In the fourth chapter of the Book of Genesis we find that Adam and Eve’s first son has killed their second son and buried him in the ground.  In verse 9 God is questioning Cain as to the whereabouts of his brother Abel.  After lying to the Lord, Cain asks the question that mankind should have been asking himself and answering ever since: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  The word “keeper” in the Hebrew language is “samar,” which means to watch, to observe, to guard.  God’s knife-thrust-to-the-heart answer to Cain’s in-Your-face question speaks to an unspoken responsibility the Lord places on anyone who professes His lordship over his/her life.  The Lord asked Cain: “What have YOU done?”  He did not ask what had happened to Abel, which He already knew.  He asked Cain what HE had done relative to the well-being of his brother Abel.  Cain had set a bad example, then killed Abel for not following it.  Jesus of Nazareth (the God Cain and Abel dealt with face-to-face in Eden) called Abel “righteous.”  Read The God of the Old Tesatment.  Key word–Old.  Abel was wise to not follow Cain’s example.  Notice that Jesus does not characterize most of mankind “righteous,” but rather the opposite because man has a tendency to follow in other people’s footsteps.  Jesus said that few would follow Him.  This explains why there is so much evil in this world.

Throughout recorded history there has existed an unspoken rule that, though not written and legally enforced, has nevertheless been socially embraced by most of mankind.  The rule is that THE OLDER AND STRONGER ARE EXPECTED TO PROTECT THE YOUNGER AND WEAKER.  Generally speaking, man has followed that social rule which, at times, has caused the death of the elder who, knowing the risk, lost his life while saving the life of the other.  History records instances in which an older child has lost his life trying to save a younger sibling.  Parents have died saving their children from danger.  People, not necessarily good people, have risked and lost their lives trying to save people, even strangers, from injury or death.  It is an unspoken, yet well-established social law that, in this sense, WE ARE INDEED OUR BROTHER’S KEEPER.  There is even a federal “Good Samaritan Law” that protects aid givers from being sued by those whom they aided who are injured in the process, as sometimes happens.

The Lord’s response to Cain’s question demands a “fine print” level of scrutiny: “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.” Life, we are told in Scripture, is in the blood.  God was saying to Cain that Abel’s life was crying out to Him.  By shedding Abel’s blood Cain had caused his physical death.  As the following Scriptures will reveal, one’s actions and words can bring about the spiritual death of another person or persons.

“Someone is watching you.”  Those words were spoken on a television program I was watching many years ago.  The speaker was telling his audience that no matter who they were, it was likely that someone was looking to them for some level of guidance–a model to emulate, whether for good or bad.  That message has remained in my mind over the years and has become even more important as I have raised my children, dealt with my grandchildren and great grandchildren who look up to me, at least on the social level.  Sadly, not one family member, including my extended family made up of aunts, uncles, cousins and relatives by marriage have so much as entertained the thought of following me on the spiritual level.

However, they will one day look back on what I have told them and shown them and will regret that they did not listen to me.  When the Great Tribulation closes in around them and hell comes to visit planet earth, they will remember and regret their dismissal of God’s Truth that they heard only from me.  All are religious, but only in the church sense.  Not one listens to my words or reads my website.  All they hear or read comes from Satan’s false prophets.  When we meet again, and we will, I will know that their blood will not be on my hands.  I take no joy in their rejection of God’s Word, but I am content in the knowledge that I set the right example and proclaimed God’s Truth to those with eyes to see and ears to hear.

Which is what this posting is about.  Someone, maybe only one, is indeed watching every one of us.  We are, in that sense, the “keeper” of the souls of those who know or know about us.  Whether those who watch us and listen to us know it or not, they are using us to make value judgments.  In my case, I am looked upon as an example of what NOT to do and NOT to be.  Nevertheless, I am a model for someone.  I will live or die knowing that I have done my best to be my family’s, friends’ and neighbors’ keeper (example), which is my only earthly reward for what I do.  My most treasured reward is spiritual, which is by far the best recompense.  It will all be worthwhile if some day, in this life or the next one, someone says to me, “You are the reason I am what I am and where I am.”  It couldn’t get any better than that.

You may never know what effect you are having on the lives of other people, or even one person.  But as sure as day follows night, someone is watching you.  Someone’s blood/life might be dependent on the example we are setting.  So let’s agree to set good ones.  L.J.