 Wednesday: Relationships Gone Awry
And the LORD said to Cain, Why are you angry? and why is your countenance
fallen?
Genesis 4:6
When God showed no respect for Cain's offerings, Cain became angry. In the
King James Version he was "wroth," which is wrathful or extremely angry.
God saw the problem. He sought Cain to counsel him. God told him what he
needed to do. God told him that if he could not get control of the situation,
sin would pull him down.
The scripture doesn't say that Cain ever acknowledged or responded to God.
He had already closed his mind and his heart to God's advice. Rather than
hearing the words that could save him, Cain nurtured his rage, and then turned
it against his brother. He invited Abel to go out to the field. Once there,
he committed the first murder ever recorded.
That murder was more than a physical act. It was the product of relationships
that had gone bad. Cain had no relationship with God, or he could have heard
and followed God's advice. Cain had a poor relationship with Abel, or Cain
would not have directed his rage against his brother. Cain had no relationship
with his parents, or he could have sought help or advice from Adam or Eve.
We must take a lesson about relationships from Cain's story. When God asked
Cain about Abel, Cain retorted with a question-"Am I my brother's keeper?"
In one sense, Cain was right. He was not his brother's keeper, but he was
still his brother's brother. He was not responsible for Adam or Eve, either,
but he was still his parents' child. He was not accountable for God, but
he was still accountable to God. Breaking one relationship was hard, but
it led to a pattern of broken relationships, deep unhappiness, consuming
rage, and murder.
On our pilgrimage we are seeking a deeper relationship with God. That cannot
be achieved unless there is a relationship to build on. How is your relationship
with God? With your family? With your neighbors?
With each path, with each step, think about your relationship with God and
those around you. Pray about your relationships. Listen to God, and heed
His counsel. We are not destined for Cain's mistakes. We are destined for
God. We are destined for glory.
God of love, your voice in my heart is sweet. It calls me to a tender
and loving relationship with you. It calls me to be tender and loving to
those around me. Keep my ears always open to your voice, my mind always open
to your counsel, and my heart always open to your love. In the name of your
loving Son, Jesus, Amen.
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