A Bad Place To Be

⁵ but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
⁶ So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? ⁷ If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
⁸ Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
⁹ Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
¹⁰ And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.

                                                                                                   Genesis 4:5-10

Are you overcome with grief or regret? Is there some un-confessed sin in your life? Or, are you depressed and don’t know why? Could it be that like Cain, you have some hidden sin, but you refuse to take it to the Lord?

Cain had offered the fruit of the ground as a sacrifice, while his brother Abel had offered a lamb. God accepted Abel’s gift but not Cain’s. The anger was affecting him emotionally, physically, and spiritually. God came to him and inquired of him why he was upset. I believe that God asked him this in love. I would even further say that God was giving him a chance to repent and be restored. Obviously Cain had been having trouble in his relationship with the Lord for some time. The Lord warned him (vs. 6) that he best avoid giving in to sin (his anger). Cain allowed his anger to fester and grow until he did the unthinkable; he murdered his own brother. When the Lord approached Cain about this, Cain never showed any remorse for what he had done. When God pronounced judgment, all he cared about was himself. There is more to this story but I want to focus on this segment. God had given clear directions for how He wanted the sacrifice. Cain chose to do it his way; contrary to God’s way. Then, when God rejected his gift, Cain was angry.

Is this not what we do today? Don’t we try to gain God’s favor by our means?

We say there are other ways to heaven (besides Jesus), we don’t need to go to church, our good deeds will earn us a place in the Kingdom. God clearly defines for us in His word what He expects from us, and yet, we come up with alternative ways. Then, when he rejects our worship, we get angry and want to criticize Him.

The fact is, we all fall. None of us gets it right every time. But just like with Cain, God comes to us through the Holy Spirit, and gives us that chance to repent. The question is, what do we do with our choice?

And Yet Another Sinner…

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.

                                                                                                   Psalm 32:3-4 

I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.  Selah  

                                                                                                   Psalm 32:5

¹ Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. ² Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

                                                                                                  Psalm 32:1-2

Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

                                                                                                  Psalm 32:11

King David had disobeyed God by:

1.) Not leading his troops into battle.

2.) After seeing Bathsheba bathing, he did not look away.

3.) He called for her to be brought in to him.

4.) He murdered her husband to cover up his sin.

Remember “And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” David allowed sin to creep in and take hold, but unlike Cain, when confronted by Nathan the prophet who was sent by God, David repented. That is why he could sing songs of praise to his Lord. Oh the joy of forgiveness, and the freeing up of a wayward soul. 

Friend, do you have un-confessed sin in your life? Why not confess it and enter into the joy of your Lord.