Genesis 4

3 And in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground and offering to the Lord 

4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstthings of his flock and the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering 

5 But unto Cain and his offering he had no respect. And Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell 

8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against his brother, and slew him

The first couple were by God driven out of the garden of Eden, away from the tree of life as they were unworthy of partaking of it anymore. Barricaded from the land, they began the job of procreation outside the garden. “Adam knew Eve his wife,” says the first verse of our passage, “and bare Cain, and said I have gotten a man from the Lord.” Then Abel, the younger brother was also conceived and born.The couple also gave birth to female children. … and he (Adam) begat sons and daughters (Genesis 5:4). As time went on, the two sons who must have learnt the art of drawing closer to the Lord through offering of gifts or sacrifices from their parents and God Himself (God was the first to initiate killing of an animal in the garden to cover the couple’s nakedness) offered gifts to God. Offering or sacrifice is a gift by which man draws closer to God. For every high priest….is ordained… that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins (Hebrew 5:1). The sons, as it were, were priests and could approach the Creator with their own gifts. Gifts or sacrifices were needed after falling away from the presence of God in the garden of delight. However, FAITH was and is the vehicle of enacting this. Faith sees beyond the physical to God Himself. More often than not, the one doing the presentation of gifts in the presence of God doesn’t see Him either by the organs of the eyes or by any open or closed vision; he simply believes God’s presence. Faith is necessary for accepting God’s laid down rule or ways for knowing or approaching Him. This means that one has to be careful in offering the sacrifice. It’s only the righteous that can approach the Lord God. No man could fulfil the condition of this desirable life called righteousness. Offering was a prerequisite to coming to this estate of righteousness. Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all all them that believe (Romans 3 22). Righteousness is attained by faith. Faith, furthermore, is accepting the judgement of God on sin and man thus accepting God’s right way of approach established by Himself. …all have sinned, and come short of the the glory of God (verse 23). And the laid down truth is that man is justified (as not guilty of sin) by grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God hath set forth to be the propitiation through faith in his blood…(Romans 3:24-25). Any other approach apart from the way of grace leads to destruction; it’s the path of self-will. Now, Jesus Christ is the end of all sacrifices. The way to God now is the Lord Jesus on whom to exercise faith. Jesus Himself testifies, … I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6).

There were two first sons of Adam and Eve: Cain and Abel. The one was a tiller of ground while the other was a husband man who reared life stocks. Cain decided to give sacrifice which he did using what he got from the ground. God didn’t honour him and his sacrifice. This scenario has been interpreted in several ways. Cain used what the cursed earth produced for his gift, interpretes one. Another says Cain gift was below expectation; he should have used the best products he harvested. And so this was a warning to money men who ought to give to God until they hurt. Actually, it’s neither here nor there. Sacrifice or offering is a matter of heart relatedness to God; it’s of a heart that is run and driven by faith. Cain is the face of  religion – he can and does kill for God. ….whosoever killeth you will think he doeth God service (John 16:2). Cain was so morally self justifying and wouldn’t need the path of humility of grace provided by God to come to Himself. He failed to acknowledge that he was a man of evil works. Everyman is. It’s impossible for any man to give accurate assessment of himself. In his  self-love for God  Cain was a man of violence and fails to pause to know the judgement of the Holy Spirit on him: Not as Cain who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew him? Because his own work was evil, and his brother’s righteous (1 John 3:12). And  what made the  works of Abel righteous? Faith.  By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts…(Hebrew 11:4). Righteousness is reckoned only to the man who exercises faith in God, in His provision for man’s redemption. This righteousness of the Lord is imputed and doesn’t require works. Every work of man by God’s standard of righteousness is evil. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted for him as righteousness (Romans 4:3). This is Abel’s path as contrary to Cain’s.

Father we come in the way of Christ and we become the righteousness of God in Him – the One Who knew no sin and was made sin for us. We are received generously in your presence for Christ Jesus is the sacrifice, the offering we present. We don’t have our own righteousness but we have the righteousness that is of faith in the Son of God.

Thank You Lord for this