God's Story is a Love Story
Even in the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4:1-16 we see that God's Story is a Love Story. April 27, 2008.
God knows a thing or two about love. In fact, the Bible says, “God is love”(1 John 4:16). To help us understand what love is and how it works, he has seen to it that several love stories have been recorded in the Bible. We have just such a love story to consider today – the story of Cain and Abel. Those of you who have heard Bible stories since you’re able to crawl might be thinking, “Are you kidding? Cain and Abel? A love story? Maybe an anti-love story. Where’s the love when the main character murders his brother?” Actually, there is a lot of love woven into this Bible account – God’s love. To uncover it and to appreciate God’s love anew, we’re going to walk through this account from Genesis chapter four to see that God’s Story is a Love Story.
Here is Love Undeserved
The story of God’s interaction with Adam and Eve begins in the previous chapter. Right after they sinned, God could have blasted them. They deserved it. Instead, he came to them in the Garden of Eden calling out, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9). God knew where they were. But why did he call out? What was he hoping they would do? Step out of the bushes and fess up, right? Then, when they tried to pass the buck and blamed him for their troubles, he could have squashed them like roaches. They deserved it. Instead, he turned his attention to the tempter and cursed him. God could have left Adam and Eve and all their descendants caught in Satan’s clutches. They deserved it. Instead, he promised a Savior – the greatest promise of all time – who would shatter the chains of sin and draw people back into God’s camp. He could have left them alone then and hoped they wouldn’t forget about his love. They deserved it. Instead, he gave them reminders so that they would recall on a daily basis, “We need his love.” Then we get to chapter four. God could have said, “I’m not going to let you pass sin on to another generation.” They deserved that. Instead, God allowed them the miracle of childbirth. Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. Genesis chapter three and the beginning of this chapter leave nothing but a trail of God’s undeserved love.
Driving behind someone on the highway, watching first the Quarter-pounder box, then a crumpled, empty, red, super-sized fries box, then the bag, and then a cup and straw go flying out the window of the car in front of you, you’re thinking, “How rude!” What’s on the trail behind you? Is it littered with goofs and gaffes, indecent and inappropriate thoughts and words? Look at the trail again and see that all along God has been stooping down to pick up every bit of litter. You’re here. Did you earn that? You’re in with God. Is that his reward to you because you’ve been so perfect? You’re forgiven. Did you pay for your own sin? You’re going to heaven. Did you create the key to unlock heaven’s gates? No! It’s all by God’s undeserved love. Where do you see God’s undeserved love best? In the birth of a baby? In friends who care about you? In the privilege of a job? How about on bloodied lumber with a Savior nailed to it who paid for every bit of your sin-litter with his own blood. When your story and mine are finally written, it will be God’s story, and God’s Story is a Love Story – love from God, undeserved by us.
Here is Love Undenied
Adam and Eve weren’t a couple of unfeeling stones. Look how Eve reacted at the birth of her child. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.” The footnote indicates that the original could also be translated, “I have acquired a man – the LORD.” She probably had both thoughts in mind. “God gave me a baby, and this might just be the fulfillment of his promise that one of my descendants would be the Savior.” She and Adam did not deny or ignore what God had promised and did not deny or ignore that God’s love stood behind it.
Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks. Abel had heard the story of the snake and his parents’ sin. He knew that he had received a gene pool from his parents and a sinful nature. But he also heard the story of God’s love centered in the promise of a Savior. Out of thanks to God for his love Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock, thanking God for crediting the promised Savior’s victory to sinners like himself. We can’t look into anyone’s heart, but a later book of Scripture tells us, “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous”(Hebrews 11:4). Abel did not deny or ignore what God had done for him and responded with love and thanks.
Ponder what God’s undeserved love means for you, and you won’t be able to hold back or hide your response of thanks. Highlighting your week with worship is so special that missing it is unthinkable. Prayers in tune with God’s love flow from your heart. Telling others about God’s love is as natural as talking about a miraculous recovery from an illness. Offering financial gifts for God’s work is a welcome privilege. Like Adam and Eve and like Abel, we are filled and thrilled by God’s love. Don’t deny the reality of God’s love for you and the impact it has. Worship, pray, witness, give, serve, and love. When your story and mine are finally written, it will be God’s story, and God’s Story is a Love Story – love from God, undenied by us.
Here is Love Unappreciated
A father lavished his son with love, supported him through school, and taught him his business so his son could take over. But when the son took over, he robbed his father, ruined his father’s business, and drove his father into the gutter. Would you say that he appreciated his father’s love? Hardly!
In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD … The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. We might think both boys offered a wonderful gift expressing their joy, their hope, their thanks to God. But like a technician running a tiny camera up a leg vein to give the doctor a look inside someone’s heart, God does something unusual here and gives us a peek into Cain’s heart. God asked him, “Why are you so angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” God said, “Look out, Cain! Don’t shove aside my love as though it was a bowl of yucky vegetables.” But Cain did. While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Would you say that Cain appreciated the heavenly Father’s love? Hardly!
A man and his friend stood along the highway waving a big sign, “The end is near!” A car zoomed past and within seconds they heard a big crash. The man said to his friend, “Maybe we should change the sign and just print, ‘Bridge out’.” Is a clear warning a good thing? Of course! God put this story in the Bible as a clear warning for us. Don’t let your guard down. Sin is crouching at the door. God loves us so much that he does not want us to follow Cain into ingratitude. When your story and mine are finally written, it will be God’s story, and God’s Story is a Love Story – love from God, unappreciated by some, which serves as a warning for us.
Here is Love Unrelenting
What should God do with Cain? We would expect swift and sure punishment. But the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother, Abel?” God knew what happened. So, why did he ask? The same reason God went looking for his parents when they sinned, to allow Cain to fess up. When Cain lied, “I don’t know … Am I my brother’s keeper?” God should have shoved him into hell right then and there. But the LORD said … “Now you are under a curse … When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer.” Kind of hard to earn a living as a farmer when you have to wander from place to place. But even this curse was a persistent call from God (like Joey calling out to Alan Ladd in the 1953 movie “Shane”), “Cain come back!” When Cain whined, “Whoever finds me will kill me,” God should have slapped his mouth. But … the LORD gave a sign to Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. Such unrelenting love from God! But this love story has a sad ending. Cain turned his back on God’s love and went out from the LORD’s presence.
What’s your reaction when God uses someone to point out your sin? Can you be honest with yourself? What if we struggle with bad habits? What if we flounder and flop in our gratitude like a fish out of water? What should God do with us when we slide from love undenied to love unappreciated? How about remind us that those weaknesses, those failings, those sins are all nailed to the cross of Jesus? How about assuring us that even our future sins have been washed from his sight in the blood of Jesus? How about pursuing us day after day after day with his unrelenting love? When your story and mine are finally written, it will be God’s story, and God’s Story is a Love Story – love from God, unrelenting.
It may seem unusual to learn about love from a story that at first blush appears to be an anti-love story. But this is God’s story, and God’s Story is a Love Story from cover to cover, from this early account in the first book of the Bible to one of the last books of the Bible. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a paying sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another”(1 John 4:10-11). God’s Story is a Love Story – all for us. Amen.
Preached at Grace Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, WI (www.gracedowntown.org) on April 27, 2008
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