Brother's Keeper

Genesis 4:8-15

8 And 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 slew him.
9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

Cain was jealous, as we have already discussed in our study of Genesis 4:1-7.

He went into a rage and killed Abel. The Bible doesn't say HOW he killed Abel. It doesn't matter, there were no guns involved.

But, then, God couldn't find Abel, so He came to Cain and asked Cain where he was. God already knew, judging from his next words. He was giving Cain an opportunity to repent, to take responsibility.

Are you getting the picture that taking responsibility is important?

Instead, Cain was apathetic in his response, saying, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

Are we our brother's keeper? Jesus says to "Love thy neighbor as thyself"(Mark 12:31). Jesus didn't just make up that command. It was first given in Leviticus 19:18. So, I guess we are!

God was angry at Cain, so He sent Cain away from his home, and took away his "green thumb".

When we sin, we are separated. That is our punishment. When we sin against family or friends, it is inevitable that we are separated from them, until we repent and turn from our sin. Our creativity is affected.

Cain was worried that others might kill him, knowing what he did. So, God, in His mercy, gave Cain a mark that would let others know that if they kill Cain, they would suffer seven times the punishment Cain was suffering.

God is merciful, even when we are in the midst of our sin. Always. And, that is something we need to remember.