Genesis 4 : True and False Worship

We are  currently  considering  the  key issues  of life as  they are presented to us in the book of origins – in Genesis.  These key issues of life   concern  the existence of God,   the  matter of creation, the nature of man and his place in creation, the  nature of marriage,  and the nature and impact of the fall of man   upon our life in this world.

The Judeo - Christian worldview on these matters  has largely dominated  the thought of the centuries in many parts of the world , but in the last 150 years these   key issues of life   have increasingly  received   alternative  explanations. The existence of  God,  the origin of the  universe, and of man,  and the fundamental   institution  of marriage   and the origin of evil  have all been questioned and re-explained in recent history.  

We now  approach   the fourth chapter of Genesis.  There is a very close connection between Genesis 3 and 4. 

·         In Ch. 3 we  find  the  explanation of  the beginning of sin in  the first man, and the consequences  of that : guilt, shame, avoiding God, blame shifting, a hard life lived under the curse.

·         In Ch. 4  we read of sin’s progress as it affects all mankind. Death had entered  the world, just  as God had previously  warned  Adam in  Gen. 2:17. 

Like  a deadly virus, sin contaminates, spreads and issues in death. From Genesis 3  we learn that  the sin problem is  manifested  primarily against God, but  we see  that  it manifests itself  also  against  our  fellow-man.  

We learn that the   one who has no fear of God, has no genuine respect for  his neighbour.

In Genesis 4 we  also find  the  first fulfilment of  the prophesied hostility  in Genesis 3:15—the enmity between the two seeds among men —the wicked seed, the offspring of the serpent  from the line  of   Cain,  and the righteous seed  of the woman, from the line of  Abel. Chapter 4  begins a typical pattern  shown to us in the Bible: The darkness (or evil) continually  seeks   to overcome the light, (i.e. wicked Cain kills righteous Abel) but it never manages  to do  so.  The evil one, the prince of darkness   perpetually  tries  to exterminate the godly seed  (cf. John 1:4)  and although it seems as if  at times  he  has  gained the upper hand, yet  he always finds himself  ultimately defeated and exposed  by  God.  The cross of Christ is  the greatest   example and illustration of this fact.  So also , even though  in Abel the godly seed is seemingly exterminated,  Eve, with God’s help is able to conceive  and give birth to a godly offspring, called Seth (4:25)

TRUE AND FALSE WORSHIP

One of the primary issues following  the fall  becomes  the matter  of sacrificial offerings. Sacrifices became one of the central observances of OT religion,  because  God ordered them to be performed as a  result of the guilt incurred by man in the fall. The sacrificial  offerings  were  foreshadowing  the substitutionary atonement (the taking away of sin)   that  Christ  would provide  in time. One thing is very clear from the outset.  These sacrificial offerings were  of no value without  a corresponding obedience to God  from the heart (cf.  Isa.1:11).

It is precisely here that the difference in the two seeds  begins to emerge. The difference is seen in the way in which they approach  God. It is a fundamental  difference  of approach  to  worship. This is the revelation of true  versus false worship. This  thought  may help us greatly as we are thinking about a special season of giving at Eastside  in October.  

From  this text  we  learn  that “by faith Abel offered to God a more  acceptable sacrifice than  Cain”. God is to be worshipped by means of a sacrifice which is brought  by faith (cf. Heb. 11:4).  But what is  the nature  of this act of faith by which Abel’s offering was considered acceptable    and Cain’s not?

We  consider  the difference between their respective offerings. We read that  Cain was a worker of the ground  and as such he  “brought some  of the fruit of the  soil  as an offering to the Lord.”  Abel was a keeper of sheep   and as  such  he “brought  of the firstborn of his flock and of their  fat portions”.  Both brought something to God.  Again I remind you  that God,  as the Owner and Author of life, has encouraged His fallen people to  continually remember  the fact that He  was their Provider in so many ways .

Practically speaking this meant that  mankind was  encouraged  to  give to Yahweh Jireh  the first share  of the  fruit of the soil ( this is the meaning of  ‘ first-fruits’)  and also the first share  of the firstborn among animals and man. 

So, what  then was the  difference between Cain and Abel’s sacrifice, apart from the fact that the one was  from  the soil and the other from  livestock?  

We observe that  Abel brought the first and the best , whilst Cain did not. Of Cain it is said that  “he brought some  of the fruit of the soil”. There seems to be no love  for God, nor true sacrifice   implied  here.  Some commentators  also point out  that Abel brought a blood sacrifice whilst Cain did not .  I am not sure that this is the main point  here.  The ultimate issue  however is  the intention of the heart  of the giver , and  so the comment of the writer to the Hebrews inspired by the  Holy Spirit  helps us here :  

“By faith Abel offered unto God a better (more excellent) sacrifice than Cain” (Heb. 11:4).  We learn that “the Lord had regard  for (i.e. He looked with favour on) Abel and his offering “. We are not quite sure how God showed his pleasure in Abel’s offering, but    God’s pleasure upon Abel’s offering might have been proven perhaps  by fire coming down from heaven and consuming the sacrifice  as we see  for instance  in Lev. 9:24 ; Judges 6:21; 1 Kings 18:38; 1 Chron. 21:26; 2 Chron. 7:1.

“But  for  Cain and his offering He  had no regard.”  And so we read in  v. 5b : “So Cain was angry and his face fell.”  He was angry at the thought that he could not approach and worship God according to the way he had chosen. This fact gives rise to further problems . He was filled with murderous  anger as he thought about the fact that Abel’s sacrifice outdid his own.

It is really no different with us  today. Unless  we  receive understanding  concerning the nature of true worship by  the help that the Holy Spirit gives us , and unless He subdues  the natural animosity of our minds , we shall see that  the human heart  has its own firm ideas about how God may be approached and pleased.  The natural man in his pride and self-righteousness hates  to give glory to anyone but  himself . In fact the natural man sees himself as  at the center  of the universe. He shares nothing , if he does not have to. He gives reluctantly,  and if he  must give, he  gives the leftovers. This mentality  is behind the practise  of   many in Malachi’s day ,who offered   diseased animals  to God  (Malachi  1:8ff) .  The natural man  does not   wish to present the  first -fruits ,  or the best  of what he has . He sees it as a waste. This is all because  he sees God as less  weighty and significant that He truly is .

This  attitude  is at the heart of Cain’s  behaviour.   So it is with us . If we have a small view of God , then our sacrifices will be ‘small‘ in terms of not giving God the best. All that Cain had to do to give acceptably  was to lovingly give  to God  his Creator and Sustainer some  of the best of the crop that he had produced as an offering.   This is what Abel did.

And so we read,  “the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If  you do well, will you not be accepted ? “  The moment in which he realised that his sacrifice was not acceptable to God , he began to feel offended. So God had to call him to reason. He said to him in effect : “Cain , if you do what is right (i.e. if you bring right offerings) will you not be accepted?  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door ; it desires to have you , but you must master it .”

What was  the sin, crouching at his door  that he needed to master ?  It is obviously the temptation   not to present  God with a heartfelt  presentation of a proper  and fitting  offering to the Lord.  And so this is what happened. Cain and Abel came together to present their offerings to the Lord,  and Abel’s offering was accepted,  while Cain’s was rejected. 

The  sad part of the story  is that what followed now  in Cain’s mind  led not to  godly sorrow  and repentance,  but to further sin. Hence his sin is taken further  by the  manifestation of  murderous anger and the  readiness to kill Abel. This was the sin of David  when he not only took  the wife of another man , Uriah , but  he went even further  and allowed this sin to be followed by another sin – namely to have Uriah killed .

What an illustration of James 1:15! “When  (desire, passion) has conceived, it gives birth to sin , and sin when it is consummated,  gives birth to death !” This was the precise order in Cain’s case:  anger—then, sin—crouching  at the door and not mastered —then, death, and Abel murdered.

And now the consequences  :

“And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is  your brother Abel ? And he said, I  don’t know  Am I my brother’s keeper? And  the Lord said : What have you done? The voice of  your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground.”

Before God sin cannot be hidden! There may have been no human witness to Cain’s crime, but the eye of God had seen it. And the solemn  lesson is taught here. “Be not deceived, God is not mocked.” “Be sure that  your sins will find you out.” “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither  will there be anything that is hidden ,  which  shall not be known”

To God’s pointed question, Cain replied, “I don’t know .”   Anger, followed by murder, followed by a lie. How  false worship  brings out the evil of the human heart! There was no  repentance, no confessing of sin, but instead, a denial  and covering of it.

And so it was with our first parents in Eden, and so it is with us ,  their descendants,  until God’s grace works effectually in us in Christ  to confront us with our  idolatry and self- righteousness  and to reverse these tendencies .

It is to be noted that we have here the first mention of “blood” (4:10) in Scripture, and like all first mentionings  in the Bible  these are particularly solemn  because they express what is primary and fundamental, pointing towards the amplifications of subsequent biblical teaching. The blood here  refers  to  the shedding of  innocent blood,  blood which cried aloud to God, needing atonement . How deeply significant! How it speaks to us of the precious blood of Christ which alone can  cover our murderous  sin !

And so  after  the  Divine inquisition comes the Divine sentence upon Abel- see  vv10 –11 

V. 13 “And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.” Cain now realizes  what he has done, though his mind is occupied more with his punishment than with the sin which had caused it. “My punishment is greater than I can bear” . This will  be the language of the lost in hell.

“From your presence shall I be hidden” cried Cain.  HELL IS TRUTH KNOWN TOO LATE!  This will be the most terrible feature of the one who mocks God in  his false  worship.  He  will be eternally banished from God.

 “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod.” (4:16) Nod means “wandering”. There  is no peace or rest for the wicked.  In  this world they are like the troubled waves of the sea; in the world to come, they shall be like wandering stars, lost in the blackness of darkness for ever. 

Conclusion :  Leading Questions

1.      Do you understand the nature between true and false worship ?

2.      Can you see how  this can be discerned in the manner in which we give  to God ?

3.      Can you see how false worshippers can become the worst enemies of the true worshipper and  church? Just as Cain killed Abel, so the Pharisees in their false worship and false zeal killed Christ.  

The  Lord’s Supper