Angry
Now the
man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have
produced a man with the help of the LORD.” Next she bore his brother Abel. Now
Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. In the course of
time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel
for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And
the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he
had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. The LORD said
to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do
well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at
the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
Cain
said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out into the field.” And when they were in
the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. Then the LORD
said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my
brother’s keeper?” And the LORD said, “What have you done? Listen; your
brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! And now you are cursed
from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood
from your hand. When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its
strength, you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” Cain said to the
LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! Today you have driven me away
from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and
a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me.” Then the LORD
said to him, “Not so! Whoever kills Cain will suffer a seven-fold vengeance.”
And the LORD put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill
him. Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the
Genesis 4:1-16
Jealousy
and revenge are always in our lives, maybe deep inside or close to the surface,
but both are there. We have sometimes faced them with God, and sometimes we do
it alone. And when we seek revenge ourselves we will always be sorry we did it.
Let God make the decision. Let Him mete out the punishment. He is the judge,
not you.
Cain’s
anger and jealousy, if not brought under control, would devour him. Cain gave
in to his evil desires. It resulted in the very first murder,
and his departure from the presence of the Lord.
Do you
have feelings of jealousy or anger toward someone? If so, you have a choice. If
you ignore the internal struggle, it will only get worse and control you. But
if you bring your anger to the Lord and ask for His help, in His strength you
will have victory. Control your anger, or it will control you.
Our Daily Bread – November 28, 2008