4: The Real Reason God Rejected Cain’s Offering

Welcome to the Ready for Eternity podcast. My name is Eddie Lawrence. Have you ever wondered why Cain's offering fell short while Abel's pleased God? Why is it that God rejected Cain's offering but found Abel's offering acceptable?

The Real Reason God Rejected Cain’s Offering

Let's talk about the real reason that God rejected Cain's offering.

In the course of time, Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 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, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard.

So Cain was very angry and his face fell. Genesis 4 .3 -5.

So why did God reject Cain's offering but he found Abel's offering acceptable? The answer I was taught as a child in Sunday school was that Cain's offering was inadequate because it wasn't an animal. The idea underlying this is that for an offering to be acceptable to God, it had to be a blood sacrifice.

Others say that the offering was rejected because it was the fruit of the ground. Since the ground had been cursed, anything that grew from the ground was somehow tainted and unacceptable as an offering.

Is it true that God only accepted animals as offerings? What offerings did God consider suitable? The book of Leviticus provides great detail about the items suitable for sacrifice or.

Offering.

The entirety of Leviticus 2 is about the grain or food offering. For example,.

When a person presents a grain offering to the Lord, his offering must consist of choice wheat flour and he must pour olive oil on it and put frankincense on it. Leviticus 2 .1.

Evidently God has nothing against offerings from the ground since Leviticus 2 is about how to prepare offerings from the ground. Since this is so, we can eliminate from consideration the idea that Cain's sacrifice was rejected on this basis.

The type of offering described in Leviticus 2 was known as Menka in Hebrew. The Hebrew word Menka is defined as a gift, a present, thanksgiving, veneration, or homage. The Menka offering in Leviticus 2 is dealing with grain.

But this kind of offering wasn't limited to grain. In Genesis 4 .3 -5, both Cain and Abel's offering was a Menka. Cain's Menka was from the ground and Abel's from the flock.

And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, Menka. But for Cain and his offering, Menka, he had no regard. Genesis 4 .4 -5.

The Bible calls both men's offering a Menka. And the Net Bible Translator's Notes has this to say.

The Hebrew term Menka, offering, is a general word for tribute, a gift, or an offering. It is the main word used in Leviticus 2 for the dedication offering. This type of offering could be comprised of vegetables.

The content of the offering, vegetables as opposed to animals, was not the critical issue, but rather the attitude of the offerer.

This observation is the key to understanding the reason for God's rejection of Cain's Menka. As was noted earlier, the Menka is defined as a gift, a present, thanksgiving, veneration, or homage. This kind of offering was meant to be an expression of gratitude to God.

Gifts and presents are for those we feel love and devotion for and want to express our emotions or gratitude by giving to them. While a person can go through the outward motions of giving a gift to someone, if the present isn't from the heart, then it's an empty gesture.

Since Cain's gift was rejected, this implies that he did not really have appreciation or thanksgiving in his heart that such a gift is supposed to express. Cain's attitude and motivation were all wrong, and this is why God had no regard for his offering.

Cain's offering wasn't rejected because of where it came from. It was not rejected because it wasn't an animal. Leviticus is proof that God accepted offerings that were not blood sacrifices. The problem with Cain's offering wasn't what he offered, it was the attitude with which it was offered.

Worship From the Heart, Not Mere Ritual

So here's the real question. Do we worship like Cain? God doesn't want us merely to go through the motions. He wants our outward acts to be an expression of reverence and love that comes from the inside.

It's possible to go through all the motions of worship without ever truly worshiping. Worship comes from the inside, and it has outward manifestations such as singing, praying, giving and so forth. We can look like we are worshiping and fool everyone around us, and maybe even fool ourselves.

God isn't fooled, because he knows if our outward actions are the result of true reverence.

For him.

Our goal is to be like Abel, not like Cain. We aren't perfect. Our minds are easily distracted, our church assemblies can become commonplace, sometimes our Bible studies are dull. We may not always find fellow disciples a source of edification.

Like Peter when he walked on the water, it is easy to focus on the storm instead of Jesus. These and more are our challenges to overcome. God doesn't need our worship, and we aren't doing him some sort of favor by worshiping.

Him.

The one who really benefits from worship is the worshiper. God wants us to have real awe, gratitude, love and reverence for him and to express it. If we truly feel these things for God and we act on them, only then will we be the people he wants us to be.

If we can do this, everything else will fall into place.

Closing Encouragement and Sign-Off

Thanks for listening to the podcast. I hope this episode has deepened your understanding of Scripture. If you found this content valuable, please share it with your friends. For more Biblical studies, visit our website at ReadyForEternity .com.

That's the word READY, the number 4, and the word ETERNITY, ReadyForEternity .com. We would like to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment on the Ready for Eternity Facebook page or reach out on Twitter.

That's all for now.

Keep studying your Bible, growing closer to God, and getting ready for eternity. See you next time.