Personally, reading the history of cain and abel has always been one of those bible passages i always go back to try to completely understand what god is trying to tell me in this passage. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when god spoke well of his offerings. Exegetes have come to differing conclusions throughout the years. And in process of time it came to pass, that cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto jehovah. The result of their worship before the lord was that jehovah had respect unto abel and his offering. The story of cain and abel adam made love to his wife eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to.
Also for adam and his wife the lord god made tunics of skin, and clothed them. He knew that god required death, which was symbolized by the shedding of blood. God showed favor upon abel s sacrifice because it was an offering that came from the best abel had to give. Each of them presented a sacrifice to god but it was accepted only from abel, because of. Truly, cain s sacrifice and abel s sacrifice were very different. Abels sacrifice was preferred because god originally planned preferred for men to live as huntergatherers like abel, which would respect and not exploit the nature of the planet, whereas cain, through doing agriculture, was not respecting the nature of the planet, was using up scarce resources in order to grow food, and by being a farmer, wasnt living as god intended. Abels sacrifice is accepted, but cains sacrifice is not. Why did cain offer a sacrifice to god in genesis 4.
We cant say for certain that the quality of cains offering was inferior. One popular interpretation is that abels sacrifice was more acceptable because he offered a blood sacrifice while cain. By faith abel offered god a better sacrifice than cain did. The story of cain and abel is one of sibling rivalry and murder. In this chapter of genesis, we witness the first murder ever recorded in the scriptures as we see cain become so enraged with jealousy over his younger brother that he ends up taking his life.
One day cain and abel made sacrifices to the lord to worship and thank him. First, we know this wasnt the first offering recorded in scripture, the very first offering was made in genesis 3. Cain and abel adam made love to his wife eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to cain. What was wrong with cains sacrifice compared to abels a lesson for our day. The brothers made sacrifices to god, each of his own produce, but god favored abel s sacrifice instead of cain s. When cain and abel, the first two sons of adam and eve, presented their sacrifices before the lord abels sacrifice was accepted while cains was rejected. Over the years, several different explanations have been offered. Jan 21, 2020 cain and abel, the sons of adam and eve, in the course of time brought offerings to the lord genesis 4. The simplest answer to the question, where did abel get the idea to sacrifice sheep is from watching cain. So it came about in the course of time that cain brought an offering to the lord of the fruit of the ground. The next time we hear anything about a sacrifice it involves adams two sons.
Was a human sacrifice at the center of the controversy between cain and abel. God knew what was in cains heart when cain made the offering, since. Why did god reject cain s sacrifice, but accepted abel s. On the birth of abel and the sacrifices offered by him. However, abel brought forth a bloody sacrifice, and the fat thereof. Both luther and calvin, for instance, thought it was simply a case of gods preferring abel over cain, and thus preferring abels offering. Feb 02, 2016 one day cain and abel made sacrifices to the lord to worship and thank him.
And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. She said, with the help of the lord i have brought. These two worked at different occupations cain as a farmer, abel as a shepherd, but the true difference between them is found in their relationship to god. Or, the evil works could refer to cain s offering itself. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to god must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those.
The brothers made sacrifices to god, each of his own produce, but god favored abels. Cain talked with abel his brother, and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that cain rose up against abel his brother and killed him. Cain brought some of the produce from the land while abel brought the first born of his sheep. What is the significance and nature of cain and abels gifts. By faith abel offered unto god a more excellent sacrifice than cain hebrews 11. By faith he was commended as righteous when god gave approval to his gifts. It is both his lack of faith and the wrong sacrifice that led to god rejecting him 1 cor. Why was abel s sacrifice more acceptable than cain s. And in the process of time it came to pass that cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the lord. Abel, not less grateful for the produce of his fields and the increase of his flocks, brought a similar offering, and by adding a sacrifice to it paid a proper regard to the will of god as far as it had then been revealed, acknowledged himself a sinner, and thus, deprecating the divine displeasure, showed forth the death of christ till he came. Why did god accept abels offering but reject cains offering. Nov 21, 2008 can we even be clear that either cain or abel knew exactly what would be pleasing to god as a sacrifice ahead of time. Jul 03, 2014 though some believe the first sacrifice in the bible is found in genesis 3.
Abel came as a sinner, and according to gods appointment, by his sacrifice expressing humility, sincerity, and believing obedience. Some say it was that abels sacrifice was accepted because it. Abel made sacrifice for himself, seeking atonement for sin, so that he might be righteous. God said this to cain after cains sacrifice was not accepted, but before cain killed his brother abel.
God bore witness to abels righteousness by accepting his gift. Cain brought to god beautiful vegetables and delicious fruit. English chinese what was different about cain and abels offerings to the lord. When abel has his sacrifice accepted by god but cain has his rejected, cain cannot control his anger and murders his brother. Cain and abel were the first and second sons of adam and eve. In the bible, why did cain give a vegetable offering to. It had nothing to do with what each man brought, but rather, the condition of their hearts. It all began on a day when cain and abel had brought. Cain and abel in the bible biblical archaeology society. Was cains sacrifice rejected because it was not like abel.
And in the process of time it came to pass that cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the. Cain then murdered abel, whereupon god punished cain by condemning him to a life of wandering. And the lord looked with favor on abel and his offering, 5but he had no regard for cain and his offering. I would encourage you to be careful with the scripture when going into such an inquiry as your question is based on conclusions that may or may not be accurate. He left out the important part recognition of his need to the redeemer. And in the process of time it came to pass that cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to. Cain sacrifice was unacceptable to god, but abel offered an acceptable one. In todays post, we look at the question about why god rejected cains sacrifice but accepted abels. She said, with the help of the lord i have brought forth a man. In genesis 4, did cain and abel have previous knowledge of. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to god must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. Because of cains sin, he is branded with a mark and sent away.
When god did not accept it but did accept abels sacrifice, cain drew abel away from where the family was living and then killed him. Without doubt, they were doing this because god had revealed it to them. Because of cain s sin, he is branded with a mark and sent away. Each of them presented a sacrifice to god but it was accepted only from abel, because of the latters righteous attitude and his faith and firm belief in god. The first example of sacrifice in the bible is found in the account of cain and abel. And abel was a keeper of sheep, but cain was a tiller of the ground.
Did cain know he was offering an unacceptable sacrifice. By faith abel offered unto god a more excellent sacrifice than cain. Cain s heart needed to be right, but also the sacrifice had be right for it to be accepted by god, and faith must accompany the sacrifice otherwise it become a ritual. Why does god accept the sacrifice of abel but reject the sacrifice of cain. Did god reject cains sacrifice simply because he did not give his best or was it because it was not a blood sacrifice like abels. In fact, not one word is recorded from living abel. In genesis 4, did cain and abel have previous knowledge from god about the required sacrifice. Yesterday we discussed why cain attempted to make an offering to god in the first place. Why did god accept abels offering and reject cains. If, as seems probable, ham was the first egyptian ruler, we may reasonably assume that human sacrifice and cannibalism both of which were practiced in egypt were instituted by him, for from all we gather about him from the bible and ancient records, he went in the way of cain therefore, cain was probably the instigator of. Some say it was that abels sacrifice was accepted because it was a blood sacrifice, demonstrating and foretelling jesus christs sacrifice of his flesh and blood for the sins of the world, whereas cains was rejected because it wasnt an offering in blood. And the lord had respect unto abel and to his offering.
Abel and his offering, but for cain and his offering he had no regard. On the birth of abel and the sacrifices offered by. Even with all this circumstantial evidence, we dont absolutely know that god required a blood sacrifice of cain. The text goes on to say that abel brought an offering also, but since he was a keeper of sheep. By faith abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice than cain, through which he received approval as righteous, god bearing witness by accepting his gifts. The older brother was cain and the younger was abel. While cain was a farmer, abel was a skilled shepherd who took care of the familys animals. May 21, 2017 was a human sacrifice at the center of the controversy between cain and abel. The first sacrifice, physical death seen in the bible is by god himself, who out of necessity slain an animal in front of the only two humans alive. When cain and abel, the first two sons of adam and eve, presented their sacrifices before the lord abel s sacrifice was accepted while cain s was rejected. Feb 05, 2019 why does god accept the sacrifice of abel but reject the sacrifice of cain. In the biblical book of genesis, cain and abel are the first two sons of adam and eve.
Was cains sacrifice rejected because it was not like abels, one of blood. John says that cain slew abel because his works were evil, while those of his brother were just 1 john 3. When abel saw cain make an offering to the lord, he was prompted to do the same. Elsewhere we read, by faith abel offered to god a more excellent sacrifice than cain hebrews 11. He had a spiritual nature, a spiritually fertile mind, that cain did not have. By faith, abel offered to god a more excellent sacrifice than cain, through which he had testimony given to him that he was righteous, god testifying with respect to his gifts. Out of jealousy, cain takes his brother out into the field and kills him. Cain brought a sacrifice of the fruit of the ground. Perhaps cain was too proud of the work he put into growing their food and decided that was good enough to be offered to god. Cain and abel, the sons of adam and eve, in the course of time brought offerings to the lord genesis 4. Of adams first children, cain was the elder son and abel the younger.
So it would seem that pride, jealousy and anger led to abel being murdered. What was wrong with cains sacrifice compared to abels a. The sequel of the story shows us the evil disposition of cain s heart. God bore witness to abel s righteousness by accepting his gift. Because blood sacrifice was required to be done by abelabel who obeyed, it was shadow of things to come e. Did abel or cain offer a lamb in sacrifice to god comments. According to the genesis account, it appears that adam and eves first and second born children were boys cain and abel. What was the difference between those two sacrifices. Why did god accept abel s sacrifice, and refuse cain s sacrifice. Cain and abel and their sacrifices for the umpteenth time. Why was abels sacrifice more acceptable than cains. The sequel of the story shows us the evil disposition of cains heart. The genesis passage in question does say that cains sacrifice was rejected and that i.
Where in the scriptures does it say that god told cain and abel to. Archive of comments and discussions questions and answers from. By faith abel offered to god a better sacrifice than cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, god testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. God had not yet commanded sacrifices and offerings, so why did cain give one to god. Did god require an animal sacrifice blood sacrifice on this occasion. Why did god accept abels offering but reject cains. The real reason god rejected cains sacrifice welcome. Though some believe the first sacrifice in the bible is found in genesis 3.
In this case, cain could have had an unrepentant heart, and god may have rejected the sacrifice because of cain s unrepentant attitude. As for abel, he brought to god the blood of a lamb without blemish. The story of cain and abel in genesis 4 tells much more about cain than abel. Abel saw himself a sinner, and he saw sin and its penalty, death, standing between his soul and connection with god.
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. One popular interpretation is that abel s sacrifice was more acceptable because he offered a blood sacrifice while cain. What i am trying to figure out is if the bible tells us what made abel s sacrifice better than cain s. That is, cain brought the lord gifts which came as a result of his daytoday work. The new testaments commentary on this passage offers us some insight. And abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat. What was wrong with cains sacrifice compared to abels. And abel was a keeper of flocks, but cain was a tiller of the ground. By faith abel offered unto god a more excellent sacrifice, etc. God accepted abels offering and rejected cains hebrews 11. When god shows disappointment in cains sacrifice and pleasure in abels, cain kills abel with a stone.
What was wrong with cain s sacrifice compared to abel s a lesson for our day. Some question, how were cain and abel supposed to know what to sacrifice. The story of cain and abel adam made love to his wife eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to cain. Now abel was a keeper of sheep, but cain was a tiller of the ground. What i am trying to figure out is if the bible tells us what made abels sacrifice better than cains. We greet you in the name of god, the lord of peace, who wants everyone to understand and submit to the way of righteousness that he has established, and have true peace with him forever. Abel s sacrifice is accepted, but cain s sacrifice is not. Cain, the firstborn, was a farmer, and his brother abel was a shepherd. In verse 4, we read, by faith abel offered to god a more acceptable sacrifice than cain. The text brings before our notice three chief points.
552 794 732 364 905 4 237 1056 1020 1538 22 136 1333 600 1177 1427 1397 23 1539 1252 1078 1170 935 815 1376 1050 834 1237 921 734 1545 134 1130 1105 376 1039 1246 156 1047 266