why respect for Abel’s offering?

[DPMartin]

Why did the Lord have respect for Abel’s offering?

Gen 4:4 And 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: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Considering that later the Lord has this to say about it:

Isa 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. 12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? 13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

And the question is just what is the offering for?

Exo 24:6 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. 8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

So Adam was the first man and was clothed by God via animal skins to cover their shame and nakedness. Abel offered the first of his flock, and afterwards was the first man to experience death of this life in the flesh, which by the way was at the hand of his brother. Of which the Lord made sure we knew He heard the blood of Abel cry out to Him from the ground.

Therefore, who would the Lord God have respect to? And what good is an offering and the covenant associated to if the Lord God have no respect for the one offering? Hence the offering of His Beloved Son He has total respect for, because He loves His Son.

many souls experienced crucifixion at the hand of the Romans in those days but it was who, that mattered to God.

 

[Nomad]

Why did the Lord have respect for Abel’s offering?

Many think the problem is blood sacrifice versus bloodless sacrifice. Maybe. Due to the fact that things like grain and drink offerings were prescribed under Moses, it's unclear. What we do know for sure is that Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice by faith, (Heb. 11:4). This implies that Cain's sacrifice was offered with the wrong attitude. This brings us to your question regarding Isaiah 1:11. The Lord simply does not accept the sacrifices of hypocrites, which is exactly what your Isaiah texts communicates.

Isa 1:15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
Isa 1:16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil,
Isa 1:17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

 

[DPMartin]

Many think the problem is blood sacrifice versus bloodless sacrifice. Maybe. Due to the fact that things like grain and drink offerings were prescribed under Moses, it's unclear. What we do know for sure is that Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice by faith, (Heb. 11:4). This implies that Cain's sacrifice was offered with the wrong attitude. This brings us to your question regarding Isaiah 1:11. The Lord simply does not accept the sacrifices of hypocrites, which is exactly what your Isaiah texts communicates.

Isa 1:15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
Isa 1:16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil,
Isa 1:17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

there's no disagreement on hypocrites, in respect to your reasons for Abel's acceptance, one could say he was a shepherd therefore might understand what our Lord is like, since its been herdsman since Abraham in God's choosing of servants. which could be a for-shadowing of sorts. could be that the Lord sacrificed animals to cover A&E nakedness, and Abel's offering was in respect to that. honor for honor so to speak.

as you imply it's the person, but God has no respect of person, but He does respect Himself and sees to the fulfillment of His Word. so why would he respect Abel and his offering? thing is it could very well be Abel was to be who he was? for example Noah, was tenth gen from Adam, and Abraham was tenth gen from Noah that's not a coincidence, but a plan.

and seeing that Jesus was crucified as a result of the rage of His brethren in the flesh and it was the Gentiles appeasing the Jews that did the deed, which is another subject.

in the case of Jesus' offering it was who did the offering. in the case of Abel it was God's plan, of which it was also God's plan to have Jesus offer:
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

 

[Harvest 1874]

Since this event is recorded in the scriptures, and the scriptures were written for our benefit profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished unto every good word and work it is prudent that we grasp what specifically the message or lesson the Lord wished to convey by his acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice over that of his brother.

Why did God ask for animal sacrifices in the first place?

"The Apostle Paul unlocks the reason. "For the Law, since it was only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never by the same sacrifices year by year, which they (the Jews) offer continually, make perfect those who draw near…But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year" (Heb 10:1-3). So the sacrificing of animals was a finger pointing to the real cause for the need for the sacrifice of a perfect human life. That cause was sin.

"Therefore the Law has become our tutor [literally: a child-conductor] to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith." These sacrifices–even before the Law Covenant at Mt. Sinai (including Abel’s)–had a message, "For without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins, no forgiveness" (Heb 9:22). But once Jesus (as the lamb slain before the foundation of the world 1 Pet 1:18-20; Rev 5:6) shed his own blood–all the animal sacrifices pointing to his sacrifice of life were made obsolete.”

“The Jews stumbled over the fact that their Messiah first had to die. They missed the point of all those sacrifices! They had no idea that the Messiah would be a priestly (or sacrificing) king. They overlooked the point spoken by "the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer" (Acts 3:18; Luke 24:26) and die, seeing only the promised blessing work of the royal priesthood. Today many "professed Christians" (who appreciate Jesus to some extent) also do not understand that Jesus had to die for sin atonement. They see him as leading a wonderful, exemplary life–but they fail to see the need for blood atonement. However, it is a simple matter of justice: "The wages of sin is death." Since Adam, our first parent, sinned and was condemned to death with all his posterity–in order for him and us to be freed, someone had to die in his place. Jesus satisfied those claims of justice. "My flesh, I give for the life of the world" (John 6:51).”

So then we see that in accepting Abel’s sacrifice our Lord was foreshadowing the necessity of the shedding of blood for the remission of sins, of the death of a redeemer as that sacrifice for sins.

“By faith Abel offered unto God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness borne to him that he was righteous, God bearing witness in respect of his gifts (that witness being God’s acceptance of the offering) and through it he (Abel) being dead yet speaks.” (Heb 11:4)

Abel was led to offer sacrificially an animal, which typified the better sacrifices (Heb 9:23) by which reconciliation will eventually be effected between God and humanity, a sacrifice of life, and therefore a true type of the promised redemptive sacrifice.

 

[Willie T]

The initial and primary recipient of both the respect and the lack of respect was each man, not their offerings. And later when God is talking to Cain, He says "If YOU do right, will not....." Why have we jumped to the offerings instead?

 

[Harvest 1874]

We see the following as allegorical lessons designed to teach a lesson, the lesson being that without the shedding of blood there is no covering, no remission for sins.

“As Adam and Eve were the source of man's fall into sin and death, so their experiences represent mankind in a fallen condition, seeking redemption. As a promise of a seed of deliverance was intimated to Eve, so her sons foreshadow the development of the seed of promise which would deliver mankind.

When Adam and Eve had sinned, they realized a need of a covering. This represents that mankind in their sinful condition require a covering-not of mere clothing, but of righteousness. What would be suitable? "... and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."

We notice two things about this: first, that this covering was provided by Adam and Eve, rather than God, and second, that this covering was evidently unsuitable since God provided them with animal skins later. "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them." (Gen 3:21) Bible Students have seen this to mean, typically, that God provides mankind a covering of righteousness at the cost of life - the shedding of blood being necessary to secure the skins of the animal. In the reality, the cost was the life of Jesus' human nature.

But what of the fig leaf aprons? Do they symbolize something in particular of man's attempt at justification? Yes, they seem to represent efforts toward self-righteousness, self-righteous acts and conduct to act as a covering. This was essentially the hope held out by the Law.

The fig leaf aprons are a good illustration of endeavoring to gain life by righteous works. But alas, a fruitless endeavor! requiring God's provision of the ransom, shown in the animal skins which God provided.

Abel was an illustration of Christ, slain by the rebellious Jewish people. Even the offerings of Cain and Abel to the Lord suggest this. Cain, Israel, offered vegetation - it reminds us of the fig leaf covering. But Abel offered a blood sacrifice, of the first-lings of the flock, just as Jesus offered himself as the spotless Lamb of God to provide the ransom covering for mankind, pictured by the animal skins given Adam and Eve.

Cain's punishment was not death, but to be "a fugitive and a vagabond ... in the earth ... and the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him." Just so, Israel has been a dispersed and fugitive nation during the Gospel age, but a people marked of the Lord to prevent their destruction.” (Beauties in the Truth, Page 2)

“Is there a deeper significance to Abel's offering? Looking back at the scriptures, we see a pattern developing. Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves, but God replaced these garments with animal skins and in doing so sacrificed the life and the blood of the animal. Abel's offering of the firstborn of his flock was acceptable while Cain's offering from the ground was rejected. Noah and the patriarchs offered animals to honor God. This tradition was expanded upon by the tenants of the law. As it says in Heb 9:12, the blood of goats and calves could not redeem man from sin. Finally, Christ gave his all upon the cross; it was not an animal sacrifice but a perfect human life for a perfect human life. We can see in each of these examples, a more progressive and clearer picture of the true sacrifice needed to redeem mankind from their sin-sick and dying condition.”

 

[VictoryinJesus]

Abel offered the first of his flock, and afterwards was the first man to experience death of this life in the flesh, which by the way was at the hand of his brother.

"at the hand of his brother"...I have questions. The scarlet thread:

Genesis 38:28-30
[28] And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first. [29] And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez. [30] And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.

If you look up the names of the brothers: the scarlet thread clearly demonstrates Christ. The other brother means: breach or rupture. If you consider this:

Abel (the perfect sacrifice) and Cain (the breach or rupture/works of man that can't cover sin). Cain slays Abel. Brother slays the perfect sacrifice.

Jacob (loved) and Esau (hated):

Genesis 25:29-32
[29] And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: [30] And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage ; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. [31] And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. [32] And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

Israel and Edom.

Jesus (the scarlet thread/the perfect sacrifice) and Adam (the breach/rupture). You mentioned brothers ,what did Jesus Christ brothers do to Him? What did He do for them? Is the Lord not the "repairer of the breach". Did not Jerusalem, the Jews under the law and works that can not save, do the same as Esau?

Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

Esau went into bondage to be fed Jacobs red meat...same as Adam went into bondage through sin. What good is a birthright...if you are at the point of death? The second Adam: Christ. Adam surrenders his birthright over all man and beast and fowl to Christ for meat. (To eat of The Lords Flesh and blood)

Same as the bondslave that wept in the wilderness. But God showed mercy on her. The gentiles (those once unclean) are brought into the house of God by a Jew(a brother). True Jews and gentiles. Those free and those shown no mercy, until God shows mercy. We call Him the HEALER of the broken. The broken what through sin? The healer of the breach. There are only two brothers. One a perfect sacrifice(the scarlet thread) and the broken brother. Inside of us there is the outward man(broken) and inwardly: a new Spiritual man born(free by Christ). Easu hated(works of flesh) but Jacob loved (works of the Spirit).

If the Law can not give life...
One must come the can give life. God as a man of flesh (the perfect sacrifice for mankind). The Healer. The restorer.

Isa 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. 12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? 13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

Sounds like "hate" as with Esau. I "hate" your works that can not make perfect. But then comes the scarlet thread which does make perfect. Two brothers: one a breach; the other a repairer of the breach. Mercy. As Jesus Christ repaired Adams breach.

Isaiah 58:12
[12] And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

 

[bbyrd009]

The initial and primary recipient of both the respect and the lack of respect was each man, not their offerings. And later when God is talking to Cain, He says "If YOU do right, will not....." Why have we jumped to the offerings instead?

bc that way ppl might see and not see, if they do not relate the symbols correctly, right; they can continue to deceive themselves, iow. Literal "offerings" are strictly the surface story, and have zero to do with the lesson

 

[Harvest 1874]

bc that way ppl might see and not see, if they do not relate the symbols correctly, right; they can continue to deceive themselves, iow. Literal "offerings" are strictly the surface story, and have zero to do with the lesson

If you haven't learn the point behind the "offerings", what the significance in them is then you haven't learn the lesson which the Lord intended to show.

 

[DPMartin]

Since this event is recorded in the scriptures, and the scriptures were written for our benefit profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished unto every good word and work it is prudent that we grasp what specifically the message or lesson the Lord wished to convey by his acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice over that of his brother.

Why did God ask for animal sacrifices in the first place?

"The Apostle Paul unlocks the reason. "For the Law, since it was only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never by the same sacrifices year by year, which they (the Jews) offer continually, make perfect those who draw near…But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year" (Heb 10:1-3). So the sacrificing of animals was a finger pointing to the real cause for the need for the sacrifice of a perfect human life. That cause was sin.

"Therefore the Law has become our tutor [literally: a child-conductor] to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith." These sacrifices–even before the Law Covenant at Mt. Sinai (including Abel’s)–had a message, "For without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins, no forgiveness" (Heb 9:22). But once Jesus (as the lamb slain before the foundation of the world 1 Pet 1:18-20; Rev 5:6) shed his own blood–all the animal sacrifices pointing to his sacrifice of life were made obsolete.”

“The Jews stumbled over the fact that their Messiah first had to die. They missed the point of all those sacrifices! They had no idea that the Messiah would be a priestly (or sacrificing) king. They overlooked the point spoken by "the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer" (Acts 3:18; Luke 24:26) and die, seeing only the promised blessing work of the royal priesthood. Today many "professed Christians" (who appreciate Jesus to some extent) also do not understand that Jesus had to die for sin atonement. They see him as leading a wonderful, exemplary life–but they fail to see the need for blood atonement. However, it is a simple matter of justice: "The wages of sin is death." Since Adam, our first parent, sinned and was condemned to death with all his posterity–in order for him and us to be freed, someone had to die in his place. Jesus satisfied those claims of justice. "My flesh, I give for the life of the world" (John 6:51).”

So then we see that in accepting Abel’s sacrifice our Lord was foreshadowing the necessity of the shedding of blood for the remission of sins, of the death of a redeemer as that sacrifice for sins.

“By faith Abel offered unto God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness borne to him that he was righteous, God bearing witness in respect of his gifts (that witness being God’s acceptance of the offering) and through it he (Abel) being dead yet speaks.” (Heb 11:4)

Abel was led to offer sacrificially an animal, which typified the better sacrifices (Heb 9:23) by which reconciliation will eventually be effected between God and humanity, a sacrifice of life, and therefore a true type of the promised redemptive sacrifice.

nice

what is through your posting is "faith" and the Lord God honors "faith" in Him and His Word therefore would respect. the Lord God has no respect of person, but faith He is Faithful to.

 

[GodsGrace]

Why did the Lord have respect for Abel’s offering?

Gen 4:4 And 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: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Considering that later the Lord has this to say about it:

Isa 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. 12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? 13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

And the question is just what is the offering for?

Exo 24:6 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. 8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

So Adam was the first man and was clothed by God via animal skins to cover their shame and nakedness. Abel offered the first of his flock, and afterwards was the first man to experience death of this life in the flesh, which by the way was at the hand of his brother. Of which the Lord made sure we knew He heard the blood of Abel cry out to Him from the ground.

Therefore, who would the Lord God have respect to? And what good is an offering and the covenant associated to if the Lord God have no respect for the one offering? Hence the offering of His Beloved Son He has total respect for, because He loves His Son.

many souls experienced crucifixion at the hand of the Romans in those days but it was who, that mattered to God.

I agree with you that it was the attitude.
Faith, respect ... Whatever it might have been.
It seems to me that faith was important since that's what saves us to this day.
Ephesians 2:8. We are saved through faith.
And, as we say, it's always the heart condition.

 

[Willie T]

The Bible tells us Able raised animals and Cain tilled the fields.
Able had animals to offer.
Cain did not. He had only what he raised... crops.

If Able offered his best animal....... that would leave only a leftover for Cain to hope to buy from him.

It was NOT "what" each man offered, but rather their heart's attitude in giving the offering. Cain had an attitude problem, and The Lord very openly and plainly said so when He spoke to him about it.

 

[DPMartin]

"at the hand of his brother"...I have questions. The scarlet thread:

Genesis 38:28-30
[28] And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first. [29] And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez. [30] And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.

If you look up the names of the brothers: the scarlet thread clearly demonstrates Christ. The other brother means: breach or rupture. If you consider this:

Abel (the perfect sacrifice) and Cain (the breach or rupture/works of man that can't cover sin). Cain slays Abel. Brother slays the perfect sacrifice.

Jacob (loved) and Esau (hated):

Genesis 25:29-32
[29] And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: [30] And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage ; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. [31] And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. [32] And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

Israel and Edom.

Jesus (the scarlet thread/the perfect sacrifice) and Adam (the breach/rupture). You mentioned brothers ,what did Jesus Christ brothers do to Him? What did He do for them? Is the Lord not the "repairer of the breach". Did not Jerusalem, the Jews under the law and works that can not save, do the same as Esau?

Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

Esau went into bondage to be fed Jacobs red meat...same as Adam went into bondage through sin. What good is a birthright...if you are at the point of death? The second Adam: Christ. Adam surrenders his birthright over all man and beast and fowl to Christ for meat. (To eat of The Lords Flesh and blood)

Same as the bondslave that wept in the wilderness. But God showed mercy on her. The gentiles (those once unclean) are brought into the house of God by a Jew(a brother). True Jews and gentiles. Those free and those shown no mercy, until God shows mercy. We call Him the HEALER of the broken. The broken what through sin? The healer of the breach. There are only two brothers. One a perfect sacrifice(the scarlet thread) and the broken brother. Inside of us there is the outward man(broken) and inwardly: a new Spiritual man born(free by Christ). Easu hated(works of flesh) but Jacob loved (works of the Spirit).

If the Law can not give life...
One must come the can give life. God as a man of flesh (the perfect sacrifice for mankind). The Healer. The restorer.

Isa 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. 12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? 13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

Sounds like "hate" as with Esau. I "hate" your works that can not make perfect. But then comes the scarlet thread which does make perfect. Two brothers: one a breach; the other a repairer of the breach. Mercy. As Jesus Christ repaired Adams breach.

Isaiah 58:12
[12] And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

note that its was Pharez first to come into the world as though he was chosen, and for what reason you may ask:

Rth 4:12 And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman. 13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. 14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. 15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. 16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. 17 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David. 18 Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, 19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, 20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, 21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, 22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

the Lord God of Israel showing His choice through out their history. which means something when you read


Mat 1:3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; 4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6 And Jesse begat David the king;


which so happens to be:

Mat 1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.


Adam to Noah ten gen.'s Noah to Abraham ten gen.s plus three 14's is 62 generations from Adam to Christ. these things are affirmations to who someone is in the eyes of their God.

using something to mark the first of twins was probably common practice with midwives of the day, but in this case it was miraculous in such events.

chosen, in this case in your posting, its all about the chosen of God.

 

[bbyrd009]

He had only what he raised... crops.

which we can even read are perfectly acceptable offerings in other venues, right

 

[DPMartin]

We see the following as allegorical lessons designed to teach a lesson, the lesson being that without the shedding of blood there is no covering, no remission for sins.

“As Adam and Eve were the source of man's fall into sin and death, so their experiences represent mankind in a fallen condition, seeking redemption. As a promise of a seed of deliverance was intimated to Eve, so her sons foreshadow the development of the seed of promise which would deliver mankind.

When Adam and Eve had sinned, they realized a need of a covering. This represents that mankind in their sinful condition require a covering-not of mere clothing, but of righteousness. What would be suitable? "... and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."

We notice two things about this: first, that this covering was provided by Adam and Eve, rather than God, and second, that this covering was evidently unsuitable since God provided them with animal skins later. "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them." (Gen 3:21) Bible Students have seen this to mean, typically, that God provides mankind a covering of righteousness at the cost of life - the shedding of blood being necessary to secure the skins of the animal. In the reality, the cost was the life of Jesus' human nature.

But what of the fig leaf aprons? Do they symbolize something in particular of man's attempt at justification? Yes, they seem to represent efforts toward self-righteousness, self-righteous acts and conduct to act as a covering. This was essentially the hope held out by the Law.

The fig leaf aprons are a good illustration of endeavoring to gain life by righteous works. But alas, a fruitless endeavor! requiring God's provision of the ransom, shown in the animal skins which God provided.

Abel was an illustration of Christ, slain by the rebellious Jewish people. Even the offerings of Cain and Abel to the Lord suggest this. Cain, Israel, offered vegetation - it reminds us of the fig leaf covering. But Abel offered a blood sacrifice, of the first-lings of the flock, just as Jesus offered himself as the spotless Lamb of God to provide the ransom covering for mankind, pictured by the animal skins given Adam and Eve.

Cain's punishment was not death, but to be "a fugitive and a vagabond ... in the earth ... and the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him." Just so, Israel has been a dispersed and fugitive nation during the Gospel age, but a people marked of the Lord to prevent their destruction.” (Beauties in the Truth, Page 2)

“Is there a deeper significance to Abel's offering? Looking back at the scriptures, we see a pattern developing. Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves, but God replaced these garments with animal skins and in doing so sacrificed the life and the blood of the animal. Abel's offering of the firstborn of his flock was acceptable while Cain's offering from the ground was rejected. Noah and the patriarchs offered animals to honor God. This tradition was expanded upon by the tenants of the law. As it says in Heb 9:12, the blood of goats and calves could not redeem man from sin. Finally, Christ gave his all upon the cross; it was not an animal sacrifice but a perfect human life for a perfect human life. We can see in each of these examples, a more progressive and clearer picture of the true sacrifice needed to redeem mankind from their sin-sick and dying condition.”

you might note that it was the life of what was innocent life that was victimized (sacrificed) for the covering of A&E, and why not just use some sort of fabric like material? also why was A&E's life, that we receive when born into the world, unacceptable? you didn't do what A&E did, but yet you are just as condemned to return to the earth (dust to dust ashes to ashes) when you come into the world.

 

[Windmillcharge]

Why did the Lord have respect for Abel’s offering?

Cain's offering was rejected because of his attitude, so it follows that Abels was accepted because 1, he offered correctly, that is the first and best of his flock. and 2, of his attitude.

 

[Willie T]

which we can even read are perfectly acceptable offerings in other venues, right

Yes. The Bible speaks of offering "of the first-fruits of YOUR LABOR."

 

[charity]

Why did the Lord have respect for Abel’s 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.'
(Heb 11:4)

Hello @DPMartin,

Both Cain and Abel were born to fallen Adam, and bore his 'likeness', as Seth did later ( Gen,5:3), so in both therefore there was, 'no good thing' (Rom.7:18), for they would have inherited their sinful condition from Adam. So both were equally 'sinners' in God's sight. However it is obvious that the means of approaching God through the blood of a lamb, had been told them (Heb.9:22), otherwise it could not have been said of Abel, in Hebrews 11:4, that he, 'by faith' offered a better sacrifice than Cain: for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom.10:17). They both had to have heard what God required of them, in the way of sacrifice, and Abel obviously obeyed and Cain preferred to do what was right in his own eyes. Therefore God accepted Abel's sacrifice, and not that of Cain.

In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[Willie T]

Hello @DPMartin,

Both Cain and Abel were born to fallen Adam, and bore his 'likeness', as Seth did later ( Gen,5:3), so in both therefore there was, 'no good thing' (Rom.7:18), for they would have inherited their sinful condition from Adam. So both were equally 'sinners' in God's sight. However it is obvious that the means of approaching God through the blood of a lamb, had been told them (Heb.9:22), otherwise it could not have been said of Abel, in Hebrews 11:4, that he, 'by faith' offered a better sacrifice than Cain: for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom.10:17). They both had to have heard what God required of them, in the way of sacrifice, and Abel obviously obeyed and Cain preferred to do what was right in his own eyes. Therefore God accepted Abel's sacrifice, and not that of Cain.

In Christ Jesus
Chris

You probably shouldn't tell people Cain and Abel were under a "law" that would not be given for thousands of years in the future. The only law we are told of that God gave their parents was not to eat the fruit of a certain tree.

 

[bbyrd009]

Yes. The Bible speaks of offering "of the first-fruits of YOUR LABOR."

one was a shepherd, the other plowed his own ground. And Abel comes later, in this case. It's an ancient concept, since Babylon even
repeated at the cross
these are all me