#2 Question: What was up with Cain? (“Am I my brother’s keeper?”)
How many times in your life—especially when you were little—did you say, ‘I don’t know,’ when you really did? (How did I answer when Mom asked, “Who ate the cookie?” or “Why is your brother or sister crying?” or “How did you get your Sunday clothes so dirty?”) Even as adults we can utter that falsehood of “I don’t know” when we do know.
After Cain murdered his brother, he tried to use this reply to God, Genesis 4:9-10:
“Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.”
Cain tried to wiggle out of his dilemma by lying and then asking God if he should be concerned about his brother.
Several lessons for us appear here:
- Sin often makes us liars. Cain knew where Abel was. But as he stood before God, he did not want to admit it or say he was sorry. Lying to God will never work.
- Sin often makes us try desperately to rationalize our sins. Cain tried to appear ignorant of being his brother’s keeper when in fact he knew better, and that he should care for his little brother, 1 John 3:12:
“For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother.” The language of 1 John indicates that Cain and Abel knew that they should love each other because they had heard of loving one another “from the beginning.” Apparently, Cain thought he could ask God a rhetorical question and keep from answering God’s question of where Abel was.
Jesus told a story that stressed the importance of carrying for our brothers, Luke 16:19-23:
“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.”
These verses show the importance of helping those in need and, unlike Cain, seriously taking the responsibility of being our brother’s keeper.
- Cain was guilty of following the wrong example. Abel had set a good example by obeying God’s commands about worship. Why didn’t Cain follow Abel’s lead? Because he was busy following the Devil’s lead and substituting how he wanted to worship instead of how God wanted to be worshipped. In our lives, we should follow the lead of God’s word for our worship. Following the Devil will surely lead us into sin.
- Cain was either ignorant of God’s power or acted as if he did not think God knew the answer to the rhetorical question of “Where is Abel your brother?” God puts forth a second rhetorical question, “What have you done?” and explains that He knew where Abel was—his blood was on the ground. The lesson to Cain and to us is that God knows what we do and when we sin.
- Note that Cain would not acknowledge his sin, repent, or ask for forgiveness. Sin makes us blind to what we need to do to be washed clean. Ananias told Saul (later called Paul) that baptism washes away sin, Acts 22:16:
“And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.”
Peter had earlier said that repentance should accompany baptism, Acts 2:38:
“And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins,
In summary, Cain’s conduct teaches us that we should realize that God knows about how we act, how we worship, if we care for our brothers, and whether we listen to Jesus.
#lieToGod #rationalizeSin #Acts2:38 #Acts22:16 #richmanIgnoresLazarus #careForBrother #GodKnowsOurSin #followGoodExamples #worshipAsGodDirects #Luke16:19-23 #Genesis4:9-10 #repentConfessSin
Recent Comments