The first family

Pray: Ask God to speak to you through his word today

Memory verse: By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. (Hebrews 11:4)

Consider: Have you ever stood in church and, while everyone else around you is in full flow of worship, you didn’t really feel anything?

Bible Reading: Genesis 4:1-5

Insight: Just as Adam sounds like the word for dirt and Eve sounds like the word for living so Cain sounds like the word for get or acquired. Abel on the other hand sounds like the word for vapour or a puff of wind. It means  something unsubstantial and easily blown away. The same word is used in Ecclesiastes to describe the uselessness of human achievements.

Eve doesn’t take conception or birth lightly and recognises God’s hand in the safe delivery of her child. God is still active outside of the garden.

It seems that Cain and Abel instinctively want to bring gifts in order to worship God. We don’t know whether the gifts were given because of gratitude, atonement for sins or love. We don’t know why Abel’s offering was accepted and Cain’s wasn’t or even how they knew that one offering was preferred over than the other. It leaves us with a lot of questions, not least, why some people seem to ‘experience’ God more than others.

It appears that Abel brought an offering of the first lambs that were born while Cain brought an offering of crops, it wasn’t perhaps the first of his crops that he brought. Is there a lesson that we could learn about giving to God the first portion of our money and time, not simply what is left over at the end of the day or the end of the month?

Tell Us: In what ways do you, or could you, bring offerings to God?

Prayer Ideas: Offer God your praise now. Repent of specific times that you have brought a half-hearted offering of worship to God. Pray for the worship leaders/team at your church and ask God to show you where your offerings are falling short.

Do: Spend some time worshipping God and listening to Him.

Further Reading: John Goldingay, Genesis for Everyone Part 1.