Why did Cain kill his brother Able?

Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
Genesis 4:8

Why did Cain kill his brother Able?  Because God respected Abel’s worship, but not Cain’s (Genesis 4:3-7).  The first murder recorded in the Bible was about worship, and was therefore the first instance of religious persecution as well.  Incredibly, these were the first two offspring of the first two parents in human history, yet one killed the other as an act of religious persecution.  Religious persecution is not new.  And it continues to this day.

So we ask again, why did Cain kill his brother Abel?  Because he was resentfully angry that God respected Abel’s worship that he offered in faith (Hebrews 11:4).  Those who do not come to God through faith in Jesus Christ, or who do not worship God according to His Word hate those who do.  Their hateful anger is aimed at God for not accepting them on their own terms.  And as a result, since they cannot attack God directly, they take it out on God’s people.

As we give special attention to praying for the persecuted Church this Lord’s Day, let us understand why persecutors hate God, and by extension hate God’s people.  Let us pray not only for the persecuted, but for their persecutors.  And let us love God unwaveringly, so that if (when?) persecution comes our way, we will not falter but remain ever faithful.