Genesis 4

Posted on June 18, 2010 by tracijoy

 

Genesis 4… Cain and Abel… I need to study opinions on WHY God had no regard for Cain’s offering. I have been told that it had to do with Cain’s offering being a blood offering… a foreshadowing of Christ. But is it fair to Cain? More than likely it had to do with the intent of the heart… which God could see but we can’t. 

But I do love verses 6 & 7.
“Then the Lord said to Cain, why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do NOT do well, sin is crouching at the door, and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”  Talk about a direct warning. God is saying “Watch out… hang in there… hold on tight… do what’s right… sin is crouching at your door.” We need to look at our lives in the same manner. Sin is always waiting… lurking in the shadows… and its DESIRE is for us. Sin is a consuming fire… it just wants more and more destruction… it wants us to feed it and then it wants to destroy us. “But you must MASTER it.” Proof that we can… the “devil” doesn’t make us do something. We choose to sin… all he has to do is suggest it. But the fact that God tells us we must MASTER it… is proof that we can. We do not have to be in bondage to sin… whether it is lust or the desire for too many donuts. When we act in righteousness–do the right thing–we always walk away happier.
 
v.8: “And Cain told Abel…” Some versions of the Bible follow this with “Let’s go out into the field.”… But this line was not in the original Hebrew text. It simply says “And Cain told Abel.” I wonder exactly what he told him? Did he tell him what God said? Did he confess the feelings he’d been having? Did he share a god-loving testimony, and really feel strong for a moment… only to relapse into his negative emotions… at which time he gave in to the sin that was crouching?

v.11: Cain was cursed forever from performing the work he loved and was good at… because he disobeyed God? because he tried to hide the truth from God? May I NEVER do that! It makes me wonder… if I am disobedient in what God has commissioned me to do.. with my talent and with my work… will it be taken from me?