FATHERS & KNOWLEDGE (PT. 10)

Gen. 4:9 “Then the Lord said to Cain, where is your brother Abel? I don’t know, Cain responded, Am I my brother’s keeper?” (NIV) When it comes to knowledge, this verse is critical. In this scenario, it is a brother who is asked the question: ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?” However, this same scenario could be applied to fathers and sons as well. In fact, brotherhood remains a vital part of manhood. The challenge is whether men, as a whole, are aware of this reality.

“My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.” (Hosea 4:6) The priest was responsible for covering the people before God. His job was to ensure that the people maintained a relationship with their Creator. Cain, as the older brother, also shared this responsibility. Please notice that God’s response to the people’s failure to acknowledge and respect His law was His position to ignore their children. The Father’s position to ignore a man’s child should consume the attention of every man, especially, every father.

Warren Farrell and John Gray, in their book: The Boy Crisis, address this serious crisis. “The boy crisis’ primary cause is dad-deprived boys. Dad deprivation stems primarily from the lack of father involvement, and secondarily from devaluating what a father contributes when he is involved. Whether our children become financially rich or poor—or emotionally rich or poor—depends increasingly on whether they grow up dad-rich or dad-poor.” There is no substitute for the covering of a father.

At the core, Cain’s action to kill his brother was a direct response to his sacrifice not being accepted by his father, Adam. However, his ultimate decision to deny any accountability for his brother’s death was the result of his experiencing a dad-poor relationship. There is no explanation that makes sense when the father is absent, whether consciously or unconsciously. Simply put, the presence of a father in the lives of his children remains foundational. Too many children deny responsibility for their siblings because there was no father who took responsibility for them.

In this context, knowledge remains the ultimate priority for fathers and sons. But this involves knowledge that is passed on from one generation to another. This is called impartation! Fathers remain responsible for not just sharing life with their children, but also living life with them. Fathers must provide coverage for their children if their children are to provide cover for one another. I encourage you to meditate on the following translations as we end this blog:

“Afterward the Lord asked Cain, where  is your brother? Where is Abel? I don’t know, Cain responded, Am I my brother’s guardian?” (NIT)

…Cain responded, Am I a shepherd to my brother? (MIF – James Moffatt)

…I cannot tell, said he. Is it for me to keep watch over my Brother?’ (Knox)

…How should I know? Cain retorted. Am I supposed to keep track of him wherever he goes? (TAY – Kenneth N. Taylor)

It should not surprise many in today’s culture that far too many siblings fail to take care of their own brothers or sisters. This represents a spiritual desert in which many children do not survive. One of the greatest solutions to this challenge is simply to impart to one generation that they are not only responsible for the next generation, but also for the present generation as well.