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Whatcha Thinkin Cain? - Genesis 3-4

Verse:

Genesis 4:6-7 (KJV)

6And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

7If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Commentary from Papa JoeMac:

#4 - Attitudes and Consequences - Genesis 3-4

What made Cain famous? Cain was the first born human! What made Cain infamous? Cain was the first murderer. What was his biggest weakness? Anger! Most often, parents who have two children wonder if their kids will live to adulthood. That is, the kids often fight so much, the parents sometimes wonder if they’ll kill one another before they grow up! In the case of Cain and Abel, unfortunately, one child did kill the other. It is so sad that Cain, like so many of us today, was given the chance by God Himself, to correct his attitude and come to Him with a renewed heart. God told Cain that if he would correct his attitude and make his offering in the ‘right’ way, he would be accepted. Can you imagine? God directly, point blank told Cain that he would be accepted if he would do what was right and still Cain refused to do this. He let sin get a foothold in his life and his anger led to the murder of Abel – his brother. Are we the same?

Most of us are not murderers but how often does God attempt to get our attention and he ignore Him? Most of us are familiar with the situation that transpired between Cain and Abel. Cain was a farmer. Abel was a shepherd. Abel was the second child to be born of humankind. He was the first born human to obey God. (In Matthew 23:35, Abel was called the first martyr for truth.) Abel presented offerings before God that were acceptable. Cain presented offerings before God that were unacceptable. Why was Cain’s offering not acceptable? The Bible does not tell us. Perhaps other Scriptures give us a hint as to why Cain’s offering was not accepted. We read in Proverbs 21:27 that God loathes offerings that are brought when the one presenting the offering has an ulterior motive. Was Cain guilty of this? Are we guilty of this? Do we try to ‘bribe’ God? When we tithe, do we do it cheerfully or with an ulterior motive – that is, out of ‘duty’? Do we serve in our local church out of the desire to serve God or do we do it because we expect a blessing? Do we volunteer in the community out of our spirit-led convictions or do we do it for personal gain (popularity contest for other things – getting elected to the school board, awards, personal recognition, etc.). It is interesting that humankind is so similar regardless of the thousands of years separating the generations!

The primary lesson we learn from this tragedy was Cain became angry and refused to get right with God and he let his anger turn into fury and the fury led to murder. Are we any different? How do we react when we do something wrong and someone asks us “Why did you do that?” Most often our own pride wells up and we become defensive regardless of the fact that we know we were in the wrong. Human pride is a ‘killer’, eh? If we do not ask for the Holy Spirit to help us control ourselves, we too can fall prey to prideful actions. He will help us! We need to seek His guidance!

Why do you think that Cain sinned? Could it be because of his parent’s sin? Eating a piece of fruit may not seem like a big deal but God had directed Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree. Jesus taught that things like being blind are not a direct of our parent’s sins (remember when the disciples asked Jesus if the blind man was blind because of his parent’s sins). What I am saying here is different. I am asking us all if we are living a life that will influence our children to sin? Our children listen to what we say and they WATCH what we do. How many people in prison today had parents that were convicted and locked up? How many alcoholics have children who eventually become alcoholics? How many drug addicts have children who eventually become addicts? Adam and Eve sinned only against God. Cain sinned against other people. Are we different?

Were there consequences for Cain’s actions? There most definitely was. Once a successful farmer, Cain became a wanderer. The Bible tells us that Cain feared for his life because he was afraid of being killed by others. God put a mark on Cain and warned the people that the punishment to anyone killing Cain would be worse than the punishment that Cain would receive. Cain lived the remainder of his life under constant fear. When we sin, there are consequences to our actions. God may not open the heavens and smack us upside the head, but He is faithful to correct us. We might experience physical consequences but most often broken homes, failed marriages, guilty consciousnesses, lost friends, etc. occur as a result of our sins. We can get right with God. Our ‘offerings’ are most welcome and cherished by God when they are given with the right ‘heart’. Are your offerings acceptable? Is your attitude one of thanksgiving or one of rebellion? Don’t be a Cain! Respond positively to God and His leading and your life will be filled with wonder and joy that you never thought possible!