Introduction
In the story about Cain and Abel, Cain is usually regarded as a bad guy who killed his brother. He committed a crime, his guilt was proved, and the Lord punished him by cursing that “whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold” so the man could like a long but fugitive life (The Bible, Gen. 4.15). However, talking about the most serious injustice that was committed in Genesis 4, it is also necessary to recognize the first true source of unfair treatment. According to the Bible, both Cain and Abel brought their offerings to the Lord, but only the latter gained respect, provoking such feelings as envy and anger in the former, which made the Lord an actual perpetrator of the most serious injustice in Genesis 4.
Main body
At the beginning of their story, both brothers, Cain and Abel, had the same rights and opportunities as the sons of Adam and Eve. It was known that “Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground” (Gen. 4.2). Both men worked and demonstrated their achievements to the Lord. Cain and Abel did not demonstrate any anger, the desire to compete, or the intention to be better. It was a just world with equal resources and a natural order.
However, the situation changed with time as soon as the Lord began participating in the activities of the brothers. Despite the fact that both brothers succeeded in the chosen activities and brought the results of their work, “the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect” (Gen. 4.4). Only after such an unfair treatment without any reason, Cain began changing, “very wroth, and his countenance fell” (Gen. 4.5).
It was the Lord who founded social injustice, although the brothers completed their tasks and followed his word. In addition, instead of helping Cain avoid his sins, the Lord seemed to seduce by saying that “sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him” (Gen. 4.7). Anger, envy, and the inability to control his feelings and the Lord’s injustice were the reasons for Cain’s decision to kill his brother.
As well as today’s society, the Bible is based on human relationships and a number of internal and external sources. It is hard to recognize the causes of social injustice in the modern world, but the Bible introduces a clear answer and defines the Lord as the one who started treating unfair to people and provoked jealousy. Instead of learning from his mistakes, being judged, and having an opportunity to change and self-improve, Cain was cursed, banned from his home, and forced to wander and live on the land “not henceforth yield unto thee her strength” (Gen. 12). Such a sentence may be considered as another unjust decision of the Lord for a man who took the life of his brother but had to live a long natural life.
Conclusion
In general, people do not have the right to judge the Lord and his decisions. Still, there is always some space for discussions and evaluations. Genesis 4 is not only a story of two brothers and the moment when the first murder was created and punished. These events show that a true source of social injustice may be properly hidden. Therefore, people can mistakenly believe in the sin of one person and neglect the behavior of an actual troublemaker. It is hard to understand the intentions of the Lord to appreciate the actions of Abel and neglect the achievements of Cain. The truth remains the same that the Lord was the perpetrator of a serious injustice that divided the social world into before and after.
Work Cited
The Bible: Genesis 4. Holy Bible. Web.