When reading the book of Genesis, one thing to look for is the many times when the partnership between humans and God occurs. Eve recognized this when she gave birth to her children.
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” (Genesis 4:1).
Why don’t we pause and meditate on this verse? What have we produced with the help of the Lord?
- Just as Eve recognized God’s hand in the creation of a son, the conception and birth of children is one of God’s greatest gifts to humans.
As we study Genesis we will encounter the joy of birth and the burden of the inability to conceive.
- Artistic expression, whether through painting, music, writing, or other forms, may have come to your mind as you considered a partnership with God.
I have experienced the Holy Spirit’s leadership with preaching numerous times. In every instance, I know I have the joy of being God’s partner in the ministry.
- Wisdom is a gift from God that humans cultivate by study, solitude, living in the fear of the Lord, and more.
There is no being wiser than God. In His love and grace, God desires to share His wisdom with humans.
Worship Outside of the Garden
The account of Eve’s sons moves from birth to maturity in two verses. In them, we discover the occupations of the sons and their expression of worship to God.
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 (Genesis 4:2-4).
Not only does God partner with humans, He also extends grace to them. Sin and disobedience have entered the world, but this does not prevent Abel and Cain from worshiping God.
When we meditate on the worship of Eve’s children, we realize we are in some ways similar to them. Rebellion and sin are part of our existence, but by God’s grace, we can worship Him.
God welcomes and receives our words of praise and thanksgiving. He observes and blesses our acts of service.
Worship from the Heart
The prophet expressed God’s desire for worship to center in the heart. The heart is the decision-making center of our lives and includes the mind and will.
“The Lord said:
Because these people draw near with their mouths
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote.” (Isaiah 29:13)
Something happened with Cain’s offering. The Bible teaches that God searches the heart.
“I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings” (Jeremiah 17:10)
The problem with Cain was not that he brought an inferior offering. His problem resided in the heart.
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 (Genesis 4:4-5).
God has every ability to examine our inner selves and recognize whether our offering comes from the heart or not.
The Universal Problem of Sin
Cain is an extreme example, but he is an example all the same. Tomorrow’s blog article will cover Cain’s murder of his brother.
For today, we do well to examine our lives to see how our attitudes resemble those of Cain.
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” (Genesis 4:6-7).
What do we see when we look in the mirror? Is it pride, perhaps worthy of a selfie? Or is it shame and disgust? Maybe we see anxiety or anger staring back at us.
Just as God revealed Cain’s inner world to him, He will reveal ours to us—if we are attentive to His gentle whispers.
Like an alarm sounding, God warns us that sin is lurking at our door. Yet, He also assures us that, with His help, we can overcome it and achieve victory.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 