2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
Adam knew Eve. That means, he had sex with Eve. We don't use that word today. We know a lot of people today, but that doesn't mean we have sex with them. LOL
But, it also has a deeper meaning: to know someone on an intimate level. When you marry, you get to know someone on a very intimate level. You know everything about them, from the top to the bottom, inside and out. That is the way it should be.
So many people marry today and find that they did not know the person at all, and the marriage doesn't work out. To know someone completely and still love them is an intimacy that binds marriage together.
Cain and Abel were both over 100 years old in the process of time. Adam and Eve had been conceiving children all this time. But, Cain was the oldest son and first child, and Abel was his younger brother.
As the story goes, Abel brought the first of his flock. He loved the Lord, and he always picked the best. He tried to walk in obedience and love.
Cain brought pieces of his harvest, because he was a tiller of the ground. Abel was a shepherd.
When we sacrifice, we sacrifice of our lives. It is a way to tell God "Thank You" for the blessings in our lives. He doesn't care what occupation you have. He cares that you honor HIM in it!
But, when God accepted Abel's sacrifice and did not accept Cain's, it made Cain angry! And, God's reaction to his anger made him even angrier.
God simply asked him why he was angry? After all, a gift should be given in love, not just obedience. And, in love, the best of what you have is given, not the leftovers. So, doing well mean showing love and respect as well as obedience. If all of that were done right, it leaves no room for sin; but if it were not done right, it opens the door for sin to take over your life.
How many times do we go to church just because we see it as our "duty" to go to church, or we wish to socialize and hear the latest gossip, or listen to the band, and not for the purpose of actually worshipping and serving God? How well do we sacrifice our time on Sundays and Wednesdays? How often do we give the beggar a dollar bill, when we have $20 in our billfold? How often do we only stay five minutes visiting someone in need when we have the whole day to spare?
This was the message God was giving to Cain. As we will soon see, however, Cain was having none of it!
In Cain's mind, God should have just accepted what He was given, so he could still feel like a great guy. But, now he didn't. And, it wasn't his fault. It was Abel's because Abel was pleasing the Lord.
Once again, Adam's sin had come into play. Rather than take responsibility for the sin, it is so much easier to blame someone else, and rationalize righteousness!
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