The part of the Christian walk that I struggle with is the all-sufficiency of Christ. I will either strive to do things in my own power, and fail miserably; or think that I need to add something to my life to make it better. Usually what I try to add to my daily walk makes it worse, and is almost without a doubt a subtle sin against our heavenly Father.
When I lose to the subtle sins, I try to remember that only by immediately repenting when the Spirit of the Lord points them out, do I actually receive Christ’s power to overcome them the next time they hit. That is the way to avoid the more blatant sins and to remain in close fellowship with the Lord. If only I could do it regularly!
In Genesis 4, we find the story of Cain and Abel’s offer of sacrifice to the Living Lord. They knew by previous direction what the Lord required for the sacrifice – a blood sacrifice. Cain, however, thought he could come to the Lord with “strange fire” a term used much later in the development of the Jewish nation. It was the same sin as that latter sin – making up our own sacrificial systems rather than following the Lord. In this case, Cain was a farmer of fruits and vegetables. To get the requisite sacrifice, he would have had to trade something or beg from his brother who raised animals. Cain’s pride got in the way.
He ignored God’s requirement and offered his sacrifice of vegetables to the Lord. When God did not accept his sacrifice, Cain went into to a sulk. But, the Lord warned Cain that sin was crouching at His door and He must overcome it. Rather than immediately confessing the sin of his heart, Cain ignored God’s warning. He not only ignored God’s command for a blood sacrifice, he offered strange fire, and when God didn’t accept the offer, he went into a sulk. God then warned Him of the growing sin and the need for repentance, and Cain still chose to ignore God. This sin then turned into murder when he took his brother Abel’s life.
The thing I find so astounding about this story is that God acted first. He attempted to tell Cain that his thoughts were wrong. He tried to help him find the right pathway. He told him he must overcome his thought patterns, which would then eliminate the sin he was preparing to carry out. But, the deception had taken hold. God was not fair, Cain must have thought. He is not looking out for my best. He must hate me. Why aren’t my vegetables enough? I worked just as hard for them. He won’t accept my sacrifice but look how he loves Abel. Abel can do no wrong… On and on the deception built until Cain did the most outrageous thing of all – He killed his brother!
When God asked Cain where his brother was, Cain replies, “I don’t know. Where did you get the ridiculous idea I was my brother’s keeper?” (That is how I understand his tone which may or may not be the true translation.) Talk about being in denial. Cain disobeys God, and when God rejects the strange fire as He warned He would, Cain gets upset and hollars “unfair!” Then, he kills his brother, and yet even now – he is insolent with God. He denies knowing what happened to his brother. God then has to call him on his lie.
I believe that even then had Cain come clean and repented of his sin, God would have forgiven him. God does not wish to see any of us fall away. But, when Cain refused to repent, God had no other choice then to call him on his sin, and then punish him.
As a result of the murder, God removed Cain’s skill with the soil and said the land would no longer reply to him since it cried out with the blood of Abel. Then God said Cain would be banished from the land, and would no longer be in God’s presence. When Cain complained that the punishment was too hard, God acted in mercy. Notice that even then, he placed a special mark on Cain to protect him for the rest of his life.
Our merciful God is not sufficient? He doesn’t care for my daily needs? He is not fair?
All I have to do is turn to Genesis chapter 4 and read of God’s provision, sufficiency, grace, and willingness to help us repent so that he can forgive us – to get the real understanding of who God is. He is sufficient, he will provide, and when I get onto the wrong pathway, He will seek me out and help me to get back on the right road with Him.
What other God is there like this? There is no one.
Edgewater Grace 