Abel’s bloody corpse is lying in the field. He is the first murder victim in the world, the first victim of domestic violence. Perhaps Cain has cracked his skull with a stone or stabbed him with a sharpened stick.
God had warned Cain that sin was crouching at the door like a ferocious beast. He was to master his emotions and do the right thing. Cain didn’t listen.
And now the Lord is confronting Cain with his treachery: “Where is Abel your brother?” Of course, God knows the answer. Abel’s blood “is crying” from the ground. The Lord is seeking a confession. Cain wants to shrug off the question. I don’t know, he says, “am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen. 4:9-10).
Cain’s flippant response opens a window into his dark soul. Am I my brother’s keeper? Am I responsible for him? Do you think I care about him? Do you think I have any love in my heart?
Where is my brother? Excellent question. And what is my honest answer? Does it grieve me that a faraway North Korean or a nearby Cuban lives as a prisoner in his own country? Am I my brother’s keeper? Do I share my financial blessings with a neighbor who has just lost his job? Am I responsible for him? Does it hurt me when someone I don’t know dies in a fire, a flood, a hurricane, an earthquake, a car accident, or a terrorist attack? Do I care about him? Does it pain me to know that a coworker is traveling on the broad way that leads to destruction? Do I have any love in my heart?