Trusting In God’s Promises & Favor
I watch my two grandsons fight over things that they each want to have in that moment, not realizing that they can both have what they want if they go about it the right way. If they listen to me when I intervene, they can avoid hurting one another and each be satisfied. If they don’t listen, it often ends with one or both being punished.
In Genesis 4:1–16, Cain commits the first murder recorded in the Bible, when he murders his brother Abel because of envy and jealousy over Abel receiving God’s favor. Cain doesn’t trust God’s promise that if he does what is right, that he too will receive favor. Cain allows sin to focus him on his brother as the problem instead of trusting that God’s favor is available to him also. And the result is disastrous… banishment from the presence and favor of God forever. Lord, bless us to see that when we look to you and follow your ways, we can avoid sin and enjoy your favor! Amen
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Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. (Genesis 4:1-5)
Following Adam and Eve’s eviction from the Garden of Eden, Eve gave birth to Cain. He was the first human born of a woman. She later gave birth to Abel. Abel had responsibility for the flocks, while Cain raised crops (worked the soil). When they both brought offerings to God, it was Abel (the younger brother) who brought an offering of “first fruits” (from the first born of the flocks). And it was Abel whose offering God favored. The absence of God’s favor for his offering caused Cain to become angry. We sometimes become angry with God and others over the fact that He has shown them favor… as though God does not have an inexhaustible supply of His favor and can bless us too!
Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 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. ”
Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. (Genesis 4:6-8)
God questioned Cain about his attitude of anger and despair. In essence God’s question to Cain was do you trust me to show you favor also, if you do what is right? God then warned Cain that a lack of faith and trust in God would leave him open to sin. Lack of faith and trust in God is in essence the same issue that caused his parents (Adam and Eve) to listen to the serpent and sin against God. God warned Cain that sin was “crouching at his door” and desired to have him, but that he had the power to rule over it and not let it rule over him. Cain lacked trust in God’s inexhaustible supply of favor to bless not just Abel, but him too. So out of jealous resentment and envy, Cain succumbed to sin and killed his brother.
Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know, ” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth. ” (Genesis 4:9-12)
Interestingly, God approached Cain after his sin in a similar way to His approach to Adam after he and Eve had sinned in the Garden of Eden. God asked Cain the question, despite being already aware of Cain’s guilt. Despite the fact that Abel was dead (murdered), his blood cried out from the ground to God for justice. Like the curse of Adam, Eve and the serpent because of their sin in Eden, God cursed Cain for his sin. Leviticus showed that God required Capital Punishment for the sin of murder. But in His mercy, God spared Cain’s life, banning him from working the land and making him a wanderer upon the earth.
Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
But the LORD said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over. ” Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. So Cain went out from the LORD’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. (Genesis 4:13-16)
Cain realized that the most damaging aspect of God’s punishment of him was that it would drive him from the presence of God. Ironically, the favor that Cain originally sought from God would be permanently lost to him. And because he would be outside of God’s protection, Cain feared for his life from the wrath of others. But God mercifully provided protection for Cain so that no one would take his life. Like Cain, when we do not trust in God and turn to Him we are left vulnerable to sin and its consequences.
Trusting in God (His way and His timing) is the key to the favor and blessings that He wants to give us. But when we try to insert our timing in lieu God’s timing or we follow our own way to get what we want instead of being obedient to His ways, we open ourselves to sin. God told Cain that sin desired to have him and was crouching at his door, but he must rule over it. God’s warning to Cain applies to each of us too. Sin desires us, but we must make the choice to trust God and rule over sin, or let sin rule us and drive us out of the presence and favor of God. Your choice of whether to put your trust in God’s ways, timing and righteousness over your desires and timing, will determine your destiny… eternal life and favor with Him or separation from His presence in eternity. And your destiny to be with God eternally is too important to give up for anything!
Blessings, Rev. Glenn
“Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” ~ Psalm 5:12
