THE HOLIEST
ONE THE HOLIEST BOOK, HOLIEST
Tablet Sixteen
Chapter 4
"And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord." (Genesis 4:1)
<1>Man became attached to the family life and its pleasure of having sons and daughters. God gave man children to make him understand how God feels about humans. God has the same feeling about humans as a parent has about his children. <2>Also, usually children have the same feeling about their parents, as man has about God (unappreciative).
"And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground." (Genesis 4:2)
<3>As man multiplied, the division of labor started.
"And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord." (Genesis 4:3)
<4>Now the process of worshipping God became one of offering gross things, because humans thought that God needed things. However, the ideation and feeling created is what is important in this type of worshipping.
"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:" (Genesis 4:4)
<5>Firstling flock was a great offering by a sheep keeper, and he gave the best for his Lord. Abel was not attached to the external wealth but he sought God's Grace, and offered it without any attachment to the results of his offering. <6>Therefore, God respected the offering.
"But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell." (Genesis 4:5)
<7>Cain was attached to the result of his action. God wanted to show Cain that he wasn't presenting the offering with a pure heart and without expectation. That is why God did not respect his offering. Instead of being patient and understanding that the perfect God has a reason for doing that, <8>Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. God was trying to make a point and give him a lesson.
<9>That is exactly what happens to those who are not completely surrendered to God and are not willing to understand and follow His Laws. They become wroth, their countenance falls, and they become lost, because they are attached to their lower natures and judge God from that state of consciousness, instead of being patient and learn.
"And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?" (Genesis 4:6)
<10>Those are really the questions that every person (Cain in this case) should ask him or herself, i.e., "Why am I attached to the result of my actions? Why am I angry about everything? Why am I lost?"
"If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him." (Genesis 4:7)
<11>Here it is shown that it was not the offering which was rejected, but the way it was offered, "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?" <12>The sentence, "and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door" means, "Your desire to receive some result of your action and your attachment to gain for something you do for the Lord is completely apparent from you."
<13>Desire to gain something for any service makes it a business, not service. <14>Giving something for gain is business. <15>Service means to give without expecting anything in return. This kind of service brings His Grace.
<16>"And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him" means, "Therefore this desire will rule over you, your actions will become fruitless, and you will lose the respect for your actions."