Read with Me
Genesis 4:6-8 (HCSB)
Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you furious? And why do you look despondent? If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Listen with Me
In the midst of Cain’s anger at his offering being rejected, God spoke to his heart. Already his anger at God had morphed into jealousy of his brother, a murderous jealousy that was fast taking over his heart and his mind.
God’s words were not words of condemnation but of encouragement. Even though Cain’s offering had been made carelessly and more from a sense of obligation than genuine worship, there was still an opportunity for him to turn the whole situation around. But to do that, the course correction had to be made immediately. With every moment that passed, the anger, jealousy, and resentment would send their roots deeper into his heart. They had to be pulled out right away.
God tried to impress upon Cain the fact that even though the feelings he had were seemingly overwhelming, wanting to seize mastery over him, wresting power away from his logical mind and his spirit, the sin, even the feelings, were all conquerable if only he would act. God painted sin as an invader pounding against the door, intimidating, but easily overcome if he would simply put up a fight and push back against it, repent, seek God’s face, and do the right thing so that God could accept him.
But Cain, instead of fighting, gave in to the temptation. He held the feelings of anger and resentment in his heart so that they took root and grew. He fed them by replaying in his mind the humiliating moment when he realized that his sacrifice had been rejected, and the serene look on Abel’s face as his was received. And the more he did that, the more he felt justified in his anger and in his desire to punish his brother.
Finally, the anger grew to the point that it had to be acted on. Cain called his brother to go with him to see something he had discovered in the field. And while Abel was bent over peering at the spot Cain had pointed out to him, trying to figure out what was there that was so fascinating, Cain struck him in fury, releasing all the pent-up anger he had been harboring in his soul.
As Cain looked at his brother’s lifeless body, the blood soaking the ground around him, he felt no relief, no sense of victory. Instead, waves of guilt and shame swept over him. He ran away, leaving Abel’s body on the ground. He washed the evidence of his crime off in the river, and then went back to his work, figuring that no one would ever figure out what he had done.
Pray with Me
Father, a great truth here is that there is a moment in which we can change course and turn away from sin, have victory over temptation, and live on in uninterrupted fellowship with You. But if we turn away from that opportunity when our consciences prompt us to repent, we are surrendering to an enemy we could have overcome, and we are allowing sin to drive its roots deep into our hearts, where it will control our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. But when that happens, we can’t claim to be victims, as both Adam and Eve initially did. We chose, and we could have chosen differently. Lord, help me to see and recognize the temptations for what they are when they come, and they are sure to come. And help me to choose to follow You, to turn away from the darkness, and to gain the victory. Amen.