A Pleasing Sacrifice
Genesis 4:1-16
"People will be lovers of themselves...without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited...having a form of godliness but denying its power."
(2 TIMOTHY 3:2-5)
Two of my grandsons, brothers, couldn't be more different. One is studious and serious. He loves to sit quietly building with Legos or doing his homework. The other is loud, playful, and in constant motion. Sometimes these differences get in the way of brotherly love.
When God accepted Abel's offering from his flock but rejected Cain's offering from his fields, Cain's and Abel's sibling rivalry escalated. Hebrews 11:4 says that Abel had faith. He loved God. His heartfelt offering was a sincere desire to thank the Lord for His blessings. But Cain lacked faith. His offering was an empty ritual, performed out of duty. Cain's anger with God and Abel grew into hatred, leading him to murder his brother, and distancing him even further from the Lord.
The story of Cain and Abel speaks soberly to us. The world had just begun, and already the deep need for a better sacrifice was there. Abel's faithful gifts pleased God, but nothing would suffice until Jesus Christ laid down His life for His brothers - for you and me.
INSIGHT
"TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE."
(1 SAMUEL 15:22B)
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Job 33-34
Psalm 58
Luke 21
Genesis 4:1-16
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
Cain and Abel
4 Adam[a] lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain.[b] She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth[c] a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 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. ”
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”[d] And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know, ” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth. ”
13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
15 But the Lord said to him, “Not so[e]; if anyone kills Cain , he will suffer vengeance seven times over. ” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod,[f] east of Eden.
Footnotes:
a. Genesis 4:1 Or The man
b. Genesis 4:1 Cain sounds like the Hebrew for brought forth or acquired.
c. Genesis 4:1 Or have acquired
d. Genesis 4:8 Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text does not have “Let’s go out to the field.”
e. Genesis 4:15 Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew Very well
f. Genesis 4:16 Nod means wandering (see verses 12 and 14).
HOME [PART 1]
with Nathan Tasker
Does this world feel like home to you? The more you grow in Christ, the more you long for your eternal home. For the Australian Christian recording artist of the year, this as become truer than ever.
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