You Should Rule Over It

Life would be so much better if we would just listen to Yahweh. It isn't like he has just left us on our own. We were never meant to go it alone; it was always his plan for us to be with him in our journey because we need him. If we could understand and accept his wisdom life would be much better for us. Looking at the beginning of things gives us a clear example of this.

Adam and Eve had already rebelled against Yahweh. They had been sent out of the garden and they had started having children. Cain and Abel were the first and their parents raised them well. They knew Yahweh well enough to want to honour him with offerings, but they still had much to learn. Cain's offering wasn't quite up to par, or perhaps it was his attitude. Whatever it was, Yahweh saw something that concerned him and like any good father, he warned Cain:

He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So 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 lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” (Genesis 4:5-7)

Cain was mad, not understanding that Yahweh was teaching him something here. Like so many youth, he could only see it from his perspective and refused to learn. Instead, he allowed his emotions to take over and lead him in a direction that would bring a lot of pain and destruction. It is hard when emotions take over. Once we give them authority over us it is almost impossible to reign them in.

Yahweh was very tender and compassionate to Cain, pointing out that sin wanted to have his way with him. Like a good dad he tells him that he has to gain control over this thing and not allow it to dictate to him. Any time we allow emotions to rule over us, we wake up the next day filled with regret. In a fit of anger we say things that should never be said; we do things that should never be done; me make decisions and declare things that only produce bad seed. We may not see the results immediately but those bad seeds are going to produce bad things at some point on our timeline.

Cain could not gain the control of which Yahweh had spoken to him and that emotional sin led to the murder of his brother. It seemed such a trivial thing but it is amazing how small things can escalate into large things when emotions lead us into the path of sin. Thousands of years later we still need to hear the council of Yahweh as he tells us that we should "rule over it".

Jesus has given us freedom and authority over such matters in our life. Anything that comes from the root of sin has lost its power over us because Jesus has freed us from the iron-fist slavery of sin. We are no longer the victim of our emotions. Instead, we have become slaves to his righteousness so that we no longer have an excuse for not ruling over that which once ruled over us. It is only a lack of application and discipline on our part. All we have to do is hear Jesus say, "Go and sin no more", believe he made it possible by giving us his power and authority and walk in the authority he has given us over all such things. Emotions are a wonderful thing but they no longer rule over us when we have given ourselves to Jesus.

When Is Our Offering Not Good Enough?

I can't really understand why people have a problem with tithes and offerings. I guess they get all caught up in where it goes and how it is spent but that really isn't our problem. Whoever receives the tithes and offerings are accountable to the Lord for them, but we are accountable in our relationship of love for offering them. And let's be clear, tithes and offerings have nothing to do with a law and everything to do with love and appreciation.

Cain and Abel knew nothing of a law but had a desire to honour the Creator:

And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. (Genesis 4:3-4)

It was natural for them, in their relationship with Yahweh, to want to honour him. It should be natural for us also, who love the Lord. But we need to be careful in our attitude of honouring because this isn't just anyone, this is the Creator of all things. Love requires our best and Cain had not yet learned this. Abel brought his best and Cain brought without much thought:

And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. (v. 4-5)

It's just like us to project our failure onto other people instead of facing it and learning from it. Listen to the tenderness of the Lord's correction and hear the voice of a Father who just wants his son to learn and do better next time:

So 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 lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” (v. 6-7)

Sure the Lord was disappointed with Cain not giving his best but he knew Cain could do better. That is what he is like with us. He wants our best because that is how love manifests itself. A husband who only puts in a partial effort in showing his love for his wife is lacking a manifestation of that love. We may even conclude that there is a lack of love but there is also a potential for a greater love to grow.

Many of us love the Lord but we struggle to see that manifested in our actions. Perhaps it is a lack of understanding of what we owe him. Perhaps we think that he will accept whatever little thing we bring; it seems to be the truth of the current attitude in the Church today. But when we walk in the Spirit, having communion with our Lord daily and live for his will alone, it is only natural for us to offer our best in time, talents and finances. We simply do not want to accept the thought that Jesus would reject anything we bring but that's because we worship a fanciful idea of Jesus instead of the biblical truth.

Yes, let us come and worship, but let us make sure that our offering is a true reflection of our heart for Jesus.