GENESIS 4
8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel 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 the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
– Genesis 4:8-16
GENESIS 4 THE FIRST MURDER
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
After the Lord rejected Cain’s lame offering, he got so angry
Out of his anger and jealousy over God accepting his brother’s offering
He rose up against Abel and plotted to kill him
Thus, the first murder happened after Adam and Eve sinned.
As a result of this heinous sin, the ground will no longer yield fruits
He also won’t see God’s presence as he settled in the land of Nod
Cain began to fear that he will be sought after to be killed
But the gracious God still protected him from those who’ll attack him.
We get to witness the first murder when Cain killed his brother. Notice that when God asked what he had done, he answered with “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Hiding and deflecting responsibility usually follow when we disobey God. Shame is responsible for this. We were made to have an open relationship with God, but sin closes that.
REFLECTION
- Why does one sin always lead to another? How do we prevent it to worsen?
