Filial Responsibility

“Am I my brother’s keeper?” Genesis 4:9

Keeper – “It’s his problem.” “I can’t be responsible for everything!” “He’s just got to grow up.” Have you ever heard yourself saying something like this? In a world system that emphasizes the individual, we often defer involvement, feeling as though the best we can do is make the other person accountable. Of course, the biblical point of view never diminishes personal accountability. That’s at the heart of being a sinner. But there is another element in the biblical worldview that cannot be ignored or deferred. I am my brother’s keeper! Actually, I am a good deal more than just a keeper, as the Hebrew verb demonstrates.

The word is shamar. It is used in the opening assignment given by God. Adam and Havvah were to guard and care for the Garden. That’s shamar. Their disobedience did not erase this requirement. God expected Man to steward the earth. Certainly Qayin (Cain) is aware of this divine assignment. But he makes a crucial and fatal distinction. While he cares for the earth as a tiller of the ground, his objective is to acquire benefit for himself from that care. Hevel stands in the way of Qayin’s acquisition, in this case an acquisition of blessing. So, in Qayin’s thinking, Hevel is of no use to him. He no longer has caretaking responsibility because there is nothing for him to gain.

Of course, shamar won’t allow such distinctions. Shamar is about careful attention, preservation, watchfulness and guardianship. All of the nuances of shamar imply duty, not benefit. This is something we do because God asks us to do it, not because we will receive personal reward. Whether we watch over someone’s property, the Amazon rainforest, the finances entrusted to our care or the neighbor’s children, our motivation is ultimately based on God’s view of the universe. It all belongs to Him and, therefore, I am required to treat it as He would. By the way, shamar is also used in conjunction with God’s Word. It requires the same commitment to care and preservation.

Shamar is a verb of duty. It is also a verb of connection. Duty to God connects us all – to each other, to the creation, to the Creator. Shamar places me in the ocean of community, not simply with other human beings but with creation itself. No wonder Sha’ul says all creation groans waiting for the day that caretaking becomes the norm. Qayin is the first robber baron. In his view, life is about getting what he wants no matter what the cost. His punishment is not death. It is alienation from all community, including the community of the land. The one who would use any means to acquire loses everything he has. Measure for measure.

How dangerous it is to follow the path of Qayin, not as a murderer but as an acquirer without shamar. A man who knows nothing of duty to others is a man who will do anything to get what he desires. Such a man wanders among the wild beasts.

Topical Index: Qayin, keeper, shamar, duty, Genesis 4:9