"3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard."
-Genesis 4:3-5
Strange. Does God like meat more than veggies/fruit?
The past few weeks we have talked about the worship of God that He desires. We've hit Romans 12, emphasizing how worship is not just music, but it is the presentation of our bodies as living sacrifice. To understand all this, let's rewind to the beginning. Genesis 4 with Cain and Abel is perhaps the first example of worship we see.
Many mistakenly read this and think that God demands blood in offering/worship. They think that the reason God does not regard Cain's offering is because it is fruit/veggies and God prefers meat because of the blood sacrifice. This is a faulty anachronistic reading of Scripture since God has not yet given specifics on blood sacrifice for atonement/worship. That occurs much later with Moses.
So what's God's deal with Cain & Abel?
The passage tells us little of Cain's offering besides that ti is "fruit of the ground." It tells us more of Abel's offering: firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. This shows value because it is the best of the flock (firstborn), and he offers the best part (fat portions. Grilled fatty meat? Yes please!). Throughout Numbers and Leviticus, we see crop and grain being commanded by God as offering too, so clearly that isn't the issue.
This goes back to worship: It isn't what is being offered up to God-- it is the manner in which it is done. Often, we emphasize doctrine, preaching, discipleship, and evangelism as core parts of the church/Christian life. Worship is just the "singing" part to "warm us up."
What a sickening approach.
When we show up to Heaven, there will no longer be a need for doctrine, preaching, discipleship, evangelism, or even faith or hope! What will remain is the eternal worship of God because of His mercy/grace provided through Jesus Christ.
Let's examine ourselves:
- How much time do you spend with God daily?
- Which times of the day is given? (at night when you're tired? prayer only during meals?)
- Why do you spend time with God? (Is it just something to check off your list? I fully understand that there are days where that is the case due to proper spiritual discipline. But if that is the only reason you ever spend time with God, this needs to be examined).
Remember what God did: provided us a way out of death through giving up His one and only beloved Son. Because of that, no war/violence/pandemic will ever have the last say! Sure, we may die at the hands of the unrighteous or by some illness, but our story continues! We will get to see our loved ones again on the other side!
How do you express your gratitude to God? That is the start of your worship.
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