“In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 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; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.” Genesis 4:3-8
Cain’s offering to God was rejected, and rather than seeking understanding or repentance, he grew “very angry, and his face was downcast.” God saw the danger: “Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
This moment is a great example of how anger works: hurt feelings lead to jealousy, jealousy to rage, and rage to violence. God doesn’t condemn Cain for feeling angry. Instead, He warns him that anger is a doorway—either to sin or to self-control. Cain chose to open the wrong door.
Anger itself is not sin. It’s a signal that something isn’t right. But if we nurse it, ignore God’s voice, and let it grow, it can own us. The tragedy of Cain is that he didn’t have to become a murderer. He had a choice.
To prayerfully consider: When you feel anger rise, where does it come from? Is it disappointment, jealousy, pride? Have you felt it “crouching at your door,” inviting you to lash out or sulk in bitterness? What would it look like to rule over it instead?
