Walk in Wisdom

Love Thy Neighbor

Genesis 4:9

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 

I’m sickened not only by Cain’s ambivalence to his heinous crime (he just took his own brother’s life with his bare hands for goodness’ sake), but by the way he rolls his eyes at God when confronted with it. I get that this is only the beginning of the world and that God’s law hasn’t been fully manifested yet, but at least Cain’s parents showed some sense of shame after they ate the fruit. They didn’t immediately admit their fault, but they still hurriedly tried to cover it up, even hiding from God behind the trees. Yet Cain’s not hiding here. He’s so devoid of conscience that it’s as if God finds him resting in his favorite hammock in his backyard vineyard rather than hiding out in a covert cave. Nothing to see here, God; just business as usual in the world of Me, Myself, and I. 

Friend, Jesus summed up the law by telling us to love the Lord with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves, and we won’t do any better than Cain today if we don’t accept our God-ordained commission to be our brothers’ keeper.