Fratricide
Genesis 4:1-10
A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick
During the last few years, we have often heard the terrible news of men killing co-workers, and even brothers.
Joseph Parker slashed and killed two former co-workers and wounded three other people at a supermarket where he used to bag groceries. Doug Williams, 48, gunned down 14 co-workers, killing six, at a Lockheed Martin aircraft parts plant in Meridian, MS. Jonathon Russell, 25, shot and killed three co-workers and wounded five others at the Modine Manufacturing Co. in Jefferson City, MO. Emanuel Patterson, 23, opened fire at a temporary employment service in Huntsville, AL, killing four fellow job-seekers and wounding a fifth. William Baker, 66, killed four people, then himself at a Navistar International engine plant in Melrose Park, IL. Michael McDermott, 42, killed seven people at a Wakefield, MA, Internet consulting company. Robert Harris, 28, shot five people to death at a Dallas-area car wash. Mark Barton, 44, after brutally murdering his wife and children, killed nine people at two Atlanta brokerage offices and later committed suicide. Matthew Beck, 35, shot four lottery executives to death in Newington, CT. Arturo Torres, 43, killed four former co-workers at maintenance yard in Orange, CA. Arthur Wise, 43, opened fire at Aiken, SC, parts plant, killing four. Alan Miller shot and killed three people at two different businesses where he worked in central Alabama – he had complained of rumors being spread about him. At a Jackson, MS firehouse, Kenneth Tornes, 32, killed four superiors, as well as his estranged wife. Los Angeles city electrician Willie Woods, 42, shot four supervisors to death at C. Erwin Piper Technical Center. James Simpson, 28, a former employee at a refinery inspection station in Corpus Christi, TX, killed the owner of the company, his wife and three workers. Tuan Nguyen, 29, recently fired from a Santa Fe Springs, CA, electronics factory, killed three people. Alan Winterbourne, 33, opened fire in an unemployment office in Oxnard, CA, killing three state workers and injuring four others. He later killed a police officer. James Pough, 42, went on a shooting spree in a General Motors Acceptance Corp. office in Jacksonville, FL, killing 10 people and wounding four others. GMAC had repossessed his car. Joseph Wesbecker, 47, killed eight people and wounded 12 others at a printing plant in Louisville, KY. Richard Farley, 40, angry that a former co-worker in Sunnyvale, CA, had rejected his advances, stormed into the company and killed seven people with a shotgun. The man whose actions prompted the phrase “going postal” was Pat Sherrill, 44, who when he was about to be fired, opened fire at a post office in Edmond, OK, killing 14 people. And there are others who murdered their own brothers:
Earl Jackson Jr., 28, stabbed his younger brother, Rahman, to death over something the value of which was under $10. Johnny Bauer shot and killed his brother Joey, and then went back to his own home, poured gasoline all over the home, started the house on fire and then shot himself. In Britain, a 14-year-old boy, stabbed his brother to death when they were arguing over a damaged CD. Don’t these stories sicken you? I hope we will never get past feeling the shock and dismay that reports like these produce, but when you think about it, such events are almost as old as human existence on the earth. Of course I'm referring to the Genesis story about Cain killing his brother Abel. Let's consider this story by way of a running commentary on the first ten verses of Genesis 4.
Does this mean that she previously had only daughters? All births come about as the result of "the help of the Lord", but perhaps Eve, after having given birth to several daughters, had specifically prayed for a son. It reminds me of a family in my home church many years ago. The firstborn child was a girl, and after that it seemed that only boys were going to be born. But the parents prayed for one more girl - their prayer was answered after they had seven sons!
The expression "in the course of time" may suggest that already there was a custom of bringing offerings on the Sabbath. The literal translation is, "the end of days", which would mean at the end of the week.
The priority seems to be first the man, then his sacrifice - God first looks at the person, and then on the sacrifice. Or to say it another way, we must never think that the sacrifice we bring distracts God from looking at our hearts - He will always look beyond the offering to the one bringing it. When God accepts Abel and his sacrifice, but not Cain, doesn't this look like He is showing favoritism? The question must be asked, “Why was Abel and his sacrifice acceptable?” Could it be because it was an animal sacrifice and blood was shed? That may be true, if the sacrifice was intended to atone for sin, but on the other hand, as we learn later when Moses instituted the sacrificial system, not all sacrifices needed to be blood sacrifices. The real answer is that according to Hebrews 11:4, Abel had faith.
Obviously God's disfavor was communicated in some open, or visible way. Could it have been that the acceptable offering was accompanied with fire from heaven as it happened later with Moses (Leviticus 9:24), and with Elijah on Mt. Carmel (I Kings 18:38)? Some commentators have suggested that the Angel of the Lord who blocked reentry into the Garden of Eden may have used the "flaming sword" to ignite the acceptable offering (Genesis 3:24). At the least, we learn that God can be both pleased and displeased, and that He makes His favor and disfavor known. Because it normally doesn't happen today in such a visible fashion, I wonder if we have lost the ability to know clearly when we, and our sacrifices do not find favor with God.
Was Cain angry at himself? Probably not. Was he angry at his brother? Perhaps he was jealous, but what offense had Abel committed against Cain? It would seem that he was angry at God, perhaps due to the favoritism God displayed in accepting Abel but not Cain. However, instead of being sorrowful, and seeking to change his ways so as to find favor with God, Cain took out on his brother the anger he had against God.
The Lord knows, and cares about the emotional responses, and He intervenes. In this case, He gives counsel, and appeals with Cain.
Literally, the question God asks is this, "Is there not lifting up?" Because Cain did what was not right, he was "downcast". Here is a chance for Cain to retrace his steps and do it right. And if he will do this, he will be "lifted up". This corresponds with our saying to someone who has injured us, "Don't tell me you're 'sorry', just don't let it happen again." Or like Jesus when He said, “Go and sin no more.”
It's clear that there is a right and a wrong, and it's also clear that Cain has a choice to make - it is in his power to choose to do what is right. The expression "sin is crouching at your door" produces the picture of an animal of prey at the sheep-fold entrance, the wolf is very near, and ready to destroy the lamb that leaves the protection of the fold. (John 10 pictures Jesus as being both Good Shepherd, and Door of the fold - that is, as the Good Shepherd, He lays down at the entrance in order to keep the sheep from wandering out of the fold, in this way, the shepherd is providing protection from the “crouching” wolf .) The message to Cain is obvious, "take care of that anger!" If you don’t, it will devour you. Paul advises in the New Testament, "don't let the sun go down on your wrath". (Ephesians 4:26) It's puzzling that when God is trying to instruct Cain about the dangers of mishandled anger, He uses an image which comes from his brother Abel's field of endeavor, not Cain's. He might have said something like, "If you do not do what is right, sin is like thorns, ready to choke out the crop." Some have wondered if implied here, or perhaps just not included in the narrative, is the possibility that God intended Cain to go to his brother and purchase an animal for the sacrifice.
In contemporary language, we must be "proactive" against sin. Or to say it another way, we have to deal with it - sin cannot be ignored. This reminds us what is taught in the New Testament by James and Peter: ". . . each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." (James 1:14,15) "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." (I Peter 5:8,9) Notice, this comes right after verse 7, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." In other words, we do need to resist the devil, but we do not worry about it. Sin must not be treated lightly. It has the power to destroy us. Too many people seem to have the idea that "morality" is merely society's way to produce conformity for the sake of a peaceful and prosperous life. In this definition, sin is nothing more than rebellion against the status quo, and many feel that rather than being bad for us, rebellion against the status quo is the only way there can be progress. On the contrary, sin will destroy our peace of mind, our relationships with others, and ultimately our souls in hell.
The KJV translates this verse 8 a little differently, and more accurately, "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." It is believed that this was a sudden action, not premeditated murder. Something in the conversation with Abel stirred up his wrath. However, because Cain had not taken care of his relationship with God, he took out his anger on his brother. By the way, isn't it interesting that the brothers were talking in the field? Was it the field where Abel watched his flock, or the field where Cain tilled the soil? (The word used is "saw-deh", and the first definition is "cultivated field." In fact, we have a similar sounding word, "sod". One wonders if Abel had gone to Cain's field to appeal to him concerning the problem concerning his offering.
Once again God gave Cain an opportunity for confession and repentance, but Cain tried to pretend that he didn't know anything. The question has become rhetorical, and must be answered by each one of us in the affirmative. Does it mean that we have to take care of everyone in the whole world? No, but we must take responsibility for any action of ours which has brought injury to another person.
It should be obvious that nothing we do can be hidden from God, and yet we go about our lives doing, saying, and thinking things which constitute sin, thinking no one knows. One thing is for sure, God is very aware of the victims of violence, and He is outraged. So what is the lesson of Cain? According to John, it is a message about love. "For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." (I John 3:11,12) But it is also a lesson about God's many attempts at keeping us from the lurking danger of sin. Let's go over it one more time and notice the six efforts God made to save Cain. 1. He let Cain know in no uncertain terms that his offering was not accepted. There should be no surprises at the end. Did you ever get fired from a job because you didn't do something you were never told to do? I almost did. I was told to go put shakes on the exterior of a house - I had never done that before, and had not been told how to do it. Consequently, I didn't fold a piece of tar paper and slip it up under the window casing, and almost got fired because of that mistake. God makes it clear what is acceptable and what is not, and lets us know when we miss the mark. 2. God tried to get Cain to own up to his anger when He asked, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?" It is very important for us to identify the presence and source of our anger. Too many people are going around carrying a hidden rage - someday it will come out in a way that's harmful to others. 3. God gave Cain the chance to retrace his steps and do what was right when He said, "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?" Evil never has a viable excuse - God has given us the power to overcome and do what is right. 4. God warned Cain about the consequences of his secret sin when He told him it was like a wolf "crouching at the door". (Like the bear in the story, "My Bear Hoiby" - "Every day when I would go to school, my teacher would say to me, 'You'd better watch out, that bear could be dangerous' But what could I do, I just loved my Bear Hoiby.") 5. God gave to Cain a warning and an encouragement when He said, "sin desires to have you, but you must master it." That's why Jesus said, "Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation." 6. God gave Cain an opportunity to confess and repent when He asked him about his brother. Some time ago, we saw a report concerning the young, undisciplined elephants which were killing off the rhinos. It was interesting in part because it seemed that the reason this was happening was because these young buck elephants had been reared apart from the influence of their parents. What interested me was the segment of the report where an elephant had stomped down a fence around the property of one of the trainers. The trainer went out to meet the elephant, waved his arms and yelled - the elephant backed away and ran off. But even better is the story I heard a number of years ago about a missionary who was being attacked by an elephant. Later this missionary learned that back in the US, a prayer warrior had been wakened from a deep sleep and called upon to pray. The missionary had fearfully backed away from the beast, but clumsily knocked over a table of metal dishware. The sounds frightened the elephant, which made a hasty retreat. When the black bears come to the back yard of the parsonage, that we have affectionately named “Black Bear Barrio,” we go out and yell at them – and they leave! Sin may be crouching at the door, but we do not need to be destroyed by it; we can have mastery over it. We may quickly claim, “I could never use a deadly weapon on another human being like the long list of men you’ve cited!” But we need to check ourselves, for if there remains unresolved anger in our hearts, hate and revenge are not far behind.
Fratricide - Genesis 4:1-10 1. What has happened to our society to produce so many men who apparently assume that one solves problems through killing other people? 2. What should be our response to news reports of workers killing other workers and supervisors, and brothers killing brothers? 3. In Genesis 4, what may be implied about the gender of Eve’s first children when at the birth of Cain she says, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man"? 4. What was the difference between the offerings brought by the two brothers, and why was one accepted and the other not? (Hebrews 11:4) 5. How do you think it was obvious to Cain and Abel that one offering was acceptable and the other not? What does this teach us about God? 6. With whom was Cain angry? 7. In this story of Cain and Abel, what was God’s first question for Cain? 8. What warning did God give to Cain that included the image of a wolf and a sheep fold? 9. What animal does Peter refer to in making a similar point in I Peter 5:8,9? 10. In which field were Cain and Abel talking, and what does that suggest about the reason for their conversation? 11. Obviously God already knew what had happened in the field, but what opportunity was given to Cain when God asked him, “Where is your brother Abel?” 12. What is the correct answer to the question “Am I my brother's keeper?" 13. According to I John 3:11,12, what is the lesson of Cain? 14. This primitive Bible story of Cain and Abel also provides a lesson about God's many attempts at keeping us from the lurking danger of sin. What are some of the efforts God made to save Cain?  - - Return to Top of this Page  - Email a Link to this Page
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