As promised yesterday, I am starting with the first person mentioned in Hebrews 11 in the “heroes of faith”. It is the son of Adam and Eve, Abel. He also had a brother named Cain that can’t be left out of the story, either. Again, we can remember this story from Sunday school lessons long ago, but let’s take it right from scripture:
“And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And 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 slew him.” -Genesis 4:1-8
Now, in Hebrews 11:4, we see scripture saying: “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.”
Why was Abel’s offering of the fat from his flock, more acceptable than the grain from Cain’s crop? We can’t really make assumptions based on why, but we can see in Hebrews that Abel’s offering came by faith. He offered the very best that he had. Cain was bringing fruit from the ground, which sounds almost like an afterthought. The intention was just to bring something. In the context of the reading, it seems that he brought it with a “because I have to” attitude. Again, not making assumptions…just how I read it and what the Holy Spirit reveals to me…not necessarily saying it is fact. But, I will say that based upon what scripture is saying here, it matters HOW you bring an offering to the Lord, more than WHAT you bring. Offerings done out of habit and ritual instead of love and devotion will always fall short.
How many times have we done things for the Lord because we thought it was what “we are supposed to do”. It could be tradition or habit…and there is no motivation to honor or please the Lord with our offering or sacrifice. Well, unfortunately we are no better than Cain in those moments. The Lord will always accept genuineness and a willing heart to honor Him in humble obedience. Giving our very best (as Abel did with the fat portions) will always be respected by the Lord. He gave us His very best in Jesus and He doesn’t deserve some of what we have…but ALL.
Abel’s faith was a faith based on giving God the very best that he had in that moment. It was carefully considered and based on scripture, his intent was to honor God. He came with an offering that showed sacrifice for him…killing one of his flock that he cared for each day. Now, Cain could have brought the very best that he had in the crops from the field…yet his heart wasn’t on God. There are so many things we cannot discern from the little bit of text that we have been given about this portion of scripture, but I believe they had been instructed on what was acceptable and what was not in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord even told Cain to make it right…yet he did not. That’s the grace of God in Genesis…four chapters in, friend. I love how God doesn’t let us forget that even when we fall short, He gives us an opportunity to make it right!
What can I take from this recount of Abel and his faith?
Always give my best to God. You simply can’t go wrong by doing what is right. God saw something lacking in Cain that was present in Abel. I don’t want God to see anything lacking in me. But, most importantly…I want to always make sure that it isn’t about what I give to the Lord, but how I give it to Him. My best and your best may be two different things, but presentation from a heart eager to please Him is what counts in the eyes of the Lord. Our motive is more important than the mite. If I give with a bad attitude, discontent or a heart that is brewing evil…I can’t expect God to look at my offering with anything other than disrespect.
