Genesis- Oh Brother

Monday
 
Today I want you to take some time and read this story, that may be familiar, but take your time with it. Underline, highlight, jot down questions or thoughts of discovery.
 
Genesis 4:1-16-Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 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 rule over it.” 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
 
First off, how many of you can relate to this story? Your jealousy, envy got the best of you that you killed your brother. Show of hands? I think we read this story and for many, we know at least the names of this story and we think, “I’ll just skip right past this story because I can’t relate at all.”
 
Fair enough, I don’t disagree with you. Especially, I don’t have a brother, even though I am a brother. I’m not really a farmer or rancher. Which is also interesting because during this era, farmers were considered city folk and ranchers were considered rural folk. Here the city slicker farmer, Cain, killed the rural cowboy Abel.  
 
Yet, what about the jealousy, envy, desiring acceptance, anger, sadness? Have you ever felt that? Maybe we connect with this story more than we know. So what do we do with this story? Is it just a sibling rivalry? Is it just one story? Or is there more than meets the eye?
 
Which leads me to the next set up question, what got your attention in this passage? Why was Cain’s offering “not accepted”? What went wrong? What was the mark on Cain’s life? Were there other people around to even threaten him? Do we know anything more about Abel? What was the exile like? Others?  
 
What must get our attention? God’s activity in the story. Reread that question and answer again.
 
We tend to focus on the people, which makes sense, since we are people. And to apply this passage we will need to respond like people. But what must get our attention in this passage is God’s activity in the story and what gets his attention should give us a clue as to how we should live our life.  
 
Go back and jot down what you think got God’s attention and reflect on that today.