Yeshua’s
lesson on anger is clearly linked to the story of Cain and Abel. In his world,
rabbis and teachers added their insights to commandments in the Jewish
Scriptures to help people obey them. Their insights were called “fences around the Law.” If a people
followed the instructions of the “fences” they would keep the commandment.”
Yeshua was a master fence builder. Let’s review the part of the Cain and Abel
story that Yeshua had in mind when he built the fences I called Plan A & Plan B in the Part 1.
And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.[i]
Cain
and Abel were twins. Cain was born first and he became a tiller of the ground
like is father, Adam. Abel is the first shepherd in the Bible.
At the appointed time, Cain brought an
offering to Yahweh from the fruit of the ground. And Abel, on his part also
brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions.[ii]
This
is the first reference to the bringing of an offering (gift) to Yahweh in the
biblical text. The brother’s gifts were from the work of their hands. Cain the
farmer brought a portion of his crops, while Abel brought the firstborn animals
of the season and his best animals to Yahweh. The wording seems to highlight that
Cain brought Yahweh “what he was required
to bring.” Abel brought “the best of
what he had” to Yahweh. Now get ready for the part of the story that raises
some very interesting and important questions.
And Yahweh gazed
toward Abel and toward for his offering;
but toward Cain
and toward his offering He did not gaze.[iii]
Now
let’s free the scene and take another look at it.
(1) Yahweh can
be seen by Cain and Abel and his attention is completely focused on Abel and
his offerings. Yahweh completely ignores Cain and his offerings.
(2) Abel is
standing there with Yahweh’s focus completely on him. How do you think he felt?
Was he aware of what was happening to Cain?
(3) Cain is standing there being
completely ignored by Yahweh. How do you think he felt?
The
ancient audience would have understood a very important point about offerings
and sacrifices that is reflected here – they
are acceptable only if an acceptable spirit of the presenter accompanies them.
And Cain burned
exceedingly and his face fell.
And Yahweh said
to Cain, "Why are you burning?
And why has your
face fallen?”[iv]
His
anger was so apparent it could be seen by anyone looking at his face. Now
Yahweh asks “the” question!
Why are you
angry?
Why
did Yahweh ask that question? Doesn’t he know the answer? Didn’t he play a very
important role in the whole thing?
Surely, if you do YTV, you shall be accepted; but if you do not do YTV, sin will be a ROVETZ at your door; its desire shall be for you, but you will be
able to master it.[v]
Yahweh
gave Cain instructions for how to deal with the anger he was now feeling and
this links the Cain and Abel story to the foundational message of Yeshua.
Do YTV and you act of doing YTV shall
be accepted by me as a gift.
The
Hebrew word YTV is alternative form
of the word TOV. As we saw in Part
1, acts of TOV protect lives, preserve lives, make lives more
functional and/or increase the quality of life. In the Jewish Scriptures, “acts of
TOV” and “acts of righteousness”
are synonymous. This verse teaches a number of very important lessons.
(1) Cain will be
accepted by Yahweh even though he is angry with Abel if he will do acts of TOV for his brother.
(2) But if Cain
remains angry and does not do acts of TOV
for Abel, something new will enter into his life, the potential to act on his
anger and sin. The word ROVETZ describes something like an “evil creature. Sin will become a
creature, stalking Cain and crouching at Cain’s door, waiting for him to sin so
it can pounce upon him. Its desire is to devour him.
(3) Cain’s story
shares something very important with his parent’s story in the Garden in Eden.
They also faced a challenge from a creature too, the serpent. They blew it and
the serpent won. Will Cain will do better against sin than his parents did
against the serpent.
We
know he didn’t do any better -- Cain murdered
Abel. Anger led to murder and that
the link Yeshua used to build fences around anger in his teachings. In Part 1,
the first fence is what I call Plan A,
and the second fence Plan B. Of
course, if we follow Yahweh’s instructions and do acts of TOV (righteousness) for the person we are angry with – that’s even better.
(1) We
obey God’s commandment.
(2) We
reveal God’s presence through our actions.
(3) We
recognize that the person we are angry with is created in God’s image too.
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[ii] Genesis
4:3-4a
[iii]
Genesis 4:4b-5a
[iv] Genesis
4:5b
[v] Genesis
4:6-7
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