Genesis 4 describes the development of Adam and Eve's family and the development of humanity. Adam and Eve have two children, Cain and Abel. Abel was a shepherd while Cain was a tiller of the ground, or a farmer. When Cain offered the Lord his harvest, Abel offered the Lord his livestock. The Lord appreciated Abel's offering but not Cain's. Due to the success of his brother and the jealousy that develops, Cain murders Abel. God expels Cain and the memory of violence and punishment is forever passed down in his family.
All of us who have siblings have had conflict with our brothers and sisters. While I can get extremely angry at my brother, "slaying him" is a bit extreme. Nine times out of ten sibling conflicts are worked out and gotten over, so Cain clearly did not think when he impulsively and selfishly murdered his own brother. He was cursed with guilt and he deserved this, because anyone would regret losing a sibling, who is someone you grow up with and could be forever close to. While it's easy to get mad at people and jealous of them, murder is a little bit of an overreaction. I've gotten extremely angry at my brother and gone days without talking to him, but we always get over it and I'm pretty glad I haven't killed him.
No comments:
Post a Comment