The LIFTER of My Head

(Genesis 4) 

Cain killed Abel in his heart long before he killed him in a field.  This is the first instance of fratricide ushering in a perpetual spiritual suicide.   Brother kills brother and consequently, living brother is 'marked' so that no one slays him...except that Cain dies over and over each day in a state of spiritual death and restlessness.  Cain had a bad, bad view about brotherhood.  Cain was about Cain’s cause only. 

Why do you think the Merciful ADONAI came to appeal to Cain’s conscience just moments before he killed Abel?  HE gave Cain a choice, didn’t He?  God didn’t force Cain to choose right.  It was Cain’s own private Counseling session free of charge.  Was it for ADONAI that HE came to him?  Was it for Abel?  Or was it for Cain? 

The Living , Faithful Father wanted Cain to STOP, and for the sake of all things HOLY…THINK!

Examine. 

Animosity grows unless it’s uprooted.   Why did Cain outright reject ADONAI’s Good Counsel for him and act out the hate in his heart so violently against his brother Abel?  It was because he had allowed the beast of animosity, hurt, jealousy and unrighteous anger to grow bigger and bigger until it consumed him.  That’s sin’s plan (Genesis 4:7)…to overtake and mar the Image of The Creator within a human soul. 

What did Cain believe?  It wasn’t God!  Cain believed the non-truth that Abel’s GAIN was in fact, his LOSS.  And from that faulty view, hate grew uncontrollably.   

When our beliefs do not align with The Living God's beliefs, we are overtaken...then we die.  

If BELIEVING GOD produces confidence and hope, then Abel’s confident strength was feared greatly by Cain.  And we’ve been shown that ‘perfect love’ casts out fear. 

1 John 4:18 - There is no fear in love. On the contrary, love that has achieved its goal gets rid of fear, because fear has to do with punishment; the person who keeps fearing has not been brought to maturity in regard to love.

Obviously, this was missing from Cain’s heart – a mature love for himself, for others, for ADONAI.

11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;  12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous. 13Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.  ~ 1 John 3

The world non-surprisingly hates what is UPRIGHT. 

‘Upright way of dealing with earthly matters?’  ‘Nonsense!’, says the world.   ‘It’s always someone else’s fault.’  That’s a sad, dark, and desperate place to be.  Yet too many of us live there.  In the dark…

The world has its own way of dealing with pain and oppression, either real or imaginary.

But there’s a HOLY WAY to handle earthly matters - A means of the Ruach Who enables us to ‘hold our heads high’ and rest in God’s Goodness and EXPECT His intervention.  

HE EXPECTS something from us, too.  HE EXPECTS US TO OVERCOME these worldly ways of dealing with real hurt because HE’s EMPOWERED US TO OVERCOME. 

ADONAI’s ways are often unpopular, aren’t they?  HIS ways are not what we FIRST consider.

 (Genesis 4:7):  ‘Cain WHY are you raging?  WHY is your head hung low?  Don’t you know if you choose right, choose well, you can hold your head high?  But if you don’t choose well, sin crouches at your door.  Its desire is for you, BUT CAIN, SON, YOU MUST MASTER IT.' (my loose translation)

FIRST, I quit playing games and deal with me - Just me - Before My Father, the One Who delights in me. 

Abel was never Cain’s problem…and someone else is never mine.  Recently, and experientially, we understand the lust of hate moves a desperate soul to regrettable places.    BUT, the Compassion of Ruach of LOVE moves the soul far greater, wider, higher and deeper…to the Place of Rest.

I can’t hold my head high while I hate my brother…BUT The LOVE of the RUACH perfected in me will raise my head higher than it’s ever been.

Look within. Believe God.  Choose Life.  Master sin and HE WILL LIFT YOUR HEAD.