Daily Lesson for January 10, 2018

Today’s Daily Lesson comes from Genesis chapter 4 verses 1 through 7:

Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, ‘I have produced a man with the help of the Lord.’ 2Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. 3In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6The Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? 7If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.’

Many have made much of this story, wondering why it was that Abel’s offering was accepted while Cain’s offering was rejected. Some have noted that the Scripture says Abel’s offering was “brought of the first firstlings”, while nothing is said of which portion Cain’s offering was given — first, middle, or last.  Perhaps there is something subtly indicative in that, at minimum revealing a certain faithful trust in the LORD’s provision on the part of Abel which perhaps Cain lacked.

On the other hand, we might well read this and conclude nothing is wrong with Cain’s offering itself and take its rejection as a sign not so much of God’s displeasure with Cain’s sacrifice, but rather with Cain himself. For while we do not know that anything was wrong with the offering, we do know there was something terribly wrong with the one making the offering. There was murder in his heart.

Perhaps the anger in Cain began at seeing his brother give so freely and full of trust. Or perhaps all the anger was already there in him, before either of the brothers went out into the field to bring back their sacrifice. In any case, those who live in darkness hate the light and the corrupt despise the pure. There was hatred and contempt in Cain’s spirit, that is the real reason his offering was rejected.

“Why are you angry?” the LORD asks Cain in the story. It is a question not only for Cain, but for all of us. Why are we angry at our brothers and our sisters?  Why do we despise? Why is there such contempt in us?  Why this bitterness? Do we see this thing called hate in our own-selves? Do we see that sin lurks at our own doors also?

For yes, this is a story about Cain and Abel; but it’s also a story about us.