“The devil made me do it.” Do you remember the comedian, Flip Wilson? He had a character named Geraldine who would always explain her bad behavior by saying, “The devil made me do it.” Like Adam and Eve, the character passed the buck to evade responsibility for her behavior. How do we justify our mistakes? Someone said the mantra of the twenty-first century in the U.S. is, “It’s not my fault.”
Cain was angry at the Lord for not accepting his sacrifice, so he took out his rage on Abel. The Lord had even warned him to take control of his behavior. Cain had a chance to do right. The Lord encouraged him to rule over his desire to harm his brother. Instead, Cain invited his brother into the field and killed him. There is no mention of a serpent here.
James described the anatomy of our sin in his letter to the scattered tribes of Israel. “Desire, when it conceives, gives birth to sin. Sin when it is full-grown gives birth to death” (James 1:15). Each time we are tempted, there is a moment when we may make a better choice. Paul explained it in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” There are exit ramps on the road to sin. When you see the exit, take it.
Once again, God pursued the sinner, holding Cain accountable. “Where is your brother?” Cain’s snarky response was, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” In answer, he was his brother’s keeper, and so are we. God knew because Abel’s blood cried out from the ground. Cain could no longer stay in the area where he had killed his brother. Further, his farming would fail. He was destined to wander the earth.
