Genesis 4:4-8 (MSG) Abel also brought an offering, but from the firstborn animals of his herd, choice cuts of meat. GOD liked Abel and his offering, but Cain and his offering didn’t get his approval. Cain lost his temper and went into a sulk. GOD spoke to Cain: “Why this tantrum? Why the sulking? If you do well, won’t you be accepted? And if you don’t do well, sin is lying in wait for you, ready to pounce; it’s out to get you, you’ve got to master it.” Cain had words with his brother. They were out in the field; Cain came at Abel his brother and killed him.
We humans have a natural hatred for people in close proximity to us who are more competent, more likable, or more successful than us. The failure to reckon with this is just as tragically consequential today as it was in the Genesis chapter 4. The only thing Abel did to offend his brother and make him murderously bitter was to be better. Think about that and ask yourself, “has anything changed?” While it’s true we cheer celebrities, stars, and athletes that are better than us; they’re not threatening us on our turf.
Now, I don’t have to look any further than into my own soul to know there’s a natural sinful reaction when I realize I am not the smartest, coolest or most competent person in a meeting or social situation, or in some corner of my organization. God was so aware of this and so concerned about this that he paid a personal visit to Cain to alert him to what was going on in his heart. To show you the power of jealousy, even a plaintive plea from God himself couldn’t calm the beast that not being the best created in Cain. This is a big deal. Why have we ignored the details of this story? We have ignored this story, and to our own peril.
This is not to say that we should give up our need to be appreciated. This is not to say that we should welcome destructive dominance by others. This is also not to say that we shouldn’t try to find places of belonging where we are celebrated. But wanting to be celebrated is not the same as wanting supremacy or always having to be in the one up position. Abel didn’t practice destructive dominance, he was just being himself and offering God his best. No one should give in to destructive and abusive dominance, but that’s not what the story of Cain and Abel is about. The story of Cain and Abel is about the unchangeable fact that in life one of us is going to have the right answer, the needed wisdom, the inspired performance and another one of us will not. The solution to this human reality is not to abandon or destroy people who, in a given situation, have the best gift.
The consequences of not learning from the story of Cain and Abel is …
1. We’ve become a culture of manipulators and flatterers.
I realize we all need encouragement but it’s gotten too easy to lead people to wrong conclusions merely by obsessively telling them how amazing they are. I believe the church world is in a crisis of meaning right now because we are terrified at delivering anyone bad news. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 2:5 “we never used flattery,” or as the New Century Version says, “You know that we never tried to influence you by saying nice things about you.”
2. We’ve started judging every human interaction by how it makes us feel versus what conclusions we are being led to.
Cain couldn’t even think about the consequences of a society where God, with his infinite wisdom, would not be allowed to set the standards for what was and was not acceptable. Instead Cain opted for a world where fickle human emotions would set the course of our lives. As someone said years ago, and it’s becoming more true daily, “we have raised feelings to a level of irresistible force.”
The Jordan Peterson phenomenon is giving me some hope right now, not because I necessarily agree with all of his conclusions but because thousands of young people, mostly young men are showing up to auditoriums to cheer and weep as he tells them to straighten up and do what is noble instead of merely following the monster inside of them. I am sure some think I am crazy but I have literally wept over how large segments of the church have chosen flattery over truth. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be kind. Was God kind to Cain? Oh my goodness, the grace and kindness of God to Cain was simply extraordinary, but God still didn’t back down on what he expected out of him.
3. We’ve leaned into the idea that anyone who’s achieved power got it undeservedly and must be in some way dismissed, or in some cases destroyed.
Sure, there are just revolts against the powerful but when it’s assumed that no one who’s gotten ahead didn’t get that way by being competent and doing something right, we will be in perpetual revolt and that is destructive for both the government and the church. What I’ve never heard mentioned in the story of Cain and Abel is the fact that the sacrifice God was looking for was available to Cain, but he had to go get it from Abel. God was trying to bring Cain into a close and trusting relationship with Abel. God was trying to cause Cain and Abel to need each other. Mutuality and harmony is still what God is after.
One day, it will be your turn to be the one who has the right answer to the test and if you have built a coalition of love and trust with others when they shined, you will in all likelihood, reap what you sowed. Think about your life and give yourself a pat on the back if you have acknowledged that someone in your social circle was right, skilled, or brilliant lately and you’re not just flattering them. Also think about your life and the people in your social circle whose competence, skill, and insight you deeply resent. You’ve got power, kill that monster, before it turns you into a killer.
