Cain and Abel
Genesis 4: 1-12 (NLT)
The story is told in two parts, both using the dominoes to expand the story and enlighten the audience. The first part explains the story as it happens. Liberty is taken to add the destructive thoughts that likely occurred. The writer of Genesis only gives us the Behavior, two emotions, and the destructive consequences.
In the second part, the thoughts are changed to hypothetical, healthy thoughts. These lead to still painful but healthy emotions and better consequences.
PART 1
L: “The Lord accepted Abel and his offering, but he did not accept Cain and his offering.” Genesis 4:4-5 (NLT)
T: “God thinks I am worthless.” “This is all Abel’s fault” “Abel always gets favoritism” “I hate him” I’ll show him, I’ll get even. He’ll never do this to me again. He is such a worthless pile of dung. He does not deserve to be on this earth with me after what he has done.” “Abel has made me feel dejected.”
F: Resentment, worthlessness (depression, dejection).
What the writer here is calling “anger” is actually “resentment”. Anger is a healthy emotion that comes from a violation of ones rights, is controlled, comes from thoughts of ones rights being violated, and leads to confrontation and resolution.
Resentment comes from a sense of violation also, but stems from distorted/destructive thoughts that devalue the others worth as a human being. Cain wrongly thinks that Able is to blame for God’s actions. His distorted “mind reading” interprets the event as meaning that:
- God hates him. (Therefore he feels “worthless/dejected”)
- It must be Abel’s fault (Causing him to resent his brother and judge him as worthless also).
Cain sees both he and his brother as worthless human beings. This can also be described as hating another human being and hating himself.
B: Revenge/retaliation/murder
C: “You are hereby banished from the ground you have defiled with your brother’s blood.” Genesis 4: 11 (NLT)
PART 2
L: Exactly the same as part one.
T: God gives Cain a hint of what the expected, healthier, more divine thinking could be:
“You will be accepted if you respond in the right way.” Genesis 4: 7 (NLT). A healthier reframing or restructuring of Cain’s thoughts might have gone like this: I know God loves me and my brother. He has told us so and proven it many times. I know I have infinite worth in his eyes because he has created us in his image. I cannot know his reasons for everything, but I trust that he has a good purpose for me in this. This is painful. It really hurts to have him refuse my offering. But I trust in Him. He will reveal his good reasons to me in time and it will all become clear. I will ask him why he has not accepted my gifts. Perhaps I can learn something from it that will help me grow in his love. So I am going to choose to celebrate with my brother that I love. At least he was favored on this day.”
(Ken: Feel free to ad lib here with your own interpretations of healthy thoughts that would have prevented this tragedy.)
F: Sadness (a healthy emotion that comes from loss of any kind. Cain does not fall into the trap of believing this event means he is worthless, but does fell the sting of the loss and is simply sad).
Mild anger (he feels violated by the rejection and decides to go to the Father when he gets a chance)
B: Crying (this is the natural healing and healthy behavior that comes from sadness). Confrontation (Handled in a controlled, respectful way)
C: Abel would still be alive and produced generations of offspring. Cain would not have been banished and made to bear the mark of shame for the rest of his life. His offspring and community would have had a greater respect for him.
(Pastors: I am sure with your imagination you can dream of how differently the world would be if Cain had not murdered his brother. Have fun with this part!)
