Cain's Offering.
By Pose123
@Pose123 (21635)
Canada
June 30, 2008 5:35pm CST
In the book of Genesis Chapter 4 and verses 3-5, we are told how Adam's two sons, Cain and Abel both brought offerings unto the Lord. We are also told that the Lord had respect unto Abel's Offering, but unto Cain's offering, he had not respect. We are not told the reason for this, except for the hint in verse 7, when God's says to Cain "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted"? Had Cain already planned to kill Abel, or was he just jealous of him, or is there a completely different answer?
3 people like this
8 responses
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
30 Jun 08
I never liked that story. It doesn't make sense to me why fruits and vegetables were not as fit an offering as killing an animal. I didn't learn anything rom that story, really. I just wondered what kind of twisted lesson they were trying to teach us about God. Does he punish us for doing our best when someone else does better, or what is better? Why was one son's offering better than the others? That story never sat well with me.
1 person likes this
@capirani (2715)
• United States
9 Aug 08
In churches and Bible studies I have participated in we were taught that: 1. Cain and Abel both knew that the animal sacrifice were preferred--not that they knew why....but the blood sacrifice of the animal was the one that would temporarily cleanse from sin and the grain sacrifice would not. Each sacrifice had it's proper place, but this particular time was the one that was for the animal blood sacrifice. No that is not clearly laid out to us who are not scholars of Bible history and all that stuff. and 2. The pride issue, the selfishness issue maybe...like each of us who might rather give less than our best to our Lord, the animal sacrifice would most likely have been of more monetary value than the grain.
The animal blood sacrifice was the very first sacrifice mentioned in the Bible and that was when God killed animals to provide animal skins to cover Adam and Eve when they had sinned. It was symbolic of the shedding of blood to cover our sins as it had in their case. Apparently the time of the sacrifice in this story of Cain and Abel was one that was supposed to have been for the covering of their sins...Abel provided the proper blood sacrifice and Cain didn't. Not being a scholar myself, I don't know the times and seasons for those things like the scholars who have studied and studied all of this stuff do. But it makes a lot of sense to me.
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
9 Aug 08
Who wrote the Book of Genesis? Who knew how to write? How many generations later was this tale written down? Why do some think this tale is a Myth? Is Faith alone enough to cause you to accept this tale as Fact? Do you believe in Flying Saucers? Who instructed Cain and Abel to bring offerings to God? Why would God need blood offerings, and for what? Is not God, a God of Love? Why would a God of Love need an Offering of any kind? Does any of this make any sense to Anybody?
1 person likes this
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
9 Aug 08
Hi barehugs, Thanks for commenting and of course what you say is very true. God does not require a blood offering, the whole idea is ridiculous. It was the way that people thought of God in those times, but some people still can't see beyond those things. I think our beliefs are very similar. Blessings.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
30 Jun 08
I think Cain was a bit envious of Abel and the jealousy eventually grew into a desire to murder, but I do think the seed was in his heart. As for the offering not being accepted, I do not think it was not because he offered wheat or grapes, but it was his attitude. Instead of being thankful for God for providing the benefits, Cain wanted to show his importance and hated Abel's humility.
I would imagine that Cain seethed whenever he thought of God not accepting his offering, and then he looked at Abel and his hatred grew. Now it could be that he just picked wild grain growing that was not cultivated and thought "why both tilling the soil and making sure that the grain is perfect. I can just pick some wild grain that is not as full as the cultivated grain, after all God would not notice."
Well HE did.
1 person likes this
@irishidid (8688)
• United States
1 Jul 08
I believe it wasn't Cain's offer, but how he presented it to God.
1 person likes this
@blackmantra_x (2732)
• Philippines
1 Jul 08
good day.. My opinion of the verse "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted"? is that Cain didn't offered the best of his crops he kept those for himself while Abel did. Abel offered the best of his livestock to God that's why God was happy with his offerings and accepted it. By the way what happened to Cain? Did he die? or Is he alive until now among our midst waiting for judgment day?
1 person likes this
@Bluepatch (2476)
• Trinidad And Tobago
1 Jul 08
I believe Cain's offering did not have his heart of love with it. He was a jealous man who wanted favour with God but didn't have the right heart.
So, when God rejected his offering he killed Abel.
Its the old story of gain, love of oneself over others. That's what God was against.
You can't offer anything to God unless its grounded in love for others in the first place.
That's the moot point here.
