August
7, 2003
IF
YOU DO WELL,
WILL YOU NOT BE ACCEPTED?
"So
the Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? And why has your
countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted?'
" (Genesis 4:6, 7, NKJV).
Adam
and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain became a gardener,
and Abel was a shepherd. Cain and Abel made offerings to the
Lord. Cain brought an offering of the fruits of his labor
and Abel brought an offering of a first born lamb. The Lord
accepted Abel's offering, but did not accept Cain's offering.
Cain was very angry and upset because the Lord did not accept
his offering. So the Lord said, "Why are you angry? --
If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not
do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you,
but you should rule over it." (Genesis 4:6, 7). Cain
did not get the victory over his sin and he rose up against
his brother, Abel, and killed him.
Cain's
sin was that he did not accept the provision that God had
provided for sin offerings. Throughout the Old Testament the
offering of lambs represented and prefigured the sacrifice
that Jesus would make on the cross. See Genesis 22:7, 8; Exodus
12:21-23; Leviticus 4:27-33. See also, John 1:29; 1 Peter
1:18-20; and Revelation 5:12 where Jesus is referred to as
the lamb slain on our behalf. Cain would rather offer his
own offering, rather than that prescribed by God. The best
that we can offer can never save us. Only what God has done
for us through Jesus can save us. That's why doing what God
asks us to do rather than being self-willed and doing as we
please is so important.
That's
why Jesus appeals to us, "If you
love Me, keep My commands... He who receives my commands and
obeys them, he it is who loves me. He who loves Me will be
loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself
to him... If anyone loves me, he will keep My word, and My
Father will love him and We will come to him and make Our
home with him." (John 14:15, 21, 23). Jesus also
gave the following advice to sinners? "See,
you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come
upon you" (see John 5:14 and 8:11).
When
we accept God into our lives, we are under His protection.
However, we remain under His protection to the extent that
we do what is right. When we stray from doing what is right
we risk the consequences of our actions. When we do what is
right, even our enemies will be at peace with us (see Proverbs
16:7).
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