why sin?

Genesis 4:6&7

"6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him."

This week's FAITH WORD is SIN. Classically, SIN is defined as the voluntary departure of a rule prescribed by God. Or, any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. Today, SIN is given a softer meaning like "missing the target." You know, like shooting for the bullseye, and you don't hit it. If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit we miss the mark every day. Another modern definition of SIN is "brokenness." We are too quick to break our relationship with God. We fight with each other and break those relationships. We can call it whatever we want. When it comes down to it; it's that little three letter word that the world absolutely hates...SIN.

For our reading, we have turned to Genesis, where everything begins, including SIN. Adam and Eve's sons bring their offerings to the Lord. But their offerings were different. Cain showed a proud and withholding heart. His offering was rejected by God. Abel came expressing humility, sincerity, and believing obedience. His sacrifice God accepted. Abel offered in FAITH, and Cain attempted to please God in his OWN WAY. Which does not please GOD and that flooded Cain with negative emotions; a sense of guilt, disappointment, shame, grief, and envy of his brother.

In today's verses, we get to read what GOD thinks about Cain's actions; "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 lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him." God is teaching Cain valuable lessons. When he takes leaves from God's plan, "if thou doest not well, SIN lieth at the door." In the original Hebrew, the word for "lieth" has the connotation predator crouching, ready to pounce on its prey. The next few words remind us of God's declaration of Eve's punishment after eating the forbidden fruit. While there comes considerable baggage with this metaphor. It is a very VIVID picture of the sinner becoming wedded to their SIN. Mated to that SIN. It has a hold on the sinner. This WARNING from GOD should be listened to and followed by Cain...