By: Obed Pineda
It is no secret that one of the most difficult challenges every person meets in their youth is learning to listen to and take advice from a voice of experience. The inescapable legitimacy of this claim can be confirmed if we look back at those early years of our life, with honesty, and revisit some of our more unpleasant memories. When doing so, it is very likely that we may recall that the source of our woe was failing to heed the wise counsel provided to us, because of our youthful arrogance. The undesirable outcome that resulted in embarrassment because of that remorseful, proud rejection quickly teaches us the value of humility (cf. Proverbs 13:9-10, 16:18-19). This author still fondly recalls the voice of his mother alerting this message, saying, “Whoever takes counsel, lives to a ripe old age.” My mother’s guidance spoke more to attaining a better quality of life and how to prolong it in order to enjoy it longer. She was undoubtedly echoing Koheleth’s conclusion that “if a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness, or indeed he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he… though it has not seen the sun or known anything, this has more rest than that man, even if he lives a thousand years twice – but has not seen goodness” (Ecclesiastes 6:3, 5-6). Lamentably for Cain (Adam’s firstborn), he soon learned the harsh reality of foolishly dismissing God’s wise counsel (cf. Genesis 4:1-15). Holy Writ recounts that after receiving God’s punishing decree for murdering his brother, Cain bewailed, “My punishment is greater than I can bear” (Genesis 4:13)! Cain’s complaint about the consequences of his deplorable actions, that God warned him about, is still voiced by the vast majority of the world today. Yet mankind continues to ignore the meaning of the loving Father’s admonishment to Cain prior to committing fratricide. The Almighty cautioned Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” (Genesis 4:6-7). It is true that God was teaching Cain the importance of practicing emotional self-control, and the peril of allowing them to overtake him. However, the real threat that God was pointing out is often overlooked when reading this pericope of Scripture. Observe what the Creator says about sin: “sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you” (Genesis 4:7b). It is worth establishing first that the LORD is using imagery (i.e. figurative language) when He refers to sin. He is not saying that sin has actual desires as animals and humans do. Rather, God is using a metaphor to describe the deadly, predatory nature of sin. According to one Hebrew lexicon, the combination of the words ḥaṭṭā’āṯ (“sin”) and rāḇaṣ (“to stretch oneself out, lie down, lie stretched out”) is a noun that means “crouching beast” (Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon, H2403). Ergo, God portrays sin like a crouching predator waiting for the right moment to pounce upon its unsuspecting prey. It behooves us to understand what constitutes a predator literally in order to fully grasp the meaning of the Divine metaphor. Predators are classified as such based on their ability to hunt and consume other organisms identified as their prey. Some key components possessed by a predator are its specialized physical traits such as sharp teeth, claws, and keen senses that increases their proficiency in hunting. They also exhibit certain behaviors that aids them in capturing their prey like stalking, ambushing, and even pack hunting. These attributes reveal a predator’s lethal capacity to lie in wait until its prey is within striking distance and at its most vulnerable. Learning about what defines a predator, it is a no wonder God would describe sin to Cain in such an accurate way! This portrayal of sin can be found in several passages throughout the Bible. Solomon personifies sin as a foolish, adulteress woman who “sits at the door of her house, on a seat by the highest places of the city, to call to those who pass by, who go straight on their way” and once her prey enters into her house, “he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of hell” (Proverbs 9:14-15, 18). The biological half-brother of our Savior, too, uses a similar sketch of sin by the Spirit’s inspiration. James writes, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:14-15). The Father’s revelation about sin teaches His creation the precious value of remaining vigilant throughout all walks in life. Sin undoubtedly stalks mankind, maintaining itself well hidden in plain sight, patiently waiting until its next victim is at its most vulnerable and most unaware. James’ description of how sin lures its prey into its snare brings into my mind’s eye the manner in which a spider captures with its web its unsuspecting prey. This metaphor amplifies the importance of Paul’s advice to the Ephesian Church, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). Later on in the epistle, Paul elaborates upon the importance of his counsel by urging Christians to “put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). According to the English dictionary, wile is “a trick or stratagem intended to ensnare or deceive” much like a predator does so when stalking its prey (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). The Greek word for wile, methodeia, is used in the pericope to mean to “lie in wait,” similar to a predator crouched, ready to pounce (Strongs, G3180). The apostle Peter echoes his fellow apostle by exhorting, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1st Peter 5:8). Thus, God’s warning to Cain was unveiling the lurking, predatory nature of sin, waiting to launch its assault on him the moment his unrestrained emotions would expose his vulnerable weak point. Today, sin continues to be that crouching beast that stalks mankind silently, patiently bidding its time to spring its trap upon its prey. The question now is: Will I heed God’s warning about the crouching beast hidden nearby and stalking me, or am I already caught in its web of lies giving me a false sense of security that what happened to Cain will not happen to me (Luke 6:46-49)?