In spite of parents’ efforts and worries, conflicts between children in a family seem inevitable. Sibling relationships allow both competition and cooperation.  In most cases, the mixture of loving and fighting eventually creates a strong bond between brothers and sisters.  It isn’t unusual, though, to hear parents say, “They fight so much I hope they don’t kill each other before they grow up.”  In Cain’s case, the troubling potential became a tragedy.  And while we don’t know many details of this first child’s life, his story can still teach us.

Cain got angry. Furious.  Both he and his brother Abel had made sacrifices to God, and his had been rejected.  Cain’s reaction gives us a clue that his attitude was probably wrong from the start.  Cain had a choice to make.  He could correct his attitude about his sacrifice to God, or he could take out his anger on his brother.  His decision is a clear reminder of how often we are aware of opposite choices, yet choose the wrong just as Cain did.  We may not be choosing to murder, but we are still intentionally choosing what we shouldn’t.

The feelings motivating our behaviour can’t always be changed by simple thought-power.  But here we can begin to experience God’s willingness to help.  Asking for his help to do what is right can prevent us from setting into motion actions that we will later regret.

Strengths and accomplishments:

• First human child
• First to follow in father’s profession, farming

Weaknesses and mistakes:

• When disappointed, reacted in anger
• Took the negative option even when a positive possibility was offered
• Was the first murderer

Lessons from his life:

• Anger is not necessarily a sin, but actions motivated by anger can be sinful. Anger should be the energy behind good action, not evil action
• What we offer to God must be from the heart – the best we are and have
• The consequences of sin may last a lifetime

Vital statistics:

• Where: Near Eden, which was probably located in present-day Iraq or Iran
• Occupation: Farmer, then wanderer
• Relatives: Parents: Adam and Eve. Brothers: Abel, Seth, and others not mentioned by name

Key verse:

“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”  (Genesis 4.7).

Cain’s story is told in Genesis 4.1-17. He is also mentioned in Hebrews 11.4; 1 John 3.12; Jude 11.

Some people are initiators. They help get the ball rolling.  Rebekah would easily stand out in this group.  Her life was characterised by initiative.  When she saw a need she took action, even though the action was not always right.

It was Rebekah’s initiative that first caught the attention of Eliezer, the servant Abraham sent to find a wife for Isaac. It was common courtesy to give a drink to a stranger, but it took added character to fetch water for ten thirsty camels as well.  Later, after hearing the details of Eliezer’s mission, Rebekah was immediately willing to be Isaac’s bride.

Several later events help us see how initiative can be misdirected. Rebekah was aware that God’s plan would be channelled through Jacob, not Esau (Genesis 25.23).  So not only did Jacob become her favourite; she actually planned ways to ensure that he would overshadow his older twin.  Meanwhile, Isaac preferred Esau.  This created a conflict between the couple.  She felt justified in deceiving her husband when the time came to bless the sons, and her ingenious plan was carried out to perfection.

Most of the time we try to justify the things we choose to do. Often we attempt to add God’s approval to our actions.  While it is true that our actions will not spoil God’s plan, it is also true that we are responsible for what we do and must always be cautious about our motives.  When thinking about a course of action, are you simply seeking God’s stamp of approval on something you’ve already decided to do?  Or are you willing to set the plan aside if the principles and commands of God’s word are against the action?  Initiative and action are admirable and right when they are controlled by God’s wisdom.

Strengths and accomplishments:

• When confronted with a need, she took immediate action
• She was accomplishment oriented

Weaknesses and mistakes:

• Her initiative was not always balanced by wisdom
• She favoured one of her sons
• She deceived her husband

Lessons from her life:

• Our actions must be guided by God’s word
• God makes use even of our mistakes in his plan
• Parental favouritism hurts a family

Vital statistics:

• Where: Haran, Canaan
• Occupation: Wife, mother, household manager
• Relatives: Grandparents: Nahor and Milcah. Father: Bethuel.  Husband: Isaac.  Brother: Laban.  Twin sons: Esau and Jacob

Key verses:

“Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death” (Genesis 24.67).  “Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob” (Genesis 25.28).

Rebekah’s story is told in Genesis 24-19. She is also mentioned in Romans 9.10.

Some people simply drift through life. Their choices, when they can muster the will to choose, tend to follow the course of least resistance.  Lot, Abram’s nephew, was such a person.

While still young, Lot lost his father. Although this must have been hard on him, he was not left without strong role models in his grandfather Terah and his uncle Abram, who brought him up.  Still, Lot did not develop their sense of purpose.  Throughout his life he was so caught up in the present moment that he seemed incapable of seeing the consequences of his actions.  It is hard to imagine what his life would have been like without Abram’s careful attention and God’s intervention.

By the time Lot drifted out of the picture, his life had taken an ugly turn. He had so blended into the sinful culture of his day that he did not want to leave it.  Then his daughters committed incest with him.  His drifting finally took him in a very specific direction – destruction.

Lot, however, is called “righteous” in the New Testament (2 Peter 2.7, 8). Ruth, a descendant of Moab, was an ancestor of Jesus, even though Moab was born as a result of Lot’s incestuous relationship with one of his daughters.  Lot’s story gives hope to us that God forgives and often brings about positive circumstances from evil.

What is the direction of your life? Are you headed towards God or away from him?  If you’re a drifter, the choice for God may seem difficult, but it is the one choice that puts all other choices in a different light.

Strengths and accomplishments:

• He was a successful businessman
• Peter calls him a righteous man (2 Peter 2.7, 8)

Weaknesses and mistakes:

• When faced with decisions, he tended to put off deciding, then chose the easiest course of action
• When given a choice, his first reaction was to think of himself

Lesson from his life:

• God wants us to do more than drift through life; he wants us to be an influence for him

Vital statistics:

• Where: Lived first in Ur of the Chaldeans, then moved to Canaan with Abram. Eventually he moved to the wicked city of Sodom
• Occupation: Wealthy sheep and cattle farmer; also a city official
• Relatives: Father: Haran. Adopted by Abram when his father died.  The name of his wife, who turned into a pillar of salt, is not mentioned

Key verse: “When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them” (Genesis 19.16).

Lot’s story is told in Genesis 11 – 14; 19. He is also mentioned in Deuteronomy 2.9; Luke 17.28-32; 2 Peter 2.7, 8.

The story of Noah’s life involves not one, but two great and tragic floods. The world in Noah’s day was flooded with evil.  The number of those who remembered the God of creation, perfection, and love had dwindled to one.  Of God’s people, only Noah was left.  God’s response to the severe situation was a 120-year-long last chance, during which he had Noah build a graphic illustration of the message of his life.  Nothing like a huge boat on dry land to make a point!  For Noah, obedience meant a long-term commitment to a project.

Many of us have trouble sticking to any project, whether or not it is directed by God. It is interesting that the length of Noah’s obedience was greater than the lifespan of people today.  The only comparable long-term project is our very lives.  But perhaps this is one great challenge Noah’s life gives us – to live, in acceptance of God’s grace, an entire lifetime of obedience and gratitude.

Strengths and accomplishments:

• Only follower of God left in his generation
• Second father of the human race
• Man of patience, consistency, and obedience
• First major shipbuilder
• Weakness and mistake:
• Got drunk and embarrassed himself in front of his sons

Lessons from his life:

• God is faithful to those who obey him
• God does not always protect us from trouble, but cares for us in spite of trouble
• Obedience is a long-term commitment
• A man may be faithful, but his sinful nature always travels with him

Vital statistics:

• Where: We’re not told how far from the Garden of Eden people had settled
• Occupation: Farmer, shipbuilder, preacher
• Relatives: Grandfather: Methuselah. Father: Lamech.  Sons: Ham, Shem, and Japheth

Key verse: “Noah did everything just as God commanded him” (Genesis 6.22)

Noah’s story is told in Genesis 5.29-10.32. He is also mentioned in 1 Chronicles 1.3, 4; Isaiah 54.9; Ezekiel 14.14, 20; Matthew 24.37, 38; Luke 3.36; 17:26, 27; Hebrews 11.7; 1 Peter 3.20; 2 Peter 2.5.