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Genesis 4:9, Matthew 5:21-22

My Brother’s Keeper

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 15, 2022

In Cain’s murder of his brother Abel, we see how destructive sin can be. It was at first against God, but now it has spread out horizontally, and we see for the first time that sin has horrible implications on human relationships. Cain sheds the innocent blood of his own brother, and murder becomes a precedent in human life. God confronts Cain with another question to which he knows the answer. Cain lies, and then in bold-faced arrogance, answers God’s question with another question. His question has now become famous and has found its way into the literature of nearly every civilization. Genesis 4:9 says, “Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is Abel, your brother?’ He said, ‘I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?’” Cain told a bald-faced lie to God. He either did not understand or rejected the idea of God’s omniscience and omnipresence. He thought he could hide his sin from God.

This question is bubbling over with emotion. It might be worded, “Why? Do you think I’m here just to look after my brother?” Barry observes, “When God confronted Adam and Eve with their sin, they readily confessed (3:11–13). Here, Cain lies to God outright, denying any knowledge of his brother’s whereabouts. Cain not only denies knowing anything about Abel’s fate but also defiantly objects to the implication that he should be responsible for his brother in any way.”[1] There is an apparent escalation of evil here. Adam and Eve sin but admit their sin. Cain sins but denies it. In Chapter Five, we’ll see another murder and a bold stand justifying it. Finally, the violence that saw its first light of day with Cain will become so bad that God will destroy the earth with the flood. When Jesus deals with the Commandment against murder in Matthew 5:21-22, it appears he might even have the murder of Abel in mind. He knew the struggle against evil was an internal one, and he said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.” Furthermore, the second most important command, according to Jesus, is to love our neighbors as ourselves. Therefore, the answer is, “Yes!” I am my brother’s keeper.

During the summer of 2020 and 2021, crowds stood by and watched an Asian woman being beaten up and robbed in the middle of New York City. James Boice acknowledged this trend years ago when he wrote in 1998, “Do I hear the voice of modern man in Cain’s cruel question? I think I do. A woman is murdered in New York while more than thirty neighbors hear her screams and ignore her cries for help. In Oklahoma City, a woman gives birth to a baby on the sidewalk while similarly calloused people ignore her cries and merely gaze at her plight from the window of a cozy corner tavern. These stories could be multiplied indefinitely.”[2] It appears that over 20 years later, the situation is worse.

[1] Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar. 2012, 2016. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

[2] Boice, James Montgomery. 1998. Genesis: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

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Genesis 4:8, 1 John 3:12

The Ultimate End of Mankind

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 14, 2022

Warren Wiersbe closes his comments on Genesis 4:7 by saying, “The Lord warned Cain that temptation was like a fierce beast crouching at the door of his life, and he had better not open the door. It’s dangerous to carry grudges and harbor bitter feelings in our hearts because all of this can be used by Satan to lead us into temptation and sin. This is what Paul meant when he wrote, ‘neither give place to the devil’ (Eph. 4:27). If we aren’t careful, we can tempt ourselves and bring about our own ruin.”[1] The sin, crouching at the door of Cain’s heart moved his emotions to such an extent that it affected the way he thought. Jealousy had penetrated, and now it worked its way out in action. Genesis 4:8 says, “Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.”

It appears that Cain’s murder was premeditated. At first glance, it might appear as a crime of instantaneous passion, but the opening phrase “Cain spoke to Abel” is consistently understood to be the enticement that Cain used to get his brother into the fields and away from the rest of the family in order to cover up his crime. The Handbook for translators even acknowledges that most translators agree. It says, “Most translators will realize that the decision taken about what Cain said to Abel will have a strong influence on the storyline of the narrative in this verse as a whole. If we decide to follow the ancient versions, …most readers will understand that Cain had already determined to kill his brother, and that this was the beginning of his plan to do it. The words of Cain tell us straight out that the brothers went away from where other people were, and then, either immediately or after a period of time, Cain killed his (unsuspecting) brother.”[2] John tells us not to be like Cain. 1 John 3:12 says, “We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.”

Briscoe laments the reality of violence as the resolution of all our problems. It’s not only true with individuals but also on the national level. It’s no wonder that we haven’t destroyed ourselves by now. History is full of wars and rumors of wars, and even as I write, Russia is invading Ukraine. Apocalyptic literature floods our books and movies, looking for the end of the world. War comes because one nation has something that the other one wants. We will, as a race, destroy ourselves. Briscoe writes, “No sober-minded person dismisses that possibility as he views the ways in which man’s ingenuity is being put to work. Right at this moment, there are submarines at sea carrying more explosive firepower than the sum total of explosives delivered in human history. Therein lies the human puzzle. Brilliant but brutal, creative but catastrophic, ingenious but incorrigible, man is a bundle of contradictions. This became apparent right at the beginning of human history as the story of Cain and Abel clearly illustrates.”[3]

[1] Wiersbe, Warren W. 1998. Be Basic. “Be” Commentary Series. Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub.

[2] Reyburn, William David, and Euan McG. Fry. 1998. A Handbook on Genesis. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies.

[3] Briscoe, D. Stuart, and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. 1987. Genesis. Vol. 1. The Preacher’s Commentary Series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

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Genesis 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8, Ephesians 6:6

The Shield of Faith

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 13, 2022

God asked Cain why his “countenance” had fallen and then suggested that doing right would result in his acceptance by God. Abel’s sacrifice, offering, was designed by God by instruction which was passed down from Adam and Eve as well as by example. He slew an animal to make skins to cover the sin of Adam and Eve. Blood must be involved. That’s to confess the need to be saved by the sacrifice of some other life. In the Old Testament, we see that it was the lives of animals that served to cover the people’s sins. These offerings all looked forward to the one ultimate sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. Hebrews 11:6 teaches us that it is impossible to please God without faith. But throughout the book of Hebrews, we learn that it is not faith in faith, but it’s faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ who is the “better sacrifice.”

Genesis 4:7 continued God’s conversation with Cain. It says, “And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” Redford observes, “God reasoned with Cain in an apparent attempt to restore him. Could Cain justify his anger? Had God been unclear or unfair in his dealings with him? The changes in attitude were Cain’s to make. He had a problem; would he face it and deal with it?” Redford concludes with, “God’s final words to him indicated that he had a choice concerning this beast: you must master it.”[1] The mastery of the beast involves an internal battle. It deals with how we let ourselves think. Cain’s struggle with sin seemed to do with where he would let his mind go. The Handbook for translators suggests, “Because we are translating a figurative expression, we are forced to ask what the door represents. The image may refer to the entrance to a dwelling, but it may equally well be taken as a reference to the heart, mind, thoughts of Cain.”[2]

For we later read a warning to believers that is very similar to what God warned Cain: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). The warnings are parallel: “Cain must rule over sin, and believers must be alert and of sober mind against it (which amount to much the same thing); sin crouches [like a lion] at his doorstep and the devil prowls around like a lion; sin’s desire is for Cain, and the devil looks for someone to devour.”[3] Paul made it clear in his letter to the Ephesians that the war is not against flesh and blood but spiritual forces. Instead of a crouching lion, Paul uses an enemy armed with a bow and arrow. He instructs them to wield the “shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16). The flaming darts are aimed at our hearts. They are hurled at us, intending to cause doubt in the good intentions God has for us. The “beasts” tactics have never changed. It’s our trust, faith, in God that can block those attacks.

[1] Redford, Douglas. 2008. The Pentateuch. Vol. 1. Standard Reference Library: Old Testament. Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing.

[2] Reyburn, William David, and Euan McG. Fry. 1998. A Handbook on Genesis. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies.

[3] Niehaus, Jeffrey J. 2014. Biblical Theology: The Common Grace Covenants. Vol. 1. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

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Genesis 4:7, Hebrews 11:6

Nothing but Faith

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 12, 2022

As God addresses Cain and the green-eyed monster on his fallen face, God says, “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” All we know for sure is that Cain did something wrong concerning the offering he brought in contrast to the offering that his brother Abel brought to the Lord. The question is one of those that expects a positive answer. If it were in the indicative mood, rather than the interrogative, it would say “you will be accepted if you do well.” Cain was the firstborn son and had responsibilities regarding leadership in the family. Wenham suggests that Cain’s failure has something to do with God’s later election of the younger sons over the older ones. He says, “In other words, Cain, the firstborn, has special responsibilities, especially in worship. If he carries them out, he will enjoy the privileges associated with his primacy.”[1] If he doesn’t carry them out, the mantel will fall to someone else.

Some preach this passage to encourage their listeners to “do” something good. The idea is that God accepts us based on doing good, but I’m convinced that this passage is far deeper than that. It’s a matter of the heart. In 1 Samuel 16:7, we read, “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Jesus focuses our attention on our inward character also. He tells us in Matthew 5:21-22 what the law says and then contrasts it to what He says: The Law says, “‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.” The blood sacrifice that Abel offered stands for the fact that Abel accepted the truth of his sinfulness and recognized it would take the blood of an innocent victim to regain right standing with God. There is nothing wrong with the offerings that Cain brought except that they represented the works of his hands. He thought God’s acceptance would be gained by doing what he thought was “good.” The only “works” that God calls for from all mankind is trusting in the blood sacrifice of the innocent victim as a propitiation for their sins. Jesus made this clear in his address to the religious leaders who wanted to “do” something for God. Jesus said in John 6:29, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

In the book of Hebrews, we read about the contrast between Abel’s offering and Cain’s offering. Hebrews 11:4 tells us, “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.” There is an intimate connection between the sacrifice that Abel offered and the basis of the offering. That connection is “faith.” But it isn’t faith in faith; it’s faith in the atoning work of the blood of the lamb! Since Jesus taught that the Old Testament Scriptures were about himself, I see this as many old commentators do. Although he doesn’t profess to subscribe to this view himself, Don Stewart seems to understand it well. On the Blue Letter Bible website, he says, “Many see in this episode (The sacrifices of Cain and Abel) the contrast between the God-revealed doctrine of blood sacrifice versus humanity trying to please God with their self-efforts. Cain’s offering is reminiscent of Adam and Eve covering themselves with fig leaves after their sin in the Garden. It is humanity attempting to work their way into a relationship with God instead of leaning on God’s grace.”[2] One final thought in this longer than usual devotion. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.”

[1] Wenham, Gordon J. 1987. Genesis 1–15. Vol. 1. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word, Incorporated.

[2] https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_714.cfm

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Genesis 4:6, Song of Solomon 8:6, Various

That Green-eyed Monster!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 11, 2022

God highly regarded Abel’s blood offering. Cain’s offering from the ground was not pleasing to God. Cain didn’t like that. Genesis 4:6 says, “The Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen’”? Cain is not the only person in the Bible who was angry with God. Day’s Thesaurus of the Bible points out other passages that describe people being angry with God: “I know you’re raging against me (2 Kgs. 19:27–8); the fool rages against the Lord (Prov. 19:3); David was angry because the Lord broke out against Uzzah (1 Chr. 13:11); all who were angry at him will be put to shame (Isa. 45:24); I have a right to be angry, even to death (Jonah 4:9); do you have a right to be angry? (Jonah 4:9); have you any right to be angry? (Jonah 4:4); why did the Gentiles rage and the peoples imagine futile things? (Acts 4:25); the nations were angry, and your wrath has come (Rev. 11:18).”[1]

God knew where Adam was when he asked him where he was. God knew what Eve had done when he asked her what she had done. When God asks a question, it’s for our benefit. He wants us to consider the question to find the truth. When God asks Cain, “why are you angry,” he was looking to move Cain to look at his motives and demeanor to see the error of his ways. Utley says the same thing, “Here again is God asking several questions, not for information, but to help the person to understand his own feelings and motives.”[2] Wenham agrees with this and contrasts God’s questions with the questions that Satan asked Eve in chapter 3. He writes, “‘Why are you angry and why has your face fallen?’ God’s questions are somewhat like the snake’s in character. In both cases the questioners know the answer to their own question, but whereas the snake’s was designed to lead man into sin, God’s were intended to provoke a change of heart.”[3]

But Cain did not respond well. He “reacted violently to his rejection, but not against the One who rejected him so much as against the innocent one who was accepted. Jealousy had raised its ugly green-eyed head and was about to prove that it is truly ‘cruel as the grave.’”[4] We read that last phrase in the Song of Solomon 8:6. It says, “Jealousy is fierce as the grave.” I wonder if this doesn’t look back to the face of Cain as God observes it. The attitude of Cain’s heart showed on his face. Of course, God knows it all, but the text clearly says that Cain’s countenance had changed. As the firstborn son, Cain was responsible for the leadership of his siblings, especially with regard to worship. Abel took the lead here, and this story might be the beginning of God’s practice of choosing the younger over the older throughout scripture. McCullough talks about jealousy as it relates to those closest to us. He says, “Perhaps watching a friend succeed should be easy—even joyous—but it can be difficult. The green-eyed monster often rears its ugly head with those closest to us. It’s one thing to watch the achievements of someone you don’t know; it’s another to have a best friend receive a call to a prestigious pulpit or have a book on the bestseller list or get elected to high office….”[5] In one of Spurgeon’s sermons, he gives good advice to all of us: “Drive, then, that ‘green-eyed monster’ away, and keep him at a distance.”[6]

[1] Day, A. Colin. 2009. Collins Thesaurus of the Bible. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

[2] Utley, Robert James. 2001. How It All Began: Genesis 1–11. Vol. Vol. 1A. Study Guide Commentary Series. Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.

[3] Wenham, Gordon J. 1987. Genesis 1–15. Vol. 1. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word, Incorporated.

[4] Briscoe, D. Stuart, and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. 1987. Genesis. Vol. 1. The Preacher’s Commentary Series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

[5] McCullough, Donald. 1992. “Friends for the One at the Top.” In Mastering Personal Growth, 50. Mastering Ministry. Sisters, OR: Multnomah; Christianity Today.

[6] Spurgeon, C. H. 1855. “The God of Peace.” In The New Park Street Pulpit Sermons, 1:377. London: Passmore & Alabaster.

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Genesis 4:5

There will be Blood!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 10, 2022

After telling us that God accepted and was actually pleased with Abel’s offering of the lamb of his flock, Genesis 4:5 tells us that God did not “regard” Cain’s offering from the ground. It says, “ but for Cain and his offering, he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.” Snoeberger gives us some interesting thoughts regarding the two sacrifices and the acceptance of one and the rejection of the other. He says that some early conservative scholars adopted an understanding of the Septuagint reading rather than the Masoretic Text reading, which suggests it involved the quantity of the sacrifices, not just the quality. Abel brought the right amount, but Cain fell short. This affirms that “Cain’s and Abel’s sacrifices establish tithing as early as Genesis 4.” The discussion includes Hebrews 11:4, where Abel’s sacrifice is called “better” than Cain’s sacrifice. The argument suggests that the verse might be translated as “Abel offered unto God a more abundant sacrifice than Cain.” The conclusion that is drawn from these combined readings, according to Snoeberger, is that Cain’s sin was explicitly a failure to give an adequate percentage of his income to God. The percentage, it is deduced, must be none other than a tithe. This understanding is not unreasonable, as it follows the reading of the LXX (Septuagint).”[1]

As much as Pastors around the world would like to preach that the tithe finds its origin in the first sacrifices of man, it’s not likely. But there was something different in their offerings that made one acceptable and not acceptable. Snoeberger gives some suggestions, “Other options include inadequate quality in the offering, deficient integrity in the offerer, or even the simple possibility that Abel was the object of God’s elective prerogative while Cain was not—the text does not specify.”[2]  We do know, however, from Hebrews 11:4, that Abel’s offering was offered “in faith” while Cain’s offering was not. One of the favored opinions among the commentators is that the real issue is the integrity of the offerer. Barker says, “… it seems clear from the narrative that both offerings, in themselves, were acceptable… they were both ‘firstfruits’ offerings; thus Cain’s offering of ‘fruits of the soil’ was as appropriate for a farmer as Abel’s ‘firstborn of his flock’ was for a shepherd.”[3]

The problem is that offerings from the ground are “thank” offerings, and blood offerings are guilt offerings. Horton says, “Already in Genesis 4, Abel brings the ‘the firstborn of his flock’ (the proper guilt offering), but Cain, ‘a worker of the ground,’ brought a portion of his produce (the proper thank-offering).”[4] No matter how you look at it, Cain’s offering obviously failed to meet some revealed requirement. A thank offering should be offered only after the “guilt” or “sin” offering has been made. I think Cain failed in that. As a Web blogger observed, “It is not hard to see …the seriousness of removing the significance of the shed blood and the element of substitution from the story of Cain and Abel. When we ignore the importance of the blood sacrifice in this earliest of stories, we remove from the Scriptures one of its strong points; namely, that from the very beginning, man was not only provided a way back to fellowship with God but that ‘way’ was consistent with what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Theologians, both old and recent, have established this as a sound and reasoned approach to these verses of the Bible.”[5]

[1] Snoeberger, Mark A. 2000. “The Pre-Mosaic Tithe: Issues and Implications.” Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal Volume 5 5: 72–73.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Barker, Kenneth L., and John R. Kohlenberger III. 1994. Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition: Old Testament). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

[4] Horton, Michael. 2011. The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[5] https://www.goodseed.com/blog/2014/01/02/where-in-the-scriptures-does-it-say-that-god-told-cain-and-abel-to-bring-a-blood-sacrifice/

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Genesis 4:4

The Substitute

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 9, 2022

Cain brought an offering from the “fruit of the ground” in Genesis 4:3. Then the next verse adds, “…and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering.” First, notice that Abel brought of the “firstborn.” We learn in Scripture that the firstborn belongs to God. In verse Exodus 13:2, God says, “Consecrate every firstborn male to me, the firstborn from every womb among the Israelites, both man and domestic animal; it is mine.” I realize that Moses laid this down thousands of years later as he was leading the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. It’s not unreasonable to understand that this practice had been handed down from God to Adam and Eve and then to Cain and Abel. The practice existed before it became written down in the law of Moses. When Jesus confronts the religious leaders in his day about their not believing in him, they argue that they believe in Moses. Jesus replied that if they believed in Moses, they would believe Him because Moses wrote about Him. Jesus was the firstborn of God, His only begotten Son, and was the only one to satisfy the requirement of an acceptable offering. Since Jesus argues that the Old Testament is about himself, it seems we must see Jesus even in the offering that Abel made in Genesis 4. It must look forward to Jesus.

Next, not only was it the “firstborn,” but it was the “fat portions.” According to Reyburn, “…it (fat portions) refers to the highly prized parts of the animal that were offered as a sacrifice.” He then suggests that the French Common Language Translation says it well: “Abel for his part brought as sacrifice some first born lambs from his flock; from these he offered the Lord the best parts.” All of this makes it clear that as with the animal skins taken to clothe Adam and Eve, this animal “…must first be killed before anything can be offered. “He killed them and gave the best parts of them as a sacrifice.”[1] What is essential in the sacrificial system is that life is taken. We read in the New Testament that there is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood. Paul tells us also that the wages of sin is death. This was required of the animal to clothe Adam and Eve and was therefore established as the appropriate sacrifice. In Genesis 22, we’ll read about God’s call for Abraham to bring the most precious thing (the fat portions of his life) to Mount Mariah and offer him on the altar as a burnt offering. But God will provide another lamb as a substitute. It’s all about Jesus.

Finally, God had “regard” for Abel as well as for his offering. Boice suggests that the way we see God accepting the sacrifice is like what happened when Elijah held his context with the prophets of Baal. He writes, “God then received Abel’s offering, perhaps by sending down fire on his altar, as he did on Elijah’s altar on Mount Carmel.” I’m not sure we need to see this happening, but Boice is correct when he continues his discussion and says, “Abel’s sacrifice involved blood and therefore testified to the death of a substitute. He was coming to God as God had shown he must be approached. When God killed animals in the Garden of Eden and then clothed Adam and Eve with their skins, God showed that, because sin means death, innocent victims must die so that sinners might be pardoned. The sacrifices pointed forward to Christ. When Abel came with the offering of blood, he was believing God and was looking forward to the provision of the deliverer.”[2]

[1] Reyburn, William David, and Euan McG. Fry. 1998. A Handbook on Genesis. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies.

[2] Boice, James Montgomery. 1998. Genesis: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

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Genesis 4:3, Hebrews 10:10

Once and for all!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 8, 2022

The first thing we learn about the two sons of Adam and Eve is that they brought offerings to God. Genesis 4:3 tells us about Cain’s offering. It says, “In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground….” The opening phrase, “in the course of time,” has opened some interesting dialogue. Mike Boling says, “Perhaps as suggested by Adam Clarke, the process of time ‘means the Sabbath’, on which Adam and his family undoubtedly offered oblations to God, as the Divine worship was certainly instituted, and no doubt the Sabbath properly observed in that family. This worship was, in its original institution, very simple. It appears to have consisted of two parts.” According to Mike, the two parts are thanksgiving and piacular sacrifices. He defines “piacular” for me. Thank you, Mike.  He says, “For those not familiar with the word piacular, it means ‘making or requiring atonement’.” This might help us understand why Cain’s offering was unacceptable.

Yet, there are no recorded instructions from God or Adam and Eve regarding the nature of sacrifices. Why isn’t there more detail given? To answer this, Mason Wheeler spoke about this in a web blog. He wrote, “Storytellers tend to explain unfamiliar concepts and not waste time explaining familiar ones, so it’s reasonable to infer that Adam and his family were under a commandment from God to offer sacrifices in a similar, if not identical, manner to the rules about sacrifices in the Law of Moses. Beyond that, the Bible is unfortunately silent.”[1] It is not silent, however. We have the instance of God’s sacrificing lambs, or a lamb, to make clothing for Adam and Eve to replace their inadequate fig leaves.

It might have been at the time of God’s slayings the lamb to make clothes for Adam and Eve that God gave instructions regarding worship. The best we can do is assume that such instruction happened. It seems as MacArthur points out, that this is reasonable. He says, “Apparently God had designated a special time for sacrificing because “in the course of time” (v. 3) literally means, “at the end of days”—at the end of a certain period of time. Additionally, He initiated a particular pattern for worship and sacrifices. Otherwise Cain and Abel would have known nothing about how it was to be done.”[2] As we look back at this from the perspective we have of the Old Testament sacrificial system and the “Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” we see that a sacrifice is something required of God. It’s all looking forward to the ultimate sacrifice that will be offered “once and for all” for all mankind. Our righteousness and sanctification is now an accomplished face according to Hebrews 10:10. It says, “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

[1] https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/572/how-did-cain-and-abel-know-to-offer-sacrifices-before-the-law-of-moses

[2] MacArthur, John F., Jr. 1993. Drawing Near—Daily Readings for a Deeper Faith. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

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