Genesis 4:5-7
⁵But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. ⁶And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? ⁷If 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.
Cain offered a bad offering but wanted the Lord to accept it and he was angry when the Lord was pleased with his brother’s offering. Hence the question “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?”
Many believers today I am afraid have this false sense of entitlement. Yes, we are in the dispensation of Grace but that does not make God any less Holy than He was in the Old Testament. He is the same yesterday today & forever.
He is Holy and He expects that we too are Holy. (Matthew 5:48) We do not expect to continue doing wrong and be accepted because we have grace. The Grace that we have been given is not a license to sin, it is an empowerment to stop. We are brought closer to God because of His goodness.
Romans 2:4
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Grace is part of the goodness of God. Remembering that you could have perished for a particular deed you committed but Grace covers you and will encourage and lead you to re-evaluate your life and meditate on His love towards you.
Absalom was entitled because he was the firstborn to David. Under the law, he was the rightful heir to the throne but God had made a promise to David. You can walk in blessings (Ishmael) but being a covenant child means that your covenant is forever and ever. Absalom was moving in blessings because he was the son of David but Solomon was a covenant child because God had made a promise (2 Samuel 15).
Korah was from the tribe of Levi and believed that he was to ascend to lead the Israelites in service to God. For a truth, God had separated the tribe of Levi to minister to Him but He consecrated Aaron and his sons to become priests before Him. In his pride and sense of entitlement, Korah contended against the very elect of God so God killed him for that (Numbers 16).
God is no respecter of persons; He will choose whom He sees fit to serve Him. It doesn’t matter how gifted you are or whether you can call the heavens to come down and touch the earth and go back up again, God will reject you and your awesome display of power and go for a humble man.
Ahithophel’s entitlement to being heard (pride)
Ahithophel believed in his counsel and wanted every man to bow down to him (small god) so when his counsel (which was true mind you) was rejected and questioned, he hanged himself. The things pride can do to a person!
2 Samuel 17:23
²³And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.
Pharisees & Sadducees the great teachers of the law, the ones that followed the law to the dot missed the very messiah they had been waiting for, so much so that they had Him killed.
As Jews they believed that they were entitled to eternal life, for to them had the son of man come.
John 1:11
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Even then, they rejected Him, with their hearts puffed up, they believed they understood the scriptures word for word yet failed to receive Him who had come to give them eternal life.
John 5:39
³⁹Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
All in all, entitlement is a form of pride that makes your heart puffed up that you fail to see reason and this always ends up in death (Physical and Spiritual death).
Prophetic Utterance:
Psalms 139:23-24
²³Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: ²⁴And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Guiding text:
Romans 9:18
¹⁸Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.