“And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.” (Gen. 4:10)
Cain hated Abel because Abel’s offering to the Lord was acceptable and his was not, it matters little what the offering was in this context, for “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.” (Prov. 15:8)
We must consider this, that sacrifice that is offered to the Lord by us must be done with the proper heart attitude, no matter what that sacrifice is. Look at Hebrews 13:15, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
Here, at least in part, is where Cain erred greatly, he did not see what he offered as already belonging to the Lord, as all in His creation does, and he did not offer it in thanksgiving for the mercies of God. What we offer to the Lord must be given with a heart of thanksgiving, with no thought to the loss of it to ourselves, and with the full knowledge of the truth of 1 Corinthians 4:7, “For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?”
I believe, though I cannot verbally express the truth of it properly, that everything that we have been blessed with, no matter what it is, has been given to us so that in some way we can further glorify the Most High, whether it be of a materialistic nature or a spiritual gift, from the plates and cups you own to the ability to perform a deed, they are from the Lord and are to be recognized as thus. “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” (Psalm 24:1)
At some point Satan recognized the extreme power he was created with, and wrongfully saw it as his own, Cain believed what he offered belonged to him, mankind refuses to accept that even the life they have been blessed is their own, they take even the air they breathe for granted. The lost detest to give away that which they wrongfully believe to be their own, and sadly many of us who have been born-again fear to lose that which we have received. “And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21)
I could be wrong here, but I do not recall Job expressing much sorrow about what he lost, but the reason why. If you truly believe that everything you own, even your very life belongs to the Almighty and is a gift from Him, then none of those things hold any sway over you, the sacrifice is the acceptance of that truth.
Able offered back to God what already belonged to Him, Cain wanted to see his as his own, as if he owned it and could do with it as he pleased. The lost can think that way, we are to know better.
This is in a way the fulfillment of Psalm 2:1, “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” Cain could not take out his anger on the Lord, so he took it out on the one whom the Lord had honored, he hated Abel because he was accepted. This is the first case recorded of being persecuted for serving God, and it has been repeated more times in the history of man than we may ever know. It cost something to follow Christ, if it has not cost you something, then you may not be on the path you believe yourself to be on.
“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” (John 15:18)
Cain hated Abel because favor was shown to him when he was obedient in his heart and actions, we are persecuted only when we stand firmly on the solid Rock, when we remain steadfast in our commitment to the faith in Jesus Christ that we profess to others. Cain was not rejected by the Lord because he killed his brother, he was punished, but not rejected, it was his heart when he offered his sacrifice that was rejected.
Never look at anything that you possess as your own, not even your life, all belongs to God. Offering back to Him what is rightfully His in the first place should be the natural course of our lives, willingly and with the knowledge of the love that it was given to us in.
It is why even these truths I offer you are borrowed.