Life is it unfair or fair?

Genesis 4:1-12

 

Cain and Abel

Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man." 

Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

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.

Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"

"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"

The Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth." 

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Notes on the Scripture

Life is unfair. God is unfair. "Fairness" is a vaguely human concept. At its core, the idea of unfairness is that some action has failed to meet a standard of conduct that our brain has invented, and very often it either is sinful in itself, or leads to sin. This is the basic lesson of the story of Cain and Abel and its importance is emphasized by its very early appearance in the Bible.

If there is one place that the words "it's not fair" are likely to crop up, it's between children in the same family or schoolroom. So it's not surprising that the Biblical story concerns two brothers. God did not look with favor Cain's offering; we don't know why. Some theologians have inferred that Abel brought the best of his flock, while Cain simply brought a lower quality from his harvest, but that is speculative. The Bible does not give God's reason.

But the reason for God's favoritism is not the point of the story. The point is that although God looked with more favor on Abel's offering, He still accepted Cain’s offering. But Cain was jealous of Abel. He committed the sin of pride and the sin of covetousness, because his only harm was to be humbled. And he thought that it wasn't fair. This led him to the terrible sin of murder, for which he was cast out of society and cursed in the sight of God. 

Christ reiterated the ungodliness of human concepts of "fairness" in the parable of the laborers of the vineyard in Matthew 20. "When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. 

When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.'".

Of course, God was displeased with Cain. He cursed Cain. 

The ground would no longer yield its strength for Cain (Genesis 4:12). Cain would be a fugitive and vagabond. A mark would be placed upon Cain to prevent him from being murdered for his deed. Murder is condemned (Genesis 9:6). We should also understand that harboring hatred in our hearts is also contrary to God's will for us 

(1 John 3:10, 11; 4:20, 21).

And a final thought: The blood of Abel brought a curse, but the blood of Christ brings forgiveness (Hebrews 12:24). 

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Let Us Pray

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be among the community of all who pray in the name of Christ this morning, and remain among us always.

Amen.