As Earth Churns…22d. East of Eden

In the course of time, the day of the offering arrived and Cain begrudgingly brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. This time God himself appeared suddenly about ten feet from Cain at the place of the offering.

The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? Remember when my Son told you, ‘If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it’?”

Not many days hence, with Cain still reeling from the chastisement of the Father and with Lucifer and his henchmen looking on from their hiding place in the forest adjoining Abel’s farm, Cain approached his brother, “Abel, let’s go out to the field.”

Abel, a little surprisedly, stated, “Why would you want to do that? With me? Now?”

Cain put a gentle hand on his siblings shoulder and said, “I’ve been thinking. You and I are all each other has. We’re not just brothers, we’re neighbors. We just haven’t spent any quality time together in years, Abel. I…I’m a bit lonely for family. So I thought perhaps we could change that; start seeing a little more of each other. What do you say? How about a walk in the fields. I have an idea to discuss with you.”

Abel thought about this for a moment and then agreed. As they walked side-by-side into the fields Cain took up the conversation. “Abel, I want to show you something. This next field seems to have the best soil of any I’ve seen in this area.”

Abel agreed, “It does at that, Cain.”

Cain continued, “Well, I was just thinking I might like to plow it under and grow something really special on this part of the land. We could do it together. Sort of a family project. We could dedicate the whole harvest to God. What do you say to that?”

Abel turned to survey the field and forested hills beyond; the surprising change in his brother intrigued him. With hands on hips he contemplated his next words just as the blunt edge of a club contacted the back of his skull with a crunch. Abel slumped to the ground, dead. Cain thought he heard an immediate, muffled cheer from the forest behind him. Turning and seeing no one he attributed it to the wind. It took him only a short time to bury his brother and return to his home.

As he entered his hut Cain sighed to himself, “Well, that’s over and done with.”

Just then he noticed he was not alone. A figure sat in the only chair in the room staring into Cain’s eyes.

In a voice filled with both authority and accusation, the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he replied hesitatingly. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive our brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops to you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

Scared but perhaps a little relieved that he didn’t meet the same fate as his brother, Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence. I will be a restless wanderer on the earth. Anyone I meet will want to kill me.”

But the Lord said to him, “Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord approached and touched Cain’s forehead putting a mark on him so that no one who found him would kill him. So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Just as Cain began his trek toward his new homeland of Nod, three angels wandered casually back toward their home. They were in high spirits, delighted that their evil plans had come to fruition so well. Life on Earth was indeed good. Man was continuing to live down to Lucifer’s expectations. That trend would continue as humans persevered in being easy pickings for Satan and his angels bent on mankind’s ultimate servitude or destruction.

[to be continued]