And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. 'And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. Even to Cain, his offering wasn't the first and the best of what he had. Reading through the scriptures, Abel's act of worship was completely by faith by bringing his first and the best which was of value to him, before God as an act of worship however Cain just brought some of his stocks just to present something as worship.

Wale Odusanya Among other reasons, I am of the opinion that it was the attitude behind the offering. God rejected his offering, Cain became envious of Abel's acceptance, and killed him. Jesus' blood, when He came and was sacrificed for us, the Ultimate Innocent dying for the guilty, did not cover our sin but TOOK IT AWAY! (Psalm 103:12, John 1:29).Д¬ain was trying to come to God by his own method - the first example of religion - man trying to reach God by good works. Pagans did the same, sacrificing animals and sometimes humans to atone for their sins.Д«ut Hebrews 10:4 tells us that the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin. God requires that blood is shed, an innocent dying for the guilty, which is why the Jews would sacrifice a clean animal (think 'innocent') to cover their sins. It's quite simple, though, if you keep the OT in context. I've heard many sermons inferring those things were Cain's problem. The Bible does NOT say that Cain didn't bring his best, or that his attitude was bad. Abel offers the proper sacrifice - a blood sacrifice - while Cain decides to offer what he thinks should work as well - the fruit of the ground. God thereby sets up the standard by which sin will be 'covered.' Blood is required. This is the first example of an innocent dying, shedding its blood, for the guilty to be covered. an animal had to die to provide the skins. God's first act of mercy was to cover them with 'skins' - animal hide - much softer than fig leaves.Д«ut. When Adam and Eve sinned, they tried to cover themselves, not very successfully, with fig leaves. God loves symbolism! It gives us those 'AH-HA!' moments when we make the connections. Therefore, the Old Testament gives us many hints or 'types' of Christ's future sacrifice. Jennifer Henkel Bible/History Middle School Teacher, Lover of the OT! We agree that the Bible is the story of man's creation, fall from grace, and redemption by God's son, Jesus Christ.

Cain and abel offering