The Children's Chapel Award-winning site, featuring Bible stories from a variety of authors, excellent Christian resources for children, and over 140 links to other Christian and family-friendly sites for kids. ~ A Ministry of The Missing Link, Inc. ~ NO PLACE TO HIDE The Story of the First Murder by Barbara Wilmerton Haas Andrew's mother had ENOUGH. It seemed like all her sons wanted to do was FIGHT. This time she had caught Andrew and his younger brother Brandon fighting over whose TURN it was to play with the new video game. "I HAD IT FIRST!" Brandon screamed, as Andrew roughly tore it away from his younger brother. "NO, YOU DIDN'T!" Andrew argued, as he kicked his brother in the ankle. Mother quickly snatched the new video game from the two of them. "That's e..NOUGH, you two! "I want you each to go to your room, and I don't want to see your faces until you're ready to say you're SORRY to each other." * * * Adam and Eve could no longer live in the Garden of Eden, for God had driven them out after they had sinned. Now two angels stood with a flaming sword, keeping them from ever returning to the beautiful garden. How they wished they had NEVER EATEN the forbidden fruit! Have you ever gotten so hungry that your tummy growled? Well, Adam and Eve became VERY hungry. They no longer had the wonderful fruit of the Garden of Eden to eat. Adam and Eve NEEDED something to eat, so Adam had to turn to the ground from which God had created him. He had to use his hands and anything he could find to begin his OWN garden and plant his OWN food. God helped Adam become a farmer. Have you ever gotten stuck by a thorn bush? OUCH! It HURTS, doesn't it? Adam and Eve knew what that felt like, too. Because they had disobeyed God, thorns and thistles now grew EVERYWHERE in Adam's garden. The sweat poured off Adam's face as he worked VERY hard to remove all these terrible weeds from his garden so the food would have room to grow. It took a LONG TIME for the food to grow, so, in the meantime, Adam had to go for long walks in the field, under the HOT sun, searching for wild herbs so they could have something to eat. * * * Adam loved his wife Eve, and Eve loved her husband Adam. One day, God blessed them with a baby boy. They named him "Cain." They knew Cain was a gift from the Lord. Cain began to grow up, and soon Adam and Eve had ANOTHER baby boy. They named Cain's baby brother "Abel." Cain spent much time working in the garden, helping day after day to fight the weeds so the plants could have room to grow and they would have food to eat. He soon became a farmer just like his daddy. Abel loved to spend time playing with his father's sheep. He spent SO much time playing with the sheep that he soon became very good at taking care of them. Before long, Abel grew up to become a shepherd. He loved taking the sheep and baby lambs over the hills, looking for green grass and fresh water to drink. When the garden was ready, Cain picked the BEST of his plants and brought these gifts to the Lord. At the same time, his younger brother Abel picked the BEST of his lambs and brought HIS gift to the Lord. * * * The Lord was very happy with Abel's gift...but NOT Cain's. "THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Cain shouted in anger. I have worked very hard, much harder than my brother Abel." Cain stomped away in a RAGE and became VERY SAD. He could not understand why God did not accept his gift. It didn't make any sense to him at all. Cain felt completely rejected by God. He felt God no longer loved him. "Why are you so angry?" God asked Cain. "Why is your face so sad?" Cain must have been startled to hear God's voice, because, according to the Bible, Cain never answered God. I guess it really took him by surprise that God would come down and talk to him. He didn't know what to say. "If you do well," God went on, "won't your gift be accepted, too? If you don't do well, there must be sin somewhere in your heart." God must have seen something in Cain's heart that did not please Him. God saw that Cain was JEALOUS of his brother Abel. He saw HATRED and ANGER in Cain's heart. God warned Cain to watch out, because sin was waiting to destroy him. * * * One day, Cain persuaded his younger brother Abel to go for a walk in the fields with him. He wanted to talk with him. Perhaps they walked together with the sheep following behind. Soon they reached the fields and were FAR from Mom and Dad's. Only the sheep could hear the two brothers as they sat down to talk. They talked for a little while, and then, without warning, Cain stood up and began beating his brother Abel until he KILLED him. He must have tried to bury him under the ground so no one would find out what he had done. All became quiet. "It's all over," Cain thought. Then God's voice THUNDERED from the heavens: "Where is Abel, your brother?" This time, Cain answered back: "I don't know. Am I supposed to keep track of him everywhere he goes?" And God said to Cain: "What have you done? "I can hear your brother's blood calling out to Me from the ground." This time, God didn't even WAIT for Cain to answer. I think Cain just hung his head in shame. He thought he could hide his sin but found out he COULDN'T. God told Cain that the ground which he had filled with his brother's blood would no longer grow plants for him to eat - even if he worked on it FOREVER. His days as a farmer were OVER. He would now have to live as... ...a TRAMP...forever, wandering from place to place. "Your punishment is TOO HEAVY for me," Cain answered back. "You have driven me out from my farm and will hide Your face from me. Now I must travel the earth as a TRAMP. Why, people will want to KILL me, no matter where I go, when they find out what I have done." And the Lord said to Cain, "Whoever lays a hand on you will receive SEVEN times the punishment I have laid on you." Then God put a mark on Cain so no one would DARE kill him. So Cain went out... ...leaving the Presence of the Lord behind him. HOW VERY SAD! * * * THINK! 1. With whose gift was God pleased? 2. Why do you think Cain killed Abel? 3. Could he hide his sin from God? 4. What was Cain's punishment? 5. Did God show mercy to Cain when he asked? REMEMBER You can't hide ANYTHING from God. A VERSE TO LEARN "Thou God seest me" (Genesis 16:13). ALTERNATE VERSES TO LEARN "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God" (1 John 4:7). PRACTICAL APPLICATION Have you ever done something you KNEW was wrong and then tried to COVER IT UP? Why? Were you afraid of the consequences? How do you think God wants you to deal with sin? For a clue, read 1 John 1:9. Name some ways you can watch out for your brother or sister and show them love? LET'S PRAY **************************************************** Dear God, thank You for teaching us such IMPORTANT lessons from the Bible. Help me to remember that You are watching me at ALL TIMES. In Jesus' Name. Amen. **************************************************** CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE? Genesis 3:18-19, 23-24; 4:1-16 * * * Just for Fun! Bible Quiz Wordsearch Puzzle ************ SONG God Knows About Everything (The Donut Man) Teacher Resources ************ Bible Story Lessons Cain and Abel - a picture of grace Cain and Abel: People of the Bible Picture Tour Cain - Bible Encyclopedia The Broken Family of Cain and Abel ----------------------------------------------------------------- BIBLE STORY ARCHIVE http://childrenschapel.org/bibstory2.html Add/update a Bible story resource The Children\'s Chapel - Award-winning site, featuring Bible stories from a variety of authors, excellent Christian resources for children, and over 140 links to other Christian and family-friendly sites for kids Copyright (c) 2002-2022 by Barbara Wilmerton Haas You may NOT re-post this Bible story. However, you may freely link to it, provided visitors can see our web address when they click on the link. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Free Bible Stories! 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