Sacrifices God Respects

Worship began as soon as the Creation took place. The book of Genesis tells us that Adam and Eve enjoyed fellowship with God in the garden of Eden, and that fellowship almost certainly included worship on their part. However, we have an account of actual worship in Genesis 4, when Adam and Eve’s sons, Cain and Abel, bring offerings to God. Their offerings reflect their different vocations: Cain, “a tiller of the ground,” brings some of his crops, while Abel, “a keeper of sheep,” brings a lamb. Strangely, however, God has “respect” for Abel’s offering but not for Cain’s. Why is this?

Some scholars have speculated that God preferred Abel’s offering because it was a blood sacrifice. After all, God later makes blood sacrifices an integral part of the Israelites’ worship in the tabernacle and temple in order to reinforce His promises of the Redeemer who would come someday to offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice. But the Scriptures are clear that the blood of animals held no special value; indeed, in addition to blood sacrifices, God would also institute grain offerings and cereal offerings for His people. So there is no warrant to assume God preferred Abel’s offering because it was a living creature. To solve this mystery, we must look deeper. First, note what God says to Cain when he becomes angry over the rejection of his offering: “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” The implication is that Cain’s offering was rejected because he did not “do well.” In other words, something was lacking in how he made his offering, not in the offering itself. Second, note what God says in Hebrews 11:4: “By faith, Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.” Apparently, Abel was trusting in God’s promise of a Redeemer, as revealed to Abel’s parents at the time of their fall (Gen. 3:15). Therefore, God accepted his offering because it was a sacrifice of praise, designed to honor Him. Cain apparently was an unbeliever who did not really want to honor God.

David states explicitly in his penitential Psalm 51 that God does not desire sacrifices for their own sakes. The “sacrifices” He desires are “a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart” (Ps. 51:17). Clearly, therefore, while it is good to give to God of our time, our talents, and our treasures, these “sacrifices” must be given in faith. We must give out of a desire to honor the God who saves us.