Vol.14 No.2

Where is thy Brother?
No human being has a right to be indifferent to the needs of others.
By J. L. Tucker

Based on Genesis, Chapter 4:1-16

Two sons had been given to Adam and Eve––Cain and Abel. No doubt from childhood they had been instructed by precept and example in the proper manner of worship and offering of sacrifices, which typified the promised Savior whose death would make an atonement for sin. Genesis 3:15; 2 Corinthians 5:20, 21.

As the two boys grew, Abel became a herdsman, while Cain choose to be a farmer. Perhaps for some time when sacrifices were offered, Cain obtained a lamb from the flocks of Abel and was as careful as his brother in obeying the God-given instruction for worship; but in time, another voice insisted on being heard.

Questions were raised by Cain: Why bother to secure a lamb for an offering? Why not bring the fruit of my own toil? Why not be independent of my brother? My produce is of equal value. What difference can it make? Why be so particular?

Cain pondered these questions. The arguments seemed sound. Had anyone tried to tell Cain the final outcome of his independent course, he would no doubt have laughed at their fears. He intended to worship, to continue acknowledging          allegiance and respect to God—but in his own way. Like millions, he did not realize that the least departure from the expressed commands of God is a step toward the ranks of God’s enemy.

IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE!

Have you ever wondered why there are so many doctrines and forms of worship, when there is but one Lord, one faith, one baptism? John 4:21-24; Ephesians 4:5. The answer is in the devil’s argument to men that it doesn’t make any difference about the methods of your worship. His way promises broad-mindedness and independence, but it always ends in bondage and death. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:12.

When Cain brought his offering of fruit, it was not accepted, for in it was no reference to the guilt of sin nor the saving blood of Christ. When he saw Abel’s sacrifice met with divine favor while his was rejected, Cain became envious. He blamed everyone but himself. Every display of divine presence at Abel’s altar fed the envy.

God deigned to reason with Cain. He showed Cain his error and reminded him that he had no cause for anger. In listening to and obeying Satan’s voice, Cain had removed himself from the path of blessing. His folly was presented to him, but, blinded by envy and false pride, Cain steeled his heart against the loving appeal of his Maker, stubbornly following the course that led him to become the first murderer.

Cain was not so concerned with missing the blessing of divine acceptance as he was that someone else had received it. He was envious. Envy grows into hate, then murder. It was envy that urged King Saul to attempt to kill David; that made Haman build the gallows for Mordecai; and caused Daniel to be thrown to the lions.

When God asked, “Where is…thy brother?” He was seeking to accomplish two things: first, to make Cain conscious of the enormity of his sin; and, secondly, to get Cain to confess his sin and seek pardon. God had not yet given him up. Divine love was still calling. But Cain did not want to face the issue, so he countered with, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” In other words, It’s none of my business what becomes of Abel.

When judgment was pronounced upon him, Cain replied only in self-pity. Then come the sad words: “Cain went out from the presence of the Lord.” Genesis 4:16.

DO CHRISTIANS REALLY CARE?

True Christianity is summed up in the statement: “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2. No human being has a right to be indifferent to the needs of others. No man can live independently of others, “for none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.” Romans14:7. In life and in death we radiate an influence, and that influence either tells for right or wrong, for uplifting society or degrading it.

When God gives us knowledge, truth, and experience, He expects us to pass on the blessings to others. Everyone should look upon life as an opportunity to serve. The Apostle Paul said, “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.” Romans 1:14.

To American Christians, is it nothing to you who are temperate that your nation is being debauched by the liquor interests, that there are three times as many girls working in bars as attending college in this country? What of the increasing avalanche of crime? America’s annual crime bill is now more than $33 billion. Does it mean anything to you that in the U.S. a major crime is committed every 2.3 seconds, and that in 1999 approximately 2.5 million boys and girls under voting age were arrested for being involved in crime?

Does it matter that millions of American youth attend questionable recreation centers? Do we care that thousands of the nation’s girls enter houses of prostitution; that thousands more unmarried, expectant mothers die at the hands of abortionists?

Where are the millions whose names are on church records in America and who profess to love the teachings of Jesus Christ? All church members could help make things better if they really cared.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Listen to this story by an American Civil War soldier:

I was a private in one regiment that arrived first in Washington, D.C. after the call for volunteers. We were given leave to see the town. With my comrades, I was about to go into a bar when a hand was laid upon my arm. Looking up, I saw President Lincoln. He shook hands in strong, western fashion and said, “I don’t like to see our uniforms going in these places.” That was all he said, and we passed on. We would not have gone into that bar for all the wealth of Washington, D.C.

Every Christian can, by precept and example, encourage the development of the best in others, to make the world better for having lived in it.

The sinking of the Lady Elgin on Lake Michigan and the concern of one volunteer on the lifesaving crew illustrates the attitude Christians should bear. When this young man saw the boat breaking to pieces and the passengers in imminent danger, he stripped off all surplus clothing, swam out, and brought one passenger to shore. Then, he swam out, again and again and brought back another, and another, and another.

That afternoon, pale and exhausted, he talked with his roommate. “Oh, I’m afraid I did not do my very best!”

His roommate endeavored to comfort him: “You saved seventeen.”

“Oh,” replied the youth, “if only I could have saved one more!”

May God give to us all hearts of compassion to be our “brother’s keeper.”

* Pastor J. L. Tucker (1895-1989) founded “The Quiet Hour” radio broadcast in 1937. Adapted from God’s Great Questions to Man. Used by permission, The Quiet Hour, Redlands, CA.