Cain's Offering

What was wrong with Cain's offering? Why did God reject Cain's offering and accept Abel's?

www.fbcallen.org

www.pmvministries.org

👉 For updates and resources check out pmvministries.org

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What was wrong with Cain's offering in Genesis chapter 4? Have you ever wondered that? We see that God did not accept his offering. He did accept Abel's, and that led to some bitterness in Cain's heart where he ended up killing his brother Abel. So what was the deal with that? Well, in Genesis chapter 4, as it's talking about Adam and Eve and how they've had these sons, and they have Cain and Abel, it says in Genesis 4 verse 3, and in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Now it says an offering. It doesn't say his first fruits or anything like that. And I think that, in light of what we're about to see with Abel, is key to understanding maybe why God did not accept his offering. There is nothing wrong with bringing fruit of the ground. In the Old Testament, in the law, we see that there were grain offerings. So it's not that it was fruit versus Abel bringing an animal, but I think it was that Cain did not bring the best. He brought something. And he's immediately contrasted to Abel in the very next verse, verse 4. Abel also brought of the firstborn, the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. So the fat would have been the best. So the firstborn and the fat versus just an offering. And I think that's purposeful. I think the author of Genesis, Moses, is letting us know something about this offering and why one was accepted and why the other wasn't. But it says, but he did not, verse 5, that's God respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. Now here's another key in the next verse here. So the Lord God said to Cain, Why are you angry? Why is your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door and its desire is for you, but you should rule over it. So obviously we know that Cain had some sort of an understanding of God's expectation. And Cain willfully did not fulfill God's expectation for that sacrifice, for that offering. So that was the heart of it, that God had an expectation, Cain knew it, and he did not bring what God had required, where Abel did. And then God says, sin is crouching at the door. So there's this image of a tiger. We've already talked about this with man's desire and woman's desire for one another, woman to overthrow man, man to rule harshly over woman. It's the same word. And it's this picture of a tiger that is on a person's doorstep. It's like a pet. And day after day they go in and out and they're petting this pet tiger. But one day, the tiger decides that its desire is for this man that's been going in and out. And the tiger pounces on him and overpowers him. That's the word picture here that we have in Genesis 4, where God is saying, Look, Cain, sin is coming after you. See, because of Adam and Eve's sin, Cain was born with a sinful nature. And this sinful nature was trying its best to work its way out and rule over Cain. But God says its desires for you, but you should rule over it. Now fast forward to this side of the cross as we turn from our way, as we turn from the false things we're trusting in, as we look to Jesus, as we believe in him unto salvation, trusting him by faith through the grace of God to save us. We're not only forgiven of our sins, we're not only promised heaven, we are given life now. And the sign of that is God's Spirit who comes to dwell in us. And the Bible says that greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. So is Satan after you? Yes, every day he wants to destroy you. Do you have a sinful nature that wants to overthrow you? Yes, every day it is screaming, trying to work its way out to overpower you. But what's more, we have a risen, resurrected, reigning Savior who has already defeated death, hell, and the grave, he's overcome sin, and he's paid the penalty of our sin in his body on the cross. And he has promised that by faith in him we have forgiveness over sin, the victory over sin. We are filled with his spirit, and we have in Christ, in his spirit, the ability to not have sin overpower us, but for us to rule over it. That is to conquer it. That is why the Bible also says that there is no temptation that is overtaking you except which is common to man. But with the temptation, God will provide a way out that you may stand up under it. God is not going to abandon you to temptation and just allow you to be overrun by it. We have a Savior who has conquered sin and his spirit in us gives us everything we need. Will we still mess up? Yes. Do we have times of weakness? Yes. But that's where grace comes in. Not a grace to be violated and just misused and say, well, God's gracious, so I'm just going to keep sinning. No, no, no. If that's your concept of grace, Paul already addressed that in Romans. You don't understand grace at all. But grace allows us to get up when we have failed. The grace of God in Jesus gives us the second try, the third try, the more tries each time if we are willing to get up and try again in his power, in his strength for his glory. So again, Cain, we don't exactly know what the deal was, but I think the text hints at at least two things, or points to at least two things, stronger than a hint, that God had an expectation that Cain did not meet. He knowingly did not meet it, and he brought just something rather than his best. So that tells us something at least about why Cain's offering was rejected and God accepted Abel's. I hope you have a great rest of your day. Thank you for joining me. If you like this content, make sure to like, subscribe, hit the notification bell, follow, do whatever you need to do to be notified of new content in the days ahead. God bless you.