Genesis 4:7 - 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 story of Cain and Abel may be one of the first ones we learn of in Sunday School. Bear with me while I give a short recap here to provide some context to this verse.

Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden after they committed sin. They started their family with 2 sons - Cain and Abel. Cain was a farmer (tiller of the ground), and Abel was a shepherd (keeper of the sheep). Both brothers brought an offering to the Lord. Cain brought the fruit of his harvest, while Abel brought the firstborn of his flock. God accepted and was pleased with Abel’s offering, not Cain’s. Cain became very angry in his heart and was disheartened. Hence, the verse mentioned above was God’s warning to him.

God is omniscient. He knew what sin Cain was going to commit, but God still gave him that warning to turn back from sin. He reminds Cain that if he does the right thing, he too would have been accepted.

Now the question may come up as to why Cain’s offering was not accepted in the first place. There are several interpretations of the answer to this question.

1. Cain’s offering was not one of blood, as Abel’s was. This may or may not be correct as grain offerings were also accepted by God, just not as atonement for sin. We are not told in the passage what kind of offering the two brothers were supposed to bring.

2. Abel offered the firstborn of his flock and its fat. The fat was considered a luxury and a sweet aroma to the Lord. (Leviticus 17:6) Cain’s offering does not mention the firstfruits, just the fruit of the ground. It is possible that Cain’s offering wasn’t accepted because he didn’t give God the best of his harvest in the way that Abel did.

3. In the New Testament, it says that Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain because of his faith. (Hebrews 11:4) This can mean that while Abel offered through genuine faith, Cain offered as a ritual or tradition.

Whichever interpretation you follow, the fact remains that Cain’s offering was not accepted by God.

Cain could have asked God for guidance to present a more acceptable offering. He also could have asked his brother for advice or for a lamb to sacrifice. But, pride and hatred ruled over Cain. He had the chance to repent but his hatred boiled over until he killed his brother and had to face the consequences of those actions.

What does this mean for us? Sin is waiting at the door for us to fall into its grasp and it is our job to bring that weakness to God’s feet in order to overcome it. A small sin of the mind can lead to serious consequences in the future. It can lead to actions that cannot be reversed. We should make sure to heed God’s warning because sin is waiting to claim us.