Both Cain and Abel came to worship before the Lord, both brought a sacrifice. But there was a difference. Cain brought a sacrifice of the fruit of the ground. It was a bloodless sacrifice in this instance. Abel brought forth a blood sacrifice, and the fat thereof.(The blood sacrafice being a type for the Christ to come.... Was Cains sacrafice dishonering this fact?) Moses’s record makes it easy to understand what the problem was; it specifically denotes the differences between their offerings. But the Hebrew writer makes it even clearer:By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness borne to him that he was righteous, God bearing witness in respect of his gifts: and through it he being dead yet speaketh. How did Abel present his sacrifice unto the Lord? It was by faith. Moses did not write that Cain offered his sacrifice by faith,If Cain did not offer his gifts unto God by faith, then how did he worship? The opposite of faith is sight (2 Cor. 5:7), that is, through human intuition. He worshipped according to “sight”—according to what his own senses and wisdom dictated would be an honorable gift unto the Lord.I dont doubt his produce was lovely to look at. No doubt, he labored over those crops until the harvest. No doubt he anticipated that all the hard work, time, and care he had spent on those offerings would be acceptable. This is clearly demonstrated by his reaction to the Lord’s rejection of his sacrifice.Cain’s offering was not rejected because it was not made in earnest in his mind. Instead, his offering was rejected because it was offered according to his own presumption and not by faith.faith is the result of hearing God’s word, submitting the mind and body to its dominion, and acting in accordance to what the Lord has instructed.To whatever extent it could be said that Cain worshipped before the Lord, his activity was negated by the fact that it was not according to faith.By way of contrast, Abel’s offering was by faith. Why is faith attributed to Abel? Paul defines the source of faith that is well-pleasing to God in Romans 10:17.“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Abel offered his sacrifice by faith (Heb. 11:4).Therefore, Abel offered his sacrifice by hearing and obeying the word of God.Cain did not offer his sacrifice by faith. Therefore, he did not worship according to the word of God. And God rejected his offering.Cain was presumptuous. his actions demonstrated that he supposed that he had the right to substitute his own judgment for the Lord’s.The way of Cain is the way of presumption. Those who, in like manner, presume to design their own system of worship are of Cain. Those who, just like Cain, neglect the clear teaching of the Lord and invent for themselves their own their own religious system they are practicing the religion of Cain.
Cains Offering Rejected
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So the reason Cain was rejected was that he didn't follow the way of God? Whereas Abel did follow Gods way? Did they present their offerings in different ways, or was it just the thought behind the offering that was different?Was it also that Cain was 'proud' of his offering and then missed the point of making the offering whereas Abel stayed humble with his offering?
jburic09032
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Yes I think as is stated he was proud of his offereing.jb.. The problem is he did not hear/listen to God. if one gets faith from hearing Gods Word and you are not listening ..you can have no faith ...So Cain's offering was not given in faith. It was given in pride ... There was a very good reason God required a Blood sacrafice ... He was using it to teach .. show that only a blood sacrafice could cover sin ... This was a type to lead us to understand why Christ would have to become a Blood sacrafice to forgive all sins ... The Blood sacrafice before Christ only covered up sin it didnt forgive it .. Only Jesus Christ the Lamb of God being sacraficed could forgive sin Let me see if I can give you an example to help you understand this Assume for a moment the father of a family has to go away on a buisness trip he tell s his two sons exactly what needs to be done to keep the house running and to take care of their Mother and the rest of the family untill he returns home ... One son does as he was told by the father the other son .... leaves goes to the next town and does whayt he wants and whilt hes there he picks a few apples off a tree and brings home with him The father returns Home he is very pleased with the one son who listened to him .... He is not pleased with the other son that did what he wanted too ... The bad son says but look I brought some delicious Apples home with me ... The father doesnt care about the Apples he is upset because the bad son didnnt do as he was told ... So it was with Cain and Able Cains food may have been beatiful specimans ...but it wasnt was he was told to do .... He didnt listen to God ...He did what he wanted to and figuered it would be good enough.We must be careful to do what Gods Word tells us not make the mistake of Cain and just do what we decide might be good enough
So he wasn't listening well enough to God?So this is teaching us to listen and obey God in all ways yes? To accept his sacrifice and devote our lives to doing good and spreading his word and not doing what is against him.I think this is a very helpful piece for me because I have always wondered why Cain was rejected, I could never understand the reason that he wasn't accepted, but I think I do now.Cain was doing with his head and not with his heart right?
very good way to see it Nivieos with his head and his pride He was going to do his way regurdless of what God had said We see the same today many do as they think/want regurdless of what God says.
QUOTE (Christina @ Feb 21 2009, 07:11 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=69635
QUOTE (Nivleos @ Feb 21 2009, 06:12 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=69628
So he wasn't listening well enough to God?So this is teaching us to listen and obey God in all ways yes? To accept his sacrifice and devote our lives to doing good and spreading his word and not doing what is against him.I think this is a very helpful piece for me because I have always wondered why Cain was rejected, I could never understand the reason that he wasn't accepted, but I think I do now.Cain was doing with his head and not with his heart right?
very good way to see it Nivieos with his head and his pride He was going to do his way regurdless of what God had said We see the same today many do as they think/want regurdless of what God says.Very nice post Nivleos, I enjoyed your post very much. That is just a brilliant way to say of Cain. And you are so right about that... Here is mine explanation to your post.Using the head without the heart is very dangerous... Likewise using the heart without the head is very dangerous. To love God, we need both of them and not just one....And Christina, that is a wonderful post and explanation you have as well.
QUOTE (Nivleos @ Feb 21 2009, 06:12 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=69628
So he wasn't listening well enough to God?So this is teaching us to listen and obey God in all ways yes? To accept his sacrifice and devote our lives to doing good and spreading his word and not doing what is against him.I think this is a very helpful piece for me because I have always wondered why Cain was rejected, I could never understand the reason that he wasn't accepted, but I think I do now.Cain was doing with his head and not with his heart right?
very good way to see it Nivieos with his head and his pride He was going to do his way regurdless of what God had said We see the same today many do as they think/want regurdless of what God says.Very nice post Nivleos, I enjoyed your post very much. That is just a brilliant way to say of Cain. And you are so right about that... Here is mine explanation to your post.Using the head without the heart is very dangerous... Likewise using the heart without the head is very dangerous. To love God, we need both of them and not just one....And Christina, that is a wonderful post and explanation you have as well.
I think this is a very helpful piece for me because I have always wondered why Cain was rejected, I could never understand the reason that he wasn't accepted, but I think I do now." -- Nivleos-- I heard this story growing up a number of times before I actually read it, and I, too, was confused as to why God rejected Cain's offerings.But when I was older and finally read the accounting, Genesis 4:6-7 helped make it clear:"Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?"If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."So God didn't just "cut him lose" but told him, as a father would, that if he does better that things will get better and that he must guard against sin in his feelings towards God's reaction and correction.God gave Cain a way to redeem himself and a warning to help minimize his issues if he so chose.
The way I see it Abel represents Jesus, and cain represents mankind. It is an eternal picture of how Mankind basically wants to be accepted by God based on what they offer him, however God does not accept mans good works as an acceptable offering. This causes Mankind to get offended, mankind thinks: 'why does God accept the sacrifice of Jesus (on the cross) but not our own sacrifices and good works?' This is what leads mankind to kill Jesus, because they don't want to learn from him and gain insight into why his offering was what God desired, they want to be considered acceptable by God apart from Jesus by their own good works and sacrifices. There is only one sacrifice God finds acceptable, and that is the sacrifice his son made on behalf of all mankind upon the cross. We therefore are not accepted by our sacrifices and good works, but by our unity to Jesus through faith in his finished work upon the cross, as he has become our acceptance before God by his grace.Here is the Genesis 4 account, I replaced abels name with Jesus, and cains name with mankind, just to help paint the picture: Now Jesus kept flocks, and Mankind worked the soil. In the course of time Mankind brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Jesus brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Jesus and his offering, but on Mankind and his offering he did not look with favor. So Mankind was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the LORD said to Mankind, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." Now Mankind said to his brother Jesus, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Mankind attacked his brother Jesus and killed him. Blue skies,Mick www.searchingforgrace.com
When reading chp 4 of Genessis one word seemed to stand out to me,,, 4And 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: 5But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. I know Abel brung his firstlings to God,,,,but I wonder if Cain saved his best for himself and brought God a bunch of crap.....The scripture seems to indicate that Abel brung his first but it doesnt say the same for Cain,,,well just a thought.....
Nightmare, you and I are in agreement here. This is what I've always thought to be the reason behind the rejection of Cain's offering.Firstlings is basically the word for the best of something. In the case of Cain, I think through a lack of faith (and pride) he kept the offerings to himself that were the choicest and gave God the second best. His MO cannot deviate very far from that of his father.
If you'll notice, all of the sins early on (and really ALL sin) carries the mark of pride that one can pull the wool over the eyes of our Father. The above verse would align with Cain, and would further align with what we can glean from the passage in Genesis. Ultimately, God is indeed a heart-knower, and he knew Cain's heart was not in the offering regardless of how it was carried out. Remember that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil (I Timothy 6:10), and it is all about the me factor. While I cannot document this to the letter, I do believe that Cain brought good produce, but not the best because of the lack of the term firstling or a similar term to distinguish this. I do believe that this disparity served as a type for Christ with Abel's offering(though perhaps the animal sacrifice ordinances had not yet been handed down), but that ultimately we can all agree that God did not find this offering worthy because Cain's heart was not in it.
While this could be true Swampfox and Nightmare I have to wonder why then was it Cain became so angry? He surly thought he had brought the best. If you are going to be of a mind to compete with another ... And are prideful becaue you are sure you have the best to offer... and you just bring garbage why would you expect to win favor?I think its more likley he didnt bring the firstling/best because he did not listen to what God wanted/said ...but listened to the wrong father and his own pride.... brought his own idea of the best ..... rather than just bring what he knew was garbage. Thats my take anyway ..
Not sure if you've ever had this sensation, but have you ever done something half-heartedly thinking you'll get by, but then you get really mad when you're called on it? Not so much at yourself, but that you gave the minimum effort and then the authority in the situation says no, that won't work. (It doesn't have to be anything grand, even the minor things count.) Just my personal view as to what was going on with Cain there.Regardless of how, it definitely comes down to Cain's pride.
Interesting view, you have there SwampFox. In my personal view, there is no such thing as half-hearted... It might change my mind sometimes in the future, but for right now, there is no such thing as half-hearted... Either you do it OR you don't... that's how I see it.
I think the problem with the offereing was one was from the sweat or works; the other was a blood offering. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.
Cain was of the seed of the devil, so he could never be acceptable to God.. 1 jn 3: 12Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous The word of here is the greek word ek meaning out of , from, that is he was of satans offspring as spoken of God back in gen 3 15.. abel was of the seed of the women as spoken of in gen 3 15..for after his death and the birth of seth, she said, the Lord hath appointed me another seed in place of abel..not cain who was the firstborn.. gen 4: 25And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. This strongly suggest that the women God spoke of in gen 3 15 was Eve..else she would not have made this claim, for she made it in faith after hearing the word of God..
Take Cain in Abel: Cain was a grain offering, caused by his own work; Abel’s offering was a blood offering; without the blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth; our righteousness becomes self righteousness. It says what the difference is between the two offerings right in the text: "It was, after the passing of days that Cain brought, from the fruit of the soil, a gift to YHWH,and as for Abel, he too brought--from the firstborn of his flock, from their fat-parts."Cain brought a minha, or a grain offering, which was perfectly alright, in and of itself, but it wasn't the "first-fruits" of the soil. On the other hand, Abel's offering was not only the "firstborn of his flock" but also "from their fat-parts" (i.e., from the choicest parts) and was therefore the doubly superior gift to God.Hebrews 11:3-5 3Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. 4By 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. Both Cain and Abel were born from Adam; God always chooses the second son over the first; Adam the first Adam, Jesus the second. There is a simple order that God has established relative to the progression of Truth and to the creation itself, and it is this: "Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual." (1Cor. 15:46). This principle is evident everywhere in the Scriptures. First the old creation, then the New. First darkness, then light. First a garden in Eden and the tree of life, then the Garden of God and the real Tree of Life. First Adam, then the Last Adam. First the Passover, then the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. First Law, and then Grace. First the typical Feast of Tabernacles, then the unveiled glory of God in the spiritual Feast of Tabernacles. And the wonder of it all is this, that the end of the Old is the beginning of the New; and out of that which is destined to pass away there cometh forth that which is destined to remain. And so it was that God called light out of darkness. It came to pass also that from the first Adam there came Christ, destined not only to become the Last Adam (the last of Adam, the last of the old race), but the Second Man (the beginning of the second creation). Likewise, the Last Passover was the occasion of the true Passover that was sacrificed for us. And when Christ died on the Cross, and the veil of the temple was rent in twain--that was the end of the Law, but it was also the beginning of Grace. God always "taketh away the first, that he may establish the second." (Heb. 10:9). It is important, therefore, that we should always observe that which is first, and natural, and from the natural learn to discern in what way it typifies the spiritual. If we read of the natural Passover, God intends that from the various circumstances and rituals connected with the natural we should hear what He would say to us concerning the spiritual Passover, even Christ.
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