Skip to main content

Cain, Abel, and Booker T.


     Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
      Then the LORD said to Cain, “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.
     Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. (Genesis 4:2b-8) 

          Of course, it's impossible to know what was going through Cain's mind as he hated and killed his brother. Consider, however, that Cain was born first, but Abel's occupation is listed first. Cain followed in his father's footsteps. He tilled the soil. It was hot, sweaty, backbreaking work among weeds and thorns thanks to the God's curse on the ground. It may have seemed to Cain that Abel wandered around and the animals followed him. And what would the live stalk eat if it weren't for all Cain's hard work? Cain brought the sacrifice first. It might even have been his idea for them to make the sacrifice, but Abel's was accepted.
          If you follow history, it happens over and over. Ishmael and Isaac (consider that ongoing sibling rivalry). Jacob and Esau. Rachel and Leah. All  the brothers and Joseph. All Jesse's other sons and David. "Siblings" become "nations", then "races" with the sons of Africa (which some are now proclaiming to have been the older) and the sons of Europe (supposedly younger but somehow with all the advantages.) Then, in the 19th Century, the word "sibling" was changed to "class" but it's still the same old story: the oppressed rising up and mastering his brother instead of the sin that crouches at his door.
          Our world is filled with Cains and Abels, and I'll admit, I feel like Cain a lot of the time. There are lots of people who seem to sail through life while it seems to me like I have to shed blood, sweat and tears to survive. I have no doubt that there are lots of people who would look at my life and say that I'm Abel. I wander around and the animals follow me, eating what they have worked so hard to grow. To them, I don't know the meaning of oppression or hardship. I have to wonder what would happen if instead of gazing resentfully at what our Abel has, we dealt with our sin. I have to wonder what would happen if we followed Booker T. Washington's adage:  "I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him." 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Birthday of Joseph Lister (father of disinfection for whom Listerine was named) Booker T. Washington

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen!

  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)            Do you like roller coasters? I don't. You spend forever climbing a hill. You get to the top and have half a second, then you race down to a low point. Sometimes the racing down involves tying your insides into knots. At the bottom, you either have to be dragged up another hill or you get off the ride. Peter's life was a roller coaster from the time he met Jesus. There would be miracles, and then Jesus would teach things that didn't always make sense, and then they'd go out and perform miracles, and return to be taught. Peter was praised for giving the right answer to "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus said that said answer came from God. Peter was at the top of the hill.            ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prayer Lists

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...
Post a Comment
Read more