A Little Like Cain

Posted by Lorren on January 6, 2009

Cain was the very first human ever born, and he was also the first murderer. What does that say about us?

Cain and his brother Abel went to God to offer sacrifices. God didn’t accept Cain’s sacrifice, but he liked the lamb that Abel brought. Cain got jealous of his younger brother, and his anger led him to murder.

Perhaps Cain, being the oldest, had a feeling of superiority and entitlement. I don’t know what their age difference was, but Cain probably had been stronger than his brother for much of their early years. He probably knew more about many things for much of their lives too. Here comes Abel, the younger brother, getting something right, while Cain’s offering was rejected.

God told Cain that doing well would gain him acceptance. “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” he tells Cain in Genesis 4:7. He had the chance to try again. Rather than accept the criticism, he got mad and lashed out at his brother.

I think that a lot of us are often a little like Cain. It’s easy to feel like you have a little superiority over someone, whether it’s because you have more education, or are stronger, or you have more money, or you’re older (or younger) than someone else. But we’re all made in God’s image. As a Christian, if we do well, we will please God. Sometimes we do do well. But then again, there are times when we do not. When we don’t do well, it’s not time to get upset at the people that are… it’s the time to try again.