Fulfilling the demands of the Gospel

Yesterday we took a glance at the passages of Genesis 4 where Cain and Abel brought offerings to the Lord. As you recall The Lord's reaction to their offerings was quite different. Able brought the firstlings of his flock, and the fat thereof, and Cain brought the fruit of the ground as an offering to the Lord. The Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering; but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. Yesterday’s Bread ended with questions about why the Lord had not respect for Cain’s offering, and how was it that Cain knew his offering wasn’t accepted? How did Cain and Able know to even make an offering to the Lord? ….I mean, they lived way, way before Moses brought the law and the whole Levcitical system of blood sacrifice that was given to him on by God on Mt Sinai. Let’s look back a little further…back to Adam and Eve…After the fall they made themselves fig leaves to cover their nakedness. Genesis 3:21 says The Lord God replaced their fig leaves with coats of skins. Many believe the Lord was teaching Adam and Eve that the covering they made for themselves wasn’t adequate, and He must have explained the process of redemption. The skins the Lord supplied had to come from the killing of an innocent animal, and this is the first example of the blood sacrifice. This is the first of many examples in the scripture where animal sacrifice occurred prior to the law being delivered to Moses. Adam and Eve must have made sacrifices unto the Lord and they must have taught their children as well that this is what the Lord required. Some scholars think that fire may even have came down from heaven and consumed their sacrifices. The fact that Genesis 4:4 says that Abel offered the firstlings of his flock AND THE FAT THEREOF suggests a burnt offering. Maybe that is how Cain knew his offering wasn’t accepted, if it wasn’t consumed? These are all conjectures but I think the Holy Spirit expects us to think about the details of the Word, or lack of details as we have in Genesis 4, and try to figure out exactly what it is He wants us to understand from the stories. Hebrews 11:4 says “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.”…..This verse in Hebrews is key to understanding the real difference between Cain and Abel and their offerings. Able by faith accepted the Lord’s method of offering and worshipped based on that, understanding that he was incomplete without the Lords method of redemption. Cain on the other hand declared the Lord’s method incomplete by trying to add to it by offering the works of his hands. On the face of it Cain wanting to offer the works of his hands wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it was incomplete. It was a form of worship but inadequate for a right relationship with the Lord. It is so easy to get lulled into this as we go through our religious motions. It is easy for us to forget that our righteousness has nothing to do with how often we attend church, how much bible reading we do, or even how often we pray without all of it being based on how incomplete we are without the covering of the perfect sacrifice offered once for all by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth…for He is the way , the TRUTH, and the Life!
Max and Tammy