Genisis 4

[00Bolt]

My wife and I committed to reading the entire bible this year. We started Jan 1 and have read a couple pages every night (following a 1 year bible plan)

anyway, Iv never read the bible before and was always hesitant because it gets really confusing to me. But i prayed and have made up my mind to REALLY try

anyway, last night we read about the offspring of Adam and Eve (Cain and Able)... So far I totally understand 99% of everything... my one question though is this...

in Genisis 4....

When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain was a farmer. At harvesttime Cain brought to the LORD a gift of his farm produce, while Abel brought several choice lambs from the best of his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his offering, but he did not accept Cain and his offering. This made Cain very angry and dejected


my question is... why did the Lord reject Cains harvest? was it just a test or was there some reason for this?

 

[wild01]

My wife and I committed to reading the entire bible this year. We started Jan 1 and have read a couple pages every night (following a 1 year bible plan)

anyway, Iv never read the bible before and was always hesitant because it gets really confusing to me. But i prayed and have made up my mind to REALLY try

anyway, last night we read about the offspring of Adam and Eve (Cain and Able)... So far I totally understand 99% of everything... my one question though is this...

in Genisis 4....

When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain was a farmer. At harvesttime Cain brought to the LORD a gift of his farm produce, while Abel brought several choice lambs from the best of his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his offering, but he did not accept Cain and his offering. This made Cain very angry and dejected


my question is... why did the Lord reject Cains harvest? was it just a test or was there some reason for this?

bolt
note that the passage specifies that able brought the best he had, while cain some of his produce, man looks at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart. one can deduce from this passage that while Cain may have gone through the motions of sacrifice, Able truely put God first.

granted this is somewhat left to assumtion, but if God judges the heart, and he does, we can assume based on what God has revealed to us about His nature that cain's heart was not in the sacrifice

 

[Serapha]

my question is... why did the Lord reject Cains harvest? was it just a test or was there some reason for this?

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There are several thoughts concerning the sacrifices... Some feel that because God has always required a blood sacrifice for atonement of sin that Cain's offering was less that acceptable... The footnotes to Josephus state that the reason God rejected Cain's offering was because it was forced from the ground, not a natural occurrence as in the birth of a lamb being made as an offering.​

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Still others feel that it was the attitude of Cain... that his heart was reluctant to give.​

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We really don't know the answer for we don't know the mind of God.​

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Keep posting your questions... and keep studying the Word of God. ​

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~serapha~​

 

[suzybeezy]

Good question. That's one I also always had but never asked. Keep up the reading and keep up the questions, they could help others out here.

I was once on another website and tried to analize a scripture on my own, I came up completely wrong and way off track. I posted my thought and then some very wise posters helped with their advise. I took that advise and reviewed it with some people from church for verification. That's also a good idea. But this website has a lot of good posters with some interesting input.

Plus I think you and your wife with enjoy the closeness that reading together will bring you. I tried to do it with my husband, but he kept forgetting and we didn't stay in sync. I encourage you to stick with it together.

 

[Crazy Liz]

my question is... why did the Lord reject Cains harvest? was it just a test or was there some reason for this?

Congratulations on your decision to read the Bible this year, 00Bolt!

I would just like to encourage you on asking a good question. Theologians, both Jewish and Christian, have been asking this question for thousands of years. The answer is: Nobody really knows. There are a lot of speculations and conjecture, but no reason is given in scripture.

Asking the question shows me you succeeded, at least with this chapter, in reading the Bible open-mindedly, without Sunday School preconceptions. I was always told in Sunday School that God only accepts blood sacrifices for sin, not vegetable sacrifices, but that's not completely true. The Law (as you will see when you get to Leviticus!) prescribes sacrifices from each of the classical categories of matter - animal, vegetable and mineral, although the animal sacrifices are the most important.

This is one of many questions you may not be able to find an answer for. Don't let such questions discourage you. There are a lot of mysteries in scripture.

 

[davidoffinland]

From Finland.

There are couple of good comments in my Jewish commentary that I will quote:

1. Abel´s offering was giving in a spirit of humility while Cain´s was in a spirit of arrogance.

2. God detested both Cain and his offering because Cain did not offer his sacrifice until he filled his own belly, and then gave of the leavings: wheras Abel gave of the firstlings, before enjoying any personal benefit.

There is an interesting comment about Cain´s fallen countenance because Cain was indulging in self-pity because his offering was not accepted. The LORD questioned Cain about this and the option to improve was with Cain.

Read it with thought in mind.

Shalom, David.

 

[muffler dragon]

My wife and I committed to reading the entire bible this year. We started Jan 1 and have read a couple pages every night (following a 1 year bible plan)

anyway, Iv never read the bible before and was always hesitant because it gets really confusing to me. But i prayed and have made up my mind to REALLY try

anyway, last night we read about the offspring of Adam and Eve (Cain and Able)... So far I totally understand 99% of everything... my one question though is this...

in Genisis 4....

When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain was a farmer. At harvesttime Cain brought to the LORD a gift of his farm produce, while Abel brought several choice lambs from the best of his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his offering, but he did not accept Cain and his offering. This made Cain very angry and dejected


my question is... why did the Lord reject Cains harvest? was it just a test or was there some reason for this?

I read about this the other night in the Chumash (a piece of Judaic literature). I used to think that the problem was livestock v. produce. However, the Chumash illuminated the consideration that Cain did not give G-d the premium portions of his crop. That was the difference.

m.d.