Genesis 4:1-5 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 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.

This is the first use of the word respect. There are always interesting lessons to be learned in first use as meanings change over time and there are many meanings now.

The Hebrew word for respect is shä·ä’ which means to look. God looked at the sacrifice of Abel, He paid attention. The sacrifice of Cain did not receive God’s attention, it was ignored. God was indifferent to Cain’s offering.

The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference. Nothing makes us feel unloved more than being ignored. We sense that and know it even before we can form words to express the emotion. Did that mean that God didn’t love Cain? No, not at all, but that didn’t stop Cain from feeling neglected and that is why Cain’s countenance fell.

What happened next is a telling tale of humanity. We need to accept the actions of Cain as one in which we are all involved.

Genesis 4:6-7a And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.

God spoke to Cain, paid attention to Him, inquired about his feelings, and shared knowledge which served as a warning for what comes from wrong thinking.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

He who creates owns. He who is able to keep what He creates is able to give it to whomever He chooses.

John 3:35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

Note that the Father gave all things and not just what he had left after the thief stole what he could. Satan being a creation of God was given over to Christ as well as all that was under his control. Now how can I be sure of that?

Jude 8  Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

It was not Michael that won the battle but rather the Lord’s rebuke. A thing possessed cannot deny He who has dominion over him. So all things, good and bad, belong to the Lord.

That is true, but it is also true that we record titles, deeds, and leave possessions in our wills. How can both these things be true? We live in a world that does not recognize God’s authority and as such are required to live by man’s laws. Jesus even went to far as to say; render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s.

He ended that saying by adding; render unto God what is God’s. Perhaps that is easier to understand if you recognize that God gives stewardship to the unbelievers as well as those who believe in Him.

Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Ephesians 6:5,9 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.