Cain is angry, and God asks why. He points out that two paths lay before Cain, do well and have his countenance lifted, or don't and be devoured by sin. Then He points out that sin is waiting, crouching at the door waiting to strike, like a lion waiting to pounce, but that Cain must master it. Sin is there, waiting, desiring to rule Cain, but Cain is to master it. Just as man was called by God to rule over creation, having dominion, God now calls man to live with dominion over sin, mastering it, and living righteously.
God has always intended for man to live in righteousness. Before the fall, man lived in a state of righteousness; a state of perfect relationship with God. After the fall, sin became man's natural inclination, and now in order to live righteously man must master sin. The word used here in Genesis 4 is mashal means to rule, reign, or have dominion, and it is an attribute of God. Man is called to rule over sin as God does, dominating it, and giving it no place in his presence.
Sin desires man, it always has, and its waiting just outside the door. Before the fall, sin was prowling, looking for an opportunity to strike, which it did when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. The serpent was crafty, waiting for the right moment; now sin crouches at the door, every time you open it there is a struggle. God doesn't say, "Don't go outside" He says, "Master it!" God made this world for us, but before we can take dominion of it, we must first master sin. This is not something that man was able to do, we never could, and so God would come, dominate sin, and empower man to master sin so that we could reclaim the dominion of the world that was created for us.
God calls us to be who He created us to be, rulers of this world who live above sin. If we will do well, our countenance will be lifted, but if not, sin will consume us. Let us live well, masters of sin through the work of God.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
No comments:
Post a Comment