Good day dear friends.
As we begin our day with prayer, let us pray for April McGill who is near death at CTMC in the ICU. She has been in the hospital since yesterday at 2:30 p.m. Her husband, Greg, is by her side and doctors don't give her long to live. April is 31 years old and they have three children under the age of 8.
We continue to study how we should seek to seed good values in our kids (and ourselves). Here is our study guide for today.
Tuesday: Yesterday we studied about how God did, today let’s go to chapter 4 of Genesis.
1 Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, "I have produced a man with the help of the Lord." 2 Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it." 8 Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out to the field." And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?" 10 And the Lord said, "What have you done? Listen; your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground! 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth." 13 Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me." 15 Then the Lord said to him, "Not so! Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance." And the Lord put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
How did Adam and Eve do as parents? Were they any better than God?
Adam and Eve tried their best, according the story. It seems both of their children were instructed in reverence and worship of God, but it was the hardness of Cain's heart and his envy of the way God regarded Abel, that turned him not only away from God but towards hatred and anger, and sadly, to murder.
What is the definition of the word “fraticide?” What an ugly word and in such a lovely setting.
Fratecide means the murder between between brothers. How tragic is the human condition that two brothers did not get along to the point where one kills the other. The heartbreak for the parents we can only imagine, was probably more than they could have imagined. Just one generation outside of the Garden we find precisely what God had warned the parents about, occuring. The visit of murder on humanity by this act between brothers.
What are your thoughts about how these two boys turned out? Can you blame it on “boys will be boys?”
How are we doing? According to Jesus we kill when we think evil of each other. We need not pick up a knife or stone or gun, our very thoughts can kill someone in our hearts and minds. We can point our fingers at Adam and Eve or even Cain, but we've done no better when we let our anger get to us. In the example we seek to set for our children or grandchildren, let them see the presence of God's peace that helps us not anger for the slightest reason but to seek self-control.
PRAYER: Seed in us the presence of your peace. Let Your Holy Spirit come and guide us to being the example that blesses You and Your creation. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a blessed day!
e.v.
