The Sin Of Rebellion

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?“ Genesis 4:9

Most of the time, when we hear of the story of Cain and Abel, the emphasis is always on God’s rejection of Cain’s offering and his acceptance of Abel’s because Abel gave the first and his best to the Lord while Cain’s offering was not his first and best gift. Key to this story is not just how to give, but it’s how Cain reacted to God’s action. You see, it is often not what you do that gets you into trouble, it is how you respond to the consequences of your actions. My wife and I have two children who we often have to chastise for one reason or another. And no matter how bad the behavior that caused the chastisement, the thing we detest most is when they do not submit to our authority or judgment. This is demonstrated by the back-talk or the moodiness that comes after a chastisement. You see, if they conclude in their own mind that we were unfair in our punishment of them, or if they do not understand why they received a certain level of punishment (especially in comparison to each other), the spirit of rebellion begins to rise up. Cain got angry when the Lord did not value his offering as He did Abel’s, so he rebelled (Genesis 4:5).

The question of why God did not value Cain’s gift equally to Abel’s is the wrong question. God is the sovereign ruler of the earth and the master of our lives, and He can choose at His discretion to place more value on one person’s action over that of another’s without justification or need for explanation. Even the very thought of the question is rude and obnoxious. He desires our obedience and not our sacrifice (I Samuel 15:22).

It is clear from the story that Abel gave his first and Cain did not. Yet, whether or not God was disappointed in Cain’s gift, the sin that Cain committed was in how he handled God’s response to his action.   After God’s reaction to both of their gifts, Cain got angry, and his countenance fell. But he did not stop there. Driven by his anger, he took his brother’s life (Genesis 4:3-8). The sin that Cain committed was the same sin that led to his parents downfall and the same sin that continues to bring mankind down throughout history: the sin of rebellion. Rebellion is man’s attempt to override God’s sovereign rule over us and His creation.

As a Biblical Entrepreneur, all sin that you commit (except the unpardonable sin – Matthew 12:31) can be forgiven and even overcome. However, the one that is most difficult to overcome, and can take you down a path of no return, is the sin of rebellion. The sin of rebellion is man’s rejection of God’s will and rule over his life. This is caused whenever man does not understand why God allowed something to happen or why God did something. It is man’s desire to understand prior to obeying rather than obeying and trusting God for the understanding. It is man’s desire to control the outcome of the situation rather than allowing God to be in control. The greatest asset the entrepreneur has is his or her ability to be decisive, make choices and walk in self-control. This could also be his or her greatest weakness if these things are not done under the leading of the Holy Spirit or with the understanding that in everything you do you must first seek God’s will and be prepared to obey and submit to His will without full understanding (James 3:13-17). Here are some examples of the sin of rebellion at work:

• Eve wants to be like God, knowing good and evil – Genesis 3:5
• The children of Israel refuse to be ruled by God alone and demand a human king over them – 1 Samuel 8:7-22
• Lucifer wants to be like God – Isaiah 14:12-14

The way to avoid and even overcome this spirit of rebellion is to walk in complete humility (I Peter 4:10). Humility is recognizing that all I am and all I have is due to God’s grace and mercy. It is an acceptance of God’s will for my life without conditions. It is obedience to God without my need to give my opinion or vote on the matter. It is very undemocratic, but it is kingdom. Back to the story of Cain and Abel, all Cain had to do was go to God with all humility and inquire of God what he could do to find favor with Him, knowing that a sovereign and just God cannot make a mistake. God would have shown him the grace and mercy He shows all of us after we have fallen and, without justification, turn back to him for restoration. Here is a great example of someone who did it right after he was confronted with his sin: King David.

Psalm 51

¹Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.  ²Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  

³For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  ⁴Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight-that You may be found just when You speak,and blameless when You judge.

⁵Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.  ⁶Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. ⁸Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice.  ⁹Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ¹¹Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 

¹²Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. ¹³Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You.

¹⁴Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.  ¹⁵O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. ¹⁶ For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. ¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart-These, O God, You will not despise. 

¹⁸Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. ¹⁹ Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

My prayer for you this week is that God will give you the grace to walk in humility and the courage to repent of all acts of rebellion in your life no matter how small or big.