Author: Alexander Koltukov
“By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; by which, even after death, he still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4).
For some reason, God turned away from Cain’s gift.
The Bible explains the reason briefly: “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.” And what is a “better sacrifice”? The Old Testament repeatedly states that animals for sacrifice to God must be selected without blemish, so to speak, of the highest quality. From this, they conclude: Abel pleased God by offering Him firstborn children, without blemish.
But in chapters 1 and 2 of Leviticus, the order of both animal and grain offerings is consistently described, and there’s no distinction: both types of sacrifice are “a sweet-smelling aroma to the Lord.” So, it’s not that the livestock breeder brought the fruits of his labor, and the farmer his! We can find the answer in 1 John 3:12. The apostle wrote: “And why did Cain kill him? Because his own deeds were evil, but his brother’s were righteous.” It was his evil deeds, not the vegetable sacrifice, that were the reason for God’s negative attitude toward him!
It seems to us that even at that time, two fundamentally different motives for sacrifice were evident. What character traits later manifested in Cain? Envy and malice, fear of everything and aggression. How can this be explained? Could it be that Cain was tied to a particular plot of land, and his well-being depended on the weather and other random events? With what feelings could he have offered his sacrifice? With the desire to appease God, so that He would not deprive the giver of His blessings. Subsequently, the desire to appease evil gods became the predominant motivation for offerings among those who professed polytheism.
But Abel was less dependent on the vagaries of the weather. Apparently, he had more reason than his brother to be satisfied with the results of his labor, and he offered his gift with faith: the Creator must be thanked. His gifts were pure of heart, selfless, asking nothing in return. God saw Abel’s sincere piety and accepted his gift. In today’s terms,
Abel brought a gift from a pure heart, while Cain tried… to bribe God.
But that’s not all. Let’s read Genesis 4:6 carefully. God asks Cain: “Why are you angry? And why is your countenance fallen?” We know that when God asks a person questions, it’s certainly not because He doesn’t know the answer and wants to know. It’s so that the person will pause, reflect, and take steps to correct it. “See,” God says, “sin lies at the door; control yourself and master it.”
What sin lay at Cain’s door? The answer is obvious—envy. Black envy. Yes, this envy was already in Cain’s heart long before the sacrifice. Cain toiled from morning until night, never bending his back. And from his point of view, his lucky younger brother was lounging in the pasture with his sheep. Cain’s gains were hard-won, and no longer brought him joy. Indignation grew within Cain; the joy and smile on his brother’s face infuriated him.
And God saw this. And He did not accept Cain’s sacrifice, to draw his attention to the state of his heart. Like a good Father, God spoke to him, gave him guidance and a chance to improve. Cain, however, ignored God. “God did not accept my sacrifice, but my brother was lucky again.”
So, Cain’s deeds were evil, so God did not accept his sacrifice.
The sacrifice became not only an indicator of the correctness of Abel and Cain’s motives—it became the yardstick that determined the correctness of the faith of the two brothers. Both had been believers since childhood, both had been taught the importance of worshiping and serving God, both had offered sacrifices to God. But the sacrifice, lacking the heart of the sacrificer, became the final straw in Cain’s apostasy from God. After all, you can’t tear yourself away from something if you regret what you’re sacrificing. Such pity will first turn into grief, then envy, then bitterness, and finally a desire for revenge…
Sinful thoughts and deeds can kill the best beginnings and the most true faith. That’s why faith without deeds from a pure heart is already dead, while deeds of faith will speak for thousands of years to come!
