“If you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door.” Genesis 4:7 (NIV)
Imagine a couple enjoying a few days of vacation on a farm. When they arrive on the first day, there is a sign on the front door warning: “Beware! Cougars spotted on the property.” As long as they are on the farm, all the doors will be kept shut.
That is the picture here. “If you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door.” Sin is like a wild animal, ready to pounce. It is stalking the area around you, so be very careful.
Did you know that this is the first time the word sin is used in the Bible? “Sin is crouching at your door” (4:7). “Sin?” Cain must have said. “What is sin?”
Sin is more than simply a choice that you make. God is saying that there is a power at work in the world called sin and it is like a wild animal. When you refuse to do what is right, it will sneak up on your house. It will crouch outside the door. Then one day as you are coming out, it will pounce on you, without warning, and it will overpower you. If you don’t do what’s right, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Are you living as though sin were not a danger to you? What step could you take today to protect yourself?
