Genesis 4:10, “Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.”
The first sin committed horizontally (human to human) is the sin of murder. Cain and Abel both brought an offering to the Lord and the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. Cain instantly became upset because God did not respect what h he brought him. God knowing this didn’t try to boost his self-esteem, but rather asked him three questions. First God asked, “Why are you angry?” Secondly, “why has your countenance fallen?” Thirdly, “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” Now whenever God asks a question it is never because He doesn’t know the answer, because God is omniscient (all knowing).
God is giving Cain an opportunity to come to his senses and realize that he needs to point the blame to himself and not to God who rejected his offering. And not to his brother which he would become jealous of. Just like his father Adam who blamed his wife and the serpent (the devil) for Adam’s disobedience, so now does his son Cain proves the old saying true, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” God wants Cain to get a grip on things, and to overcome the sin that is knocking at the door of his heart which desires to control him, but God commands Cain that Cain must master it. Only one was going to be the leader, either Cain or the sin. So what happened? “Now 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 killed him.” Cain didn’t master his sin, his sin mastered him, and Abel became the victim.
God comes to Cain and asks another question, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” Cain wasn’t his brother’s keeper although he should have been, but instead he was his brother’s killer. We are to be keepers of one another and not killers of one another. 1John 3:15 reads, “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” It’s not just the act of murder, by the spirit of murder that finds its way in our lives if we’re not discerning. The law magnified shows that God sees murder even in the hating stage of our minds. A man can be sent to prison for drawing out plans to assassinate the President, even before the plans are carried out! One must also be wise in how one treats others, especially in what comes out of ones mouth. Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. James says, “All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.” We kill with our words, and our actions.
God said to Cain, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.” Instead of being his brother’s keeper and being responsible for him, he became his brother’s killer. May each of us ask ourselves today “Am I my brother’s keeper or my brother’s killer?” For further reading read the story of Jonathan and David and see how Jonathan was his brother (David’s) keeper, when he could have been his killer. Blessings Pastor Phil
He Has Magnified His Word 