God desires us to give our best. This is called giving the first fruits. This means the first agricultural produce of a season, especially when given as an offering to God. It applies to more than agriculture but giving our first and best to God.
The idea that God wants us to give Him our best runs through Scripture. When we look at the last book of the Old Testament, the book of Malachi we see this. When we do not give our best to God, he says we are robbing him. That is a heavy message that God’s people are robbing God.
Now we will be looking at the first book of the Old Testament to see what Adam and Eves sons, Cain and Able to see the first recorded time God’s people bring gifts to God and what it teaches us about giving.
We get a famous expression from this story. That expression is, am I my brother’s keeper? The Bible says Adam and Eve had two son’s Cain and Able. Obviously, they had daughters too. You may ask where Cain got his wife. The humorous reply is. I can’t tell you because I am not Able.
The prohibition to marry family members came in Leviticus 18:19. This was much after the time of Cain and Able. At first it was unavoidable to have a family member as a spouse because all came from the original couple.
In the musical Oklahoma there is a song the farmer and the rancher must be friends.
Cain was a farmer.
Able was a rancher.
Cain worked the soil.
Able kept flocks.
Cain brought the fruits of the soil of the Lord.
Able brought fat portions of some of the firstborn of his flocks.
The Lord did not look with favor on Cain's offering.
The Lord looked with favor on Able's offering.
Able becomes angry and his face downcast.
There is a lesson here in acceptable gifts and unacceptable gifts. Giving is more than financing the Lord’s work. Our giving, when in the right attitude brings us closer to God. We worship when we give our gifts to God, and we give our tithes and offerings to the Lord.
In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. (Genesis 4:3-5)
We should be aware of why some gifts God finds pleasing and other gifts bring his displeasure. Because we want to please God we should study to understand this. One consideration of why Able's gift was pleasing and Cain's was not could be what was offered. We do know from Hebrews 9:22 that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.
So, Cain's offering was an agricultural offering without shedding of blood. Able's offering was an animal offering that there was the shedding of blood. But there must be something else going on here because later there were specifically instructed grain offerings to the Lord like is outlined in Leviticus 2:1. “’When anyone brings a grain offering to the LORD, their offering is to be of the finest flour. They are to pour olive oil on it, put incense on it. (Leviticus 2:1)
It is not what was offered but how it was offered. When Able's offering was brought, it was mentioned verse 4 as he brought the best. When Cain brought his offering, he merely brought something verse 3. If we give our first fruits and our very best to God, it is the indicator of our total dependence on God. It represents our indebtedness to God for everything.
By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. (Hebrews 11:4)
Now we git a better glimpse of what is happening here from this Hebrews passage. The difference is how the gifts were offered. Able gave in faith. Faith pleases God. When we give our first and best we express faith that pleases God.
Let’s look at Cain’s jealousy toward Able.
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”[d] While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. (Genesis 4:6-8)
You know about the theory of natural selection survival of the fittest. This was the opposite. We see here in the first family of the human race the survival of the un-fittest. Let’s see how Cain sunk so low so quickly to murder his own brother.
Cain experienced anger and became downcast because God rejected his offering and looked favorably on Able and his offering. God give Cain a warning about this anger. When we are frustrated and angry and downcast or even when we feel hurt or betrayed by another, then take it to God.
Expressing ill toward the other person will only deepen the anger and breed hatred. God warned Cain. Your emotions are going to ruin you if you don’t begin to deal with them properly. Cain blamed Abel. How ridiculous to blame Able. All Able did was please God.
Cain murdered his brother and would not own up to it. Cain was so full of resentment to his brother he killed him in cold blooded murder. When God approached Cain he didn’t repent. He did not confess and simply denied his actions.
God did not ignore the sin of Adam and Eve and he would not ignore Cain’s either. The curse of Genesis 3:17-19 was added to. Now Cain is consigned to wander.
There is New Testament reflection on this murder by our Lord Jesus.
And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. (Matthew 23:25)
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all. (Luke 11:51)
Jesus states that Cain shed innocent blood. We are called to love and Cain did the opposite.
Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion. (Jude11)
God extends his Grace.
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. (Genesis 4:9-16)
When Adam and Eve fell in sin God did not overlook it. He pronounced a curse and expelled them from the Garden of Eden. For Cain’s sin a curse was pronounced, and he was expelled from the land to become a wanderer.
In the case of Adam and Eve God made the first Messianic promise though the seed of the women. Where sin abounds grace super abounds. God confronts sin but extends grace. God forced Cain to face his sin and Cain complained. God placed a mark on Cain. Not as a murderer but a mark of protection and his care.
Cain never turned to God. We are all sinners. Will you turn to God?
Able"s faith pleased God His faith still speaks. Let us fix out eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith. We must give God our best.
