3And in the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground. 4But Abel brought [an offering of] the [finest] firstborn of his flock and the That is, the fat that covered the entrails of the animals. Later, in the Mosaic Law, the Israelites were forbidden to eat this fat (Lev 7:23), which was reserved as an offering to God, especially for sin (Lev 4:8, 26, 35; 9:10; 16:25).fat portions. And the Lord had respect (regard) for Abel and for his offering; 5but for Cain and his offering He had no respect. So Cain became extremely angry (indignant), and Lit his countenance fell.he looked annoyed and hostile. 6And the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you so angry? And why do you look annoyed? 7If you do well [believing Me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to Me], will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well [but ignore My instruction], sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master it.” Genesis 4:3-7 AMP
To understand the story of Cain, we must understand the times that Cain was living in, and what preceded his birth. God evicted his parents (Adam & Eve) from the Garden of Eden because of their sin, and mandated that Adam would struggle to provide sustenance for his family, and Eve would experience pain in childbirth and desire to rule over her husband Adam. I believe that Cain along with his younger brother Abel was raised in dysfunctional household and even crazier world. I believe they were raised under parents who were burdened and drowned in regret and guilt for their actions in the garden, and the troubles that they along with their children were experiencing as a result of their decision. I believe that Cain heard the stories told by his parents and observed their pain, and probably asked how could God love them and allow them to experience these troubles. Its important that we understand that our perception/understanding impacts how we serve and believe in him. I believe that Cain had a critical, skeptical, and overall negative view of God which affected how and what he presented to God as a sacrifice. His lack of respect and fear of God affected his heart which caused God to reject his offering. There are two schools of thought as to why God rejected his offering; the first is that because of sin, God required a blood sacrifice/offering, but Cain brought produce (vegetables, fruits, and grains) which God rejected. The 2nd theory is that God rejected Cain’s heart, NOT his offering. We’ll revisit those theories another time, but I’d like to focus on what God said in verse s 6-7
6And the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you so angry? And why do you look annoyed? 7If you do well [believing Me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to Me], will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well [but ignore My instruction], sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master it.”
God spoke to Cain personally and informed him what it took for him and his offering to be acceptable to God. What’s interesting about God’s response to Cain is that he never compared him to Abel. Oftentimes parents or regular folks will compare you to others in their critique of you, but God does not do this. God only references others when speaking to us when he is trying to illustrate the ways that he has blessed others to demonstrate how the same can happen for us, or when he is trying to illustrate how our ways can end in our demise, but he never tells us to act or behave as someone else. God’s words here is to deter and correct Cain from a greater sin. Because his heart wasn’t pure, God rejected his offering, but this rejection combined with an already impure and hard heart gives an opening for Satan to tempt us with sin. God as a loving father offers correction and redemption to Cain…..but it is up to Cain to decide to choose God and live right. God is very discreet in his dealings with us, and if we are open to his correction and rebuke, then we can find ourselves in a better relationship/position with him then we were before. However, many of us like Cain are opposed to God’s subtle/gentle correction and rebuke and find ourselves overcome with sin with too much pride/ego to return to him and submit to his authority. God knew what was in Cain’s heart, addressed it, and left it to Cain to make the choice to overcome it.
I usually don’t do this, but I feel that some of you may need the answer to what God said to Cain explained more plainly. The answer to the question, and the way that Cain could have found redemption and right standing with God is the same way that we can:
If you do well [believing Me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to Me], will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well [but ignore My instruction], sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master.
Genesis 4:7 AMP
Reflection Time
What has God said or shown you about your heart, mind, spirit, or words/mouth? Do you have a negative perception or view of God? What has shaped your relationship with God? What areas do you need to pray about that you need God to address/heal in your life? Do you struggle with comparing yourself to a family member, friend, stranger, or anyone else? Has your tendency to compare yourself to others caused you to lose faith, or give up in an area of life? I pray that you obey God’s voice and directions for your life, and develop the strength to overcome the weak areas of your life through the strength that only god can provide.
