From the current conflicts in the Middle East and Europe, to the brutal battles of antiquity, human history has been littered with war and violence. Millions and millions of human lives have been taken through the actions of other human beings. Sadly, it's been this way from the beginning. Genesis 4 gives us deep insight into the human proclivity for violence. Let's dig into the story.
Anger and Resentment Leads to Murder
In Genesis 4, we read of conflict between two sons of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel. We are told that both brothers offer a sacrifice to God, but only Abel's sacrifice is deemed acceptable. We're not even told exactly why this is the case, but it seems to have something to do with the quality of the two sacrifices. Certainly, Abel's offering is from the first fruits of his flock, while Cain's may be a less choice offering. At any rate, anger and resentment bubbles up in Cain's heart and God confronts him with this, warning him that sin is crouching at his door, waiting to master him. However, Cain has the freedom to resist this temptation to sin and can choose a productive path, if he so chooses. But if he chooses poorly, and rather than mastering sin, sin masters him. Cain invites his brother out into the field where he murders him. God confronts Cain, and like his parents had done in the garden, he tries to cover up his action, but God of course, knows better. Faced with the reality of his sin, Cain will now suffer the consequences of killing his brother.
Cain the Wanderer and the Widening of Human Violence and Sin
As the story continues, we learn that Cain becomes vagabond, wandering from place to place. Fearing that like his brother Abel, he too will be murdered, God places some kind of mark on Cain to prevent others from killing him. He eventually settles in the land of Nod, East of Eden. To be East of Eden is to be in exile, just as the Jews would be centuries later. He finds a wife and begins a family of his own. This part of the story raises some interesting questions for the careful reader.
First of all, Cain and Abel, along with their parents, Adam and Eve, are the only other people mentioned thus far. Where did all of these other people come from? And where did Cain find his wife? In a sense though, these questions miss the point.
Just as in the story of Adam and Eve in the garden, the story of Cain and Abel is not historical. And just as Adam and Eve were not individual people, so neither were Cain nor Abel. As Adam and Eve represent all of humanity, so Cain and Abel are representative of some of the best and the worst traits of humans. At our best, we are all Abel (pun intended), and at our worst, we are all Cain.
The Big Picture
Ultimately, what we discover in the story of Cain and Abel is that when humans fail to love God with all of their heart, soul, and strength, not only does this sever our relationship with God, but it also distorts and destroys our relationship with others, eventually leading to the violence and destruction that we see all around us.
Now, this does not mean that all of human existence is only strife, hatred, and killing. We also discover that many of Cain's descendants are skilled in the arts, sciences, and technology. Humanity lives within the tension of human flourishing and human brokenness.
But a question must be asked. Is all of life simply the delicate balancing act of living within the tension of flourishing and brokenness, or is there something more? Will there, could there ever be a solution the problem of human sin and evil? We must read on to discover the answer. But warning - it's gets worse before it gets better. - Shay
