GENESIS 4
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gottena man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” – Genesis 4:1-7
GENESIS 4 THE FIRST OFFSPRINGS
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
After Adam and Eve were oust in the garden of Eden
They bore their first offsprings: Cain and Abel
Abel was a shepherd and Cain worked tending the land in agriculture
They both gave God an offering from the fruit of their labor.
Abel chose the best of his sheep to offer to the Lord
But Cain just took his harvest without even selecting the best
As a result, the Lord rejected Cain’s offering which made him mad
But God received Abel’s well selected the first born of his flock.
In the following account, we witness the birth of Eve and Adam’s first children, Cain and Abel. One tended sheep and the other cultivated the field. They both gave an offering to the Lord, but interestingly, God only accepted Abel’s offering. If you don’t know the character of God, you will not understand why God had preference as to which offering to accept. But if you know that God is the Creator and Maker of all things and deserves all the honor and the best of what you have received from him, then you will understand why the Lord rejected Cain’s offering. When Cain didn’t care to give the best to God, he didn’t honor the Lord with what he received. God doesn’t need anything, but Abel’s act of selecting the best for the offering manifests his love and honor and praise for God.
REFLECTION
- Why is it important for us to offer to the Lord our best harvest from our work?
