March 3, 2023
Reading: Genesis 4:1-7
Focus: Genesis 4:7 – If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.
Father God, Thank You for your Word. Thank Your grace and mercy. Thank You for second chances. Help me to look to You for all things. Help me to engrave Your Words on my heart. In Jesus Name. Amen.
NOTE: I had a reader respond to the “Six Days” Blog. Click below to see my answer. Please comment. Thank you. https://bringingjesusn2focus.com/its-all-in-a-days-work/
Now, on to today’s blog.
The story of Cain and Abel is the first recorded case of sibling rivalry. Those of us with brothers and sisters know all about sibling rivalry. I was the only child of my parents but was raised with three cousins. We consider ourselves brothers and sisters. Sibling rivalry was a constant in our home. I am the oldest. My little sister was constantly in my closet, my jewelry and my makeup. My brothers, well, they were boys. What can I say? Looking back, I don’t think I ever wanted to bash their heads in but we did get pretty angry at each other. Sometimes we didn’t speak for a few days. But even then, we may not have liked each other at that moment, we still loved each other. We still do.
Cain was the eldest. That is a burden in itself. As the oldest, you are usually the example to the younger siblings. Tough job! Mom and Dad were probably harder on Cain than on the baby of the family, Abel. This, however, is no excuse. Cain should have taken care of his brother rather than kill him. Cain also should have understood why the sacrifices were necessary. He had been taught from childhood. Why he had no respect for the sacrifices, we may never know. But he didn’t seem to care enough to do it properly. Still, he had a choice.
Cain grew up knowing that his parents had walked with God in the Garden of Eden. He knew why they had been banished from the garden. He knew that blood was to be spilled for the atonement for sin. But he chose to do it his own way. Instead of the prescribed sacrifice, which would have been freely given to him, he chose to offer things he had grown with his own hands. A bloodless sacrifice. Leviticus 17:11 states “For the life of the creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” It is the blood that makes atonement. The blood of a lamb until Christ came, then the Blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus, who died and rose again.
Hundreds of years after Cain, God dictated the types of sacrifices and offerings to Moses on Mount Sinai. The sacrifice of a lamb was given for the atonement for sin, just as God instituted the shedding of blood for the atonement of sin in the Garden of Eden. God literally covered their nakedness with the skin and figuratively covered their sin by the shed blood. It is a shadow of the coming Redeemer whose blood would cover the sins of the believers. Abel understood what the blood sacrifice meant, the atonement for sin. We aren’t told why Cain chose to offer fruits and vegetables. It seemed to be a deliberate choice. And, then again, it could have been pride or an indifference to spiritual things. But the manner in which Cain and Abel prepared their sacrifices suggests that they had been a regular occurrence.
Abel offered his sacrifice of a firstborn lamb from his flock in obedience to God, recognizing that he needed forgiveness of sin. Cain knew in his heart he knew he was wrong, but he still offered fruits and vegetables. His offering was not accepted. He was just going through the motions. His attitude was probably wrong from the start. He got angry. But God was willing to give Cain a second chance but he either didn’t see it or chose not to see it. Look at the focus verse again. God’s question says it all. “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” But Cain’s pride had already taken a major blow. The question tipped him over the edge. He let anger and jealousy rule his heart and he killed his brother.
Why is it so easy to do things the way we want to do them? Why do we only half do somethings? Why do we do the things we know are wrong? Why is doing the wrong thing so easy? Man is a sinful being. Ever since Adam and Eve, we have been born with a sinful heart. If you don’t believe me, look at a child. Children have to be taught right from wrong. Or they will do whatever they want to whomever they want for whatever reason. They will try to satisfy their own wants regardless of whether they are right or wrong. You’ve seen toddlers get angry and throw things when something doesn’t go their way, right? Sounds like our society today, doesn’t it?
Our society is proof that sin is easy. People are undisciplined and satisfy their wants in whatever manner they choose. The city I live in racks up at least one murder a day. Sometimes it’s several a day. Why? Because someone insulted them or someone has something they want or, in some cases, just because they looked at them funny and sadly, in some cases, it is suicide, out of sheer despair. There seems to be no sense in the killings. You can’t look at the news without seeing the violence that mankind does to each other and themselves. Drugs, rape, child abuse, domestic violence, suicide, murder, all sorts of violence is going on all around us. It’s as if people have no moral compass anymore. I don’t have an answer to why people do the things they do but I can tell you what God’s word tells us. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” And that is why we need Jesus.
God gave Cain a second chance, but he chose not to accept it and do what was right. If he had, the story would have had a different ending altogether. But Cain let his pride take over. Jealousy ruled. He was angry. With malice in his heart, he pretended to want to go out into the field with Abel. To get a lamb? Who knows. What we do know is that Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him. Then, buried him. God knew that Abel was dead when He asked Cain where his brother was. Cain tried to shrug it off. After all, Abel didn’t need a babysitter. God pronounced a punishment that was way harsher than his parents’ punishment had been. Not only would he never be successful as a farmer again, but he was also cast out of God’s presence. Then Cain realized just how grievous a sin he had committed. He knew he was a marked man and that anyone would kill him if they found him. But God still had mercy on him. He marked Cain so that no one would harm him without serious consequences.
The punishment given Cain reflects what will happen at the end of time, on Judgement Day. Before that day, we have the chance to choose life by belief in Jesus and His blood shed for us. But those who turned their backs on God and His Word and refused to believe in Jesus as the Lamb of God will be cast out of the presence of God forever. There will be no second chances, no mercy on that day. They will be eternally separated from God and cast into hell. The thought of being separated from God forever is absolutely terrifying to me.
In church, how many times do we just go through the motions? Are we focusing on God or just participating out of habit? Blessings don’t come when we are not present in worship. We may be standing there singing, or bowing our heads but our minds are a million miles away. Our hearts and minds are closed to what God may have for us that day in the service. You can miss tremendous blessings if you aren’t paying attention. Blessings come when we open our hearts and minds to the Holy Spirit and let Him pour God’s blessings into our soul.
We need to read God’s word more. We need to engrave it on our hearts and minds. We need to absorb it to the point that we know absolutely what God expects of us. I encourage all of us to memorized as much as we can. If we don’t pay attention to God’s guidance, we will fail and have to learn the lesson all over again. Following God’s Word may not always be easy, but the rewards are out of this world (Heaven). It’s has to be a heart thing. Where does your heart focus? Upwards to God or down to this earth?
God instructs us. He shows us the way. He shows us His grace and mercy through the Scriptures and the Words of Jesus, Himself. We need to listen and take it to heart. Jesus showed us how to live. We are human and will stumble. Not might but will. We can always go back to the Father, claim the Blood of the Lamb as covering for our sins. And then, we can come again into His Presence, accepted and clean.
What’s your focus?
Lord, the apostle Paul said, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do.” He said exactly how I feel. So many times, I don’t do what I know I should. Help me, Lord, to do the right things that will be pleasing to You. Amen.
Food for Thought
- What was Cain’s first wrong step?
- Why did blood have to be shed for the atonement for sin?
- Why do you think it is so hard sometimes to do the right thing?
- Would you do something wrong if there was no penalty? Why?
- Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb of God?
