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NASB | Genesis 4:7 "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 4:7 "If you do well [believing Me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to Me], will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well [but ignore My instruction], sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master it." |
Bible Question: what is this verse saying |
Bible Answer: Hello Jesusisfriend, Welcome to the Forum! :) This verse has to be considered within the context of the surrounding verses. In verse 6 God asks Cain “why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?” Why would God ask a question? Certainly He did not require an answer; He is God and knew why Cain was angry and why his countenance had fallen. The question is rhetorical and God answers His own question in the following verse that you are asking about. “If you do well…” that is, if you do that which pleases God. Consider the offerings that both Cain and Abel brought to the Lord. Notice that Cain brought “an offering” while Abel brought “of the firstborn”. We know little about the practice of offerings to God at that time. What we can conclude from the written word is that one, Abel, offered from the first-fruits, from the “firstborn” indicating that he gave of the best he had. We do not see the same from Cain who simply brought “an offering”. While we are only given a glimpse here, we are clearly told that God was pleased with Abel’s offering and not with Cain’s. So the Lord teaches that if Cain, the same as us, does well (that is, does what is pleasing to God) then his (our) countenance will be lifted up or will be “accepted” by God. On the other hand, if we do not live pleasing to God (in obedience) we expose ourselves more and more to temptation resulting in sin. I believe that an awful lot of Christians today are what we might call Cain-Christians. That is, what some offer God is “an offering” and nothing close to the “first-fruits”. It’s the leftovers and not the best we have to offer. None of us can live that way before a righteous and holy God for a very long time before sin begins to once again dominate our lives. Has your countenance ever fallen? Mine has. But it is not ours to be angry with God for it. After all, we have the complete manual from which to know how to do it right. Hope this helps, Jeff |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Gen 4:7 | Author | ||
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inhisname | ||
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IronRose | ||
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jesusisfriend | ||
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Tim3:16 | ||
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jlschock | ||
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jlhetrick | ||
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capee101 |