Day 2 - Murder Cain Wrote
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| Cain and Abel, Answers in Genesis |
2024 Read the Bible in a Year Tuesday, January 2, 2024
Day 2 - Murder Cain Wrote
Readings for Today: Genesis 4:1-5:32
Prayer:
Kindle in our hearts, O God,
the flame of love that never ceases,
that it may burn to give light to others.
May we shine forever in your (universe),
set on fire with your eternal light,
even with your Son, Jesus Christ,
our savior and our redeemer.
Amen
St. Columba’s Prayer, A Celtic Liturgy by Pat Robson,
MorningPrayer, © 2008, page 21.
ISBN 978-0-281-06096-2
Background:
There are many resource books and online in order to study the Bible. My references for the Old Testament (also known as the Hebrew Bible) will be the Internet, Collins, and the New Oxford Annotated Bible as noted on the Resource page of the blog. This is also an Origins and Development post giving some very beginning material of biblical format of the inspired word of God.
The Bible as we know it today has been wholly inspired by God through believers in three stages: oral, written, and canon (a collection of texts that a faith community considers part of the Bible).
The first five books of the Bible - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are known as the Torah or in Christian circles … the Pentateuch (five books). These are also known as the books of Moses. Most modern biblical scholars see these works as divinely inspired and written by faith community scholars and others over many centuries. These stories of faith have their beginnings in God and the faith’s early believers telling them orally and passed down through generations.
Today we have the murder of Abel by his brother Cain and God’s judgment; the balance of the reading deals with family trees from Adam to Noah.
Reflections:
The murder of Abel - Premeditated violence spurred by negative emotion or disinformation seems to have been always with us.
The text tells us in creating a sacrifice to God, Abel takes the best of his labor and offers it for blessing by God while Cain just grabs something not necessarily the best. It was not the material of the sacrifice but rather the intention of the heart that God recognizes. Ya can’t con God.
Cain is mad but misdirects his anger toward his brother and kills him for Abel’s accepted work.
The conversation post-murder with God and Cain informs us
God is in a relationship with you no matter what you do.
There will be consequences to your actions.
God is merciful. God does not destroy Cain but it will be hard for him and he will wander the earth.
Cain says he will be killed by others but God says that no one will touch him and cares for Cain not receive additional judgment by people.
God does not cut off a relationship with Cain but forgives him.
The balance of the readings deals with the descendants of Cain and Adam. Adam’s line leads directly to Noah (there will be more to this story..). Some folk live long lives. I wish there were more details about their lives.
So, in all things, good and bad, God is with me whether I like it or not.
Question of the Day:
What do you do with your anger or negative emotions? Do you kill or heal?
Tomorrow Readings:
Day 3 - Genesis 6:1 - 9:17
2024 Read the Bible in a Year is a featured Bible Study to inspire spirituality. This plan has been used in the past on The Bible in Time blog site with new material and reflections included.
Thanks Katheryn!
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