SOAP #1
Scripture
Genesis Ch. 4
Observation
Vs. 1, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” Eve recognizes that she didn’t do this on her own—God blessed her with a son.
Cain was a tiller of the ground, but Abel was a keeper of flocks. The scripture doesn’t really go into detail about their personalities, but I like to think that God gives us interests and likings that we didn’t choose ourselves. I think God made Cain to have more interest in vegatables and fruits, and Abel to be a lover of animals; particularly sheep.
Vs. 3-5, “At harvesttime, Cain brought to the Lord a gift of his farm produce, while Abel brought several choice lambs from the best of his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his offering, but he did not accept Cain and his offering.”
1. Cain was the first one (recorded, at least) to bring offerings unto the Lord! And he was the first one to be rejected!
2. With the way that the sentences are worded, it sounds like Cain just brought some measly old veggies (just a plain, old “gift of his farm produce”) while it is described that Abel brought “several choice lambs from the best of his flock.” According to the law of Moses in regards to offerings, etc. it was not a sin to offer grain/produce as an offering (Leviticus Ch. 2). So there could be two reasons why God didn’t accept Cain’s offering: 1) He didn’t give the best of the best or 2) Cain wasn’t living the right way when he presented the offerings. I think it’s interesting though that Cain was the one who initiated the offerings if indeed his heart and lifestyle was wicked. It could mean that people still have are trying to appear like they’re serving the Lord, or maybe they just don’t see that God doesn’t just want your sacrifices—He wants the sacrifice of your life and your obedience to Him.
3. I was looking at the NASB version of the Bible (one of the versions truest to the original biblical manuscripts) and vs. 4-5 says, “And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard.” Now this is the Bible version closest to the original manuscripts! NLT says, “The Lord accepted Abel and his offering, but he did not accept Cain and his offering,” which isn’t very specific. In the NASB though, it is clear that God approved of Abel and seperately approved of the offering, and he dissapproved of Cain as well as Cain’s offering. There would be a difference if the Bible just said, “The Lord accepted Abel’s offering, but he did not accept Cain’s offering.” It is specific in that He accepted Abel as a person because the offering he presented was acceptable, but he denied Cain as a person as well as his offering. When God denied or accepted the offerings presented, he in turn denied and accepted the person who offered it!
I read this on GotQuestions.org:
“Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve, “in the course of time” brought offerings to the Lord (Genesis 4:3). Without doubt, they were doing this because God had revealed it to them. Some question, “How were Cain and Abel supposed to know what to sacrifice?” The answer is that God must have instructed them. It is clear that the offering was to be a substitutionary atonement, because we read in Hebrews 11:4, “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did.” When Abel came for worship, it was by faith that he brought his offering, the “fat portions from some of the first-born of his flock” (Genesis 4:4). The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, and it was accepted.
His brother Cain brought “some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord” (Genesis 4:3). But on Cain and his offering the Lord did not look with favor. We do not know how He expressed His rejection, but it was evident. In Jude’s epistle, verse 11, we read, “They have taken the way of Cain,” referring to lawless men. This may mean that they, like Cain, disobediently devised their own ways of worship; they did not come by faith. Cain’s offering, while acceptable in his own eyes, was not acceptable to the Lord.”
I thought this was a good point because you can do all sorts of things in the name of the Lord, but it doesn’t mean that you are righteous. It’s not that vegetables were unacceptable as offerings to the Lord—it’s because Cain’s heart was not in the right place before God. 1 John 3:12 says, “..not as Cain, who was of the evil one and sle his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.” The way that Cain acted after being rejected also confirms this. “So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.” A heart after God would have been hurt, but would have thought, “What have I done that didn’t please the Lord?”
I never thought of it, but Abel was the first human being to ever die!
When Cain’s sin is exposed, God tells him he will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth. I thought it was interesting that even though Cain’s sin was great, God still showed His mercy by giving Cain a sign that would tell others (his brothers and sisters no doubt, trying to gain revenge for Abel’s death) not to kill him or he would be punished seven-fold. I also thought it was interesting that even though God told Cain that he would be a wanderer and a vagrant, vs. 16 says, “Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and settle in the land of Nod, eat of Eden.” Settled being the key word. Vs. 17 also says, “Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son.” Cain again disobeys the command of God! And to think that Cain actually talked to God and conversed with Him. This just goes to show that there is a difference between knowing God exists, and having a relationship with God in which you love him and love his commands. Cain was literally in the presence of God and yet he still missed the mark to the point that he murdered Abel and was banished from His presence.
Application
Sometimes, we as Christians can get so caught up in the doing of things—going to church on Sunday Morning, going to Bible study on Thursday night, reading your Bible, etc. that we forget that there is an important relational aspect to Jesus Christ. Doing the above, pursued with good intentions, can actually deeped your relationship with the Lord! But sometimes we do things out of ritual and for the sake of saying that, “I did it!” Looking at Cain’s offering, he did just that—he gave an offering. He presented with the idea that it was acceptable—he saw it as just an act to be approved of. But it’s not just about the doing, it’s about what’s behind what you do!
1 Samuel 15:22 says, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to him is much better than offering the fat of rams.”
I think this was why God didn’t accept Cain. He might have presented an offering before the Lord, but it didn’t amount to anything because behind that offering, Cain was living a life that was not pleasing to the Lord. So in application, I need to make sure that behind all that I do—going to church, doing Bible studies, praying, etc. my heart is in the right place before God. I need to make sure that my intentions are well and that I’m living a life pleasing before Him. Pretty much, that I am not being “fake” in my presentation of myself before the Lord, hiding my dirt behind me. I think Cain fooled himself into thinking that he was righteous as long as he made himself look righteous. I need to make sure that I don’t just know that there is a God, but that I live my life to please the Living God!
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank you for Jesus Christ! I thank you for giving me the ability to know you on a deeper and more personal level. I just pray that in all things I do, behind these things, that I am living the right way before you. You ask for my obedience and not my sacrifices, for what is a sacrifice to you if behind it, I am living a life that is filthy and disgusting to you? Help me to live a life worthy to your calling on my life, and help me to know you. Help me to understand that works without faith is dead! (And thanks for giving me a good opposite-thing happening with works without faith is dead! Haha!) But please help me to understand you more and love you more, so that in all I do, I do it for you. Help me to present myself as a living sacrifice unto you! Thank you, God!
Love,
Me :)
Point: Faith, without works, is dead. But works without faith ain’t nothing to God! ;)
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