The Story - Evil Rising

 Abel's blood for vengeance pleaded to the skies
But the blood of Jesus for our pardon cries. 

- Glory be to Jesus, Fanny Crosby 

 

We've seen setting and conflict, but what's a story without rising action? And the rising action of the Bible continues to develop themes and unveil truths about God, humanity, and the nature of the world. 

Adam and Eve walk out of the Garden, and into a new world. In the previous chapter, God cursed the ground, so that "in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life". And it becomes readily apparent that the pain of labor does not only apply to childbearing and agriculture, but to the relations of brother to brother. 

Eve bears two sons to Adam. One, the elder, is named Cain, and he is a worker of the ground. And Abel, his younger brother, keeps sheep. Abel is the first shepherd, and his heart is right with God. 

Though Adam and Eve are no longer in God's immediate presence, they do still revere him as the Creator. And a part of that is offering sacrifices to him; Abel brings the best of the flock, and Cain gives an offering of fruit. And now, there's strife between the brothers—since Abel does well in the eyes of the Lord, and Cain cannot bear to be bested. 

So, Cain commits the first major act of treachery in the world outside of Eden: he kills his brother. 

Abel is innocent. He is a shepherd, who loves and serves God to the best of his ability. He does well, and is accepted—but, though innocent, he dies. 

This is another image of what's to come. When a shepherd, who cares for his flock and seeks only God's glory, is killed out of jealousy and anger. We're going to see many, many of these pictures as we progress through the Bible, and Abel's story is so striking because of his innocence. 

Cain is not left unpunished. As a result of Abel's murder, the Lord drives him away from his home and from his fields; the ground will "no longer yield to you its strength." Cain wanders the face of the earth, a vagabond and a fugitive, and the world has lost a little bit of its innocence itself. 

The rising evil shows itself again, in the form of Cain's descendant Lamech. "I have killed a man for wounding me," he tells his wives, "a young man for striking me. If Cain's revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech's is seventy-sevenfold." No longer do we have the innocent, loving children who once dwelt in Eden—this new world is a dirty one, a difficult one, and a dark one. Humankind has progressed to the point where men kill others and swear that any harm done to them will be revenged, where evil wanders the earth and infects everyone as it spreads; where brother rises against brother, for the simple crime of being beloved of the Lord. 

It's a far cry from Eden. And that reality is only deepened by every word we read. 

The end of the chapter isn't as hopeless as it sounds, though. Instead of ending with Cain's judgement, or even Lamech's bloody proclamation, the final sentence speaks of a new son born after Abel. This son is called Seth, and through him will come our final Shepherd: the son of God.

Comments

  1. IsabellaMarch 18, 2022 at 8:57 PM

    I love how you’re piecing this story together! It’s interesting and easy to understand.

    ReplyDelete

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