A Shepherd and a Gardener: Genesis 4:1-8

Today I am reminded of Cain and Abel. I was struck by how Abel was a shepherd and how our Lord identifies himself as a Good Shepherd. And way back in Genesis this man, who was possibly our first shepherd, was killed out of jealousy in a fit of anger. So, I was considering the two: Cain and Abel. Abel the shepherd. Then I remember that Cain is the one who tends the soil, the gardener. God also identifies with the vine, and the vinedresser. So even as the second conflict of the Bible begins, we see how God guides his people toward being like him.

Shepherd examples

I see the shepherd as the ultimate example of a guide. Psalm 23 lays out everything that a leader must do. Everything that our leader does. Have you read the Passion Translation of Psalm 23? It traces roots of the Hebrew words and describes the shepherd as a best friend and ‘lover of the flock’. How difficult it must be to sacrifice the first fruits of a flock that is loved so. Yet Abel did. Yet God did.

Gardener examples

I find it interesting that Cain is listed first as the one who brings his offering to God. Yet it is not pleasing. Is this a lesson in not being the first but in doing our best, giving our best? I see it too, as a lesson to check our jealousy and ask God instead how we may please him. We are not completing against one another. These brothers show us just how dangerous that is. God set two different missions for the brothers. I think it would be difficult to compare the fruits of gardening to the fruits of livestock raising. I would not want to be the judge at the county fair that put those in the same category! Yet Cain decided that was what he wanted to do.

It reminds me of how we can be jealous of someone else’s service to God, their work or church work. And we try to emulate, but it doesn’t work. It doesn’t work because God has given each of us something different. One a shepherd, one a gardener. One a preacher, one an encourager, one a singer, one an intercessor. We could list these for pages and pages and still God would have given still other talents.

God himself is the vinedresser. Tending to the vine and the branches. John 15 expounds on this and offers the image of such a loving relationship. I can imagine that Cain was this way too. After all, he had a direct relationship with God and with his own father, the original keeper of the earth, to learn from. How did it go so wrong?

Spontaneous worship

At the time of Cain and Abel, there is no law which states that an offering or tithe must be made to God. This is spontaneous. The offerings were spontaneous worship. They were a natural part of rejoicing in their work and toil. They took the talents they were working and gave it back to him.

We don’t know why one was looked upon favorably and the other not. I suspect it was the heart rather the actual gift. That seems to be a repeating theme in the Bible. And as we continue through this account of Cain and Abel, we see the heart of Cain is dark and evil has been given room to enter. Though that came after God warned him, yet again guiding his people. This worship was the result of the talents that and mission or identity that God gave each of them; and they following the guide. We can worship God through our talents too, focusing on him and not others.