Cain

2 Pages 598 Words

Michael Corcoran
September 20, 2004
Paper #2
English 236

Explain the real reason for God’s Preference for Abel’s sacrifice instead of Cain’s

The story of Cain and Abel from the birth of Cain to the death of Abel is very brief, only lasting a few versus. It is because the passage is so short and vague that so many interpretations can be taken from it. The bible does not concentrate on why God chooses Cain’s sacrifice, of the fat of the firstlings of his flock, to be superior to Abel’s crops. When comparing the two sacrifices, it seems as though Abel’s sacrifice of his crops is much better then the fat of his lambs which is something that is typically scraps or leftovers. If this is true then presumably God is doing nothing more then playing favorites. He is doing just as some parents do in being strict and stern on the older child while babying and nurturing the younger child.
However this is simply not true. God is not a God of favorites or injustice. God is an all knowing all loving God. He sees the heart and knows the true intentions of everyone including Cain. “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the Heart.” God knew where Cain’s heart was when he chose and sacrificed the fruits of his land. Cain’s heart was not to the level of what god desired or at least not to the same level as Able. And once the sacrifices were made God did not strike down upon Cain with punishment. He simply felt “no regard” (Genesis 4:5) for a sacrifice that Cain put no effort into. It was Cain who was “very angry” (Genesis 4:5) with God. God seems to be surprised with and questions Cain’s anger and tells him that if he does well and puts effort into his sacrifices, like he was told, then of course he will be accepted ...