Genesis 4:1-8: a reflection

1The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain, and said, “I have gotten a man with the LORD’s help.” 2Again she gave birth, to Cain’s brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3As time passed, Cain brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit of the ground. 4Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat. The LORD respected Abel and his offering, 5but he didn’t respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell. 6The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen? 7If you do well, won’t it be lifted up? If you don’t do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it.” 8Cain said to Abel, his brother, “Let’s go into the field.” While they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him.

When Cain's offering is not accepted as his brother Abel's is, Cain becomes angry, his face fallen with resentment. And God, before Cain acts, speaks a warning full of insight: Why are you angry? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; its desire is for you, but you must rule over it. God pictures sin as a predator crouching at Cain's door, ready to pounce, and warns him to master it. But Cain does not; he nurses his anger until it erupts, and he kills his brother in the field.

Notice God's warning and Cain's failure. Sin, God says, is crouching, waiting, desiring to have Cain, and Cain must rule over it, master it before it masters him. The moment to deal with it is now, at the door, while it is still only anger, before it becomes something worse. But Cain does not master the crouching sin; he lets his anger fester unchecked, and it grows until it drives him to murder. What began as resentment became bloodshed because it was not ruled in time.

That is a sobering warning about the sins that crouch at our own doors. Sin often begins small, a resentment, a bitterness, a wrong desire, crouching at the door, and if we do not master it, it grows and masters us. The time to deal with it is early, while it is still at the door, before it takes hold. What sin is crouching at your door, unaddressed, waiting to grow? Do not nurse it as Cain nursed his anger. Rule over it, deal with it now, while you still can, before it masters you as it mastered him. Sin crouches, desiring you; by God's help, you must rule over it.

Lord, you warned Cain that sin was crouching at his door, desiring him, and that he must rule over it; but he nursed his anger unchecked until it drove him to murder. Give me the wisdom to heed that warning in my own life. Show me the sin crouching at my door, the resentment, the bitterness, the wrong desire that, unmastered, will grow and master me. Help me deal with it early, while it is still at the door, before it takes hold. Keep me from nursing my anger or my sin as Cain did. By your help, let me rule over the sin that crouches, desiring me, rather than being ruled by it. Master it in me before it masters me.