There is some mystery about why Cain killed Abel. Abel did nothing to hurt Cain. They were brothers. So why would he kill his brother? The answer seems to be as simple as understanding out own human tendencies. No one likes to be criticized and blamed, so we usually find someone, or something, else to blame for our own mistakes.The story in short form was that their parents, Adam and Eve, sinned and lost their home in the garden. Then they had two sons, Cain and Abel. Sometime later in the course of their life, these two brothers offered a sacrifice to God. God was pleased with Abel’s sacrifice and not pleased with Cain’s. So Cain was upset. The result was that Cain murdered his brother.Now before Cain murdered Abel, God came to Cain, “The LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it’” Genesis 4:6-7).At this point, God intervened and told Cain “You have a problem. Sin is crouching at your door.” God continued telling him to control his emotions, or they will destroy you. Also he told him to do better next time. So Cain’s anger had not festered so much that it was out of control—yet!Cain did not listen to God. He let his anger to be focused on Abel whose sacrifice was praised. So he did what many of us do, we blame others for our own mistakes. Instead of asking for God’s forgiveness, Cain allowed his rejection to grow into anger—but anger towards Abel. And this festered so much that he killed his own brother.In the eyes of God, hatred of others is a terrible thing. Galatians 5:19-21 lists “the works of the flesh” among which are “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions… I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” And John warns us, “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15).We must learn to master our emotions—especially anger. As Paul tells us in Ephesians 4 that we must “give no opportunity to the ...
