First Blackberrys and the First Family. Genesis 4:1-7

     The three girls bounded across my lawn toward me. As I sat on my porch watching them I couldn't help but to marvel at their joy. Their mother held the youngest on her hip while the older two wrapped their long arms around two large round containers that brimmed with blackberries.  

    My neighbor had walked over with her girls to share her family’s harvest with us. I felt is was a gracious and generous gesture and one that God used to teach me a valuable lesson.

“This represents the first of our blackberry harvest." She said.  "We wanted to thank you for not cutting down the blackberry bushes last fall.”

 Her youngest momentarily overcame her shyness and peeked her head out from behind her mother’s legs.  As she did our eyes met and I found myself smiling with her.

   “ Is this true?” I asked the youngest. “Are these the veeeeeery first blackberries?”

Her young eyes widened and as she looked at her mother, she nodded yes.

   "Well then, I will have to make a blackberry cobbler. Or could I eat them with milk and sugar?” As I spoke I searched the girls for a response. They in turn were searching me for my response. As I thanked them I gave them the biggest smile I could and told them to check out my strawberry patch before they left. 

     I tried to explain to their mother that it wasn’t necessary for them to give us the first of their harvest.  But she was adamant. They were very grateful to my husband and son for not mowing down the blackberry bushes. It was about gratitude. 

     Last fall, my son, new and overzealous in his lawn mowing job, had decided that he would also mow the front portion of the vacant lot next to us.  He did not realize the strip was filled with succulent blackberry vines. Our neighbors had asked him to not mow the area where the blackberries flourished. He gladly complied. 

    I didn't think much about their gift until I was contemplating why the Lord became upset with Cain. And what happened that caused Cain's countenance to fall?  Why had our neighbor been so adamant that her girls bring us the first and best of their harvest?  It wouldn't have mattered to me, but it seemed to matter greatly to their mother. Why? 

    I think it has something to do with respect and wanting to be accepted. Cain was a tiller of the ground. His brother Able was a herder of sheep. Although the Lord had given Adam and Eve explicit instructions on how to show their respect to Him and how to offer sacrifices, I don't believe it mattered what you offered as much as how you offered it. God was not going to condemn Cain for his choice of profession, but he did question Cain on the lack of faith he showed when making his offering. 

    When my sweet neighbor girls came to me and offered the first of their blackberries, they searched my face for acceptance. They wanted me to acknowledge not so much the blackberries ( I will greatly enjoy them) but mostly the fact that they offered me a gift that was meant to show respect. We had respected their wishes to not cut the path of land where the berries grew and they expressed their gratitude for the respect we gave them in doing so. 

    Cain didn't do this. How do we know? Because God did not have respect for Cain's offering.(vs5) God loves all his children and is not a respecter of persons but if the offering that Cain offered showed disrespect, then the Lord God would need to correct the standard. 

    My three little friends offered their gift on faith. Faith helped them pick with the belief that I would be pleased with their gift. Faith helped them bound across my lawn in joy. Faith helped them receive the simple reward of neighborly friendship and a jaunt in my strawberry patch. 

    So what was so different about Cain's offering? I believe he offered not the first of his crop and possibly not the best. He did not make his offering in faith.  If you offer a sacrifice in faith you give the first and the best of your efforts. If you yield to Satan's temptations you are not seeking for the Lord's approval but rather for a "Zero Sum Mentality."...I.E. A zero sum mentality says that  if I give to you, the you have to give back full fold to me. If I do all that you ask, I get to choose all that I want. I am in charge. I get what I want and what I want is to have you respect me by giving me what I want not what you choose. 

   ' Zero Sum Mentality' represents selfish desires that put your wants above all else. It does not require faith in a loving greater being, but rather relys on the rules of fairness. Cain not only didn't offer his sacrifice in faith in the Lord but he chose to obey Satan above God. Zero Sum Mentality makes it really hard to find acceptance because the only person that you are really interested in is yourself. When we have faith in others and in God, however we are able to find acceptance in all that God has given us, in the love of community, and above all else in the Lord's commandments. God's love is our reward. 

   The fact that Cain was wroth with the Lord's response surprised the Lord. He had been given a commandment to offer a sacrifice in faith. Cain had offered it out of obligation and out of obedience to Satan's plan of selfishness. He had chosen what he had wanted to give and not given of the first of his fruits nor of the best. 

   I am grateful to the Lord for the many gifts I have. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve others and to live in such a way that I might offer my sacrifices to my Lord. I am aware that there are times when my own countenance falls, when the Lord reprimands me and says, "If thou doest well, thou shalt be accepted." It is in these times that I go to the Lord in prayer and seek forgiveness for my wanting fairness more than his love. 

Verses. 

1.  The First Family -  Adam knew Eve. The first pregnancy. The first son. Cain. The first gratitude... 

I have gotten a son from the Lord. 

2. The first professions. Able is younger than Cain. The First Family has difficulties in teaching two different spirits. And in Moses we are taught that they also had daughters, so we have the first community springing up. 

4. And he Lord had respect unto Able and to his offering. 

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. (Hebrews 11:4) 

 5But unto ^aCain and to his ^boffering he had not ^crespect.  - 

Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.( Jude 1:11)

5. The first anger. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Anger actually has a cycle. 

1. Fear 2. Pain 3. Anger 4. Grief 5. Hatred 6. Revenge 7. Atrocity

Cain's anger begain with his fear of losing his crop. He loved his crop more than the Lord. 

6.  Why is thy countenance fallen? When you see someone who is angry, their soul is dark. They hold their head and shoulders low. They walk with a drag to their step. Anger is a heavy load to carry. 

 7If thou doest well, shalt thou not be ^aaccepted? and if thou^bdoest not well, ^csin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be ^dhis^edesire, and thou shalt rule over him. What does God mean to doest well? I think he is trying to teach us to live by faith. To Let Go and Let God! To love man more than increase. To practice the discipline of contentment. 

If thou doest well, thou shalt be accepted. And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door, and Satan desireth to have thee; and except thou shalt hearken unto my commandments, I will deliver thee up, and it shall be unto thee according to his desire. And thou shalt rule over him; Moses 5:33 

I will ever hold dear to my heart the precious memory of my young neighbors bringing the joy of their gift to me. A gift that was given in faith and in joy.

A Good Name: Wisdom Ecclesiastes 7 P

Ecclesiastes 7

A Good Name:

Layeth not his heart

In the house of feasting.

But seeks to mourn

With those who mourn

And comfort those

In need of comfort.

Strengthens his heart in sorrow

And considers a sad countenance.

Seeketh the heart of the wise

In the house of mourning

And leaves the fools to their mirth.

Hears the songs that upbraid,

With an excellency of wisdom

That is meant to make better the heart.

Waits with a patient spirit;

For a thing's end brings more

Satisfaction than its beginning.

Resteth his anger,

Not in the hasty

Bosom of fools,

But rather in

He that giveth life.

Sees wisdom in he

Who can see the sun

And knows from whence

An inheritance finds profit

Knows that both wisdom

And money bring protection,

But wisdom alone giveth life.

Rejoiceth in his prosperity

But considers God

In his day of adversity.

Balances his righteousness

So that he perisheth not.

And considers his foolishness

So that he lives a long life.

Fears God

With the strength of wisdom

That brings the sadness of truth

That he is a sinner.

Judgeth not others

For their cursing.

But knows of his

Own cursing.

Asks, how do I truly know

The wisdom that elusively

Stretches before me

And dives exceedingly

deep within me?

Will yet apply his heart to know,

to search, to seek the reason of things.

Realizing that a good name

May be found in

Only one man

Amongst a thousand.

Is a precious ointment

on the day of death.

Linda Conkey Shaw copyright July 9 2010

Wisdom. Why does it elude us so? Why do we think we are wise and find out we have come so short a distance after traveling for so many years? Wisdom is defined as having experience, knowledge and good judgment. Sometimes children seem to have more than adults.

One child who was celebrating his 5th birthday with his grandfather who was celebrating his 50th birthday, said to his grandfather, "Hey we are the same age, because zero's

don't count."

And they don't. And true wisdom helps us know that age is but a number on our journey of eternal life. Experience shapes our lives, but not necessarily the wisdom within us.

Children often surprise us with the wisdom they possess, not because of their knowledge or experience, but because of their lack of experience and knowledge. It amazes me with what they often can say and come up with as it relates to the world of adults. They see life so matter of fact. It is their naivete's, honesty, and limited perspective that brings them the wisdom that so often eludes adults. Untainted by the world "of foolishness", they serve to remind us of what our maturity has forgotten.

Jesus said we should see life as little children. I am often reminded of how much humility and joy comes from a little child. My youngest grandson has a smile that lights up my world. He enjoys life to the fullest. His smiles, laughter, and questions delight me. We were sitting outside (he's 5) and he noticed our lawn chair, and its ability to have its back lowered or raised. He began to look at it from all angles. Finally he said to me,

"Gramma, look see how high this can go? Gramma, look see how low it will go? Look what makes it stay high. See how this works?"

He is observant beyond his years. His wisdom lies in the structure of life. I marvel at how much wisdom he already has in learning to understand how things are put together.

My other grandson need only hear a song and he will sing it and then play it on the piano. I marveled at his piano talent at such a young age. His wisdom lies in the melody of life. Then there is my youngest granddaughter.(18 months) She speaks to us with sign language (and a few words) and manages just fine to maneuver all through her world of discovery. Her wisdom comes through her pure joy of discovery, and the delight of her soul in making all around her smile.

It is my prayer that we will discover that wisdom comes not only from knowledge, experience, and good judgment, but also from the pureness of a new soul that craves life and sees it all anew. I believe that if we can all remember this child-like wisdom of seeing the world through the magic of belief in ourselves, in others, and in all that we experience we might just find some sense of true wisdom and give ourselves "A Good Name".

Words and Phrases

vs 1 -precious ointment - for healing, for comfort, for relaxation, for safety. a good name.

vs 9 anger restest in the bosom of fools.- Be slow to be anger or be foolish in your actions

vs 12 wisdom giveth life - without wisdom there is little life worth living. Wisdom keeps life balanced. Different people have different talents for wisdom.

vs consider the work of God - this alone is wisdom

vs 15 just man perisheth in his righteousness - He who is so sure he is right and is unwilling to change.. He who is not humble enough to admit his faults will cause himself so much grief, that he will perish in his righteousness

Vs 16 neither make thyself overwise - too much of anything is not good

vs 19 Wisdom strengthened the wise - I think of McGuiver (television) He was very wise with all of his knowledge and could always get out of trouble with his knowledge. Knowledge can keep us from trouble and help us fight our battles. The wise know that they need not be physically strong to win a battle. I think of David and Goliath.

vs 20 - not a just man upon the earth - we are all sinners. We all make mistakes even the wise. especially the wise because they believe their wisdom protects them.

vs 24 exceedingly deep who can find it - somethings that we contemplate about wisdom are much too much to comprehend. We must do our best and then let it go. it will come in time. For me it was understanding what love was. I thought it was about saying a few words. Now I know it is so much more. It is doing, saying, living, and breathing for another that you love.

vs 29 God hath made man upright - He wants us to live a good life. Man seeks many different ways to wander from God. But if we want we can have wisdom and walk upright before God.