Bible Discussion Thread

I don't understand while God had respect to Abels offering and not Cains. I was raised on the farm and we would not offer our cow or our pigs for a offering. But we had vegetables. Unless Cain offered rotten vegs. Why kill innocent animals? We got milk from our cow also.

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. ( Hebrews 11:4)

For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. ( 1 John 3:11-12)

We are not told why "God had respect unto Abel & his offering". It is generally assumed that Abel's offering came from the "firstlings of his flock" indicating a blood sacrifice & that Abel came with a humble responsive heart before God. However, Cain came with neither. But these can only be our guesses since blood sacrifice was not known at that time, but understood to be so, as it was the proper representation & substitute for human life.

If you lived at that time, or at least as one of the Israelites, then you would have to provide a pure animal as sacrifice for your sins - this wasn't an option - it was a life for a life (Leviticus chapter 1). But thanks be to God, He sent forth His Own Lamb to be our Sacrifice, who was the only One Who could be the one & only offering for sin. Any sacrifice offered after Christ's death, could only show disregard & disobedience to God's Love & Mercy to us.

As well, the animals that were sacrificed were not discarded - their remaining flesh became food for the Levitical priesthood.