Genesis 4:1-7
These verves teach us about our relationship with God. Two men from the same family, made of the same stuff, but responding to God in very different ways. They have different professions but it isn't implied that this was the cause of God's preference for Abel's offering. The single distinguishing factor, that I can see, is Abel brought the firstlings of his flock. Cain just gave God an offering of the ground, maybe it was an after thought when we was drunk on blueberries or when he had made enough smoothies to ensure he could pay the mortgage! Abel's offering on the other hand was an offering of faith. Before Abel had fed his family or satisfied his own hunger pangs, he took the best and gave it to God. This act speaks loudly of Abel's complete trust in God. As we journey into the rest of the bible I think we will see this pattern firmly established. God delights in the faith of those who offer their first fruits to Him. God say's to Cain "if you do well, you will be accepted". In other words if you give your best you will be accepted. God wants our best for himself, not at the cost of those around us but for their enrichment as He truly is sufficient to meet all our needs.
v7 is a strong warning. "Sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it". The personification of sin in this verse is powerful. Sin is described as having 'desire'. In other words, sin is not something passive that sits there as just another choice in our lives but rather something proactive that seeks to seduce us. Sin is a force that is constantly fighting for our souls. We will be pressed on every side to take God of the throne of our lives and place 'self' firmly in His place. Everyday we must take this fight of faith seriously and be vigilant as sin is lurking. Is God getting the first of our lives? The first of our money? The first of our time?
posted by James at 2/13/2006 06:41:00 AM
1 Comments:
With regard to the Cain and Able passage, i think it does teach about bringing God our best etc but i don't think that is the main lesson that God is trying to teach here.
I believe though i cannot prove it with a scripture that when Adam and Eve sinned,and when God sought them out and killed an animal to cloth them, God taught them that now the only way they (sinners) could approach Him (a holy God)was by bringing blood, showing that a life had been taken in place of theirs as atonement for their sin.
I believe that God taught Adam very clearly that now they only basis for fellowsip was by the shedding of blood, and that other than this there was no offering acceptable and no way of sinful man to come near a holy God.
i think Adam passed this down to his sons, and Able obeyed the Lord and brought a blood offering which pleased God and atoned for His sin, Cain however thought that he could appraoch God with the beautiful and ripe produce of the ground, the best of His own efforts, thinking that he could approach God through his way, through his good deeds.
As in salvation mans best efforts, his trust in his own good deeds and efforts to save Himself are an ambomination to God, who has clearly commanded us that noe without blood can we come before Him, and that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins and no acceptance with a holy God, but rather His anger and displeasure.
The neccesity of the blood is a theme that runs through the whole Bible, and i believe that we Christians need to make much of the precious blood of our Lord Jesus, because redemption, His life as the Son of God, his holiness and all His power as God is made avialable to us through the His blood. May we cherish it as we ought and seek to receive the fullness of its power in our souls.
9:41 PM
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