1 Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Genesis 4:1-8
The first time that you read this story, there is a tendency to come away from it somewhat confused. Both men appear to be worshiping but the offering of one is accepted and that of the other is disregarded. At this point in time, we the reader who has just begun this book, find ourselves wondering “Why does God reject the offering of Cain?” But, if we keep an open mind and come to know God in fellowship thru this book and experiences, we can rule out certain issues. Ultimately we learn that God despises other sacrifices that are presented from the animal kingdom rather than the fruit of the ground. The sacrifice of life and blood seem not to be the issue. Perhaps the worth of the sacrifice in physical terms is the issue. Jesus destroys this reasoning when He notes the worth of the widow’s offering in the Temple centuries later. It isn’t the amount.
Cain has so much anger over the issue that he kills his brother. Perhaps he is jealous of his brother’s success in comparison to his own failure but the flight to rage has a deeper motive. I think we see the true source of this motive in the Atheist of our day. The Atheist doesn’t merely disregard or generally shun God, but in truth hates Him. Since Cain cannot hurt God directly, he does so by killing his brother. The issue therefore would seem to be the heart of Cain. His offering seems not to flow from a loving heart but is from a state of feeling compelled to do so. True worship arises from the heart.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.Psalm 51:1-13
To be contrite is to be truly sorry for your behavior whether manifested by actions or thoughts. Most sins begin with the descent into the whirlpool of envy. We have a tendency to remember the story of King David because secretly we announce that “I’m not that bad.” In our world anger is not as bad as murder and lust doesn’t rise to the level of sinfulness achieved by adultery. However, in the Kingdom of God all are breeches of God’s law.
Psalm 51 finds King David on his spiritual knees, begging for mercy and a restoration of fellowship with God. David pleads from his heart, not from fear, but as the result of true sorrow. Having known fellowship with God in the past, he is now reduced to spiritual sobbing, requesting reinstatement. Since his request is heartfelt, the origin of true worship, he is reinstated and forgiven but the consequences remain.
6 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
18 “Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Matthew 19:16-22
We now move from Cain to David to Jesus’ encounter with the rich young man. His question of Jesus is “What must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus asks him as to why he questions concerning that which is good. Jesus implies that only God is good. Does the man recognize that God is good and equates Jesus with being God? If he knows this, the source for this knowledge is God Himself. It is obvious that he does not, so Jesus questions him concerning his obedience to God’s law. His understanding of the Law and its keeping are superficial and he declares his perfection in so doing. It is at this point that Jesus goes to the very heart of worship and tells him to sell his wealth and gift it to the poor and follow Him. He departs in sadness. His devotedness to God and His law are not as sound as he had previously stated. He departed on his own path.
Before us are three men. They are from three separate historical settings. All three are sinners. They are guilty of worshiping their own self image. What is essential is that nothing else is to claim first place in our lives.
Some are like Cain and are seduced by their own self-image. Others are like King David and are seduced by uncontrolled natural impulses. Many are snared by the world and its possessions.
The question then for us all is “What do I need? “ They and each of us need a Savior. How do we claim such? We recognize and acknowledge that Jesus of Nazareth is our Savior who died for our sins and was resurrected from the grave. We declare this as a public confession. Then we follow His teachings, seeking to immolate His morality. Lastly, we pursue service to others, demonstrating our love for God.
What is the proof of individual salvation? Confession, obedience, and glorification of God by love for His created.