22 January 2010 Devotion for Today "The First Murder" Genesis 4:1-15

Friday, January 22, 2010

1:00 PM

^{1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the LORD." 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.}

^{6 So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."}

^{8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother;[a] and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.}

^{9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?"}

He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

^{10 And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth."}

^{13 And Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me."}

^{15 And the LORD said to him, "Therefore,[b] whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.}

(Genesis 4:1-15)

 
 

A few weeks ago I ministered to a dear family who was grieving over the death of a family member whose life was taken by his own hand. It was one of those things that one could say in response: "Sad, but not surprised." Everyone had done what they could to encourage the victim, to get him the help he needed, and to help him with feelings of overwhelming despair. His family and friends stayed as close to him as possible and reached out in every way possible. But in the end, he took his life on New Years Day. This was perhaps the second or third time in my ministry where I preached the funeral of a suicide victim. But even in almost thirty years of ministry, one victim of this type is one too many. It is perhaps one of the most challenging and excruciating times for a minister, but it is far worse on the family who is left shattered, sometimes angry, and often confused. Few words suffice when comfort is offered. I am very thankful that I've never done many of these, nor have I stood at the grave of a murder victim, although suicide is virtually the same thing.

 
 

Genesis 4 records the first murder. Many know the story. Envy, outrage and jealousy incited Cain to slay his brother, Abel. When God first confronted him about the deed, Cain was sarcastic and refused to take responsibility ("Am I my brother's keeper?") Like his father, Cain wished to assign the blame and responsibility to the one who created both he and his brother. His sentence was to roam the earth with a mark upon him, separated from his family forever. Everybody hurt when this happened. Adam and Eve not only lost one son; they lost Cain as well. The grief must have been unbearable for them even though Cain claimed that his own grief was greater. He feared more for his own life than for the one whom he had taken. The loss for the world was great as well.

 
 

This week we mark the Sanctity of Human Life- a week where we celebrate the special place and love that God has in his heart for the primacy of His creation: human life. While other forms of life are to be treated with respect, God expects us to have the same love and responsibility for human life. Yet we live in a world that will throw someone in jail for drowning a litter of kittens, but will do nothing when a human baby is aborted. On September 11, 2001- four thousand lives were taken by terrorists, and the world was outraged. Yet four thousand lives are taken every day in the United States, and we do little and say nothing. Even Christians feel sometimes that there is little we can do to prevent it, and give up in surrender as though the war on abortion is lost. I fear one day our punishment for this crime will be what Cain's was- to wander destitute all over the earth, having our blessing of God taken away and living under a curse where we never prosper. It could well be happening as I write this note today.

 
 

Your life is not only special, it is sanctified by God- set apart as a holy instrument of God. May we view all human life this way- the preborn, as well as the elderly and infirm. Only God can ascribe the value of a life. It is His prerogative when to bring it to conception, to birth, and when to take our last breath. May it ever be.

 
 

Have a blessed day!