Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” – Genesis 4:6-7
Not much is revealed in the Bible about Adam and Eve’s famous siblings Cain and Abel. Their story here in Genesis and six verses in the New Testament are all that is recorded. Yet, their story is a bedrock in Jewish history and a powerful testimony to the dueling dichotomy of good and evil ever present in man’s heart.
The story is revealed in much of the fourth chapter of Genesis. Cain, the eldest brother, was a farmer. Abel, the younger, was a simple shepherd of flocks. They both were compelled to offer sacrifices to God. Cain “brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground” and Abel gave “of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions.” Both seemingly good gifts to offer to the Lord.
However, God was only pleased with Abel’s offering and rejected Cain’s. This prompts a few serious questions. Why? What did Abel give that so pleased God and what did Cain offer that so displeased God? The answer is not in what Abel gave, but how he gave it. This is revealed in God’s dialogue with Cain (Genesis 4:6-7) and later in the New Testament (Hebrews 11:4). God tells Cain that if he acted righteously he’d have had his offering accepted. The writer of Hebrews confirms this, “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous …”
So, it was faith that resulted in acts of righteousness that so pleased God. The sacrifice itself was not the main concern, but the condition of the heart in which the sacrifice was given that mattered most. This begins an underlying theme that runs throughout the Scriptures. If we, as God’s children, would live our lives (acts of righteousness) powered by our faith in Jesus Christ, our Father would find those acts as acceptable forms of worship.
Faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. Our faith is in Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, our Rock of Salvation, our Provider and our Protector who lives inside us and drives our actions. One day He will return to complete our time here on this earth and take us to heaven to live out eternity. That is our hope, that is why we do what we do, that is why we live by faith!
May the God of our salvation bless you as you keep the faith!
Dave
Want to read more about faith? Check out Keeping the Faith and Behold, I am with You!.
Save this pin for later!
Have you signed up for our email list? If you give us your email address, we’ll make sure you never miss a post and are kept up to date on all the latest resources that we offer (average of only one to two emails/week). You can also choose to read through the Bible in one year with us. We'll send you the reading assignment each week with a snippet highlight (average of one email/week). We promise that we will not sell your information and you can be removed from the list at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of each of our emails. See our Privacy Policy for more details.
Below are the latest offers from our Affiliate Partners. Please click the links and visit their sites.
They have lots of products at great prices. We may make a small commission if you purchase through these links which help keep this website up and running and the best part is... there is no extra cost to you! Read our Disclosure for more information. For more details on each affiliate see our "Shop" page.
