Genesis 4:6-7 “6 So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 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.”
The above two verses appear in the context of God speaking with Cain who was “pouting” (verse 5; fallen countenance [NIV] or downcast face [NKJV]). God had accepted Abel’s sacrifice and rejected Cain’s sacrifice. The reason for God’s acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice and not Cain’s exceeds the scope of this blog. Suffice to say, God is God, and His decisions are beyond the man’s scrutiny or questioning (Isaiah 40:13).
Cain is approached by God, verse 6, who gets right to the heart of the matter. Literally and figuratively, Cain had a major heart problem! His pouting emanated from a place of pride, jealousy and discontent. God, who searches the heart and tests the mind (Jeremiah 17:10) makes a diagnostic inquiry of Cain’s visibly displayed symptoms. God asks two “why” questions that went straight to Cain’s outward display of indwelling anger.
Without waiting for a response, God scratches Cain’s prideful itch. Cain could either do well (do what is right) or not do what is well. Then God cautions Cain about the dangers of choosing sin over righteousness, verse 7c “…And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it”; leaving the choice up to Cain. It’s so like our Creator, God, to be gracious, merciful and loving to us, His created beings even when He knows we are going to choice unwisely and have to suffer lifelong consequences for those unwise choices.
Let’s consider the words “but you should rule over it”. God gives “life” (the life of Satan) to the word sin. Sin is not an inanimate object, but rather sin is described as a crouching (the figure of a crouching animal). Just like God gave man dominion over all the animals (Genesis 1: 26-30), God exhorts and encourages Cain to master the sin, to “rule over it”. The Hebrew word for rule over is מָשַׁל mashal. The word means to master, obtain dominion, to have authority over, and to gain control or to gain the upper hand or gain control. God seems to be telling Cain that he must not be passive with the threat of sin or the threat of being attacked by sin brought on by Satan and his demonic minions! Cain is encouraged to have a plan to gain the upper hand on his sin of anger and jealousy.
Brothers and sisters, laying aside every weight (Colossians 3:8) and sin that so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1-2) requires a master’s degree. A degree that certifies that we are fighting the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12). A great theologian, John Walvrood put it this way: “Sin desires to have Cain but Cain could have the mastery over it. Here is the perpetual struggle between good and evil.” (Ross, A. P. (1985). Genesis. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 34). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
The Words of God to Cain were not about resisting temptation as much as God was pointing out the need of man to not passively resist but to actively submit to God and listen to God with the intent to obey (to take heed). Cain needed to “do something”. He needed to take charge over the beast not feed the beast! Zechariah offers the best words of dominion domination: “Not by might, not by power but by Your Spirit says the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).
Let’s covet to get that master’s degree over sin by attending Ephesians 6:10-13 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” For we know: “3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled” (2 Corinthians 10:2-6).