "in the cool of the day", and said, "where are you?" It was Adam who hid from God. This is our tendency, when we fail God--to hide, to try to cover it up, ourselves. We can't cover our own sin--that only causes it to grow more. However, if we give it to God, in repentance, He is able and WILLING to forgive us, and to cover it with His blood, thereby, removing it from us! Cain didn't get it. He couldn't accept it. He got hung up on Abel and his own identity crisis. Cain couldn't understand that being the best Cain, would be fine, with God. He thought, he (Cain) was unacceptable because Abel was the favorite, instead of realizing it was because he hadn't given his best.
Our perceptions can get us into a lot of trouble, at times. Cain's vision was clouded by jealousy. He was so stuck on the fact that God had accepted Abel's sacrifice and not his, that he never bothered to question "why?" Cain never asked God, "Why do you prefer Abel's sacrifice over mine?" Abel brought the best of his flock to God (the firstborn), but Cain simply brought of the fruit of the ground--not the FIRST, not the BEST, just something that grew. Then, when God didn't find it acceptable, he blamed Abel. How many times have we been guilty of such things? We know, we haven't given our best--we could have done better; then, when someone else gets accolades for a job well done, we are sitting over in the corner, sulking, instead of praising God for them, and with them!
The tendency to be like Cain, is real, and pervasive today. We all see it. Maybe, we have been on one--or even, both sides of it. Whether you have been Cain or Abel, it's important that we all become "keeper's" or caregivers of one another. We have to place the needs of others before our own. I know that doesn't sound right, in this society that we live in, today--but New Testament Christian living will cause us to do things, differently. We have a narrow path to walk. What seems right, isn't righteous, according to God's Word. Righteousness, is based on God's Word, not the thing that makes you comfortable. If our way of life keeps us too comfortable, something is amiss. Can you put your brother first? Can you endure the looks and the questions of the people, who don't understand why you sacrifice for someone else? Sometimes, that's what makes it hard--you want to extend yourself, but then you have to explain to those around you who think, "that's just too much!" or they "would never put themselves out for someone else like that, etc."
Cain had issues beyond not caring about his brother. Cain wanted attention. Cain wanted recognition that he didn't earn or work for. Cain had anger problems--rage issues. Cain was dishonest. You see, his problems aren't that different from the problems we encounter, today. The thing is, if you recognize these things in yourself, what do you do? Will you blame others, or will you accept that I have some things about me that do not please God, and seek His help. David was like that, and God called him "a man after God's own heart". We all have a choice. We can be honest about our shortcomings and repent; or we can try to hide them, and (sadly) remain unchanged.
Do what honors God, and be blessed.
Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering,but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
So the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.
"Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"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.
"And Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is greater than I can bear!Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.
"And the Lord said to him, "Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden." (Genesis 4:3-16, NKJV)
That's how the story transpired, between Cain and Abel, and that's how we get the (sarcastic) question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Usually, the one who asks the question is thinking, they are NOT responsible for anyone else's well-being, other than their own, but clearly, biblically, that is incorrect. If that were true, why would God ask Cain, "where is Abel, your brother?" Surely, God who knows ALL things, knew what had befallen Abel. He knew the location of Abel, knew Abel's state, knew his blood was seeping into the ground, that he had created, etc. Yet, He asked this question. WHY? The question is more about the state of Cain, than it is about Abel--it isn't even a question--because God knows about Cain, too, but it is, a chance for Cain to repent.
God is EVER merciful. Remember, Adam after he sinned? God didn't go after him saying, "Adam, I caught you, you're filthy now, you have transgressed!" God went "in the cool of the day", and said, "where are you?" It was Adam who hid from God. This is our tendency, when we fail God--to hide, to try to cover it up, ourselves. We can't cover our own sin--that only causes it to grow more. However, if we give it to God, in repentance, He is able and WILLING to forgive us, and to cover it with His blood, thereby, removing it from us! Cain didn't get it. He couldn't accept it. He got hung up on Abel and his own identity crisis. Cain couldn't understand that being the best Cain, would be fine, with God. He thought, he (Cain) was unacceptable because Abel was the favorite, instead of realizing it was because he hadn't given his best.
Our perceptions can get us into a lot of trouble, at times. Cain's vision was clouded by jealousy. He was so stuck on the fact that God had accepted Abel's sacrifice and not his, that he never bothered to question "why?" Cain never asked God, "Why do you prefer Abel's sacrifice over mine?" Abel brought the best of his flock to God (the firstborn), but Cain simply brought of the fruit of the ground--not the FIRST, not the BEST, just something that grew. Then, when God didn't find it acceptable, he blamed Abel. How many times have we been guilty of such things? We know, we haven't given our best--we could have done better; then, when someone else gets accolades for a job well done, we are sitting over in the corner, sulking, instead of praising God for them, and with them!
The tendency to be like Cain, is real, and pervasive today. We all see it. Maybe, we have been on one--or even, both sides of it. Whether you have been Cain or Abel, it's important that we all become "keeper's" or caregivers of one another. We have to place the needs of others before our own. I know that doesn't sound right, in this society that we live in, today--but New Testament Christian living will cause us to do things, differently. We have a narrow path to walk. What seems right, isn't righteous, according to God's Word. Righteousness, is based on God's Word, not the thing that makes you comfortable. If our way of life keeps us too comfortable, something is amiss. Can you put your brother first? Can you endure the looks and the questions of the people, who don't understand why you sacrifice for someone else? Sometimes, that's what makes it hard--you want to extend yourself, but then you have to explain to those around you who think, "that's just too much!" or they "would never put themselves out for someone else like that, etc."
Cain had issues beyond not caring about his brother. Cain wanted attention. Cain wanted recognition that he didn't earn or work for. Cain had anger problems--rage issues. Cain was dishonest. You see, his problems aren't that different from the problems we encounter, today. The thing is, if you recognize these things in yourself, what do you do? Will you blame others, or will you accept that I have some things about me that do not please God, and seek His help. David was like that, and God called him "a man after God's own heart". We all have a choice. We can be honest about our shortcomings and repent; or we can try to hide them, and (sadly) remain unchanged.
Do what honors God, and be blessed.
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