Sin Begets Sin

So reading from Genesis 4 tonight. In this chapter we find good judgement, bad judgement, God responding differently to two boys, jealousy, envy, planning to do wrong, and execution of the same.

What can we learn from this chapter? The right way to do things. God sees Cain's anger and his response is plain

The LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it."

Do you see those words sins "desire is for you, BUT you must rule over it." So for all those times when we say...but I just had to do it... all God's word in essence says is NOT! :) We don't have to give into sin. Cain had the option of not being ruled by his envy, jealousy and nasty thoughts. BUT he made a plan, and murdered his very own brother.

So Cain was punished by God and as time went on, he got married, had children, and those children had children. And what do we find one of his grandchildren boasting about?

23Lamech said to his wives:
"Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say:
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for striking me.
24If Cain's revenge is sevenfold,
then Lamech's is seventy-sevenfold."

Lamech is boasting about murder! Ah the shame of it. To be boasting of such a crime. His grandpa did it, so Lamech, I guess, figures it's okay if he does it.

Tells me that as a parent I must be careful about what I do. My son sees what I do. As he matures, he'll see the sins that I struggle with. And he is such a copy cat! I must somehow teach him that it is a struggle, and that I do depend on God to see me through. If I don't, I risk him thinking it's okay to do this sin when it's not. He must somehow see that God sees sin with revulsion, and that we should do the same.

Seems I've a new prayer to add to my list of things to pray about as a parent...that I let myself be transparent in my relationship with God with my boyo. So that he sees both the joy I have in the Lord, as well as my sorrow when I displease God. The first will be easy I think to show...the second is harder....I'll have to fight my desire to keep those things hidden. Please pray with me that God grants me the strength and grace to follow his leading in this.