Genesis 4:1-4 "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. (2) And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. (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"
It is not my intention to write about every single person in the Bible. Though it would be worthy, it would be a lifetime endeavor. But I do want to look at the first few that are mentioned; therefore, it is imperative that I look at these two brothers. We assume them to be the first two children of Adam and Eve. But we do not know that for certain. In fact, it's probable that they were not the first children since Cain "went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden... knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch" (Genesis 4:16-17) I know this brings about the question of "Who did Cain marry?" It is evident that he married a sister or niece. How can that be? The law had not been given at that point and Paul tells us "... where no law is, there is no transgression." (Romans 4:15)
But now, back to the action of Cain and Abel. It is evident that they were
taught to worship and sacrifice unto the Lord. They both brought sacrifices to
be offered. Cain brought of the "fruit of the ground" and Abel
brought "of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof." There
are differing thoughts as to why the Lord would not accept Cain's offering.
Some say it was because of the absence of blood; but there were sacrifices of
the firstfruits of the grain to be offered when the law would be given. We know
that blood was shed when the Lord made coats of animal skins to cover Adam and
Eve. It would seem logical that those same types of offerings should have been
given unto the Lord. It seems to me that Abel brought of the firstlings of the
flock while Cain did not bring the firstfruits. It almost seems to me that he
brought of the "leftovers" of his harvest. Whatever the reason, we
know God did not have respect unto Cain's offering while He did have respect
unto the offering of Abel. Whatever the technical reason may have been, we do
know the ultimate reason why God did not have respect unto Cain. We find the
answer in the Holy Word of God. We read in Hebrews 11:4, "By faith Abel
offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain." The ultimate
reason was because of Abel's faith and Cain's lack of faith. "But without
faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe
that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
(Hebrews 11:6)
Encamped along the hills of light,
Ye Christian soldiers rise,
And press the battle ere the night
Shall veil the glowing skies;
Against the foe in vales below
Let all our strength be hurled;
Faith is the victory, we know,
That overcomes the world.
Faith is the victory!
Faith is the victory!
O glorious victory,
That overcomes the world.
His banner over us is love,
Our sword the Word of God;
We tread the road the saints before
With shouts of triumph trod.
By faith, they like a whirlwind’s breath,
Swept on o’er every field;
The faith by which they conquered death
Is still our shining shield.