Defining Genesis 4:7

[Your closest friendnt]

 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry?(K) Why is your face downcast? 7 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;(L) it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.(M)”

8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”[d] While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him

*****in v.5 we see that Cain was very angry and his face was downcast. 

*****in v.6 the Lord did not ignore Cain and he reached out to him and asked Cain. Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast. 

*****in v.7, what happened in v.7? 

Why the Lord tell Cain "if you do what is right " will you not be accepted? 

*** The above statement is informing us that Cain and Abel were told what to prepared for the offering to the Lord or that they both knew what the offering to the Lord had to be.

That they they were not left on their own to decide what the offering should be. 

But rather that they both knew what the offering should be.

 For Abel that would not be a problem as long he was willing to loose some of his yearlings. 

The difficult situation was with Cain who did not have any yearlings or if he had some that he loved them and he did not want to kill them.

It may be other reasons but the importance was that the Lord would not have asked him to do something that he could not perform because later he Judge him for his disobedience because he did not accept Cain's offering because it was not what he had asked. 

That's he said to Cain v.6," Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast, 

And in v.7. If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? 

The Lord told Cain that he is rejected because he knew what was right and he did not do it.

He gave all the blame to him.

Because it was possible for Cain to do what it was right.

 

[Mike Mclees]

1 hour ago, Your closest friendnt said:

 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.(D)

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.(E) 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering(F) to the Lord.(G) 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions(H) from some of the firstborn of his flock.(I) The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering,(J) 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry?(K) Why is your face downcast? 7 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;(L) it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.(M)”

8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”[d] While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

****In verse 2: Abel is the youngest of the two brothers.

Cain the eldest worked the soil and Abel kept flocks. 

****In verse 3: Cain made an offering.

What did he offered and how? 

In v.3, Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 

And Abel offered something deferent to the Lord.

When the Lord arrived he made it known to both of them that he was pleased only with offering of Abel. 

And the Lord let them know that he was not pleased with Cain's offering. 

That made Cain very angry and his face was downcast v.5

(Cain was the first born, that must have been a big celebration because Cain was the first baby of Adam and Eve and he must have been surrounded with special love and affection by his parents and the Lord, he felt he was the most important till that very moment that he experienced what rejection? 

Many negative feelings that he never experienced before, his feelings were hurt and he was broken hearted. 

And it seemed to him as his parents did not have anyone at that time that his problem was Abel and taking Abel out of the picture he will get back all the attention that an only heir deserves. 

That seems to be his motive, as Abel had not done anything to offend him in any way and cause Cain to hate him.

It was not just about Abel's offering to the Lord which was fat portions(H) from some of the firstborn of his flock. v.4 

It was the Lord doing to favor the Abel's offering of "fat potions from some of the first born of his flock and why? Did the Lord gave his reasons for his judgment? 

Certainly it was nothing Abel did to cause his brother to hate him.

It seems that the Lord had announced his visitation to them before hand as they both of them had time to prepare for their offerings and were waiting for his arrival.  We are not told what the Lord did with Abel's offering or what happened at the seen at that particular time. 

I have no problem with you over all picture. Any way you see it, its still jealousy that was at the heart of the sin, but looking a verse 7 is my question. The last sentence is confusing saying sin desires to have you, and thou (Cain) shalt rule over him. (being sin)

master over sin 

New Testament Jesus concurs over sin and death for us for even believers cant walk the path perfect. Sin is always waiting at our door to cause us to fall short. 

Cain's sacrifice was going to fall short even if he had done right. Only one sacrifice was going to fulfill what God wanted. 

Edited July 18, 2021 by Mike Mclees

[Your closest friendnt]

40 minutes ago, Mike Mclees said:

I have no problem with you over all picture. Any way you see it, its still jealousy that was at the heart of the sin, but looking a verse 7 is my question. The last sentence is confusing saying sin desires to have you, and thou (Cain) salt rule over him. (being sin  

6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 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.”

8 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.

9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

               ******

There is a number of issues highlighted in your post and need to be looked into as is the issue of "Jelousy", and the questions raised by v.7.

We need to start somewhere and go to the next later.

In v.7 the Lord is reaching out to Cain.

 First he is telling him that he did not complied with his request to prepare the offering he had asked him and this is the reason why his offering was rejected because Cain knew what he was supposed to do and he was able to comply with the instructions but he choose to do something on his own.

In the firsr part of v.7 the Lord is asking him. "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? In other words the Lord was telling him if you had done what you knew you should do your offering will be accepted and you had been accepted and you will not feel that way".

The Lord gave all the blame to him for feeling the way he was feeling "very angry and downcast ".

In the second part of v.7 the Lord is telling him.

"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.”

The Lord who knew the thoughts of Cain that they began to roll in his mind and he informed him that because he did not do what was right he found himself in some situation to open the door to sin, to began to fellowship with the author of sin or one of his agents.

Who began to corrupt his previously innocent mind. 

The Lord tried to help him before anything happened because the events of v.7 happened before v.8 .

The Lord told him that he has the choice to resist and not to follow the suggestions of the author of murder or one of his agents. 

Where he found Cain in some vulnerable situation and he was trying to oppress his mind and lead him to make the decisions he wanted to as to kill his brother. 

The Lord knowing that it will come to that as he knew the ways of the Devil and his thinking, what the Devil was about to do taking advantage by what happened in the context. 

The Lord told Cain that he does not have to follow that he can resist the flood that will come to him from the thoughts of the Devil. 

He told him the flood will come to him seeking to take him over and swiped him away but he must overcome it.

He must put up a fight and overcome it.

That was said not to Abel who did the right thing but only to Cain who did the wrong thing and he told him that before v.8 as a warning of what is about to happen or of the intent of the Devil to push him to do something wrong. 

*** if there is something to note or if it is something worth it to note that can be relevant to us is that in this case as in other cases but not in all the Lord put the onus on Cain to wrestle with himself and not to implement what he was planning to do. 

That he made man to resist and wrestle with sin and not to let it overcome him like a flood, to go with the flow.

Are you sure you have read the v.7 correctly even the second part of v.7?

[Leonardo Von]

On 7/16/2021 at 9:46 PM, Mike Mclees said:

Can we master over sin?

 

Unfortunately, no, we can't. After all, the tongue controls the body and nobody can tame their tongue:

• Jas 3:2  -> "For in many things we all offend. If anyone does not offend in word, the same is a full-grown man, able also to bridle the whole body."
• Jas 3:8 -> "But no one can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."

Quote

Was Cain in a no win situation?

Yes, he was. We only can win the sin surrendering us to Jesus and taking on His plan for us.

 

 

[Billiards Ball]

On 7/16/2021 at 8:46 PM, Mike Mclees said:

⁷ If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. 

and unto thee (meaning Cain) shall be his desire and sin Is spoken of as a person at his door. God says then that thou shout rule over him  meaning he would rule over sin. 

I believe this verse is saying that if Cain had done well he would have rule over sin. Cain's sin was jealousy and so he killed his brother . God saying thou shalt rule over sin. It begs the question can we be determined in and of ourselves to master over sin?

9In this verse sin is referred to as a man or person

Can we master over sin?

Was Cain in a no win situation? Able's Sacrifice of the best lamb was still the only acceptable sacrifice even if Cain brought the best fruit of his field. Still jealousy is a grave sin for it is as hate, and Jesus said hate is as murder.  

In this particular sin, "Kill my brother!" Cain was not forced against free will to give in to temptation.

[Mike Mclees]

On 7/18/2021 at 12:21 PM, Leonardo Von said:

Unfortunately, no, we can't. After all, the tongue controls the body and nobody can tame their tongue:

• Jas 3:2  -> "For in many things we all offend. If anyone does not offend in word, the same is a full-grown man, able also to bridle the whole body."
• Jas 3:8 -> "But no one can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."

Yes, he was. We only can win the sin surrendering us to Jesus and taking on His plan for us.

 

 

This of course was before the age of grace. However it does speak  of works that are dead, because they  have not come to Christ that they should be saved. The world does not understand. No mater how good we look to the world without the grace of God through Jesus there is still no salvation. It is only vain thinking.  

Edited July 22, 2021 by Mike Mclees

[biblelesson]

Abel's offering was a sin offering, the shedding of the blood of the animal.  Cain's offering was not a sin offering such as to be able to atone for sin.  

Jesus died for our sins by shedding His blood, being a sin offering for us unto God. 

The day of atonement which required a sacrifice of an animal was a day the Children of Israel kept unto the veil of the temple was ripped at Christ's crucifixion.  Other sin offerings were required under Moses's laws for the sins of Israel until Christ's came. 

God would be pleased with Able's offering, and not Cains.

[Faith-Not-Fear]

Biblelesson said pretty much what I have been taught on this subject.

Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

[Leonardo Von]

On 7/16/2021 at 9:46 PM, Mike Mclees said:

Can we master over sin?

Only the Holy Spirit can do this in us:

• Gal 5:16,17 -> "But I say, Walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would."