The birth of children is always such a miraculous event. I imagine it must have been particularly amazing for Adam and Eve as they didn't have anyone to tell them what would happen! There was no parent or older sibling, no doctor, no hospital, no pregnancy manual or app to tell her what she could expect during pregnancy and birth. I love the way Eve acknowledges where her help came from, showing that although things had changed a lot since Eden, they knew God had not abandoned them:
"Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man." Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil." Genesis 4:1-2 NIV
As with many brothers, Cain and Abel were quite different in their choice of occupation. Everything seemed to be going okay with the first family until...
"In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, "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 rule over it."" Genesis 4:3-7 NIV
Offerings to the Lord had obviously been established quite early on and although this passage doesn't tell us why Cain's offering was not acceptable, Hebrews 11:4 says: "By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead." This would indicate that perhaps it was the attitude in which the offering was made that could have made the difference between receiving the Lord's favour or not. Whatever the explanation, we can clearly see how the sacrifice of this lamb that Abel brought before the Lord, covered him just like the Passover lamb in years to come would cover a whole family. On the day of Atonement, animal sacrifice covered a nation but when Jesus came, He became the final, perfect sacrifice to cover the sins of the whole world!
"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29 NIV
Cain was obviously very upset that his offering was not favourable in God's eyes. Perhaps his feelings were driven by jealousy as he compared himself to his brother. God knew his heart and came to him individually. He spoke to him, warning Cain about the sin that was 'crouching at his door'. Anger was something Cain needed to get on top of before it took over his mind, emotions and actions completely!
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the joy of children, the miracle of birth and Your hand in creating families. Thank You for this passage today that reminds us to examine the motives behind of the offerings we bring before you. We know that because of Your wonderful grace, we are no longer required to bring offerings for our sins. Jesus has paid it all but still when we do give to You, let us remember that it's the attitude of our hearts that is most important. In light of Your mercy to us, in gratitude, may we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to You (Romans 12:1). May we serve You faithfully all the days of our lives until we meet You face to face, bringing honour to Your Name. Help us when we are tempted to compare ourselves with other Christians. May we instead focus on offering You our very best, by faith.
Thank You so much that we no longer need to make animal sacrifices, as those living under the old covenant did. Thank You that Jesus was the Lamb of God who took away all the sin of the world! Thank You that His blood has completely covered the sin that once separated us from You. Thank You that in Christ Jesus, we who once were far away, have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13)
All glory to His Name,
Amen!
"For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see."
Psalms 36:9 NLT
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Light and Life for Today
Non-FictionA daily devotional for your time alone with God. In an increasingly dark world, more than ever, we need to look beyond what we can see, past our present circumstances. In order to see the light and experience life as our Heavenly Father intended, I...
