A television pastor recently said that the first war between humans occurred not long after Adam and Eve yielded to the temptation to “be like gods, knowing good and evil.” He then described the conflict between Cain and Abel.
The Genesis record states that after leaving the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve produced children, and that second-born Abel and his sacrifice of a lamb pleased God but that older brother Cain and his offering from “the fruit of the earth” displeased God.
Some say Cain, a farmer, should have offered a lamb. Others say Abel brought his best lambs to God, while Cain brought inferior samples of his agricultural produce. Whatever happened, the Bible passage states, “but for Cain and his offering, he (God) had no respect.”
No offering-bearer stands separate from his offering, and someone said, “Rules without relationship yield rebellion.” Perhaps Cain had an attitude problem.
Instead of trying to understand what might please God, Cain “grew very angry and his countenance fell.” Cain, an earth-tiller who may have been bad seed from the beginning, dug a deeper hole when he grew depressed and angry.
The story goes that God asked Cain why he was angry, let him know that sin crouched at his door and desired to destroy him, and advised Cain to conquer his sin.
Cain evidently thought venting his anger would be easier than overcoming his sin, for he asked Abel to walk into the fields with him — and then he killed Abel.
When God confronted Cain, inquiring as to the whereabouts of Abel, Cain reportedly said, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
The Bible states that God told Cain that Abel’s blood cried to him from the ground. Jesus later said that God sees when even a sparrow falls to the ground. Maybe there are no two-person relationships. Perhaps God is always involved in even the most casual of human interactions.
I disagree that the Cain-and-Abel tragedy became mankind’s “first war.” Cain acted out of personal hatred. Cain’s act of violence constituted murder, not war. An established government gave no endorsement to Cain’s deed.
As a youngster, I listened to my pastor, teachers, and parents and perceived that murder, the intentional and unlawful act of putting a person to death, is usually an act committed on an individual level. I believed that if I murdered someone, God would forgive me, if I sincerely asked him to, but I would still have to pay the penalty decided upon by a court.
My father served as a U.S. combat infantryman in Germany during World War II. He talked little about that war, and I never asked him if he killed anyone. But I believed that my father was no murderer, if he, as an agent of our government, took a life as he performed his duties as a soldier.
Romans, Chapter 13 indicates that civil governments are God’s agents for bringing deserved punishment to evildoers. Even evil governments have been used by God to achieve some purpose. The Bible records that God, longing to capture Israel’s attention, once allowed Assyria, a nation said to be crueler than Israel in olden days, to take Israel captive.
It never appeared odd to me that God, who seemed sensitive about the murder of Abel, led Israel to make war against nations that threatened Israel’s existence during Old Testament times. Perhaps God knew that ancient Israel’s enemies, if left to their decadent inclinations, could have brought about the end of all mankind.
Murder and war are different. I learned that as as a child.
Steve Crain lives in Southern Pines and works in the textile industry. He may be rached at crain207@earthlink.net.
