Saturday, July 12, 2008
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His Words of the Day: Murder, and Caring for Others
B’resheet 4:8-16; Kayin had words with Hevel his brother; then one time, when they were in the field, Kayin turned on Hevel his brother and killed him.
Adonai said to Kayin, “Where is Hevel your brother?” And he replied, “I don’t know; am I my brother’s guardian?” He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood at your hands. When you farm the ground it will no longer yield its strength to you. You will be a fugitive, wandering the earth.” Kayin said to Adonai, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. You are banning me today from the land and from your presence. I will be a fugitive wandering the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” Adonai answered him, “Therefore, whoever kills Kayin will receive vengeance sevenfold,” and Adonai put a sign on Kayin, so that no one who found him would kill him. So Kayin left the presence of Adonai and lived in the land of Nod (wandering), east of Eden.
Kayin was the first ever to be banned from ever seeing God again. I’d discussed how God had become angry with Adam and Havah because they didn’t apologize, but tried to hide their mistake. Wanting to understand is a far lesser sin than murder, and Kayin didn’t apologize either. He tried to hide his mistake. And once again, God—knowing all—saw right through his lie. He turned Kayin away from Him. He sent Kayin away from his family, because God wished to remain with Adam and Havah, but refused to be with the murderer.
Jesus said, “But I tell you that anyone who nurses anger against his brother will be subject to judgement; that whoever calls his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing!’ will be brought before the Sanhedrin; that whoever says, ‘Fool!’ incurs the penalty of burning in the fires of Gei-Hinnom!” (Mattityahu 5:22)
If you wish for someone to die, or if you wish you could kill them, you are committing murder in your heart. God still says that murderers do not belong with Him. No one is good-for-nothing, no one is a fool. God doesn’t make mistakes, so He must have made these people for a reason. You have no right to call them a fool. Love them, as God loves them. Ask for forgiveness when you fall short of that love.
Back to Kayin, when God asked him where his brother was--perhaps one of the most famous lines from the bible about an uncaring person—he said, “Am I my brother’s guardian?” The answer is, “Yes, you are.” We all are put here—not only to test ourselves—but to care for others. We aren’t only put here to guard our actual brothers, but all of humanity.
There have been two cases recently of people dying where the people around them just ignored them. (http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/01/hospital.death.ap/index.html and http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/11/national/main4172680.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_4172680) Human beings were set here not just to care for ourselves. We’re also meant to care for those around us. These two people might have been saved had anyone near them actually taken the time to help them. These people deserve our sympathy. If this happened to you, you’d want someone to help you. Why, then, are you not there helping that person?
Every time I see these two news articles, I am sure that many in this world are not able to be saved. I want to know why the people around those injured just ignored them. Would you be late for work? Is that a real excuse? How can people just stand around and watch a dead or dying body without some kind of remorse? Has humanity become so cold that we’ve stopped caring completely?
Those reading this are not the ones I’m worried about. It’s those that don’t believe that God cares whether we’re killed or not. Or don’t believe in God at all. He cared so much about Hevel that He said Kayin was no longer welcome in His presence. He loved Kayin as well, but He wanted Kayin not only to love Him, but his fellow human beings.
We must love others, just as God does. He wants us to reach out to others, and help if we can. We must try our best to do as He does.
God Bless,
--Wukei
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