Cain Murders Abel - Genesis 4

When I read through Genesis 4, I was reminded of a time when I was just a teen and my parents told me I had to watch my little brother.  I remember being rather sassy about the whole thing and asked the question, "What, am I my brother's keeper?"  I quickly learned that, yep, in this case I was.  I won't go into the gory details here, but you can imagine a parent's response to a challenge like this one.

The interesting thing is I felt I was the one being unjustly saddled with a responsibility that belonged elsewhere.  How many times in life do I put on that same selfish attitude?  How many times do I feel your problems and difficulties are just that, yours--not mine.  I wonder too, how often my help could have made things easier for you to bear. 

I will consider faces I haven't seen for some time and just as quickly dismiss them from my mind.  Does God want me to connect with them?  Am I my brother''s keeper?  Then too, I remember my neighbors who don't have a church home, what am I suppose to do?  Am I my brother's keeper?  

These questions remind me of the scripture verses in Genesis 4:9-10. 

"Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother, Abel?"

"I don't know," he replied.  "Am I my brother's keeper?"

The Lord said, "What have you done?  Listen!  Your brother's blood cried out to me from the ground."



Read all of Genesis 4 at Biblegateway.

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