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Genesis 4:3-7
“In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 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, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 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 for you, but you must rule over it.’”
The Bible does not record an account of God telling Adam and Eve, or their children, to make sacrifices or offerings to Him. However, we can clearly see that the basic idea of an offering was something they clearly understood. Regardless of how they knew this, the Bible reveals that the concept of an offering (or sacrifice) was something God recognized as much as man did. What God clearly shows here is:
* An offering is part of man’s relationship to God.
* There is an acceptable offering and an unacceptable offering.
* God desires that we have this relationship with him.
* Sin is something we need to have rule over instead of it ruling us.
What kind of offering pleases God?
This brief passage reveals that God accepted an offering from Abel, but not from Cain. Abel’s offering was an offering of an animal (a dead animal). Cain’s was an offering of fruits and vegetables. In Hebrews 9:22, we read, “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” The offering that man must make to God is one of blood; not our own, but that of a sacrificed life.
JESUS is the sacrifice for our sin!
We no longer make offerings like what we see in this passage. We do not need to. Jesus died on the cross and shed his blood for us. He is our offering. All we must do is do well. How do we do well? By trusting in him.