Genesis 4-5
Dear RTB’ers,
We had a good discussion at our RTB gathering this morning on Genesis 4, the Cain and Abel story. Here’s an item I’d like to highlight. Abel, on his part also brought an offering, from the firstborn of his flock and from their fat portions. (v. 4) I’m sure I’ve seen this before, that Abel’s offering from the flock was (1) a first-born lamb and (2) a fatling. That is, Abel offered the first and the best. Going forward into Exodus we will see that Israel was freed from slavery in Egypt when God brought on the tenth plague, the death of the first-born male from every Egyptian, both human and animal. After that Passover night and the crossing of the Red Sea, God said to Moses, “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.” (Exodus 13:2) From early in creation (Abel’s offering) God has His people setting apart the first-born. No such mention is made of Cain’s offering, only that it was “…an offering of the fruit of the ground.” (v. 3b) Later the writer of Hebrews says this about Abel’s offering: By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, … and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. (Hebrews 11:4) It takes faith to offer up a “first-born” of anything, when you don’t know whether or not there will be a “second-born” or a “third-born” or…!
Blessings!
Hi all,
Sorry to have missed the gathering on Sunday. I am finding it refreshing to read and ponder smaller doses of scripture this year!
As I read the story of Cain and Abel this time, I realized something I had never noticed before. God invited Cain to try again, to try to make a better offering to Him, in Gen. 4:7: “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?”
Cain had not (evidently) given his “first fruits” of the ground, whereas Abel had given the firstborn of his flock, so he became angry and jealous that God was pleased with Abel. But God engaged him in a dialog and encouraged him! And then warned him that evil was tempting him and he needed to choose to turn away. Unfortunately, he did not…