Exodus 13:17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:

God knows the nature of man and how easily he is turned, like a pancake, at the first sign of heat. I did not come to this issue of repentance easily nor on my own.

Psalm 62:1 Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.

Preaching that repentance leads to salvation is misleading when the turning becomes the focal point. God led the captivity away from the land of promise, which was close at hand, because they were not prepared to enter.

“The principal idea is not personal relation to sin, either in its experience of grief or in turning from an evil course. Yet the results of sin are manifest in its use. God’s heart is grieved at man’s iniquity, and in love He bestows His grace, or in justice He terminates His mercy. It indicates the aroused emotions of God which prompt Him to a different course of dealing with the people.” Quoted from International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

Salvation belongs to God and is His and His alone. In repentance, God decides the course of action required to bring man in line with His will. When we follow Jesus we do not get to choose what course to follow after the turning. We need only to walk in it and not reject the course set before us.

Salvation by repentance is misleading when it ignores what is seen upon turning.

Pancakes merely turn, they see nothing.

Genesis 4:3-6 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

Did God disrespect Cain?

I say no. If God had disrespected Cain, God would have understood Cain’s reaction. God made it plain to me that Cain’s attitude was the result of disappointment in not getting the respect he felt he was due. Cain worked for respect.

Abel gained respect not for his keeping of the sheep but rather the sacrifice. Abel gave up something he cared for, loved, and it wounded his soul to make that sacrifice.

While the scriptures say that God is no respecter of persons, it does not say that God is a disrespecter of persons. Let me put it another way.

If you love the Lord, God respects that. If you love sin, God respects that. You have made your choice and God respects your choice. Those two choices have two distinctive consequences. Love and live. Sin and die. It is just that simple.

We complicate things with our expectation of respect for what we do in this life. We expect respect from mankind for the good we do. Fair enough, it is worthy of man’s respect. God even told us to give respect where respect is due.

He did not say give disrespect where respect is not due. We cannot show God’s love with disrespect. We should follow God’s example set before us in Cain.

“Why are you angry? Why are feeling disappointed?”