Good & Bad Siblings Gen. 4:1-8 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
Why do some children raised in good homes turn out well and some turn out so poorly? We’ll attempt to discover what causes good and bad siblings by examining some families in the Bible. Whether a sibling turns out well or poorly depends, in part, upon his response to:
The grace of God – Gen 4:1-8; 1 Jn 3:12 – Abel loved the grace of God and willingly humbled himself to offer a blood sacrifice in commemoration of the blood that was shed to provide hides to cover his parents’ nakedness – his brother, Cain, on the other hand, despised the grace of God and in pride offered a sacrifice of his own works from the cursed ground.
The promise of God – Gen 21:9; Gal 4:28-31 – Isaac loved the promise of God and willingly offered himself as a sacrifice in faith believing the promise – his brother, Ishmael, on the other hand, despised the promise and mocked Isaac. Ishmael was in bondage and young people in bondage to sin [Jn 8:32-36] and brought into bondage by false teachers of education and religion [2 Pet 2:19-22] despise the promise of God.
The inheritance of God – Gen 25:34; Heb 12:16-17 – Jacob loved the birthright, the inheritance of God, and was willing to supplant his brother for it – his brother, Esau, on the other hand, despised his inheritance and sold it for a bowl of lentil soup. Young people who are not willing to wait patiently for the inheritance of God because of their lustful desires for personal gratification, will, like Esau, fornicate and be profane.
The covenant of God – 2 Sam 13:12; 2 Sam 21:21 – Jonathan, the son of Shimea, loved the covenant of God with Israel and was willing to fight to kill a giant who defied Israel – his brother, Jonadab, on the other hand, despised the covenant of God with Israel by teaching his first cousin, Amnon, how to steal the virginity of his sister which ought not to be done in Israel [Lev 18:9]. Young people unwilling to stand against the world in righteousness will turn out bad while their siblings who are willing to stand will turn out good.
Conclusion: You aren’t going to know how they are going to turn out until they are tested in these areas and then their responses will tell whether they will turn out good or bad. Parents, do all you can to help your children see the importance of loving these four things. Children remember that the full blame rests on you whether you choose to love these four things or despise them.