Be Still And Know

READ: Genesis 4.8-9 NLT One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him. Afterward the LORD asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?” “I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?” This is the world’s first murder. How terrible that so early in this Holy Book, the Bible, we have to confront such an appalling evil. If you have ever known a family that has experienced a murder you will know the awful impact that it has for years to come on everyone concerned. It isn’t clear why Cain’s offering to the Lord was unacceptable but he is furious about it, and determined to do away with his brother. After the murder God caught up with Cain and his response to God was a bizarre one. “Am I my brother’s guardian?” he asks. The translation that you may be more familiar with is “Am I my brother’s keeper?” although I quite like the Living Bible paraphrase of, “How should I know? Am I supposed to