Am I My Brother’s Keeper?

Genesis 4:1-12 The question that God asked Cain, “Where is your brother Able?" is very much like the question that God asked Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” God certainly knew the answer to both these questions. God has a way of asking questions that bring us face to face with the real issues. It’s kind of like when mother asks, "What are you doing?” Right away you know that she knows that what you’re doing is not what you ought to be doing. “Busted!" Cain’s reply, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” reveals Cain’s attitude when he brought his gift of produce before God. Cain neither knew nor cared what God knew or thought of him. God cared enough about Cain to give him a warning after the rejected gift but before the murder. "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." (Gen. 4:6f) It was the attitude that Cain needed to deal with. As long as you nurse your bad attitude your tendency and temptation will be to act out what your attitude calls for. God told Cain that he must master it. Cain didn’t; he let his anger and jealousy get the best of him, and he killed his brother Abel. God held Cain accountable for the fruit of his attitude and banished him. Cain’s action hadn’t been the product of a “spur of the moment” emotional situation — it was planned. Cain invited Able to go into the field with malice in mind. The problem was much deeper than just not wanting to take responsibility for his brother. His brother became a “thing” that made him look bad. If he got rid of the “thing” his problem would go away. Ask yourself, “What is my attitude toward my brothers and sisters?" Are they “things” that sometimes get in the way? Remember, “sin crouches at our door and we must master it.”