When you read the Bible, sometimes you don’t understand why God did what he did.
In Genesis 4, Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam, offered sacrifices to God, but Cain’s offering of the produce of the earth was not accepted, but Abel’s offering of the firstborn of the sheep and its fat was accepted.
I am very curious as to why God did not accept Cain’s offering and only accepted Abel’s.
It is not easy to correctly understand God through a few short, abbreviated passages of the Bible. This is because the Bible records vast history from the beginning of mankind to the end, but it is not a detailed record, but a very brief record focusing on the most important and essential content. That’s why John 21:25 says, “I know that even the world will not be able to contain these books if they are written one by one.”
Therefore, when we deal with all the events recorded in the Bible, we must treat them with a broader and deeper perspective, and the fact that God is the truth itself without blemish or blemish, without any error or error, works all things in love and justice. must be clearly believed.
Then, why did God not accept Cain’s offering but only Abel’s?
- Cain and Abel’s Sacrifice Method
Cain and Abel are the sons of Adam and Eve, who were the first humans, after they were expelled from the Garden of Eden because of their sins. Adam lived without lack in the Garden of Eden, and then came to live in this world of tears, sorrow, pain, sickness, and death, so he recalled the past and taught his children many things.
So Cain and Abel learned who God is, why people came to live like this, how they should live in the future, what is the reason for offering sacrifices to God, and how to offer them.
At that time, the sacrificial law was not in the state that Jesus Christ came to this earth and became the propitiation sacrifice for all sinners, so it was a blood sacrifice by slaughtering an animal for the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, Cain and Abel were well aware that God delights in blood sacrifices and blesses them.
But one day, Cain, the older brother, was a farmer and offered sacrifices from the land to the Lord, and Abel was a shepherd, so he offered sacrifices with the firstborn of sheep and their fat.
Therefore, God accepted Abel and his sacrifice, who offered the blood sacrifice according to God’s will, but he did not accept Cain and his sacrifice, who did not do God’s will. - Cain’s sacrifice for not obeying God’s will
In Leviticus 1:2 and below, God is telling the children of Israel that if any of you make an offering to the Lord, they must offer a blood sacrifice of cattle or sheep among livestock. Also, according to Leviticus 23:10-12, if you are to offer the produce of the earth, you must offer it as the first fruit to God, but you must also offer a ram without blemish as a burnt offering.
Cain learned God’s will through his father, Adam, and was taught that he should offer blood sacrifices, but he did not obey God’s will and took the produce of the earth as he wanted and offered sacrifices in moderation.
Also, when his sacrifice before God was not accepted, he became very angry and changed his complexion. In the end, he killed his younger brother who was more righteous and better than him. God’s will is to repent of his mistakes, turn around and obey, and always pray with joy and thanksgiving, but Cain did not repent and pray, but instead became angry and committed the sin of murder.
Even today, like Cain, there are people who practice formal and false worship that God does not accept. People like Cain are people like Cain who know how to worship in spirit and truth, but do worship formally, keep God’s word in mind and do not try to keep it and practice it.
No matter how many words you know intellectually, if you do not practice them and still live in harmony with the world, you must know that you are not worshiping God in spirit and truth, and that God does not accept them. - Abel offered a blood sacrifice by faith
Hebrews 11:4 says, “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, and he received evidence that he was righteous, because God testified of that gift, because he died, but by his faith he speaks.”
Abel offered a blood sacrifice with the firstborn of the lamb and its fat with sincerity in faith. Because life is in blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission (Hebrews 9:22), God wanted a blood sacrifice, and Abel’s sacrifice was acceptable.
This is a spiritual worship offered in spirit and truth in today’s terms. God is pleased with the spiritual worship offered in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24) and blesses us so that we can achieve righteousness, benevolence, and God.
Worshiping in spirit and truth is a worship service that feeds on the words of the 66 books of the Bible in the fullness of the inspiration and influence of the Holy Spirit and offers it with the Holy Spirit within us. It is expressed through thanksgiving, prayers, praise, and offerings. In this way, when you keep and act according to God’s word, you are justified.
Abel did righteousness by offering blood sacrifices according to the word of God. Even though Cain was wicked and angry, jealous, and hated, Abel loved God and loved his brother, but did not resist Cain and was put to death.
Therefore, Abel was a man who loved his brother and did righteousness, and he belonged to God because he loved God, and the reward of the kingdom of heaven is great. In imitation of Abel, we too should offer living sacrifices that are pleasing to God, practice righteousness, and become true righteous people who love our brothers.
እጅግ ተባርክያለሁ
አመሰግናለሁ እግዚአብሔር ይባርክህ።
እኛን ለማነጋገር ነፃነት ይሰማዎ። እና እንጸልያለን