The LORD heard Abel’s blood crying out from the ground. Cain had slain his own brother.
Maybe if Cain would have first moved across the Euphrates River. He could’ve settled down there, just across the way. Perhaps then, when he murdered his brother, the LORD wouldn’t have heard that cry.
If that didn’t work, then maybe if Cain would have gone even further. He could’ve traveled toward Canaan. He could’ve gone on down to Egypt. Then, when he mounted against his brother to kill him, the LORD wouldn’t have heard that cry.
If that didn’t work, then maybe he could’ve boarded a ship. He could’ve sailed across the sea. He could’ve headed for Europe. Then, when he returned against his brother, when he rose up against him to slaughter him, the LORD wouldn’t have heard that cry.
If that didn’t work, then maybe he could allow time to pass. The chronological distance could muffle the noise of the shrieks, so that the LORD wouldn’t have heard that cry.
If that didn’t work, then he could’ve waited longer — decades, centuries. He could give the task to his children, and his children’s children, to overtake the sons of Abel. Then, hopefully, the LORD wouldn’t have heard that cry.
If that didn’t work, then he could have waited until his own descendants spoke different languages, developed different customs — this might be what plugs the LORD’s ears, and then the LORD wouldn’t have heard that cry.
If that didn’t work, then he could hold back, waiting until Abel’s own children found cause to rise against Cain’s. Abel might march out into battle, searching for the head of Cain. How could this not prevent the LORD from hearing that cry?
If he just moved farther, waited longer, surely a time would come when a cause fit to justify his actions would emerge. Then, the LORD wouldn’t have heard that cry.
But how far must he go? But how long must he wait?