Genesis 4:7
Lost in the story of Cain and Abel is the wonderful moment when God gives Cain the power to choose which way that his life will go. Just before Cain’s murder of Abel, the Lord asks Cain why he is so upset, and then, “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door” (Genesis 4:7). God is showing Cain the choice of life and death; one way is led by Cain’s obedience and it leads to acceptance on God’s part. The other way leads to disobedience with “sin” lying at the door.
The power to choose how we are going to live is a staple feature of God’s grace and kindness. Oftentimes I have had the question posed to me by young converts, “Why did God even put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden at all?” Some think that life would have been better if God had given man no opportunity to fall, but God created man to be a free creature, who would love Him willingly and not by obligation. By allowing man to fail, God allows a world of sin and grief to begin, but He also provides opportunity for redemption and perfect love. Neither of these wonderful things comes without a tremendous price, and Jesus has paid that price!
To get a sense of how wonderful this seventh verse is, we should look at what brought us to this point. Cain and Abel have both brought an offering to the Lord. Abel brought a lamb from his flock, “And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering” (Genesis 4:4), while Cain brought some of his harvest and the LORD “had not respect” (Genesis 4:5). Why would the Lord accept one offering while rejecting the other?
I preached for many years (and have read many commentaries that are written in the same vein) that God accepts Abel’s sacrifice because there is blood involved and rejects Cain’s for the same cause. The verse, “Without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22) is nearly always cited, stating that God needed to see blood in order to honor the sacrifice. This argument falls on two simple points: there is no indication that Cain and Abel are bringing an offering to God for the remission of sins, but rather they are simply coming to worship the Lord; and God never told them there must be bloodshed, so it is unfair to hold them accountable.
Abel brought the firstlings of his flock, sure to choose from its best, while Cain simply “brought of the fruit of the ground”. There was an attitude in their worship that God was watching, prompting the question from the Lord, “Why are you mad?” Cain had no reason to be angry for he had simply been given a choice: he could choose life or death, and we know which one he chose.
The phrase, “sin lieth at the door” is “sin-offering lieth at the door” in Hebrew, for the same word is used for “sin” and “sin-offering”. God is telling Cain that for every failure that he commits, there is an abundant offering for that sin lying at the door of his heart. Paul would repeat this promise in Romans 5:20, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”. For every bad choice, there is enough grace waiting at your door as well.
You have the power to choose what you will do with this life and in this life. Place your faith in Jesus Christ and watch blessings touch every area of your life as you are resting in His grace and goodness.
Lost in the story of Cain and Abel is the wonderful moment when God gives Cain the power to choose which way that his life will go. Just before Cain’s murder of Abel, the Lord asks Cain why he is so upset, and then, “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door” (Genesis 4:7). God is showing Cain the choice of life and death; one way is led by Cain’s obedience and it leads to acceptance on God’s part. The other way leads to disobedience with “sin” lying at the door.
The power to choose how we are going to live is a staple feature of God’s grace and kindness. Oftentimes I have had the question posed to me by young converts, “Why did God even put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden at all?” Some think that life would have been better if God had given man no opportunity to fall, but God created man to be a free creature, who would love Him willingly and not by obligation. By allowing man to fail, God allows a world of sin and grief to begin, but He also provides opportunity for redemption and perfect love. Neither of these wonderful things comes without a tremendous price, and Jesus has paid that price!
To get a sense of how wonderful this seventh verse is, we should look at what brought us to this point. Cain and Abel have both brought an offering to the Lord. Abel brought a lamb from his flock, “And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering” (Genesis 4:4), while Cain brought some of his harvest and the LORD “had not respect” (Genesis 4:5). Why would the Lord accept one offering while rejecting the other?
I preached for many years (and have read many commentaries that are written in the same vein) that God accepts Abel’s sacrifice because there is blood involved and rejects Cain’s for the same cause. The verse, “Without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22) is nearly always cited, stating that God needed to see blood in order to honor the sacrifice. This argument falls on two simple points: there is no indication that Cain and Abel are bringing an offering to God for the remission of sins, but rather they are simply coming to worship the Lord; and God never told them there must be bloodshed, so it is unfair to hold them accountable.
Abel brought the firstlings of his flock, sure to choose from its best, while Cain simply “brought of the fruit of the ground”. There was an attitude in their worship that God was watching, prompting the question from the Lord, “Why are you mad?” Cain had no reason to be angry for he had simply been given a choice: he could choose life or death, and we know which one he chose.
The phrase, “sin lieth at the door” is “sin-offering lieth at the door” in Hebrew, for the same word is used for “sin” and “sin-offering”. God is telling Cain that for every failure that he commits, there is an abundant offering for that sin lying at the door of his heart. Paul would repeat this promise in Romans 5:20, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”. For every bad choice, there is enough grace waiting at your door as well.
You have the power to choose what you will do with this life and in this life. Place your faith in Jesus Christ and watch blessings touch every area of your life as you are resting in His grace and goodness.
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