MONDAY, JANUARY 16
GENESIS 4:3-7
PROVERBS 1:7-9

"… hear the instruction of thy father,
and forsake not the law of thy mother."

THE HEART OF AN APOSTATE

The phrase "in process of time" (Gen 4:3) is miqqetz yamîm in Hebrew which carries the meaning "sometime later." It indicates that there was a change which occurred from a previous state after a certain period of time. This same phrase miqqetz yamîm (although translated differently in English) is also used in 1 Kings 17:7: "And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land." And also in 2 Samuel 14:26: "And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year’s end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king’s weight." In both these verses, the contexts suggest that at one point in time, there was a certain state or condition, but "sometime later" there was a shift that transpired. In 1 Kings 17:7, the brook used to have water flowing, but after a while it dried up. Likewise in 2 Samuel 14:26, Absalom’s hair was long, and as every year’s end came he shaved or cut it off. Similarly, Cain previously offered the right offering together with his parents and brother, but in the process of time he changed. He brought an offering for the LORD from the fruit of the ground.

The LORD definitely instructed Adam and Eve concerning the terms of approaching God in their worship (Gen 3:21). God explicitly revealed His requirements to them. These requirements were made known by Adam and Eve to their children. Therefore, it is beyond question that Cain and Abel both knew that they must bring a bloody offering to sacrifice when coming before Jehovah. This is faith in the perfect sacrifice of the death and the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ.

Dear Reader, remember God’s instructions. Do not depart from them. Listen to what God’s Word is teaching you. You might have studied in some prestigious universities, but secular wisdom will not give you the spiritual guidance that God’s Word can. Do not despise God’s Word.

THOUGHT: Am I listening to the instructions from God’s Word?
PRAYER: "Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name" (Ps 86:11).