Title: Genesis 4:1-15
Contents <Text> Genesis 4:1-15
<Meditation>
1. Cain and Abel offered sacrifices to God, but Abel's offering was accepted and Cain's offering was rejected.
When I think of Ga-in, I feel resentful and bitter. The color of the face has changed.
God sees this and asks Cain.
“How is it that you are angry, and how is your complexion changed?” (verse 6)
God gives Cain an opportunity to think about what motivated Cain to complain.
God only pays attention to our complaints.
When a neighbor buys land, there are people who can't stand it because of a stomach ache.
We should ask ourselves this.
Is my stomach ache for a good reason?
If God had accepted Abel's sacrifice, it was something to rejoice, not to blush.
Cain thought that it was because of his brother Abel that God accepted Abel's sacrifice and not his own.
2. Cain found the problem in someone else.
That was the wrong idea.
Of course, there are times when I get hurt because of others.
But in this case, Abel was never at fault.
Then I should have tried to find the problem in me, but Cain didn't.
God asked Adam.
‘Why did you eat the forbidden fruit?’
It is said that Eve gave it to her and ate it.
When I asked Eve again, the serpent deceived me and ate it, so I blamed it on the serpent.
God considered it a sin.
3. This is Cain's sin.
'I should have prepared it with more diligence and faith, but I couldn't do that. If he had had such reflection, God would have made him face him.
In fact, in verse 7, the word ‘be embarrassed’ has the meaning of ‘forgiveness’ (Nassa) in Hebrew.
Jehovah God, who is rich in mercy, wanted to forgive Cain.
Nevertheless, Cain misses the opportunity and commits an even greater sin by killing his brother Abel.
Even so, God punishes Cain, but he loves Cain to the end and gives a mark to avoid killing anyone he meets by giving a mark for fear that others will kill Cain.
4. What we can think of in today's text is that if we do not repent after committing a sin, we will commit a bigger sin and the pain will be aggravated, and we will know that God loves us to the end.
However, let's not be tempted or tempted by saying, "Let's see how long God loves me."
This is because you will be committing another sin, and the pain of sin will only increase. We must have the humility of knowing how to bow down saying, "I am here" when God calls.
<Prayer>
Heavenly Father, when we sin, we do not even know how to repent, and there are times when we live with foolish minds and thoughts that insist that it is all because of others. Whenever that happens, I want the Holy Spirit to come to my heart to make me realize my sin, to make it known, to make me repent, and to guide me so that I don't fall into sin anymore. Thank you for loving me to the end and giving me grace so that I can be forgiven even though I am a sinner who has no choice but to die. Help me to become a more faithful Christian living for you today with the joy of being forgiven.
I pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
(Written by: Kim Soon-sik)