Genesis 4:6-8: “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.

God’s Word teaches us that Adam and Eve committed the first sin against God. Unfortunately, mankind has had to suffer the consequences of its actions for thousands of years. After the first humans sinned in the garden, God told them what would be the consequence of their sins. It never occurred to them that one day they would have a son, who would take the life of his brother and cause them incredible pain and heartbreak. I can make that assertion on their part because they had no record or way of knowing what sin really does to the human race. How could they know what murder was or that their own flesh and blood was capable of such a horrific act of violence?

Adam and Eve transgressed the commandment of God, and it caused them to have sin in their hearts. However, when Cain slew Abel, it was the first act of sin recorded in the Word against another human. Satan used the sin that was hidden in the heart of man to afflict deep sorrow and hatred upon the first family. All through the Old Testament, we can read where family violence was a way of life for many Jews who followed the Lord. Just because we know Christ, it doesn’t mean that Satan won’t attack us or our families and cause us to have to endure some horrible trials.

When Cain discovered that God showed respect for Abel and his offering, but rejected him, it caused Cain to become violently angry and filled with jealousy. Paul tells us to be angry, but not to allow sin to rule our hearts or actions. It was one thing for Cain to be mad, but he also had a jealous heart against his brother’s accomplishments. Jealousy is a work of the flesh or the result of sin in the heart of humans. It drove Cain to take the life of his own brother.

As Cain allowed sin to fill his heart with violence and turn him against God, Satan also used that occasion to turn his heart against the family. The Apostle John wrote in his epistle, “How can we say we love God, whom we have not seen, when we don’t love our brothers, whom we have seen?” Sin not only turns our hearts away from God, but it is manifested through our actions as we turn on each other.

God warned Cain not to allow sin to rule over his heart. He also told him that he should rule over sin. Every believer in Christ has the power to rule over sin, but they must be submitted to God and His authority. The Apostle James tells us to submit first to God, resist the Devil, and he will flee from us. If we refuse to submit to God or His Word, then we can become just as open to violence or violating God’s Word as Adam, Cain, or David. David was considered by God to be a man after God’s own heart and look at the violence he carried out. The result of David’s sin brought domestic violence to his home and family, and cost him and Bathsheba great sorrow and loss.

God instituted the family before He introduced His church to humanity. He ordained marriage before He introduced the family. What God esteems and holds dear or sacred, Satan loves to defile and destroy with hatred and violence. You might be a victim of family violence—or other forms of violence—and wonder if God knows or even cares. He not only knows, but He also cares for you.  —submitted by Pastor Asa Dockery, US