'sin lieth at the door' (Genesis 4:7)

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'And the LORD said unto Cain,
Why art thou wroth? and
why is thy countenance fallen?
If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?
and if thou doest not well, sin (sin-offering) lieth at the door.
And unto thee shall be his desire,
and thou shalt rule over him.'
(Genesis 4:6-7)

Hi there,

In the margin of my Bible regarding the words, ... 'sin lieth at the door.' . The word 'sin' is explained to be the Hebrew word 'chattath' which means 'sin-offering' which is from 'chata' (to sin by falling short) : in other places where this word is used the word 'offering' is given in the translation, as in Exodus 30:10. Leviticus 4:3 and Leviticus 6:25. The word, 'Lieth' is explained in this way:- (quote) ''Lieth' is masculine, and 'sin-offering' is feminine, so that the Hebrew reads, 'at the entrance [a male] is lying, a sin offering.'

The words which follow, 'And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.' The words, 'His', and 'him,' identify the sin-offering to be male, a male lamb was lying at the door, it was the sin-offering for Cain to offer to the Lord as an acceptable offering, which he chose not to avail himself of.

The animal was without fear, desiring to do the will of the man, for only after the flood did an animal have the fear of man (Genesis 9:2), and the man had rule (or dominion) over him (Genesis 1:26), he could do with him what he willed.

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

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Genesis 4:6-7

Hello again,

God provided a lamb for Cain to bring as an acceptable gift before Him, but Cain did not take the opportunity. How different things would have been if he had done so. That can be said for those who will not come to God on the basis of the shed blood of the Lamb of God throughout the centuries since, and so too today. What is lost? The hope of eternal life in Christ Jesus. What is their end? Judgement and the second death.

Choose life.

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[Dave L]

Genesis 4:6-7

Hello again,

God provided a lamb for Cain to bring as an acceptable gift before Him, but Cain did not take the opportunity. How different things would have been if he had done so. That can be said for those who will not come to God on the basis of the shed blood of the Lamb of God throughout the centuries since, and so too today. What is lost? The hope of eternal life in Christ Jesus. What is their end? Judgement and the second death.

Choose life.

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

“As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” John 17:2 (KJV 1900)

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37 (KJV 1900)

“As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” John 17:2 (KJV 1900)

 

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Thank you for responding, @Dave L.

Within the love of Christ our Saviour
our Lord and Head.
Chris

 

[Beetow]

• Gen 4:7 . . If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do
what is right, sin is crouching at your door;

This is the very first instance in the Bible of the word "sin". The Hebrew word is
chatta'ah (khat-taw-aw') and/or chatta'th (khat-tawth') which are ambiguous words
that technically mean an offense; as in repeat offender. In other words; not just an
occasional slip-up, but a life style.

• Gen 4:7c . . it desires to have you, but you must master it.

This is the first mention of self control in the Bible. In other words: God created
humanity with the capability to choose bad ways for itself; but that's only half the
story. God also created humanity with the capability to choose good ways for itself;
so He wasn't requiring something impossible from Cain like touching his right elbow
with the thumb of his right hand.

Many years ago when I and my siblings were teen-agers attending an evening
service at our church, the minister asked us all to stand and promise God that we
would live a good life. Well, my brother stood, but he didn't promise. Later at
home, I asked him why he didn't make the promise. He said: "There's some things
I want to do".

Unbeknownst to us at the time; the minister, in his own words, had called the
congregation to heed Gen 4:7 just as God had called Cain all those many years
ago. My sister and I, though not the best examples of self control, at least began
making an effort. But my brother; none at all. He preferred the land of Nod, so to
speak, where he could do as he pleased away from God's interference.

note: This incident serves to illustrate a very important protocol. God rejected
Cain prior to rejecting Cain's offering. In other words; the value of things offered to
God pale in comparison to the importance of the offerer's character.

For example: at Isa 1:11-20. Moses' people were offering all the covenanted
sacrifices, they were praying up a storm, and observing all the God-given feasts
and holy days. He rejected all of it, even though He himself required it, because the
people's personal conduct was unbecoming.

"The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to Jehovah." (Prv 15:8)

I really think that God is insulted when impious pew warmers come to church actually
thinking He's glad to see them show up for some quality time together.

• 1John 1:6 . . If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we
lie and do not live by the truth.
_

 

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@Dave L
@Beetow

Thank you both for your input, it is appreciated.

In Christ Jesus
our risen and glorified
Saviour, Lord and Head.
Chris