Kim Gentes

How Cain's Sin Wasn't About His Offering

"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. 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 4:3‭-‬8

I have heard people explain this scripture in a lot of different ways. I've come to believe that Cain did not sin until sometime after verse 7 and sometime before verse 8. The acceptance/rejection of their offerings was not a sin issue. For both Cain and Abel, bringing an offering to God from their respective areas of work was a discovery process. There is no indication ahead of time what would bring God's favor. God asks Cain the self-obvious questions so that he knows he is focusing on the wrong things ("Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?"). Instead of staying in that place, the Lord redirects him to simply do "what is right". God even states that it isn't until Cain is brooding in anger and downcast that sin is "crouching at your door". Even then, God says that Cain still has the opportunity to master the temptation by refusing to engage with sin.

Cain was in the position that many of us have found ourselves in- we sometimes don't know for sure what God's desire is for our life. We have to search for God's favor in the specifics of each of our lives. We start by bringing God what we have and what we do. Then we see what pleases God. But notice what God is concerned about. He doesn't call Cain's offering (or even God's rejection of it) "sin". But he warns Cain that sin comes to tempt him in the context of how Cain responds when his offering is rejected.

And this is the true situation for us as well. Even when our work, our offering, our service to God seem to not be showing signs of God's approval, that is when the true test comes. Sin crouches at the door when we feel set aside, or when we feel on the outside of God's favor. Our failure is not in the work we have done in faith, but in the attitude and brewing resentment that leads us to anger and discouragement. Our actions in that moment produce the fruits of our character in the real pressure of temptation.

I said earlier that Cain sinned sometime between verse 7 and 8. We know that Cain's anger and downcast attitude was the seedbed that was fertile for temptation (verses 5-7). While the text isn't explicitly about Cain's actions at this point, we can understand the change in his heart more clearly by reading this text in light of 1 John 3:15 and Matt 5:22, where Jesus and John equate anger towards a brother or sister as sin. At some point Cain's anger from his rejection mixed with jealousy of his brother's receipt of God's favor. At this point, he turned his anger and resentment towards Able. At this point, he has sinned. The murder that comes in verse 8 is the result of that sin already entering his heart and giving birth to judgment and death.

As I've moved through various phases of my life, I've been tempted to feel angry or resentful about times when it seemed like I was left on the outside, my offering rejected. God is less concerned about my offering than he is about my response when I feel rejected or discouraged. I am realizing that the things I do in those moments is what God is really concerned about.

Perhaps you've been in a season of change. Perhaps you're feeling left on the outside. Consider that the situation is less the issue as your response in this season. Will you move into discouragement or anger? Will you act out of those emotions?

Or will you let the Holy Spirit bring his peace and direct you to the adjustments He is calling you to for this new season?

I pray you will find God's delight as you journey in this season of your life.

Peace my friends.