Genesis 4:7b And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

If you read yesterday’s devotional you might have noticed I left out this line from verse 7. I did so for two reasons. The first is in service to all my readers. I do not know everyone, their relationship with the Lord, their depth of knowledge in the Word, the sermons they might have heard on this subject, or what was covered. The second is because it could be a distraction from the lesson given. Distractions are one of Satan’s tools, and I did not want anyone to fall into that trap.

Should I address this portion of scripture as a lesson just because I intentionally left it out? Am I obliged to teach on it? Is there enough interest to warrant further investigation? If so, what approach should I take?

When a matter is not evidently clear, I like to step back away from my feeling in the moment and look at it. Give it respect.

I would approach the matter as a most learned theologian advised. Examine the scripture from this point of view. Who is talking? Who is listening? What are the circumstances? Anything that you conclude from that conversation should apply directly to those points or you are likely to encounter error.

Secondly do your conclusions align themselves with what happens next? If a line of reasoning is to be reasonable, it must follow the continuing scriptures with clarity and not bring further ambiguity.

This being said, the next line of scripture should be seen as a goal line to cross in drawing those conclusions.

Genesis 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

Begin your study. Good luck.