Where Is Your Brother

Where is your Brother

Genesis 4:1-16

The questions that Adam and Eve probably asked when they looked back to where they were and where they are now was probably where do we go from here and what will happen next. When Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden of Eden, God didn’t abandon them. He blessed them with many children; the first was Cain. Eve didn’t lose sight of promise of a deliverer. It is believed by many scholars she believed Cain was the promised Seed that would bruise the head of the serpent. Her second son was Abel. Cain was a farmer and Abel a herdsman. Now there came a time when Cain and Abel brought offerings to the Lord, Cain from the fruit of the ground and Abel the firstlings of his flock. God accepted Abel’s offering but rejected Cain’s. We are not told why God rejected Cain’s offering but He did. This didn’t set well with Cain. He became angry and all you needed to do is look at his face. You could tell he was filled with anger and rage. It was directed toward God for not accepting his offering and accepting his brother’s offering.

Although God knew what the problem was He asked Cain, “why are you angry and why has your countenance fallen?” God will always give us an opportunity to explain why we are acting the way we are, even though He knows and there is a reason behind this. Cain was wrong in what he was doing. He wasn’t admitting he was wrong instead he was following the example set by his father and mother, put the blame somewhere else. Cain didn’t answer the question. From the context of the passage of Scripture, God didn’t give him time to answer. God knew why Cain was angry and why his countenance was fallen. Cain had a big attitude problem. God asked Cain, “if you do well,” this is a promise of restored fellowship, “will not your countenance be lifted up?” What God tells Cain and us, if what we do is the right thing to do we will find joy in it? If not it will haunt us. This should have been a clue to why God rejected his offering. What Cain did was not fitting and proper. Then God told Cain, here comes a warning “if you do not do well sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” What is God doing? He is reasoning with Cain, trying to convince Cain either he must take control of his anger or his anger will take control. You think anger management is something new.

Ever done something that was not the right thing to do and there seemed to be a voice inside you telling you it wasn’t the right thing to do. This voice is often referred to as your conscience. The question is not what is this voice, but who is it. You don’t have to be a Christian to hear this voice. The voice is the Holy Spirit. Remember God does not want anyone to perish. If He is a just and loving God and He warns people of the dangerous ground they are about to walk on. How does He do this, through the Holy Spirit?

What did God tell Cain? “If you do not do well sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Who is crouching at the door? Sin is a state, a condition. Cain was in that state, condition. But he has an opportunity to escape. If he doesn’t take advantage of the opportunity what will happen? Satan will take control of his heart and mind. In this instant it is God speaking to Cain, there is a struggle going on in Cain’s heart, a struggle between good and evil. The evil will use his anger and control him. Before Cain can do what is right he must control his anger.

Anger is an emotion. Emotions are not easy to control and can be deceiving. How can we control our emotions? Within ourselves we can’t. It takes a power beyond what we have in our fallen nature. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit that comes into our heart when we believe in what Jesus Christ did for us on the Cross and we accept Him as our Savior and Lord.

It appears from what is written in verse 8, “Cain told Abel his brother” there was some sort of restoration in the relationship between Cain and his brother. But something occurred in the conversation and the anger that seemed to be under control raised its ugly head and Cain killed his brother Abel. Ever wonder what was going through Cain’s mind when he saw his brother lying on the ground blood gushing out of the wound in his brother’s head or wherever he struck him? We know Cain knew what he did was wrong, from the conversation between God and Cain in verses 9 and 10.