REJOICE, BUT IN THE LORD ALONE

“Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?” Gen 4:6 

It is common since we are created beings, that one to experience joy out of living, our things have to be acceptable unto and accepted and sponsored by the Lord Himself. When not, our countenance will surely fall.

Cain became angry and, also, his countenance fell. There was nothing in him to provide for joy, a normal joyous living, for we read that the Lord says “My reward is with Me” and therefore, without Him there is no joy at all – there will never be. If the Lord is and remains without, our countenance will fall, now or eventually when the joy of sin is forever done away with.

So, if anyone rejoices, manages to rejoice without the Lord, such is worse of than it is imaginable. Whenever a creature rejoices outside its Creator, there is something very evil in such. It is terrible to be able to find joy where God abides not, since we are created beings. Even Cain knew that – he therefore conceived a brilliant idea, the very first doctrine there ever was: to offer unto God. Abel followed him and did well with that, for God accepted him. Now Cain was evil and reasoned he might get favor by offering – none told him to do that, he did it on his own. There must be something more to a voluntarily act than we may think of. He reasoned like a farmer: “I plant, the seed grows into something I can plunder and harvest”. We will never know where he got that wisdom from, I mean, to offer unto God. He might have gotten it from hell itself, but even so, it worked perfectly with Abel.

God separated light from darkness since the beginning and Cain was rejected because of that. He had no holiness within, from where he could receive and enjoy the full harvest of peace. Without holiness from deep within, we may even offer our own lives for nothing and there will be no answer from God either. Because Cain was ever the first man to do so, God spoke out so we may read about it and learn something from it as well. But with holiness, we may come to offer God a broken reed, a smashed coin, a false dollar note, and He will promptly receive it from our hand with gladness and rejoice too. This is where “The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?  (15)  He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil”, Is. 33:14-15 KJV.

There is no greater evil upon the earth than the deceit of offering. It unquestionably tries to bribe God into something, anything at all. But God states “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?” All we need to do is to share in the goodness of God Himself.

But for that, God has God to be there. If not, all efforts are useless, for “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain”, Ps.127:1. 

For the Lord to be there, a way has to be prepared. “And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people.  (15)  For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.  (16)  For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.  (17)  For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.  (18)  I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.  (19)  I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.  (20)  But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.  (21)  There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked”, Is. 57:14-21 KJV.

José Mateus