God gives his first public lesson on dealing with sin that has become an indelible reality. At least man is not totally helpless against sin. Here is a teaching that brings rescue and deliverance.
God sees what is wrong with Cain. He looks down and has to lift his face, up, to look at God (look straight in the eye;
in Hebrew it says lift up
) as opposed to looking downwards (fall
) in the previous verse. In later times we meet God especially in his (written) word (the Bible) and that is a power against evil, unto salvation (Romans 1:16). Below, on earth, is darkness and evil. There you find earthly thinking: jealousy, competition, rivalry.
Sin stretches out its claws to Cain, to this child of God. Cain belongs to the offspring of the woman (Genesis 3:15). They should shatter the serpent’s head. They must go and destroy evil on earth. That is not going to happen if you are angry with God. Then you end up on the serpent’s side! Here God steps into action to maintain the opposition he established in his love and grace between the devil (serpent) and man. The opposition between seed of women
and seed of serpents
will dominate all of world history. God addresses Cain. He (also) cares about his child Cain.
6 The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?