“By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. Without faith it is impossible to please God….” Hebrews 11:4,6
In November our children in 1st through 5th grade will learn about Cain and Abel, the first children of Adam and Eve. Faith, grace and justice are the primary ingredients in this Biblical account of the world’s first siblings and their fates. Cain becomes a farmer and Abel becomes a shepherd. The time comes for the family to lay their offerings before the LORD. “Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.” (Genesis 3-5) Why did God favor one above the other? Scripture renders up several clues which will be explored by our children. The clearest statement of why God favored Abel’s offering is presented in Hebrews 11:4 & 6, “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings …. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” As always, God looks at the heart and what He saw in Abel’s heart was faith. This faith was reflected in Abel’s offering and his attitude toward God. It was Abel’s faith that caused God to look “with favor on Abel and his offering”. It was Abel’s faith that caused Jesus to call Abel righteous.
“But on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.” What was wrong with Cain and his offering? Notice that God looked at Cain first and then his offering. God looked at Cain’s heart and what He saw did not please Him. Our first clue to what God saw in Cain’s heart is Cain’s response to God’s displeasure – “So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.” Cain got angry at God! He didn’t ask how he could please God nor did he feel ashamed for failing to please God. There was no sense of gratitude for what God had done for Cain by providing for his needs. Cain wasn’t thinking of anyone but Cain. God looking at Cain’s heart does not see righteousness or faith “and without faith it is impossible to please God.”
The account of Cain and Abel is one of unrepentant sin on the part of Cain and mercy and justice on the part of God. God gives Cain an opportunity to turn around. He offers a warning and some advice, but Cain rejects God’s counsel and instead carries out a plot to murder his brother. Cain’s punishment for this murder is severe. Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden but they still had each other and were blessed with the presence of God. Cain, no longer able to yield crops from the ground, is cursed to wander. He is banished from God’s presence and given over to sin.
Why does God spare Cain’s life? Because He plans a better way to fulfill His need for justice. It is Jesus, who fulfills God’s promise to Adam and Eve to destroy death and to restore us to a right relationship with Him. It is Jesus, whose blood “speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24). It is a word that provides salvation instead of calling for revenge. It is a word that pays the debt of sin for all mankind.
The attitude of our heart is what is and always has been important to God. What is the attitude of your heart? Is it a heart like Abel’s? Do you give because you want to - out of love and gratitude for all that God has given you? Or is your heart like Cain’s – do you give because you think you have to? This is an important distinction to God and all of Scripture bears this out. In this short unit, we will focus on attitudes of the heart that are pleasing to God – hearts of faith, gratitude and trust which lead us to acts of generosity and love.
The memory verse for this unit reflects this focus:
“By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. Without faith it is impossible to please God….” Hebrews 11:4,6