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Never Underestimate the Power of Your Actions!

 

I ended the previous email by asking you to choose one of the four options for translating Chavvah’s (Eve) words. My choice is #3 -- I have created a man with the help of Yahweh. I chose it because of what Yahweh said to her in the Garden -- “I will multiply your pregnancies.” That conclusion is supported by the fact that after speaking those words, she gave birth to Cain’s twin brother Abel.

 

Genesis now jumps from their births to Cain being a farmer and Abel a shepherd. Keep in mind that this is an ancient wisdom text that teaches readers principles about how to walk with God in your life. In the previous story, Adam’s encounter with the snake taught us important wisdom principles. What will be the key event in this story that will teach us the next wisdom principles? The answer is one of the strangest stories in the Bible!

 

Nothing has been said about Yahweh since He drove Adam and Eve from His Garden. Now, in Genesis 4:3, we learn that Yahweh had set an appointed time for Cain and Abel to bring Him offerings. Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground and Abel brought an offering of the firstborn of his flock -- and then this happened.

 

Yahweh gazed toward Abel and toward his offering;

but toward Cain and toward his offering He did not gaze.

 

Put yourself in Abel’s shoes. What would you be feeling and thinking? Now put yourself in Cain’s shoes. What would you be feeling and thinking?

 

Yahweh may have ignored Cain’s offering, but He did not ignore Cain’s anger! Yahweh told Cain that he had the power to rule over his anger – and prevent himself from committing a sin -- by doing things that are TOV (things that protect lives, preserve lives, make lives more functional and increase the quality of life). So, what did Cain do?

 

Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

 

Did Abel do something that made Cain angry? Or, was it just a matter of removing the person Yahweh had His gaze on? Or, was it something else?

 

The first wisdom principle we learn is that Yahweh showed up after Abel had been killed. Yahweh did not prevent Cain from killing his brother. The same thing happened in the previous story. Yahweh showed up after Adam ate the forbidden fruit.

 

God provides instructions and commandments,

but individuals have a freewill to make his or her decisions.

 

Yahweh: "Where is Abel your brother?"

 

Cain: "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

 

Yahweh: "What have you done? The voice of your brother's bloods (plural) are crying to Me from the ground. Now you are cursed from the ground . . . When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you; you shall be a vagrant and wander on the earth."

 

Cain: "My AVON is too great to bear . . . ."

 

The Hebrew word AVON may be translated sin, guilt or punishment. Each choice paints a different picture of Cain. 

 

1. My sin is too great to bear! Did Cain regret what he had done and take responsibility for his sin?

 

2. My guilt is too great to bear! Did Cain feel overwhelming guilt for what he had done?

 

3. My punishment is too great to bear! Was Cain complaining that he should have received a lighter sentence? 

 

The majority of commentaries lean toward #3 – Cain was complaining that his punishment was too great to bear. He had no regret for murdering his brother, even though the ground cursed him!

 

Yahweh did not forget Abel and He listened to Abel’s blood.

 

Cain’s lack of ability to control his anger affected many generations of his descendants, as well as Yahweh’s decision to wipe humans from the face of the earth.

 

Yahweh’s decision to punish Cain transformed his parent’s lives. It is one of the greatest stories in the Bible -- Adam and Eve will change, will act together, will do TOV, and have another son named Seth. Noah was a descendant of Seth and his actions caused Yahweh to gaze upon him and what he was doing.

 

Never underestimate the power of one person’s actions.

Never underestimate the power of your actions!

Always remember every life is sacred, valuable, and changeable!

 

This is a foundational wisdom principle of the Bible. I will continue the story in my next email.

 

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Jim Myers

 

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