Cain and Abel - Evan Caldwell

Cain is Adam and Eve's firstborn, and his brother, Abel is their second son. Cain was a farmer and Abel was a shepherd. When they both make offerings to God, God specifically praises Abel for his offering, and Cain becomes envious. God asks Cain why he is unhappy, then tells him that as long as he is doing good, nothing bad will happen to him. But Cain decides to disobey God, and murders his brother, Abel. As if he hadn't sinned against God enough, he then proceeds to lie to God, and tells him he does not know where Abel is. God banishes Cain from Eden, and sends him to Nod to continue his life and have children with his wife.

I heard this story a lot when I was younger. In Sunday school we would always talk about this story in the context of our own relationships with siblings, and why we need to treat them well out of love and respect. However, now that I'm older, I can more thoroughly examine the story for a deeper meaning. One new thing I took from the story is that there are hints of Abel's superiority right from the beginning of the story. It is intentionally mentioned that Abel is a shepherd. Shepherds in the bible are seen as especially important, and protectors of both sheep and God's will. 

I have a younger sister, and this story often assists me in keeping my temper when we have conflict. And even when I fail, I can use this story as a reference point to try to forgive myself as well as why I should be asking for forgiveness. 

There are many sibling rivalries, and this week was the Manning Bowl. But as I try to relate all of my blogs to soccer, here is a picture of the Neville brothers, Gary and Phil in a matchup between their teams.