Genesis 4:2-15
Now Abel kept flocks,
and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits
of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat
portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on
Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not
look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Then the Lord said to
Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 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 rule over it.”
Now Cain said to his
brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain
attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Then the Lord said to
Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he
replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
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.”
Cain said to the Lord,
“My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land,
and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the
earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
But the Lord said to
him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.”
Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.
Comments
Genesis gives no indication why God was pleased with Abel’s
offering, but not with Cain’s. The events that follow, however, certainly suggest
that Cain’s offering might well not have been from the right motivation.
This story is another example of how God’s wrath and God’s
tender mercy can both be expressed in the same event. Notice the objects of
God’s concern:
- Abel, the innocent victim
- The ground, polluted by the shedding of innocent blood
- Cain, the son who could not control his anger
By all rights, Cain’s life should have been forfeited for the
murder of his brother. God, however, extended mercy, going so far as to place
his protection on Cain in his cursed wanderings.
Reflection
To what extent do we seek justice for innocent victims? To what extent do we show mercy to those who are guilty?
Prayer
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who grieves the shedding of innocent blood and shows mercy even to those who have done something terrible.
A question came to me before I'd gotten to yours. Why did Cain think that God had rejected his gift? Lighting a fire with fat is, of course, much more effective than lighting one with freshly harvested crops of any kind, still damp with the moisture that gave them life. Smoke rising from earth to the heavens, of course, provided a visual symbol of unity between God and man. Cain's smoke, like trying to build a campfire with wet wood, failed to provide this visual satisfaction. Cain felt that God had chosen not to connect with him. I can identify with this. Sometimes I fault myself for praying incorrectly...or inadequately! Sometimes I think God loves EITHER me OR a rival. Jesus' message of God's perfect love and universal love calls me beyond these flaws in thinking. God's bigger than this.
ReplyDeleteExcellent thoughts, John. I don't think I ever thought of it that way. It might also be that Abel's herds fared better than Cain's crops after the offerings, leading Cain to experience this as a rejection of his offering. If Abel's sacrifice was one of thanksgiving while Cain was seeking to gain God's favor, the difference could also be explained. The bottom line, as you point out so well, is to avoid the "God loves EITHER me OR a rival" kind of thinking. Thanks for sharing!
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