Why was the Lord displeased with the sacrifice that Cain offered in the Book of Genesis? Was it simply because the Lord desired animal sacrifice? Perhaps the Lord preferred pastoralists over agriculturalists? No, the answer is clear to this believer and we need to seek the answers from the Bible itself--that is, allow the Word of God to reveal those answers which we seek. We’ll go to the applicable verses now.
Genesis 4:3-7 (KJV)
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
4 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:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen?
7 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.
The primary difference is between verses three and four. Note that Cain brought “of the fruit of the ground” and Abel brought “of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof.” Did you catch that? One more time for clarification! Cain brought “of the fruit” and Abel brought “of the firstlings of his flock”. Cain neither brought the first fruits nor the best thereof! Hence, the Lord did not have respect for Cain’s offering. It is apparent that Cain thought that he could make an offering acceptable to the Lord with minimal effort and that it would still be pleasing to the Lord! In essence, he was trying to shortchange the Lord. So what happened next?
Cain became angry and his countenance fell when the Lord did not respect the offering that he had brought. Did Cain have justification for this anger? Absolutely not! To wit, it is a defensive reaction that almost all humans have when they are “caught in the act” as it were. We’ve all seen it and many of us have done it ourselves. When we are exposed, we tend to initially react with unjustified anger. Then we become sad or embarrassed. If we are stubborn and refuse to accept our own culpability, then we perhaps become bitter and hold a grudge. These reactions are typically driven by jealousy, narcissism or self-righteousness. So how do we know that Cain was “lazy” and did not offer the first fruits and best of his field?
The confirmation that Cain did not offer the best of his field come in verses six and seven. The Lord asks Cain about his reaction and then tells him exactly why his offering was not pleasing. Let’s look briefly at verse seven again…
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.
We should all try our best and we should all offer our best for the Lord! Ask yourself Who does the universe and all that lies within it belong to? Do we have anything lest the Lord provides it to us? In the story of Cain and Abel, is it Cain who was disrespected or the Lord? So remember the lesson derived from this story and apply it in your life and service to the Lord! Don’t offer just fruit or from the flock, but rather offer the Firstfruits and the Firstlings of the flock! Give to God only your absolute best and you will be accepted!
Author Resource:-
I am a perpetual student and servant of the Lord.
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