Make sure your standard of worship is pleasing to God

Both Cain and Abel had been trained by their father to worship God, but the question would be, how well each son learned the lesson. 

From the text you can see that Cain brought the sacrifice that represented the fruit of his labour — fruits and vegetables. 

Abel also brought the sacrifice that represented his work and labour — an animal. 

Now the Bible tells us that God had respect for Abel’s offering, not Cain’s. Does it mean that God did not appreciate what Cain brought to sacrifice? No, not at all. God did not value Cain’s offering as much as He valued Abel’s offering. God never rejected Cain’s offering, He merely preferred Abel’s offering.

Genesis 4:4 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.

Why did God prefer Abel’s offering?

He did so because Abel’s offering more closely represented who he was.

Abel was a living being with blood running through his veins, and Abel’s offering was a living thing that had blood running through its veins. 

Hence, as Abel sacrificed, it was more like he was actually sacrificing himself.

Abel would recognize the submissiveness that the animal had to the will of its master. 

In like manner, you must daily sacrifice who you are and submit your will and your way to the perfect will of God.

Clearly, Cain’s sacrifice was done with a wrong spirit. Cain’s offering was not reflective of a self-sacrifice and his offering was wrong because Cain’s spirit or attitude was wrong.

Cain was offended that God preferred his brother’s sacrifice, and that offence led to anger, which led to murder.

What you must clearly understand is that there was “murder” in Cain even before he offered his sacrifice.

Hence, it was a sacrifice administered out of unclean hands and an impure heart. 

Dilemma

What should Cain have done? Cain should have learned the lesson.

Cain should have sought to understand the heart and ways of God concerning the giving of sacrifice.

Cain should have looked inwardly instead of outwardly. Cain should have sought to become a better man instead of a bitter man. And this is a great lesson for humanity today — when you are corrected by God or His leaders, you should seek to become wiser through correction, and not weaker through retaliation. 

Cain retaliated. Cain eyed his brother and allowed his momentary anger to result in murder.

That murder did not correct his wrongful way of sacrifice, it only brought about more separation between him and God.

Not only that, but it resulted in the separation of he and his brother and even he and his father’s family.

All of that because God respected or preferred the worship of Abel.

Be mindful today that the enemy of your soul is still after your worship.

He seeks to taint your worship and cause the differences in worship to result in separation of family. 

The end of the matter for us today is that God seeks those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. God prefers those who come to worship with clean hands and a pure heart.

God still has a standard of worship. That will not change, because God cannot change.

Be encouraged to strive in all that you do unto God, so that God is happy with your praise and worship unto Him. Respice finem.

Dr. Maria A. Seaman is the Pastor of Shekinah Worship Centre, located at 98 North Shore Road, Hamilton Parish CR 01.