No Place to Hide: The Story of the First Murder - NCCG.ORG Ning Network Archive 2008-10

NO PLACE TO HIDE
The Story of the First Murder

by Barbara Wilmerton Haas

Andrew's mother had had ENOUGH. It seemed like all her sons wanted
to do was FIGHT. This time she had caught Andrew and his younger
brother Brandon fighting over whose TURN it was to play with the
new cassette recorder.

"I HAD IT FIRST!" Brandon screamed, as Andrew roughly tore it away
from his younger brother.

"NO, YOU DIDN'T!" Brandon argued, as he kicked his brother in the
ankle.

Mother quickly snatched the new cassette player from the two of
them. "That's e..NOUGH, you two!

"I want you each to go to your room, and I don't want to see your
faces until you're ready to say you're SORRY to each other."

* * *

Adam and Eve could no longer live in the Garden of Eden, for Yahw4eh
had driven them out after they had sinned.

Now two angels stood with a flaming sword, keeping them from ever
returning to the beautiful garden. How they wished they had NEVER
EATEN the forbidden fruit!

Have you ever gotten so hungry that your tummy growled? Well, Adam
and Eve became VERY hungry. They no longer had the wonderful fruit
of the Garden of Eden to eat.

Adam and Eve NEEDED something to eat, so Adam had to turn to the
ground from which Yahweh had created him. He had to use his hands and
anything he could find to begin his OWN garden and plant his OWN
food. Yahweh helped Adam become a farmer.

Have you ever gotten stuck by a thorn bush? OUCH! It HURTS, doesn't
it? Adam and Eve knew what that felt like, too. Because they had
disobeyed God, thorns and thistles now grew EVERYWHERE in Adam's
garden.

The sweat poured off Adam's face as he worked VERY hard to remove
all these terrible weeds from his garden so the food would have
room to grow.

It took a LONG TIME for the food to grow, so, in the meantime, Adam
had to go for long walks in the field, under the HOT sun, searching
for wild herbs so they could have something to eat.

* * *

Adam loved his wife Eve, and Eve loved her husband Adam. One day,
Yahweh blessed them with a baby boy. They named him "Cain." They knew
Cain was a gift from Yahweh.

Cain began to grow up, and soon Adam and Eve had ANOTHER baby boy.
They named Cain's baby brother "Abel."

Cain spent much time working in the garden, helping day after day
to fight the weeds so the plants could have room to grow and they
would have food to eat. He soon became a farmer just like his
daddy.

Abel loved to spend time playing with his father's sheep. He spent
SO much time playing with the sheep that he soon became very good
at taking care of them. Before long, Abel grew up to become a
shepherd. He loved taking the sheep and baby lambs over the hills,
looking for green grass and fresh water to drink.

When the garden was ready, Cain picked the BEST of his plants and
brought these gifts to the Lord. At the same time, his younger
brother Abel picked the BEST of his lambs and brought HIS gift to
Yahweh.

The Lord was very happy with Abel's gift...but NOT Cain's.

"THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Cain shouted in anger. I have worked very hard,
much harder than my brother Abel."

Cain stomped away in a RAGE and became VERY SAD. He could not
understand why Yahwehdid not accept his gift. It didn't make any
sense to him at all. Cain felt completely rejected by God. He felt
Yahwehno longer loved him.

"Why are you so angry?" Yahwehasked Cain. "Why is your face so sad?"

Cain must have been startled to hear Yahweh's voice, because,
according to the Bible, Cain never answered Yahweh. I guess it really
took him by surprise that Yahweh would come down and talk to him. He
didn't know what to say.

"If you do well," Yahweh went on, "won't your gift be accepted, too?
If you don't do well, there must be sin somewhere in your heart."

Yahweh must have seen something in Cain's heart that did not please
Him. Yahweh saw that Cain was JEALOUS of his brother Abel. He saw
HATRED and ANGER in Cain's heart.

Yahweh warned Cain to watch out, because sin was waiting to destroy
him.

* * *

One day, Cain persuaded his younger brother Abel to go for a walk
in the fields with him. He wanted to talk with him. Perhaps they
walked together with the sheep following behind.

Soon they reached the fields and were FAR from Mom and Dad's. Only
the sheep could hear the two brothers as they sat down to talk.

They talked for a little while, and then, without warning, Cain
stood up and began beating his brother Abel until he KILLED him.
He must have tried to bury him under the ground so no one would
find out what he had done.

All became quiet. "It's all over," Abel thought.

Then Yahweh's voice THUNDERED from the heavens:

"Where is Abel, your brother?"

This time, Cain answered back: "I don't know. Am I supposed to keep
track of him everywhere he goes?"

And Yahweh said to Cain:

"What have you done?

"I can hear your brother's blood
calling out to Me from the ground."

This time, Yahweh didn't even WAIT for Cain to answer. I think Cain
just hung his head in shame. He thought he could hide his sin but
found out he COULDN'T.

Yahweh told Cain that the ground which he had filled with his
brother's blood would no longer grow plants for him to eat - even if
he worked on it FOREVER. His days as a farmer were OVER. He would
now have to live as...

...a TRAMP...forever,
wandering from place to place.

"Your punishment is TOO HEAVY for me," Cain answered back. "You
have driven me out from my farm and will hide Your face from me.
Now I must travel the earth as a TRAMP. Why, people will want to
KILL me, no matter where I go, when they find out what I have
done."

And Yahweh said to Cain, "Whoever lays a hand on you will receive
SEVEN times the punishment I have laid on you." Then Yahweh put a mark
on Cain so no one would DARE kill him.

So Cain went out...

...leaving the Presence of Yahweh behind him.

HOW SAD!

* * *

REMEMBER: You can't hide ANYTHING from Yahweh.

THINK!

1. Have you ever done something you KNEW was wrong
and then tried to COVER IT UP?

2. With whose gift was Yahweh pleased?

3. Why do you think Cain killed Abel?

4. What was Cain's punishment?

5. How can you watch out for your brother or sister?

A VERSE TO LEARN

"Thou Yahweh seest me" (Genesis 16:13).

LET'S PRAY

****************************************************
Dear Father, thank You for teaching us such IMPORTANT
lessons from the Bible. Help me to remember that You
are watching me at ALL TIMES. In Yah'shua's Name. Amen.
****************************************************

CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE?
Genesis 3:18-19, 23-24; 4:1-16

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