Genesis 4:6 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Genesis 4:6

Comments

We see the hand of mercy held out here – ‘Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?’ It was a very gentle response from the Lord to Cain’s extreme sinful reaction. Cain is challenged by God to examine himself. He doesn't say to himself, ‘Why has God done this to me? Why am I rejected and Abel accepted?’ He doesn't ask that question, his pride and self-righteousness won't allow him to even ask the question, and so God challenges him.God is the creator of all things, and yet, after this whole interaction is completed, we read in verse 16: ‘Cain went out from the presence of the Lord.’ So, Cain had actually visited the sanctuary of God, wherever that might have been, back on the border of the Garden of Eden, some say, and he was in the place of worship, where God communicated. He had spoken to God in an insulting way, but God, instead of dealing with him immediately, reasons with him: ‘Why are you so angry? Why are you so disapproving and disgusted?’ He enters into dialogue with Cain to bring him to think and to repent. But sadly, tragically, Cain is not interested, he will not respond to this.

Application

God now speaks to Cain to check him in his evil way just as the Lord often speaks to the conscience of all men before they are about to commit some great evil act. Not that we should confuse God with our conscience, but he often speaks through it. We must respond to conscience at the earliest possible opportunity. The longer we delay the harder our hearts become and the more difficult it is for us to repent. May God give us the grace to repent early and to allow ourselves to be corrected before our intransigence takes over and will not allow us to respond. ‘Doesn’t the whole blame for what has happened lie with us, and have you not been treated perfectly fairly?’ Anger ought to be an emotion that we feel only in response to unrighteousness evil, but when anger comes in defence of our own evil acts then it is particularly dangerous. May God give us the humility to honestly search our hearts to find the cause of God’s disapproval. Such was Cain’s anger that not even the voice of God could make him reconsider.

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Genesis 4:6 Commentary and Bible Study