Completely

In addition to lying, Cain’s pride pushed forward as his tongue released a “dig” in the form of a question. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (v.9).

It is interesting that just as the Lord released light on the topic of identity, Cain brought darkness as he mocked God with the very same topic. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” has a few different meanings.

First, it was spoken in pride. The word keeper here means “to keep, watch, preserve.” Remember that Abel was a “keeper of sheep”. Abel’s job was to preserve and tend to what was already living. Cain was a “tiller of the ground” and his job was to grow and produce. His job was creative in the sense that the sprouting, blooming and growing of seeds, plants and trees was a process in which Cain may have felt he had direct control over the outcome.

Cain was laboriously “creating” something while Abel was caring for and preserving what was already created. Obviously what Cain was growing was once created too but as he produced more of it, his hands and heart turned prideful with the results from his labor.

It’s good to be creative. The creativity within us is directly from God. The problem really arises when we forget that. Pride moves us to lose sight that we are the result of His creativity and that the good that flows from us is due to what first flowed from Him.

There was, of course, a tending part to Cain’s job just as there was creativity in Abel’s preservation job. However, the preservation part of Cain’s job did not cater to the temporary high he acquired from creating something new. Cain’s heart echoed discontentment. He endlessly longed for the next new thing to fill up his heart’s void. Living everyday life as a steady and faithful shepherd (as Abel did) would never have been appealing to Cain. It wasn’t exciting enough. It didn’t give him the spike of flashy accomplishment. Although there can be creativity in preservation, Cain desired production and results that heightened his ego.

I’m concerned that we are no different. We want the next new thing because what we already have is unsatisfying to preserve. Our problem lies deep within our hearts!

I can almost hear Cain thinking about or mockingly saying to Abel, “Look what I created today! See the amazing results of my talented hands? What did you do today? Oh… that’s right! You tended a flock of sheep.”

In today’s world, we have husbands that come home (to their wives; keepers of the children) from their creative and laborious jobs bragging about all of their accomplishments and looking for applause with an attitude that says, “What I do is more important than what you do.”

Perhaps, rather, it’s a mother who is unsatisfied with caring for her children as if the job isn’t creative enough. She is tired of being surrounded by the same four walls with the same four needy kids. She has lost sight that the reward of her preservation is just a bit further down the road (Galatians 6:9).

In other scenarios, there are missionaries, pastors or others in full time ministry who have become so focused on the results of their creative labor that they have forgotten about preserving and tending to their family.

In marriages, there are spouses who would rather strike up a new relationship with someone else instead of preserving their current union.

In the daily grind, instead of cleaning our homes, taking care of our belongings, paying our bills and fulfilling our responsibilities, we have decided it would be more exhilarating to do and have “the new”.

At some point though, we are forced to do something about what has been long neglected. We end up throwing out or wasting what was improperly used or overly abused. We end up in debt or some situation that requires our savings (which was long spent by a thrill here and there). Frustration is at its peak as if someone else is at fault for the long overlooked messy house we live in.

In general, our culture has turned toward what is instant and thrilling and away from what is faithful and responsible.

If we could forget about the flashy, if we could set aside our selfishness and stop the prideful attempts of showing off our good works and labor, if we could let go of the temporary highs that do not satisfy our souls, could we not simply use our creativity in the everyday life moments? Could we not be “our brother’s keeper” with imagination and inventiveness? Could we not be artistic and inspirational towards those we are preserving?

In your creativity, don’t forget about preserving what was already created! In your preservation, don’t forget to use your creativity!

In God’s identity, we find this balance. He is both the Creator of us and the Keeper of us. He did not dismiss His creation after sin but provided a creative way to keep it!

As for Cain, he had an attitude that acted like being a “keeper of his brother” was beneath him. He was a creator of the new, not a preserver of the old. He was growing and producing his own identity and his pride would not allow others to interrupt his creative flow!