4:6
God confronted Cain and asked two questions of him. “Why are you angry” and “Why is your face downcast?” When we sin it has an effect on us, it affects our emotions, our psyche, and it has an outward effect. We talk about not judging someone by appearances, and, of course, there is a very positive side to this, one which all of us should take full account of. When God chose David He said He did not judge by appearances, but by the heart (1 Sam 16:7). However, it is also true that the state of our soul can be reflected in our outward appearance.
4:7
Cain’s reaction to his sin was one which is all too common, and is a road that all of us have gone down at some stage. It is also a highly illogical and destructive road to go down. God presents Cain with the alternative and a severe warning. All was not lost. If Cain did what was right he would be accepted. Cain’s reaction was the petulant one of “you should accept me”. The truth is that if he did what was right he would be accepted. It would also change his inner state, and this would be reflected in his outward appearance. The alternative is very serious. If he does not do what is right, sin is ready to devour him. Sin is not just something we do, it has a far deeper effect, and not a good one. Sin will take over, we become slaves to sin. “You must rule over it”. To run our lives effectively, for societies to run effectively, we need to rule over sin. If we do not do so it will dominate our lives. We see this at a societal level as well. Over many decades there has been less and less attempt to rule over sin. Indeed, the concept of sin has been done away with, and the results are disastrous.
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