Cain’s Sacrifice vs Abel’s Sacrifice
God did not reject Cain’s sacrifice because it was less than the best of his crop. Moses wrote, “And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.” (Genesis 4: 3-5)
Although, Moses did not reveal a command from God requiring Cain and Abel to make an offering, since they both came at the same time with an offering, it is obvious that they came to satisfy an obligation. Cain’s offering consisted of the “fruit of the ground” [fruit, grain,
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(II Corinthians 5: 7) Farming is hard work and all farmers are proud when they are blessed with a good harvest. No doubt, Cain expected that all the hard work, care and time that went into his offering would make it acceptable. This is evident from his reaction to the Lord’s rejection. Cain’s sacrifice was not rejected because he did not worship in earnest. Indications are that Cain was sincere; nonetheless, he did not worship by faith which comes by hearing the word of God. He worshipped according to his feelings by changing, adding and subtracting from God’s Word; however, his feelings were wrong and he violated God’s commandments. (Deuteronomy 4:2)
There are a lot of people today who believe as did Cain. God, through His Word, states what He expects people to do to be saved; yet, there are those who believe that certain commandments are not necessary for salvation; baptism, for example. (Acts 2:38) Others have substituted human wisdom for divine, and based on the “Hermeneutical Principal” they claim liberty to do in religion anything not specifically forbidden in the Bible. Those who justify the use of mechanical instruments of music in worship do so upon the basis that it is preferred and that there is no verse that specifically forbids its use. Richard
When the Lord asked Cain where his brother was, Cain lied and replied, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”, arguing the point that he had responsibility over his brother’s whereabouts.
Covenant according in bible's point of view is a promise made by God to man. According to the book of Genesis, Chapter 6 Verse 13, as a result of human's disobedient and evil ways on earth, God had planned to put an end to humanity with flood. The covenants between God and Noah was established in Genesis Chapter 9 Verse 11. God promised Noah and his descendants, never again would he destroy the earth by flood of water because of the pleasant sacrifice offered to God by Noah. God also confirmed his covenant by putting up signs in the sky in the form of a rainbow. The reason Noah and his family weren’t destroyed in the flood was because Noah found grace in God's sight. What this means is that God do not establish any kind of covenant with just anyone. Clearly Abel, Noah and Abraham were unshakable, upright and obedient towards God’s command.
Immediately after the fall of mankind and the expulsion from the garden, the human race begins populating God's creation. Cain is the first-born son of Adam and Eve. His actions in life from beginning to end exhibit one thing: a lack of reverence for God. In contrast to Cain's irreverence, Abel comes along and displays a greater sense of concern in pleasing God. Abel, who was righteous and zealous in pleasing God, became a "keeper of sheep" (cf. Gen 4:2). Cain, however, was a "tiller of the ground" (cf. Gen. 4:2).
Steinbeck uses the biblical story of Cain and Abel in East of Eden to show us that we do not have set fate. Steinbeck uses the Hebrew word “timshel”, which means “thou mayest”, to suggest that man has the ability to choose good or evil. “Timshel” affects the characters in East of Eden such as Cal and Aron and their choice of overcoming good or evil. Steinbeck sees this novel as his most important work, and he uses it as a way to state his personal ideas concerning mankind:“The free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual.”(Steinbeck,132). Steinbeck shows God has given humans free will and their ability to choose good or evil, if they so decide. He portrays the “C” characters to be connected to Cain, such as Charles and Cal and the “A” characters to be connected to Abel, such as Aron and Adam.
New Wark or New York A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is a story of great sacrifices being made for the sake of principle. There are many examples of this throughout the book made by many of the characters, but some more evident than others. In Book The First, entitled “Recalled to Life,” the most obvious sacrifice for the sake of principle was made by Dr. Manette. He was imprisoned for eighteen years in the Bastille, for no apparent reason.
Man's charmed life lasted until the Fall, by which sin and sin nature entered the world. Pain in childbirth, difficulty in agriculture, and, most importantly, death are all results of Man's disobedience (Genesis 3:16-19). Death, despite its negative connotations was given to Man as a gift, for only in death could the separation between God and Man be bridged. The practice of offering firstborn livestock to God began with Abel's first sacrifice. This offering pointed to God's ultimate resolution for sin's breach, first promis...
"And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in
In the heart of the novel, Miller invokes the interminable suffering of the American Jews in order to underscore the historical suffering of the Jewish people throughout history. Here there is an implicit reference to Miller’s views that echoes the idea of “The Jewish people carry the mark of Cain.” By a way of illustration, when Newman and Gertrude went to spend the weekend out of town, so they went to stay in a hotel that Newman used to stay five summers ago. However, they were ignored for a while at the reception desk and then the hotel’s owner came and told them “you can’t get anything here. Full up” (Focus 114). This implies that there is no place for Jews in this country; that is, the hotel represents the country, homeland, and Newman and Gertrude represent the Jewish people. Miller’s assertion with Gertrude’s question to Newman: “why do you always let them make a Jew out of you?” (117). Such an ironic question indicates that Jews are not welcomed in the United States. By imposing this question, Miller echoes “Mark of Cain.” That is to say, according to the book of Genesis, after Cain’s murdered his brother, “God curses Cain to a life of toil and wandering” (Mroczek n.p). Cain’s heart was filed with fear and melancholy because his life is no longer life but an endless state of a jeopardy, God promises to protect him: “The Lord put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him” (Gen 4:15). The mark is visible in Cain’s body, but it was interpreted differently. For instance, according to the Jewish Midrash, Cain was punished with leprosy (Genesis Rabbah XXII.12). Another
The Gift of a Lifetime: Sacrifice in a Tale of Two Cities. Some men are engraved eternally in the hearts and minds of those he inspired. It is done so in a fashion that allows his name to live eternally, long after his ephemeral existence. However, what truly sets a man apart from his lesser counterparts is his willingness to give without taking.
The Bible first mentions what to do in case of extreme crime in Genesis 4:11-15. In this passage, the Bible is talking about two brothers, Cain and Able, who have presented gifts to God. After God denied Cain’s gifts and instead accepted Able’s, Cain became outraged and killed his brother. The Bible tells us that:
While Exodus gives rules that govern certain aspect of society, Genesis gives a reason for these beliefs and value. Exodus places many rules protecting live stock but not crops, Genesis show God favored the meat offering rather than the fruit offering; thus revealing a society that value meat over vegetation. The Hebrew society also saw men superior over women. Genesis explain this gender inequality by saying that Eve was created from Adam and she is the reason for the fall of humanity, thus, deserving of her punishment to be under the control of her husband. Also, with a society that have rules protecting slaves, Genesis provides these citizens with reasoning why slavery came into existence. This society values animals, male dominance, slavery, but most importantly religion; therefore, literature like The Book of Genesis was created to state why these values came into existence using religious
Described in chapter four of the book of Genesis, the story of Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve, draws many similarities to the plot of Hamlet. The brothers both offer their best sacrifices to God, Abel sacrifices his best lamb, while Cain sacrifices his best grain. Because God prefers the lamb over the grain, Cain becom...
The people fell into religiously giving of their sacrifices. Not out of a heart of love and devotion but out of duty and obligation. God knew their heart and knew their sacrifices weren’t offered out of a contrite heart. They thought they could buy God’s forgiveness with their wealth, or they could offer sacrifices that weren’t acceptable in Gods sight. They just didn’t get it! God would rather have their love then have them pleased with themselves for following some religious rules or good deeds. God expresses through the Prophet Micah what pleases Him “What can we bring to the LORD? Should we bring him burnt offerings? Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Sin is elusive. It hides behind our motives and intentions. Sin will parade in a garment that looks stunningly beautiful but when uncovered there is nothing but ugliness and wickedness hiding underneath. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.” ( Mt. 23:27 NIV) Sin masquerades deceptively as something it is not. Laying the groundwork which led to Eve’s questioning the trustworthiness of God concerning the forbidden fruit the serpent said “Ye shall not surely die: (Gen. 3 :4b KJV ). The insertion