Do you know where anger is first mentioned in the Bible? It’s actually quite interesting and very important for a lot of reasons. I’d like to take a closer look at the first reference to anger in the Bible and examine the why behind it along with the awful consequences that follow.
“but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell.” Genesis 4:5 LSB
Context
Naturally we have to begin with the context. Adam and Eve have just been banished from the Garden of Eden due to their disobedience. What follows is a narrative about the next generation’s failure. We are told that Eve gives birth to a son: Cain. Then she gives birth to another son: Abel. Then “in the course of time” we are told that Cain brings an offering to God of “the fruit of the ground.” Abel, after Cain, brings an offering “of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions.” Then we are told, in intentionally ambiguous detail, “And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard.”
WHY
So we infer, through the language of the passage, that God had favor toward Abel’s offering but not on Cain’s. And what immediately follows is the anger of Cain. Therefore an important lesson is learned as to why Cain is bubbling over with anger: The LORD’s favor upon people can be used as a cause of jealousy and anger for those who do not experience that same favor. Are there any stories in the Bible going forward about people (or relatives, or brothers…) receiving favor or blessing from God and then people around them getting very angry because of that favor? Oh yeah…. how about, almost ALL of them!
But here is a VERY important point in this narrative: Was Cain rejected because of his offering? NO. God did not reject Cain. He simply, this time around, showed favor on Abel’s offering and not Cain’s. And God actually pursues Cain, in love, by asking him: “Why are you angry?” Then God gives him an opportunity to shape up: “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
We learn a lot about anger from this extremely short narrative. When we see others exalted, blessed, or seemingly receiving favor, while we ourselves are not, it serves as a cause of anger in our lives. We burn with jealousy and start to wonder: “Why am I not receiving that blessing?” Not to mention this is Cain’s little brother who comes in after him with his luscious offering and seemingly, in Cain’s eyes, ‘steals’ the favor. You can see how this can make Cain quite angry.
Consequences
Sadly Cain rejects the warning from God and is overcome by this thing called: “sin”. Anger, when left to itself, ends in a disastrous consequence: “Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.” The first time anger is mentioned in the Bible is directly linked to the first murder of the Bible. No wonder Jesus made it very clear, in His sermon on the mount, that you are not to let anger develop within you: “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.” Matthew 5:21 NASB.
Conclusion
Anger is not to be taken lightly. We see in the first 4 pages of the Bible the pain and agony and separation from God (Gen 4:14) that it can cause. But it can be helpful to see that anger can root itself in a jealousy/envy over where the blessing/favor of God is placed. If we look at life thinking that there is a limit to the blessing of God and that if others are receiving blessings then that means there is not enough for me, then we have a backwards and twisted view of the abundance and love of our God. Rather let us learn from Cain’s failure to “rule” over sin and heed God’s warning to “do well”. Let us look to Christ in whom there is an abundance of blessing and mercy for all who come to Him. We can, then, rejoice when we see others blessed and delight ourselves in the abundance of His loyal love.
Action
1. Praise God for His love and patient mercy in the times when we can grow angry at one another
2. Confess to God any anger that sits in your heart this very moment and forsake the wrath
3. Ask God to give you a heart of love and mercy toward others that you can rejoice in seeing their lives blessed by God
4. Listen to this post’s song: Be Thou My Vision