Genesis 4:6-7 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, 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.”
Cain and Abel presented their offerings to God. Without other details we can presume that Adam had instructed them concerning the acceptable form of worship and offerings to God. Both brought their best. Cain brought some fruits of the soil but Abel brought fat portions from the firstborn of his flock. Cain’s offering was rejected and Abel’s bloody sacrifice was accepted. The result, Cain became very angry with God.
People have trouble understanding how God could be as callous as to reject Cain’s offering and not Abel’s. What’s the big deal? Cain’s offering is just as good as Abel’s. But Abel’s bloody sacrifice testifies to the reality God showed to their parents in the Garden. God had to sacrifice an animal to cover Adam and Eve with skins. Since sin means death, an innocent victim must die in order that the sinner might be covered, pardoned for their sin. “I’ll cover your tab” someone might say at the restaurant. This person is saying that he will pay the price for another. The sacrifice God made to cover the sin of Adam and Eve points forward to the sacrifice of Christ for us. Acknowledging sin and need for a savior is reflected in the bloody sacrifice of Abel.
Abel’s sacrifice was accepted because it was an offering of blood. He was believed God and was looking forward to the God’s provision of a deliverer. Cain’s offering was given in a manner that he thought was best. It did not reflect an acknowledgment of God’s provision of a future deliverer for sinners. Cain’s offering reflected the wisdom of sinful man in presenting to God what he thought was best and acceptable by God. But God does not want our good deeds and sacrifices until after we have accepted his plan for our redemption. Unless we accepted God’s Son, Jesus Christ as the final sacrifice for sin, we are left with ineffective offerings and our sin.
If you do what is right you will be accepted. The right thing to do is confess your sin and your need for a savior. Accept God’s offering of Christ as the only covering you need for your sin. Then God will accept you.
