The Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”

Then the Lord (Yahweh) said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” Genesis 4:9

The good news is...even though a relationship is fractured, it can be repaired. Adam and Eve were punished and banished but did not abandon God. Nor, did God abandon them. When Eve gave birth to Cain she said, “I have gotten a son with the help of the Lord.”
Eve also gave birth to Abel. Abel became a shepherd, and Cain was a farmer. By all appearances, one happy family. By God's grace, we do not have to become prisoners to our past disobedience. We can trust God and He will provide. He is faithful.

Unfortunately, we see the insidious consequence of sin raise its ugly head. The sins of the parents are passed on to their children...even if those parents have managed to restore their own relationship with Yahweh. Children have to make their own peace with God.

So it came about that both Cain and Abel brought an offering to the Lord. The Lord looked favorably upon Abel and his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. Naturally, Cain became angry. The Lord asked, “Why are you angry? If you do well, won't you feel better? And if you don't, sin is looking for a way to control you, but you must master it.” 

Anger issues...Cain could not overcome his anger and he killed his brother...God noticed.

God has demonstrated an interesting quality when he deals with sin. He asks questions.
"Adam... where are you?"
"What is this you have done?"
"Where is Abel?"

These questions are designed to bring us face to face with our sin. Satan asks questions as well..."Did God say...?" But, Satan only asks questions in order to create doubt in our minds about God's authority.

God wants us to take ownership for our actions. He want's us to acknowledge what we have done and confess (tell the truth) our sin before Him. God has determined that forgiveness begins with confession. Sadly, Cain refused to confess. He added another sin on top of murder; he lied. "I don't know!" Then...with the defiance of a child he challenged God's authority with "am I responsible for my brother?" It wasn't an innocent question.

Keil/Delitsch remind us defiance grows with sin, and punishment keeps pace with guilt. Adam and Eve feared before God, and acknowledged their sin; Cain boldly denied it, and God therefore charged him with his crime: "What have you done! the voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the earth."

As punishment for his defiance, God cursed Cain and proclaimed his life would forever be in despair. Still, Cain did not confess. He said to the Lord, “My punishment is too great to bear! Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” He blames God for being unfair. Then Cain went out...east of Eden...from the presence of the Lord...

What a tragedy! A simple and truthful confession before God could have had dramatically different results and, like his mother, he might have found himself celebrating life "with the help of the Lord".

Where are you today? Are you "East of Eden?" or, are you living in the presence of the Lord? It all begins with hearing God's question and answering truthfully.

Live boldly out there today...