WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

Coming into the tent, the young man sat on the ground next to his wife, a disturbed look on his face. “I told Cain again that we must bring a lamb to God when we worship Him. Only a lamb will be accepted as a substitute for sin. But Cain says he has a better way.”

Eve nodded silently. “I have seen unbelief in the eyes of our son for many years, even when he was a young child. Last week he told me that he doesn’t believe our eating the forbidden fruit from that tree was a serious error. But he hasn’t said much about it until now.”

Adam shook his head sadly. “Cain says that it is our right to know good and evil. He thinks that God would want us to know all these things. But God clearly warned us that eating that fruit would cause us to die.”

“Yet we are still alive,” Eve commented.

“But God seems so far away now. He no longer comes to walk with us in the cool of the evenings.”

“Maybe that is because we hid from Him when we were still in the garden. We felt guilty and we were afraid He would punish us. And He did punish us.” She sighed and wiped tears from her eyes.

“Yes,” Adam agreed. “I don’t feel comfortable talking to God now, anyway. I know we disobeyed Him, but I didn’t think it would interrupt our friendship with Him.”

The tent flap opened as Cain entered, his face red with anger. He stood with his hands on his hips, frowning. “I don’t believe in killing animals needlessly. I’m going to bring God a basket of fruits and vegetables from my garden. I’ll show Him that I have learned to grow good things to eat. He made all the plants, and He will be proud to see how I take care of them.”

“But God told us to bring a blood sacrifice. He must judge our sin, and we must bring a substitute to take our punishment,” Adam declared firmly. “Each one of us is preparing a lamb for the worship time tomorrow. I will give you a lamb to offer, if you want one.”

“God doesn’t want anyone to suffer. He is merciful. He has probably already forgiven you for disobeying his command. It was your sin, anyway. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“I only know what God told me,” Adam replied. “We must do what he says.”

Two days later the sad parents clung together in grief, looking at the bloody body of their youngest son. They had searched for Abel all night and had finally found his lifeless body buried under a pile of dirt several miles from their tent.

“How did this happen?” Eve cried. “Who would hurt our beloved son?”

Adam looked up, his eyes glassy with grief and anger. “Cain must have done it. He was very angry when fire didn’t come down from God to accept his offerings. He stayed out all night, perhaps because he is afraid to face us.”

“I didn’t understand what death meant,” Eve murmured. “I guess it means that all life leaves your body. Abel can’t open his eyes now, and he can’t talk to us. He is gone from us forever.”

“Anger is dangerous,” Adam said. “I tried to warn Cain when he ran away yesterday after our worship time, but he wouldn’t listen. Anger leads to awful things. It robs us of the precious life God gave us.”

A few days later Cain told his parents he was leaving home.

“Where are you going?” his father asked. “Why are you leaving us? We need you here to grow food to eat. It is hard work to remove the weeds so the vegetables will grow.” Cain frowned at his parents. “God told me to leave. He is sending me out to become a wanderer over other parts of the earth because I murdered Abel.”

Adam knew his son was a good farmer and would find plants that were good for food. He would survive anywhere. But Adam loved his son and didn’t want him to leave.

“I don’t want to live here with you, anyway,” Cain declared. “I have different beliefs. I don’t care if there are no people out there. I will not stay here and argue with you about what God wants from us.”

“Maybe you can find your younger brothers and sisters and their families who settled on the other side of the mountains,” Adam said. He had many other children, but they had moved away because God told them to multiply and replenish the earth. Cain, his firstborn, had remained at home. He was special. The firstborn would inherit all the gardens and fields that his parents had made. Abel had remained home, too. He had a strong faith in God and he wanted to protect and help his parents as they grew older. At that time no one knew how long they would live. Adam was already several hundred years old and no one had ever died.

But Abel is gone, Adam realized. His older son had killed him. Now Cain himself was leaving.

“You will do well, Cain,” Eve murmured. “You know how to make things grow.” She didn’t understand why her firstborn needed to leave, but she would accept it. Maybe it was God’s will.
“God told me that the ground will no longer yield its strength to me. I am cursed, and I cannot continue being a farmer. But I don’t care! I’ve always wanted to explore the far places of the earth. I am going now!” Cain shouted as he hurried out of the tent.

That afternoon Adam and his wife watched their son put his belongings into a backpack and start across the fields. They never saw him again.

Eventually Adam came together with Eve again to express his love, and other children were born. But they both felt guilty that Cain was gone and Abel was dead. They often felt angry with one another, and their children felt this. Their home was sometimes filled with strife, criticism, and fear.

Sometimes Eve looked at Adam with anger and refused to talk to him. Adam often spoke crossly to his wife. Surely she could have done something to prevent this tragedy, he thought. She could have taught Cain better so he would have humbled himself before God and brought the right kind of sacrifice.

They were very unhappy as the years passed. They had other children, but all of them soon left home and settled elsewhere. Whenever he could get away from the farm, Adam would walk far from his home and watch for roving animals. He had a special way with animals. Some cattle and horses would let him approach them so he could pet them gently. However, they weren’t as friendly as they had been in the garden.

He remembered those days when he used to talk to the animals and birds, even playing with them. He had given them names suitable for their personalities. Before Eve was created, Adam had nothing else important to do. In those early days vegetables grew quickly and developed perfectly. There were no weeds or dangerous insects to grapple with. Everything in creation lived together harmoniously. At twilight God always came and walked with him, pointing out new flowers and fruits that Adam had not yet discovered. They even talked about eternity. There were great mysteries that God promised to explain someday.

But now Adam found weeds growing in his garden. The animals were no longer very friendly. In fact, some trampled through his fields, destroying the grain he needed for food. Lions roared at him and looked angry. They attacked other animals, tearing at their flesh. Every day was filled with hard work. After a long day in the fields, Adam came home covered with sweat and dirt, tired and frustrated. The earth was no longer his friend.

Eventually Adam and Eve forgave one another and came together with true forgiveness. They realized that all their troubles were the result of their sin, but they knew God had created them to be a family and love one another. So they resolved that their home would be filled with love. And then God gave them hope for the future in their next son.

-- Rosemary Watson

Next time... HOPE FOR THE FUTURE