“Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 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.”
So the first sin was disobedience to God—-i.e. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. But the second sin was jealousy——it was not a sin directed at God, but sibling rivalry/jealousy that caused an older brother to kill his younger brother. Cain’s gift to God was not what God required, Abel’s was, and Cain took out his frustration on Abel. This has seemed to become a part of our emotional/fallen DNA.
We’re seeing a lot of rivalry and jealousy going on right now in the USA. Yes, a bad thing was done when a police officer abused and killed a man, but that officer has been arrested and will probably die in prison. What more could be done to him fo this sin? But the eruption against store owners, car dealerships, and private property is about something else. It’s anger that some folks have nicer things than the other guy and rather than earn it or walk away from envy, they just take it—and then somehow justify it by saying they are angry that another person was mistreated. The “logic” follows that since I am angry at a police officer, I am going to smash windows, steal expensive watches, jewelry, perfume or luxury cars, then I will feel better.” Right.
I’ve read and read all the comments about the rage people are feeling about this killing as well as the rage we’re all feeling about being locked up in our homes for the past few months. But using any of this as an excuse to disenfranchise another race or attack another race (be it white or black or brown) in retaliation for a perceived racist act is racist!
What’s the answer? Do what is right regardless of what the police officer, the rioters, the looters and those pointing their fingers are doing. Do what is right, and God will bless us. Forget about what is right and the enemy will devour us. We must rule over the spiritual attack that has come upon us. We struggle against things that are fundamentally wrong with us spiritually when we accept the behavior of a heartless police officer or hate filled rioters and anarchists. It is battle against right and wrong, not black and white or conservative against liberal.
I pray that those that lead us, politically and ecclesiastically, might do the right thing, not the expedient thing….
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